Borscht never sounded great to me when I was younger, but I now enjoy beets and duck, so I'm predisposed to re-evaluate. At Anelya, the borscht is nothing short of amazing. Served in a deep bowl, it is hearty serving; full of shredded duck and intensely flavorful. Add a dollop of the delicious sour cream for a spike of brightness and dig in. You may want to split it, or you'll likely take some home. The dumplings are also good, and Kelly loved her chicken Kiev. I ordered the short ribs and found them a bit overcooked and greasy. Would not reorder. The cheesecake dessert was good, but the chocolate drunken cherry dessert is better, if they have it. The cocktails are creative and well made. The wine list is primarily Eastern Europe/Central Asian, and quite good. We enjoyed the Monastery Tvrdos Vranac. The dining room is cozy and playful. We did not have room for Zakusky but would definitely return to try that and get another bowl of borscht. read more

Anelya - Excellent old world wine - Ukrainian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Amazing Ukrainian restaurant with super cool interior decor and exceptional service. The "Lokshyna" dish (layered pasta, porcini mushrooms and farmer's cheese) is amazeballs and super rich - pure culinary bliss. The deviled eggs were also very good as was the Ukrainian apple soda (tasted like the Taiwanese Apple Sidra drink). Also, the Michelin-level dessert of the "Sour Pickle Granita" which was James Beard Foundation Award winning chef Beverly Boyun Kim's winning dessert on America's Culinary Cup hosted by Padma Lakshmi defies characterization: slightly salty, sweet and sour - simultaneously - it's like a delightful puzzle your tastebuds are trying to solve but if you just surrender it becomes tremendously enjoyable and nirvana-like. The Medovtk cake which is a buckwheat honey cake, sour cream and honey combs is fantastic as well. Another must-visit in Chicago! read more

See all

Great dinner, staff is super attentive, amazing cocktails and the food was great I would recommend the Poltava Halushki one of the best things I've ate so far this year. Also a beautiful designed space read more

Anelya - Ukrainian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food was all very good! Service was great as well. All of the food we tried were really good and unique. I would definitely come back! read more

See all

From the first impression, this Ukrainian spot was absolutely adorable, very charming interior. Staff were very kind, especially considering my table was a little boisterous! Hey, we had a great time! The shared plates were on the small side, so round up. There was a bit of a upsell vibe, so get separate tabs if you are trying to be budget conscious. They bring the apps out on a cart which is neat because you get to see everything and order with your eyes rather than your imagination. Of everything I tried, I was the biggest fan of the soup (but I am a big soup person). I easily could have ordered both the mushroom and the borscht myself and called that dinner with maybe a little left over . Very adventurous drink menu, both for As and the N/As among us. They have an infusions menu which are the cutest little sippers you ever did see. read more

See all

Great food! Good service! It's located on Elston Ave. across from Chief O'Neills. We even sat outside. I highly recommend this place!!

We came for the Mother's Day brunch and were not disappointed. It's lovely to have food this special and festive in a room so relaxed and easy. The staff likewise made it feel like an uncrowded neighborhood place, with no pretension. Wins: luscious, buttery bread pudding balanced by sweet and sour candied kumquats; a rich egg-and-sausage plate balanced by crunchy salad and beets; a fresh-currant scone with delicious, tender crumb; poppy seed roll with gently sweet cream cheese icing. The cabbage hand pie was the single best feature in a great meal. How can pie crust and cabbage become ethereal? Just trust me and get one (or several). I will be dreaming about that buttery crust. A couple of nitpicks: the salad on the big breakfast was a bit over-salted; the syrniki were dense and chewy when I was expecting them to be light and tender. That's the only dish we didn't devour. But this is a fantastic place, and I can't wait to come back. read more

See all

I went to Anelya for a Thursday dinner date at 6 Pm. this was perfect because crowds arrived closer to 7 and you will need a reservation at that time. We informed the waitress that my partner has a tree nut allergy, which only eliminated two dishes from the menu. The items are served family/ sharing style. I appreciated being able to try many small bites. Our favorite things we ordered were the Roe Tart and Salo. read more

