Review

I can't say enough good things about this gorgeous restaurant. I noticed some of the one-star reviews on here, and perhaps this place does not give the same amount of attention to their casual guests as they do to their wedding clients. I have no complaints. The lavish, authentic decor inside solidifies the desire to transform our guests to a place very distant from Chicago. The memorable food was delicious, plentiful and prepared authentically - one that comes to mind that I loved on my wedding day was cumin crusted salmon over a mountain of caramelized couscous and vegetables. The staff made me feel like a queen that day. My friends and family both near and far talk about my wedding everytime I see them, and we still get constant compliments regarding Alhambra.

Review

I love the Alhambra palace!  Then again, I'm closer to age 50 than 40, or 30.  That said, the ambiance and entertainment is fantastic, and the crowd, a nice, clean collection of grown ups.  The food is tasty, and the service impressive even in a crowded setting.  The interior is reason enough to at least get in there and take a peek!

Review

I'm a bit shocked by some of the other reviews on here.  I'll admit that I didn't try the food as I tend to find most Middle Eastern (and Greek) food bland as I'm used to spicier fare when eating things like kebabs.  That being said, there are a couple of great Middle Eastern restaurants in town.

I went here to watch the belly dancing and regular-old-people-like-us dancing and it was a lot of fun.  Sure, your buddies from Michigan State and Notre Dame probably don't hang out here, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with people who you've never hung out with before.  Almost everyone else seemed to be Middle Eastern and the crowd's age varied between 25 and 50.  Everyone got up and danced when the dance floor opened up. 

There was no cover and no drink minimum either.

Overall: fun place, cool crowd, interesting (and probably over the top) decor, and a unique experience for Chicago.

Review

I'm not sure why this place got such low ratings.  I thought it was fantastic--though perhaps that's because I actually read the reviews and knew what to expect!  I was there for a bachelorette party and I anticipated, based on what I read, a circus.  We ordered cocktails and the small mezza platter to start, which was more than enough for everyone to have a taste of everything.  It was delicious and we moved on to dinner.  I'm not sure what the other girls got, but I ordered the Moroccan Spiced Lamb Tangine and highly recommend it.  The couscous was melt-in your mouth good, seasoned by the sauce from the lamb, which was wonderfully tender. 

As for the atmosphere, I didn't actually think it was too Vegasy--certainly a LOT more showy than you'll get at most places, but I think that's part of the charm.  It's unabashedly over the top and if you're looking for a somber place to discuss serious things, yeah, I'd say skip this experience.  But if you're looking for a fun time out with friends, don't write Alhambra off your list.  There's live entertainment, belly-dancing, hookahs, and even a chance to try out your own dancing skills.  The service was decent and the bill, surprisingly, not nearly as high as I expected.

Maybe it's just that I love all things kitchy, but I loved Alhambra.

Review

24,000 square feet of beauty. This place is like walking into the castle in Aladdin. The staff is wonderful. Especially the CUTE Vip Host Alan! I am newly vegatarian so finding food I actually like has been a task. I let the server know my limitations. He picked my food for me!! He did great! The Hummus was wonderful. You can tell the Pita was homemade. The Falafels were to die for! Alexandria (the belly dancer) was a showstopper. I even got up to dance. Alhambra is a must do!!!

Review

Honestly, I really went into the night at Alhambra with some pretty low expectations.  Out with some work colleagues in from out of town who wanted dinner and a "show."  Said colleagues are not the most interesting of people so I was all for someone else entertaining us to avoid some awkward conversations and even more cringe-inducing silences.

Not to mention all of the really bad reviews on here... but whatever, it's 2 blocks from my condo so I figured if it was really THAT bad, I could just excuse myself to the bathroom and sneak myself home.

But I digress... on to dinner.  We arrived around 7:10 for a 7pm reservation and requested to sit in the main dining room with the stage.  The girl at the hostess stand informed us that they usually don't seat that room until 7:30pm but she would go check.  She came back within a minute and told us we could be seated even though we offered to wait at the bar.  That was nice of her.

Everyone got one of their cocktails from the long list they offer ... and now I can't remember my drink's name!  It was black cherry I think?  Whatever, it was good.  I got a glass of red wine with dinner which was also pretty good.

We ordered a bunch of appetizers to split: falafel, lebna, hummus, batata and kibbeh.  Now the kibbeh was an ordeal... there was a private party going on upstairs and they apparently ordered the crap out of the kibbeh and there was no more left.  One person in our group was THOROUGHLY pissed and mentioned to our server more than twice about how ridiculous it was that there wasn't any more kibbeh in the kitchen.  I really felt bad for the server guy, it's not like it was his job to make sure there was enough for this party and our DBag friend.  And then... miraculously... it appeared.  A whole plate, just for him.  I didn't like it but he loved it so I'll just assume I don't really like kibbeh.

Onto the meal... I had the Shrimp Kebabs.  Seasoned perfectly, the rice was awesome with the pistachios and raisins and all that.  I would have liked more of them actually.  I was so full by that point that I could only eat half and take the rest home to my fiance.

During the meal (we went on a Friday), the Flamenco dancers were awesome.  Women of all ages and shapes, it was pretty cool.  We stuck around for the belly dancer who was supposed to come on stage around 10pm but she didn't mosey on out until around 11pm.  She wasn't my favorite, she looked kinda plastic.  My friend swears she works at Admiral after she leaves Alhambra but that is TOTAL rumor starting material right there.

So overall, the decor was beautiful.  The bathrooms were beautiful.  The food was good.  Entertainment was entertaining.  I don't see why you wouldn't come here?

Review

That place looked like a real palace - both in terms of size and splendor! Very tasty food and a variety of live entertainment on select nights, including belly dancers, Arabic bands, and salsa lessons!