That Weird Lunch Place: Baba Palace

Every day, on the way to your regular lunch spot, it's there. Taunting you, mysterious. And maybe you think, "Tomorrow. I'll eat there tomorrow." But it never happens. That weird lunch place by the office will forever fall to other, more familiar options. That's where this appropriately titled column comes in: The A.V. Club, unable to resist the allure of neglected restaurants any longer, sets out to expand its lunch horizons.

Baba Palace

Steve HeislerAllure: West of the El tracks on Chicago Ave., just shy of Orleans St., the tall buildings suddenly drop off. Thus it's hard to miss Baba Palace, a lone red square affixed next to the stone-clad Griffin Lounge (a River North dance club) and a street-side gas station. Like last time, cheap is the interest here; a sign affixed to the window advertises "Indian & Pakistani Cuisine, Complete Meal: $6.95." And the price is inside a yellow starburst. Sounds great, but is it open? Why, of course: 24 hours a day, and it's become quite the late-night cab-driver hangout. Sold.

Atmosphere: The first thing visible upon entering is a giant wall of a menu with pictures of the dishes, descriptions, and the days when they're available. (The menu changes daily). Now, I'm no food photographer or a purveyor of food photography, but I'd say 90 percent of restaurant owners could stand to hire a better photographer—or, rather, a photographer. Here, all the pictures look like brown goop on white plates, hardly much of a selling point. Thankfully, Baba Palace also placed sample plates of its food (smaller portions) out on the counter; according to the woman taking orders, the staff got tired of answering people's questions about what things were.

Steve HeislerSeating-wise, tables were available near the front in the main room or a shadowy area off to the left of the entrance; the space was not designed with natural light in mind. Past the bar are more tables; a TV tuned to the news and clocks on the wall marking times in Africa, Pakistan, and Jordan; and several pieces of colored paper with writing in Arabic. (The woman says the signs advertise the food.) Throw in a few pictures of Middle Eastern cityscapes on the walls, and there's a lot to look at. The really adventurous can sit even further back, past the pool table, in a lone leather seat that vibrates for change. And even though I was there at prime lunch time, every table was empty.

Service: The woman out front was kind enough; an older gentleman bussed tables with a scowl on his face; another woman emerged from the kitchen at one point and hurriedly handed off my rice. Everyone's just doing their jobs.

Food: I ordered the chicken tikka masala and rice pudding to-go, and left with two huge containers and a little thing of rice pudding. A deep metal one contained the chicken, while the white Styrofoam one was all rice. Sadly, the rice was the best part of my meal; the chicken was mostly bones, and completely devoid of flavor—unless you count "saucy" as a flavor. Same with the rice pudding; I managed only a few bites before going back to the regular rice.

Steve Heisler

Is it really that weird? Yep. I don't want to know what goes on in or around that leather chair late at night, but the food is far from a draw during daylight hours. But if I'm ever at the office really late—like, 5 a.m. late—that's where I'll be, by default.

Got your own weird lunch place by your office you want The A.V. Club to scope out first? Send us an e-mail and we'll get right to eating.