Khalaf Grill

“ This place is the real deal! My boyfriend is Lebanese, and he swears this is the most authentic restaurant in Dearborn--he eats here every time he's in town. After months of hearing him rave about it, we finally made the drive from Chicago to explore all the amazing food in the area, and this spot did not disappoint. First off, the restaurant is huge, with plenty of large tables and ample seating, making it perfect for big groups. The menu offers a wide selection of meats and sides at really reasonable prices. Coming from Chicago, I was impressed, but I'm not sure how it compares to other restaurants in Dearborn. The standout here is the raw meats. It was my first time trying raw frakeh and kibbeh, so I can't claim to be an expert yet, but I could immediately tell the meat was incredibly fresh, with a rich, earthy taste. My boyfriend, who knows his raw meats, gave them his stamp of approval. A rare find on the menu was Hendbeh, something we haven't seen at any Middle Eastern restaurant in Chicago! It was absolutely delicious, with a beautifully tender yet slightly chewy texture that made every bite satisfying. We also ordered the baba ghanoush and hummus--both were incredibly smooth, creamy, and packed with flavor. The pita bread here is unbelievably fluffy, making it the perfect vehicle for scooping up these indulgent dips. One dish that really surprised me was the grape leaves. They were unbelievably tender, with a juicy, well-seasoned filling. What I loved most was that they weren't overly sour, which can sometimes overpower the delicate flavors. Instead, they had a balanced, savory richness that made them incredibly satisfying. For grilled meats, we went all out and tried beef, lamb, makanek, sujuk, shish tawook, and kafta. The charcoal grill gave everything an incredible smoky flavor, enhancing the seasonings and textures of each cut. I especially loved the grilled veggies that came with the skewers. Surprisingly, the lamb stood out the most for me--I usually prefer beef, but the lamb here was so tender and flavorful that it completely won me over. Overall, I highly recommend this place! Bring lots of friends because we ordered way too much food for just the two of us, and the portions are generous. If you're looking for an authentic Lebanese feast, this is the spot. ”

“ This place was AMAZING!!!! Kibbee was amazing. Staff was very pleasant and very friendly ”

“ Very good service and great quality food. Met the owner and the manager and they were awesome. ”

“ Went here for a lunch with a some colleagues and split a few skewers, which were very tender and served with freshly baked bread and some delicious garlic sauce. Our server was friendly and the restaurant was clean and inviting. The value for the price paid was very fair. I'll be back again soon. ”

“ Great portions, affordable price. Food was delicious. Fun atmosphere and great hod families! ”

“ Very fair priced and the food exceeded my expectations (I came an hour before close and food was as fresh as it can get). I don't have pictures but will update with pics when I come back next time, because I will 100% be returning. Amazing staff/service, amazing food, amazing portions and the outside seating is perfect on a spring/summer day. Update: Added some pics! ”

“ I went to Khalaf Grill recently with a friend who moved to the US from Lebanon half a year ago. He told me that this was the most authentic Lebanese restaurant in the area and invited me to try it out. I was a bit apprehensive given the pretty terrible reviews Khalaf Grill has, but was pleasantly surprised as the food turned out to be delicious. The first thing we noted as we walked in for a late lunch (around 2PM) was that the restaurant was still pretty packed. Around 80% of the tables were taken and there was not a single person eating that was speaking English. There was a display case of all the meat skewers right past the tables and basically every table had a ordered a bunch of them. Everything seemed to be really fresh. We had no issues with service here unlike a lot of the other reviews. We were promptly seated, got our order in within 5 minutes, and our food arrived after another 15 or so minutes. My friend ordered in Arabic, so I'm not 100% certain of the exact menu items we got - it seemed to be the Mix Grill ($25.99) with Fries, Hummus, and 1x extra skewer of shish kabob and kafta. We also got the Cheese Rolls and Tabbouleh on the side. Cheese Rolls ($9.99) - The cheese rolls are enveloped by a thin wrapper with a very light crisp on the exterior and are filled with a cheese/herb mixture that's quite creamy and a bit tangy. Perhaps mozzarella mixed with cream given the texture? They were served on a bed of chopped romaine lettuce It was only after we left that I realized the menu says that you get 7 rolls but we only got 6 for some reason. Tabbouleh ($9.99 for the Medium) - The tabbouleh is fresh and lemony, but not overwhelmingly so. It also has some green onion mixed in, which I haven't seen before in a tabbouleh. There's a smaller proportion of bulgur wheat mixed in with all the vegetables and herbs vs. some other places. Overall it was very fresh and the flavor was just right for the dish. Meat Plate - As soon as this came to the table and the smell of cooked meat hit our noses, we knew we were in for a treat. I loved the seasoning and orange exterior coat on the tawook. The chicken was a tad bit dry and probably a bit overdone, but the strong flavor made up for that in spades. The shish kabob skewers had a number of big hearty pieces of beef cooked perfectly medium (they recommend medium, but you can customize the doneness of the meat to your liking). Most Lebanese places don't ask you how you want the meat cooked so it was a nice surprise. There were some pieces in the center that were basically just pure fat which gives a variety that is greatly appreciated - this is the only Middle Eastern place we've been to so far that serves fat on their shish kabobs. All of the beef was tender and seemed to be of good quality. The kafta was also great, properly seasoned and filled with herbs. I absolutely love that Khalaf Grill serves all the meat still on the metal skewers. On the side were some charred onion and tomato, some additional parsley and herbs, and a small cup of toum. Unfortunately the toum here is not good and was easily the worst part of the meal. I don't know what's wrong with it, but instead of the typical garlic pungency, this one was a different type of stinky that reminded me of sweat. Hummus - The hummus is creamy with good tahini and chickpea flavor. Like the tabbouleh, the hummus is bit on the lemony side. It doesn't come pre-drizzled with olive oil, so you have to add it yourself from the bottle at the table. Fries - These are standard food service fries, fried to a nice crisp. Not much else to talk about. Each table gets a basket of fresh and piping hot pita that are still puffed up from the steam on the interior. Delicious pita with not much sugar added unlike some other restaurants in the area. They are browned with some charred areas, but not enough to make the bread bitter Like most family owned Middle Eastern restaurants around Dearborn, Khalaf Grill does not serve complimentary water and instead charges for bottled water. The food at Khalaf Grill is surprisingly delicious. Based on the other reviews, it seems like you have to be able to speak Arabic otherwise you get horrible service. I might go again without my friend and see if I get the same experience. ”