Note: I am American-born with Ukrainian heritage. My parents who were with me *are* Ukrainian-born. Imagine you were to order a Chicago dog from a place that touts with unearned pride that they are "non-traditional." You order it, and it comes without the bun. Want some bread? Cough up an extra $7. It's like this with Salo. It must always come with bread, without is nothing short of sacrilegious. One is able to order bread as a starter, but shouldn't need to, especially at these rates. Look, I try not to be a jerk because I can. If the experience was good otherwise, I'd say "rant over" and be on my way. No, the rest of the experience was so poor it left me not only disappointed, but devastated. I had the displeasure of trying: - Salo - Korean Carrots - Potato Pancakes - Krovyanka (Blood Sausage) - Pampushky - Short Rib "Bograch" - Salo: the thing itself was perfectly fine. It was sliced thin, and salty as it should be. Served with a couple small garlic cloves. Except, Salo with no bread is a no-go. Korean Carrots: I am unsure how "Korean" this dish is, only that it's had a place at the Christmas/Thanksgiving table. The dish was nothing special; it was no different than what I can make at home. Potato Pancakes: these were served with a jam and a very-high quality feta. I will permit the substitution of sour cream (Slavic ketchup) and the addition of jam. However, this does not excuse the latkes being greasy and overdone. Krovyanka: this one was a fail in both execution and taste. For one, the sausage had fallen apart before into ground meat before it ever touched my silverware. Second, the flavors were one-dimensional, only of meat and blood, and without noticeable spices or grains. Pampushky: I've had frozen garlic knots heated in an air fryer that were better than these. I found them underdone as far as this kind of bread goes, and lacking on the garlic. Think about that barely done bread in a semi-decent restaurant, only with a garlic coating. Bograch: While I want to give them points for the braised meat being tender, those are about the only points I am able to award. I otherwise found it bland and uninspired. Prices: given the quality and the quantity of food, Anelya isn't just expensive, but overpriced. Service: This is an area where improvement is needed. When my mother, a born and raised Ukrainian raised concerns about how on the good green earth Salo can be served without bread, she was dismissed outright. There was nothing done to help an upset customer leave a little happier other than continue to be dismissive, and, seemingly fake-polite. There isn't a plethora of Ukrainian restaurants in Chicago, yet, I still recommend either Old Lviv or Tryzub. As for Anelya, I wouldn't even recommend it to someone I didn't like, for I'd be doing my heritage a disservice. read more

While there is Venn diagram overlap between the categories, authentic and delicious, it's an important distinction for me. Thanks to the invasion, I've come to be pretty familiar with traditional Ukrainian food from fundraisers. Although the Ukrainian people are the toughest on Earth, they are very gracious and generous hosts. I wanted to come here wearing my heart on my sleeve so to speak so I wore one of my Ukrainian St. Javelin shirts, a Ukraine trident hat, and I practiced how to say hello and thank you all day. This sort of outfit always elicited a welcoming smile and open appreciation from Ukrainian Americans and refugees. Not here. The hostess looked me up and down in disdain, as I took in the upscale environment and realized I was under dressed. I'm never under dressed, so I was embarrassed. Still my "Privet," and "Dobri Vechir" were also ignored, my pronunciation wasn't even corrected. Instead, what I got was a curt "you won't be seated until your whole group arrives." We had reservations for four, we were moments ahead of the second couple and THERE WAS NO ONE SEATED AT ANY TABLE. The place was empty. I've been asked to wait until all of the reservation guests were present, but that was at Red Lobster on a Saturday night. At my age, hostesses never tell me to wait for the rest of my party, and then walk away. This did happen at a steak place in Milwaukee where the hostess apologized for not being able to seat me right away and escorted me to a seat at the bar and bought me a drink. When we were seated were were scolded with " No coats on chair backs." Okay, so I'm underdressed, but if you're such a classy restaurant, get a coat and hat check room or at least a coat and hat rack. And, I want to stress, we were so early in the evening, there wasn't anybody here for our coats to get in the way. It's all in the way you ask people, it was rude, not a polite request, more like an order for misbehaving children. The waitress arrived promptly and very helpfully recommended a bubbly from Ukraine that went very well with all of our dishes. She then "explained the menu" but left out one very important detail, the dishes had traditional Ukrainian names but were not the traditional Ukrainian dishes. The chef, a brilliant and creative type, used his grandmothers recipes as inspiration but the cuisine was all new and invented. This affected how I enjoyed my meal. nothing ordered was what I expected even though all of it was delicious. Disappointing delicious food. Good but not authentic. I should have realized when the waitress pronounced Chicken Kiev with two syllables like the Russians. I had also spent all day practicing the proper pronunciation of Kiev, which wasn't time wasted because I'm ready for the next authentic Ukraine situation. In spite of not seating us early, the waitstaff was clearly in a hurry to get us out of there, they brashly interrupted conversation, brought out and cleared dishes at a rude and rapid rate, and kept taking silver ware out of out plates and placing them back on the table. Maybe I'm old, heck not maybe, I know I'm old, but in my day in a classy restaurant, ALL the silver ware for all courses was laid out at each setting. Nowadays high class places replace the silverware with each serving. The place reminded me of another restaurant that was presented as Korean, but not authentic Korean, rather Korean inspired original new cuisine that had a very rushed service just down the block and it turns out the chef here is the husband of the chef there. At Parachute the waitstaff is pretty oblivious to Korean culture, but the food is inspired and truly delicious but disappointing if one is expecting traditional Korean. We asked if the food here was presented family style or if we were ordering our own dishes and the waitress encouraged us to share. One of us, skeptical of a place serving tapas style but not, asked if the plates were served cut up into divided portions and the waitress said she would bring extra plates and knives. As it turned out, the appetizers were easily shared, but not the main dishes. Very expensive for the rushed and pompous service, prices are commensurate with the quality of cooking, but you will have a hard time enjoying if you're expecting traditional Ukrainian cuisine and hospitality. This was one of my three birthday meals. The food wasn't quite as good as Milwaukee's Lake Park Bistro, where the service was impeccable. Lake Park Bistro was not quite as expensive, but that's comparing mangoes and papayas as Milwaukee is less expensive than Chicago. The service was better at Merenda and Miss Katie's Diner in Milwaukee, which reminds me, I need to up the rating I gave at Merenda as the service there was quite a bit better than here. The décor here is lovely and upscale, kind of a contrast to the curt service. read more

