Middle Eastern Chain Naf Naf Comes to Brookfield

Naf Naf is a reasonably-priced, plenty flavorful success at mainstreaming Middle Eastern eating without getting too deep into the distinctives of any particular county's cuisine.

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Part of the appeal of chain restaurants such as Subway and Qdoba is the ability to see prepared before you the meal you're about to eat. 

But when you’re craving is for Middle Eastern fare instead of a sandwich or burrito, Naf Naf Grill is the place to go to see what's going onto your plate or into your bowl before you nourish yourself with it. 

The atmosphere at the Napierville-based chain's location in the Brookfield Square retail center doesn't offer amenities like a hookah lounge or weekend belly dancers. Naf Naf's goal of attracting families out for a day of shopping and dining probably precludes those kinds of perks anyway. 

Falafel for Beginners

What it does offer is reasonably-priced and plenty flavorful, successfully mainstreaming Middle Eastern eating without getting too deep into the distinctives of any particular county's or region's cuisine. You're craving something that's definitely, say, Lebanese? You'll have to take your appetite elsewhere in greater Milwaukee for that. What you get at Naf Naf is more along the lines of falafel for beginners and people on the go. And they're good at it. 

The aforementioned fried chickpea flour balls make a great source of vegan protein. But on a recent solo trip to Naf Naf, I was in mood for meatier morsels. 

Shawarma and Meatballs

So, I had the attendant on the opposite side of the glass partition ladle out for me some choice shawarma and spiced meatballs for the main course in my Build Your Own Plate repast. Those meatballs are the newest of Naf Naf's proteins; they are akin to Ikea's in size and texture, but in a brown sauce; the meat offers significant middle space in a Venn diagram of Middle Eastern and Scandinavian taste profiles. That's no bad thing. The shawarma was at least as compelling. 

For a base, I went with a half-and-half combination of an acceptable couscous and somewhat bolder yellow basmati rice. That pair was well complemented by vegetable toppings of sweet sumac onion and a chopped cucumber & tomato salad. Among the smoothly textured dip options of eggplant-based baba ghanoush (called "baba" by the servers—cute!), regular hummus and a spicier variety of it, I chose the third and wasn't disappointed.  

That chickpea and tahini condiment has a bit of a bite, but it wasn't fierce as that of the spicier hummus, whose chili pepper heat made me grateful to have chosen the eatery’s cooling, propriety Nafziki as my second sauce. As its name implies, it's akin to traditional Greek tzatziki, but its yogurt is traded out for the thicker, somewhat cheese-like Middle Eastern dairy product of labneh. If Naf Naf's leadership would like to make an even broader pathway for Middle Eastern cuisine in the U.S., they should bottle Nafziki and get it to supermarkets' refrigerated aisles. 

My pita was a pillowy delight and is also the bread used for Naf Naf's stuffed sandwiches. Those are build-your own entrees, too, just like its salads and bowls.   

The only dessert available is baklava. Though its plastic-wrapped presentation isn't personable, the pressure exerted by the wrap pushed the pastry's honeyed layers of filo dough and filling closer together, intensifying its flavors, even if it's not the flakiest iteration of the treat one may find. 

During my late afternoon visit to Naf Naf, other patrons in a wide age range and variety of backgrounds were ordering as well. At least in Brookfield, it sems as if Naf Naf's mission to introduce Middle Eastern food to Middle America is well on its way.