Dubai Grill

The Best Places to Eat in Central Illinois | Eater Chicago

"Dubai Grill is located on Gregory Street in Urbana, just steps away from the University of Illinois’ main campus, and its budget-friendly, fast-casual take on the flavors of the Middle East is indeed a hit with students. Despite being tucked into the nooks and crannies of a college town, though, the food beckons a far more diverse slice of the local populace. Part of the fun, in fact, while standing in line, and in an inevitably long one at that, at lunch is the people watching — from retirees asking whether the pickled turnips are spicy, to crotchety old food critics buckling under the pressure of choosing between plain and spiced tomato rice (pro tip: ask, and you can have both), and, yes, to students going, “No cap?” when getting a look at the portion sizes. The pickled turnips, for the record, are not spicy, but together with baby-butt-smooth hummus make the perfect accompaniment to beef shawarma and especially to kufta kebabs, which are made-to-order and seasoned so that a single bite is like a bear hug." - Timothy DePeugh