See all

Hits all the marks. Great food. Great service. Great ambiance. The hostesses, bartender, and servers were all kind and helpful. Tip: there's a coat check so you don't have to keep your bulky winter items with you at the table. Everything: drinks, appetizers, soups, mains, sides, desserts were phenomenal. Fresh, flavorful without being overpowering, and nothing was too heavy. The lighting is nice and dim with small lamps on some the tables so reading the menu is no problem. The decor is cool- plenty to look at! read more

See all

Black berry vodka infusion: pretty smooth. Not too alcoholic. Sweet and easy to drink Trout roe: interesting popping roe with crispy crust Korean carrots: crispy marinated carrot. Though not worth 9$. Toasted Bread with hummus and sunflower seeds: love the toasted bread. Crispy on the outside and soft inside Pasta lokashyna: interesting flavored lasagna like pasta. Got crispy edges and soft inside layers. Really creamy and deep. Just a bit light. I added the soup from the rib and it was perfect Beef rib soup: soup's a bit salty. The meat is cooked very tender but would be better to have a thicker soup base. Kinda small though Honey cake: can't go wrong with honey cake. I don't care with the added brown sugar. Bit too sweet for me Karpatka: stale and huge. Only good thing is the apple on top Staff's really nice and helpful. Cozy environment. Price is more on the more expensive side. On average not worth over 80$ per person. read more

Meh kind of experience. Went here at 1700 on a Saturday. Reservations recommended. I am not very familiar with Ukrainian cuisine and went with someone who was. Had the dishes seen in menu. They looked pretty good but were bland to me. I expected that but my partner who is Russian (but is critical of Russia) stated that she has had better experiences elsewhere. Service was matter of fact. Prompt and informative but not very friendly. It would appeal to some. Ok ambience. Nothing stood out. read more

We went for our anniversary in October and had an incredible experience. The server was attentive and friendly. She also gave great recommendations so we got a full experience of Ukrainian cuisine. The ambiance was cozy, with a bit of bright colors to add some joy. All in all, it was an incredible experience. read more

Anelya is elevating the long neglected cuisine of Ukraine to the heights of what we'd expect from the French or Japanese dining experience. People who expect cheap prices and giant portions will be disappointed. There are plenty of greasy spoon options for Ukrainian food in town. Anelya is not one of them and I love that for us in Chicago. read more

