Andalous
(773) 281-6885
3307 N Clark St
Chicago,
IL
60657
41.9421
-87.6523
Neighborhoods: Lakeview, North Side
Reviews & Ratings for Andalous
12 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 12 reviews
WORST PLACE YOU CAN FIND IN CHICAGO: 45 MINUTES WAIT, LIES, ONLY HALF MENU AVAILABLE AND TIP INCLUDED IN THE CHECK
by GChiesi
January 18, 2009
Seriously, don't go to this place. Go to Tango Sur or other restaurants. Four solid reasons why this place is horrible:
1) We were there with some friends and had a reservation for 9.30. They were able to find us a table at 10.15. 10.15. It means 45 MINUTES WAIT - WITH A RESERVATION. The owner kept telling us "two seconds". In the meantime, the bartenders tried to hurry some customers to get them out even if they were celebrating a birthday party. Ridiculous. We did not leave the place only because one of my friends knows the owner.
2) To make up for the 45 minutes wait, they promised they would offer some of the food. They brought us some appetizers (6 plates). When they brought the check in the end, all those plates were included. So they LIED to us.
3) When we tried to order, half of the menu was gone!!! RIDICULOUS!
4) The tip was already included in the final check. So they did not give us the opportunity to give them a low tip just to show our disappointment. Very UNFAIR.
I cannot say that the food was bad; it was just ok, though, it cannot really justify the level of service. You'll never know what will happen to you if you go to a place like this; you absolutely don't want to take your friends/fiancee/girfriend/relatives here and lose your reputation.
- Pros: Find one and you can consider yourselft a very tolerant and accomodating person.
- Cons: 45 minutes wait, they told us lies about the fact that they would offer us some food for free, half of the menu was available, the tip was included in the final check
worse service ever
by poiikfjdk
December 28, 2008
If you are looking for friendly place to eat this restaurant is not for you,IT S THE WORST PLCE EVER,i went with my friend there to eat,we waited and waited to get our orders taken after waiting for 15mn we did leave,the worst part is that we were the only customers there,it was rediculous,a dirty looking waiter was on back talking.
NOT RECOMENDED AT ALL.
Nice atmosphere during warmer months
by lalindad
August 25, 2008
I'm not very well-versed in Moroccan food so I have little to compare this restaurants fare to. From what I do know Moroccan food is supposed to have a plethora of unique flavors. The food at this location did seem a bit "one-dimensional" as I think someone else put it in their review. Their Moroccan mint tea was a nice addition to our meal though and the service was decent. Our server was not extra attentive or friendly but neither was he rude or dismissive.
The reason I enjoy this locale is the ambience during warmer months. When I went in the winter and sat inside it was a rather uneventful experience. When it's warm outside I suggest sitting on the open back patio and puffing on a hookah with some friends. Just that and some mint tea will do it for me at Andalous.
- Pros: Clark Street, Ambience, Hookahs
- Cons: Parking, Average Food, Average Service
WORST PLACE EVER
by renzilbarretto
June 13, 2008
The place is truely "HORRIBLE"....I had initially made a deal with the owner 'Jay" for a party of 25 people, he insisted that I pay only in cash (including taxes and tip) and leave a deposit. when I came to pay the deposit on the day of the party "Jay" added another $200 to the bill to make some easy cash because he knew that I was helpless since everything had been organised and all the people hade been informed, he even threatened to cancel the event if I did not pay the new amount. At the dinner not a single person enjoyed the food, not only did we not get all the food that we had paid for (food was pre-ordered) but "Jay" kept complaining about the business he was losing because we were there and kept asking me to leave with my party after an hour. I will definitely be reporting this guy to the IRS
A Sham
by FranklyMiller
April 26, 2008
The service is not "okay." It's simply bad. The excuse seems to be that "real Moroccan food" takes time to make "fresh from scratch." That's interesting since numerous Chicago restaurants are able to serve fresh braised or stewed entrees within 45 minutes. At Andalous, we waited over an hour and a half to be served! Yet we thought, well the food must be good. NOT SO. The flavor is one-dimensional and not at all complex. In fact, the beef dishes are so over-salted that they are nearly inedible, the vegetables as so over-cooked and mushy that many are unidentifiable, and the meat is so dried out that one is left to think that an angry chef must have done it on purpose. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.
