Artwork inside Al Manakeesh Taste of Palestine Source: Mariam Jaber
On my 21st birthday last month on Jan. 27, I decided to visit Al Manakeesh Taste of Palestine in Bridgeview for brunch last month on Jan. 27. Accompanied with me was my mom, sister-in-law, and nephew. I had such an amazing time that I thought I should write about it.
The entire menu of Al Manakeesh consisted of, well, manakeesh, which are traditional Palestinian/Levantine flatbread. However, these are not your average, simple manakeesh; these are baked in a pizza oven, and can be customized in every way you can think of.
There’s the original manakeesh flavors: cheese, labne (Lebanese yogurt), and zaatar (Palestinian thyme), and you can mix the toppings together as well, such as cheese and zaatar (dry or with olive oil mixed in), labne and zaatar, or even labne and cheese.
Other manakeesh toppings include an array of vegetables, cheeses, and even meat. The menu is not limited to manakeesh at all, as you can order a pizza or Jerusalem bagel, made any way you want with whatever flavor you like.
During my visit, my family and I ordered a margherita pizza, a cheese with dry zaatar manoushe (manoushe is the singular form of manakeesh), a pesto manoushe that came with cherry tomatoes, and a Jerusalem bagel that was filled with veggies and cheese. My mom and sister-in-law also ordered some hot traditional Palestinian mint tea, on the side.
Now, this was my second time visiting Manakeesh, and it was by far the best time I’ve gone.
I chose my margherita pizza to be topped with black olives and mushrooms, in addition to the tomato sauce, basil leaves, and mozzarella cheese. I would rate it a 5/5, with 5 being the best. It was baked to perfection, and I crave till this day.
The pesto manoushe was baked with pesto sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese slices and sliced cherry tomatoes. As I’ve said before, this was my second time visiting Al Manakeesh, and so I didn’t feel the need to have any of the pesto manoushe because I didn’t like it much the first time around. I’m not a big tomato person, and pesto is not my favorite thing either.
I would rate the pesto manoushe a 2.5/5.
Onto the Jerusalem bagel; as someone who is blessed to be from the city of Jerusalem, I absolutely love Jerusalem bagels when they’re traditionally made. It looks something similar to a stretched out wreath–long and oval shaped.
The Jerusalem bagel at Al Manakeesh however, resembles a huge burger with the toppings inside, which I would’ve been okay with, but the flavors really threw me off. Inside the bagel was a mix of veggies, diced red and green bell peppers, olives, and mushrooms, as well as Mexican cheese and mozzarella.
I love Mexican cheese, but I did not like the flavor it had when mixed with the veggies in the bagel. I really wanted to like this Jerusalem bagel, but it was just not doing it for me. I rate it a 3/5.
One of my favorite manakeesh of all time would have to be the cheese with dry zaatar. The first time I went to Al Manakeesh back in Sept. 2024, my sister and I ordered cheese and zaatar, but the zaatar was mixed with olive oil. I don’t mind the olive oil and zaatar mix, but I couldn’t taste any of the cheese, as it was very overpowering.
However, the cheese manoushe with dry zaatar flakes was absolutely delicious, it reminded me of Palestine. I rate this manoushe a 5/5, it was simply amazing.
I would have to say that the restaurant, Al Manakeesh Taste of Palestine, really lives up to its name. I really enjoyed it and felt like I was in Palestine, it even reminded me of a manakeesh place I previously visited with my aunt and cousin there called Zaman Manaqish.
The decor of Al Manakeesh was beautiful, signs and artwork of Palestine are everywhere. On one wall, there is a painting of a Palestinian grandmother looking through a window, and then her hand is made of wood and is hanging out of the painting. Whoever designed the interior of this restaurant deserves a raise for a job well done.
For anyone wanting to try a traditional Palestinian breakfast food, I would definitely recommend Al Manakeesh. If you’re unable to visit during the morning hours to catch breakfast, fear not, because they are open until midnight every day at 8401 South Harlem Avenue, Bridgeview, IL 60455.
You can also order online and check out their menu at https://www.almanakeesh.com/about.