See all

The food was just okay -- pretty mid overall. The pashtet was bland, the mushroom soup wasn't great, and the chicken Kyiv was probably the best thing we had. The "halushky" were tasty but more like their own interpretation, not real halushky. Pampushky were so tiny like for a little kid. Cocktails looked creative but didn't taste that good -- a bit too over the top. For a $250 dinner, I was at least expecting an interesting experience -- something new and thoughtful that would show a fresh take on Ukrainian food. Instead, it just wasn't even that tasty, let alone innovative. read more

We wanted to celebrate St Patricks Day across the street and planned out perfectly to dine at Anelya before the festivities. We were able to enjoy a nice meal and then walk across the street for some more fun. We arrived for our 5pm reservation and were able to get seated right away. We were one of the first arrive, but the dining area was pretty much full by the time we finished our meal. The service was gear. Very friendly, quick and efficient. Although they're a tiny bit pushy by suggesting 3-4 plates per person. We walked out full by just ordering four total plates. They start you off by bringing you a tower of already prepared appetizers. Whatever looks good to you gets put on your table immediately. We were set on their Sunflower Seed Hummus and Bread by PQB. It's honestly my favorite bread in the city. In it went perfectly with the hummus. We also ordered their Pampushky, a Ukrainian garlic bread. The picture made this look bigger than it actually was. It was a tiny little thing but still very flavorful. The bread inside was so soft and had just the right amount of garlic on top. Would definitely order this again. For our entrees, my wife order their Halushki an Easten European dumpling served with braised short ribs and huckleberries. The dumpling were really good and the short ribs were cooked perfectly. I got a lot of Asian flavors out of this dish. It tasted like something I've had before but can't really remember. But a really savory dish. I ordered their Lokshyna. A layered pasta with farmers cheese and served with a black truffle broth at the bottom. The pasta was a little but crispy on top and on the edges but very soft and creamy in the middle and tasted phenomenal with the cheese and truffle. I would definitely order it again. Overall a very delicious meal from beginning to end. It sucks that Beverly Kim closed Parachute, but really glad she stuck around with this Anelya opening. Will definitely be returning. read more

See all

Delicious! Everything tasted fresh with crispy bits on fried dishes and great texture combinations. Loved the wine list from countries surrounding Ukraine as well. read more

See all

Let me start by saying we came to Chicago over the weekend with a purpose of visiting Anelya and it didn't disappoint! The ambience is very cozy and hip, we loved how they bring you a cart with appetizers in the beginning so that you can pick what you want. We got trout roe, salo, pickled carrots and mushroom and herring and they were all really delicious and perfect to enjoy with some of the infused Nastoyankas they have. For alcoholic drinks I recommend boozy Uzvar and pyanaya vishnya infusion, those were my absolute faves . For the main dishes we got borsch with duck ( very delicious) and lokshyna. Lokshyna was smth unique I've never tasted before, it's similar to lasagna but the noodles are more fried which I loved. We got Pyanaya Vishnya cake for the dessert and it was amazing as well. We are coming back today for the dinner as well to try some more dishes and that should tell you how much we've liked it ! read more

See all

Anelya has a fascinating menu for people unfamiliar with traditional Ukranian food, and they execute it flawlessly. The last time we dined there was for their special New Years' Eve dinner. The most memorable dish was the kholodets, which is a meat aspic with fish and potatoes as a bottom layer. I had never tried a meat aspic before but it was much better than I imagined. The second special course was a fish soup with a crystal-clear broth and a tender cut of salmon in it. The first time we visited Anelya, we were charmed by the appetizer cart with a dozen varieties of little bites. We started with deviled eggs and trout roe, then sunflower seed hummus with good bread. We had borscht which was delicious, and then holubsti which is a cabbage roll. Service is brusque but attentive. If you're not used to traditional Ukranian dishes, this might be an unusual menu as it was for me. But I was glad to explore some favorites from the chef's family recipes. My only concern was the bill - Anelya is pricy. read more

We dined at Anelya for Valentine's Day dinner. It was relatively easy to get a reservation for a weeknight (we booked around 2 weeks ahead of time). The interior decor is funky and warm, which I liked a lot. The space is definitely cozy, with darker lighting and close-together tables. We ordered the trout roe tart, borsch, varenyky, lokshyna, holubtsi, and pampushky for dinner, and medovik for dessert. Every dish was warm and comforting-it tasted like something you would eat at your grandma's house. I would describe everything as "small plates sized," which I actually preferred, since that meant that I was able to try everything. My favorite was the varenyky. Servers were very helpful in recommending how many of each dish to order. I would come back to try more dishes! read more

