Middle Eastern restaurant adds authentic taste in Elk Grove Village
As the door to Maz Mez Middle Eastern Grill opens, you are greeted by the warm and comforting atmosphere of the restaurant with soothing traditional music playing in the background. For anyone who wants to try something from outside of their culture, Maz Mez, a new Middle Eastern restaurant, is the perfect place to go.
Maz Mez Middle Eastern Grill is located near the busy intersection of Biesterfield and Meacham Road, part of an average-sized strip mall dominated by fast food chains. The area is easily accessible to people in the surrounding neighborhoods and small businesses.
The inside of the restaurant was kept neatly and the lights and sounds of the restaurant weren’t too overwhelming. The addition of some more interesting decorations could create a cozier setting, but it was still nice because it was easy to hear anyone whether it was the people that came along or the waiters.
As for the food, it’s relatively inexpensive for a restaurant that just opened up. The prices at Maz Mez were affordable, which makes an ideal place for teens to go. Prices were $1-7 for appetizers, $6-9 for entreés, $0.75-3 for sides, and $1-2 for drinks.The portions are reasonable, and you’re sure to leave the restaurant with a full stomach.
The food showcased Middle Eastern dishes such as shawarmas, falafels, and kebabs. Something to try while at Maz Mez would be the shawarma plate, which consisted of a choice between beef or chicken, seasoning, basmati rice, tahini sauce, lettuce and tomatoes.
The combination platter is another good dish for a first time visitor. It contained a taste of everything, including a variety of falafel, shish kebab, chicken kebab, beef shawarma, basmati rice, lettuce and tomatoes. The restaurant also provided options for vegetarians.
Although they gave many different meals to choose from, the only option for dessert was baklava, a sweet pastry made with chopped nuts, cinnamon, and sugar. The limited dessert menu wasn’t detrimental to the experience, but some variety would have been nice.
For drinks, there was cardamom coffee, chai, and soda, but I didn’t think it was enough. They could give options like juice for children as a healthier alternative to soda.
The waiters were very friendly and approachable. They responded to orders quickly and routinely checked in with the customer’s tables. They were also happy to answer questions about portion size or what a certain food was.
The restaurant itself wasn’t too busy since they just recently opened and they haven’t advertised to the surrounding areas. It’s family owned and the dishes are specifically made by a cook from Palestine. This restaurant will definitely thrive in this city because of its easy accessibility and friendly prices for customers of different backgrounds.
Rating: 4/5 popper bowls
Graphics credit: Eleanor Park
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