- Pros: None
- Cons: Flavor & Service
Suprisingly amazing!
by GabrielM
April 07, 2008
A group of 5 went there this past weekend, completely forgetting to reserve a table on a busy Friday night. After driving around and around for parking, we were lucky at getting a table after waiting only 6-8 minutes! We read the reviews before arriving, and I must say we don't believe everything we read. The restuarant was great... the food was amazing.... and the service was terrific. (Am I making the point yet?) The server/manager recommend all of our entrees (which we all thought was weird and funny), but we trusted his judgement and loved every bite of our meals. We tried some appetizer, some samples of their desert, and the green mint tea was awesome. Best of all, the bill was SO cheap! We tipped very generously because everything was perfect. I highly recommend taking a date there, or a group of friends. Did I mentioned they sat us quickly after sitting 2 parties of 18-20 people each! I felt like they went the extra mile and they deserve to be noticed.
- Pros: BYOB, FOOD, PRICE
- Cons: hmm... tight squeeze between tables
Great Food! Friendly Service.
by longhorn2289
May 28, 2007
My wife and I have never had Moroccan food, but found this to be a great introduction to the cuisine. The service was nice and relaxed, but also attentive. If you're looking for a place to get in and out of quickly, this might not be the place for you. Each entree takes approximately 25 minutes to make.
Try the zalook as an appetizer. For an entree, the tenderloin with butter cream sauce was incredible, and you can't beat the price. My wife had the vegetarian pastilla and she really enjoyed that as well.
Citysearch says that there is outdoor dining, but we didn't notice that there was. There is however, window seating that we would recommend. It also says that they accept debit/credit cards, but we were told at the time we were paying that they would only take cash. It might be a good idea to check on this before you go, so that you're not surprised.
- Pros: Great window seating, friendly waiter
- Cons: Small dining area
not impress
by pink75
April 11, 2007
i had a chicken dish and it was okay. it was a little bit salty. my friend had one of their beef dishes, did not like it, but we have to give them credit for the tender and succulent beef. overall, it was not bad or good, but i would not go there again, i think there are other good mediterrenean restaurants in chicago. the food took a long time perhaps we went on a friday night.
Descent food but service not very personal, plus minimum order of an entree per person!!!!
by sleopold
July 19, 2006
My friend and I went here last night and brought in a 12 pack of beer, which the server was very rude about (if you dont want people bringing in liqour, dont be a BYOB restaurant). We ordered an appetizer (mashed eggplant and tomatoes...very good) and were just going to order an entree to split...well we didn't know but there is a minimum of one entree per person or pay a $6 share fee (little on the high side just to split a meal...dont you think). I thought that was a little ridiculous so we both ordered an entree. I had the fish patilla or something like that, it was pretty good and my friend ordered the veggie coucous...which was very bland. The portions were huge...we ended up each taking like 3/4 of our dinners home. The server was just very rude to us and acted like we were white trash or something...it was a really odd feeling, maybe because we were two white girls...I dont know. Other than that, my food was delicious and her food was just ok. I probably wont be back but it was ok to try something new, I just wish that our server would have not been so condescending towards us and we would have known about the minimum entree order (so weird, I dine out alot and have never heard of every person having to order an entree, maybe a minimum amount but not entree...what if I wanted just soup and salad...RIDICULOUS!!) Anyway...thats it, useful info...
- Pros: BYOB
- Cons: rude servers, minimum order of an entree per person
Moroccan cuisine in an inviting atmosphere at this petite B.Y.O. spot on Clark Street.
by Robyn Galbos
June 22, 2006
The Scene
Set on a busy strip of Clark Street in Lakeview, this storefront attracts a casual neighborhood crowd of couples on dates and groups of friends. Orange-hued walls, oil paintings of Moroccan street scenes and iron chandeliers and ceiling fans lend warmth and hominess to the compact space. Service is friendly and unobtrusive.
The Food
The kitchen dishes out full-flavored, piping-hot Moroccan cuisine served in generous portions. Pita bread accompanies spreadable appetizers like Zaalouk--grilled eggplant mashed with tomatoes, garlic and Moroccan spices--and Bakoula, a zesty chopped spinach dish. Tagines figure prominently on the menu: Marrakech tagine features fork-tender lamb shank bathed in a herbed tomato sauce, and Zagora tagine with braised lamb shank, artichoke hearts and green peas. In a perfect marriage of sweet and savory, the Pastilla combines tender shredded chicken and Moroccan spices, baked in a crispy phyllo shell dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Moroccan pastries complete the meal.