See all

We are longtime fans of Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark and eager to try anything they are doing -- having finally gotten a chance to try Anelya, we were not disappointed. The most fun and unique part of the menu is the zakusky cart, and you should plan your meal around it. We grabbed just about everything, so let me give you my tier-rankings. Top-tier, ordered a second helping: Marinated mushrooms (fresh, sharp, satisfying) Pickled tomatoes (magical) Excellent: Korean carrots (very garlicky, very good) Fried Crimean style olives (jarring, but in a good way!) Eggplant rolls (delicious, very cheesy, rich) Probably excellent but not my thing: Trout roe tart (my wife loved this) Marinated herring (if you like this kind of thing you'll love this; my wife loved it) Skip: Egg mayo (too much mayo for me) Pashtet chicken lives (too sweet for me) But seriously -- if you planned to just go, get some cocktails or orange wine, and eat zakusky all night, you would be doing it right. But that is not to slight the rest of the menu! We also got the lokshyna, which is sort of like a magical mushroom lasagna with layers of more interesting textures, and the potato pancakes with feta and sea buckthorn, which were both great. The layered honey cake was great for dessert. There are other things I wish we'd ordered if we hadn't fulled up on zakusky, but I have no regrets about my choices. The thing to remember about Kim and Clark is they do weird things in delicious ways, and if you haven't ordered at least one dish that was slightly too weird for you, you are not trying hard enough. It's the most fun I've had in a fancy restaurant in a while. read more

So excited to see Anelya hit the Chicago restaurant scene. Truly original upscale Ukrainian food in a cool yet cozy space. My husband and I had the sunflower seed hummus, the trout roe tart, the egg mayo, the pampushky bread, the halushki dumplings, the borsch, the broccoli, the kovbasa sausage, and the banosh which was probably a little aggressive but we finished most of it (though no room for dessert). LOVED - trout roe tart, hummus, borsch, halushki, broccoli, and the pampushky bread. The bread tastes like escargot without the snails, so good. The borsch is light yet hearty and so flavorful, def the best I've had. Liked the egg mayo (a little bland but the sardine helped) and the sausage. The banosh was cheesy grits so what's not to love but it was a little heavy and we were super full by then. I also tried Kvass for the first time as I was trying to do a "drink less" January which was a bit much on the first sip but won me over by the end of the glass. Service was friendly and sweet. Easy to recommend overall for a date night or small group. read more

See all

Ambiance and service was great! Cute place with authentic Ukranian music in the background to set the mood. We were compelled by the great photos and reviews from Yelp and Instagram and this being a hot new restaurant but much to our disappointment, the food looked great but fell short in the most important category - taste. Most of the food was very bland and without flavor. We were excited to see the tableside presentation of the appetizer selection but all of it was cold and/or pickled. We reluctantly forced a choice out of politeness and tried the colorful petite trout roe over pastry, chicken liver pate and bread basket. All being meh except for the bread which was pretty hearty. For mains we had the layered noodles which looked like lasagna - bland. The cabbage rolls stuffed with enoki mushrooms - bland. The short rib served with potatoes just tasted like boiled meat and potatoes, again bland and flavorless. The only standout was a beet dish that had peas and pistachios. This was a nice respite from all the blandness. It actually exuded flavor, sweet and salty. A much needed rescue. The baked apple dessert was also memorable. All in all, theres no going back until they change up the menu. I dont know where all the positive reviews are coming from but from my vantage point, this restaurant will not make it for the long haul. read more

Came here for dinner on a Friday. It was very empty, but the space was cute and quiet. For appetizers we had the hummus, the bread basket, the roe tart, and the Korean carrots. The bread basket was great, especially with the hummus. The hummus didn't come with anything to eat it with, so you either had to just eat it by itself or buy the bread to go with it. Together they were great. The tart was fine, and I really liked the crunchy freshness of the carrots. For main dishes we had the lokshyna and the short rib bograch. Both were tasty, but they could use a little bit more salt. The short ribs were beautifully tender though so it was easy enough to forgive. For dessert we had the honey cake and the karpatka. The karpatka tasted good, but the pasty was somehow both dry and soggy. The honey cake was delicious though. read more

Anelya - Dining area - Ukrainian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

You come here to support thoughtful chef driven food that tastes good, but doesn't break the bank. We celebrated a birthday and had been to the former incarnation. The space is similar, but they've made a few updates and while we're unfamiliar with Ukrainian food, enjoyed everything we tried. The service was genuine and Chef Beverly came by to thank us for coming. A few items came out paced oddly, but we weren't in a rush so didn't mind. The standouts were the trout roe tarts, borscht, broccoli and chicken/mushroom dumpling. We also really liked the whole mackerel, but it's not for everyone. I selfishly wish they had brought it out whole and deboned it for us instead of us having to (we made a huge mess). The presentation of the small plates kind of dim sum cart style was great! We tried a few wines and enjoyed them all along with being introduced to wines from countries we don't often sample. Desserts were yum and large and I appreciate that finding street parking even on a Saturday is totally doable. We will come again! read more

See all

This place was so interesting and lots of unique flavors. We loved it!!! We tried and shared a lot of dishes. A bit of a drive for us, but I would definitely go back. Highly recommend. read more

See all

It was an amazing and unique experience. The restaurant's name was derived from Chef Johnny Clark's Grandmother. Most of the food was inspired by her. We loved the carrots and sunflower seeds hummus from the appetizer cart. We really enjoyed the desserts as well. The server was very knowledgeable and explained some of the menu items as well. read more

See all

We had a mixed experience. On the positive side, the Crimean olives were good and the Poltava and broccoli salad were great. The biggest disappointment, and the main reason for this rating was the borscht. The flavor was okay, it lacked salt and it was very overpriced at $20. Charging that much for a dish known for its frugality is quite audacious. I can make 12 quarts at home for nearly the same price. For that price, they could at the very least include a slice of bread. But instead, they suggest ordering pampushky if you'd like to eat it with bread. We tried it, but the dinner roll-like bread didn't pair well with the borscht; a hearty, dark bread like rye would have been a much better complement. The trout roe was OK but didn't add much to the experience. read more

See all

Delicious food and great service. The space feels warm and inviting. I love their mushroom lamps. Our favorite food were the borscht, blood sausage entree and the cabbage rolls. Definitely would go back to try more items. read more

See all

I went for the Restaurant Week menu and everything was great. I thought it was a really great menu for RW, and I really liked every course. This was my first visit and I would definitely come back. Very hip decor and vibe, great service and tasty and interesting take on comfort food. I had two of their cocktails and like both of them but didn't try any of their infused vodkas. Maybe on my next visit. Come by for the Restaurant Week menu, it's really worth trying. read more

The food and service and all wasn't bad. It wasn't great or memorable also. The real problem were the prices. This level of food, portions and preparation did not justify the high end prices they're charging. Nowhere close. Maybe 70%. read more

Not being familiar with Eastern European cuisine I thoroughly enjoyed the meal at Anelya. There's nothing like it in the city and it's definitely worth a visit. We loved the appetizer cart they push around where you can see all the appetizers. The visual element is especially helpful in deciding what to order! Everything was delicious but we really enjoyed the carrot pate which tasted like meat! Sorcery. Other highlights were the lokshyna, a lovely and creamy layered pasta and holubsti, cabbage rolls stuffed with mushrooms. We finished with the honey cake which was a perfect end to the meal. read more

See all

Overall solid meal and ambience. Service started out prompt then quite sporadic. Favorite dishes among our table - black garlic sunflower seed hummus / buckwheat side / truffle pasta Good vibe and background music was perfect. Chef greeted us on our way out. Will likely not go back unless invited or in the neighborhood. Nothing overly memorable or exciting. read more

See all

Stopped in for dinner last week. The drinks were fine and the food was good...but the final bill left us in a place that said "for the price, this should have been a lot better." We tried the sunflower seed hummus, the bread, the Korean carrots (yes, Korean carrots at a Ukrainian place), the dolmas, the Poltava Halushki, the borsch, the pampushky and the potato pancakes. The borsch was better than I was expecting, the potato pancakes and the Halushki were tasty, the pampushky was excellent, and the dolmas were a strange miss. Also, our server felt on point for Eastern European customer service: kind, but brusque. The transactions were very business-like: "Hello, what would you like?" was our greeting for the night. In many ways, I loved that because it really felt like I was dining in the Ukraine, especially before the war began. (I have not actually been to Ukraine, FWIW.) The price for the value proposition and serving size is off here. We dropped $253 (meal, tax, tip) for a three-person dinner that featured two drinks per person and a small tasting menu. I was still a little hungry after we wrapped things up. Prices have skyrocketed for meals in Chicago, so some of this is my issue with prices everywhere, not just at Anelya. Still, we didn't feel Anelya nailed it for that price. read more

Place was ok. I originally came for the Ukrainian cuisine aspect & the "GOLDEN UZVAR" cocktail. Cocktail wasn't available so I was offered a mediocre one in its place. Food was ok, good, far from great. Sort of expensive for what it actually is. The texture on the noodles dish was the best aspect of the night. Damn near mimicked cake. Truffle flavor was omnipresent. I'm assuming it's truffle oil. Trout was ok, extremely short lived. Nice quite sure how they made it to hottest new restaurant list. read more

See all

I hate writing bad reviews. It's a local business and I want everyone to succeed, but as I sit here on the toilet, holding on for dear life, I decided I needed to free up a hand to write this review. My partner and I went in for restaurant week. The service was quite poor. Everything was rushed to the point where we were feeling pressured to get in and get out, except when we needed the check to leave. That process took just as long as the entire meal. Overall, the food was very bland. Not terrible, but I don't think it deserves more than a "meh". Unfortunately, both my partner and I had our digestive systems wrecked by our dinner there.. We both felt miserable toward the end of our meal and we're both praying that there's a merciful God out there somewhere to end our bathroom based suffering. It never feels good to spend $150 to feel this bad. Before today, taco bell was where I'd go if I wanted to make a bad decision. But let me tell you, Taco Bell ain't got nothin' on anelya. read more

I loved the appetizers. The dinner dishes were a little bland and seemed loaded with sour cream. I would prefer less sour cream and a little more flavor. read more

Anelya is a Ukrainian restaurant from award winning husband and wife duo Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim. They were responsible for the beloved Parachute, a great restaurant that I really enjoyed. So when I found out that they had a new restaurant focusing on Ukrainian cuisine, I knew I had to give it a shot. Even though Anelya hasn't been open that long, they've already been regarded as one of the best new restaurants in Chicago. This coupled with the fact that I am unfamiliar with Ukrainian cuisine, left me terribly intrigued. I did some research before coming here and was able to determine what some of the favorites of other diners were. The lokshyna in particular looked appetizing and was hailed as one of the best dishes food critic Michael Nagrant (The Hunger, Chicago Sun Times) has had in recent months. Hell, he said the lokshyna was a candidate for dish of the year! The overall ambiance, decor, and general vibe of this place is awesome. They have these really cool psychedelic overhead lamps and much like Parachute, they were cranking out some great music. We ordered the trout roe tart, pashtet, bread, lokshyna, poltava halushski, potato pancakes, holubsti, banosh, pampushky, and the napoleon for dessert. They immediately served us the troe tart, pashtet, and bread. These were fantastic! We immediately knew we were in for an incredible meal. The rest of the dishes came out of relatively quickly. The pampushky (garlic bread) and banosh (carpathian grits) were both fantastic and are a must order. We were then served four thin potato pancakes that came with delicious feta and jam. They were some of the best I have ever had. Then came the lokshyna, a dish I've had my eye on for what seems like forever. Now this is DEFINITELY a must order dish! Wow! A layered pasta made up of egg noodles, black truffles and farmers cheese. It kind of reminded me of lasagna and kugel. This was for sure one of the best things I have eaten all year. The poltava halushki was composed of two large dumplings filled with chicken and came with what was almost like a shredded chicken gravy. The dumplings were kind of like a BBQ beef bun you would get for dim sum. And the holubsti we ordered were four cabbage rolls stuffed with beef that came with a tomato sauce. And both dishes were delicious! We had the napoleon for dessert and it proved to be the perfect way to cap off the meal. I knew this place was going to be good, but it far exceeded expectations. The food is here is outstanding and this is was one of the best meals I have ever had. This is one of the best restaurants in Chicago and I HIGHLY recommend coming here. I know that I will for sure be back relatively soon. A+ read more

Anelya - Lokshyna - Ukrainian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Was so good! A very cozy place with an atmosphere where you want to stay longer. The dishes are like at home, but on a higher level: everything is fresh, beautifully presented and with soul. The salmon was perfectly cooked, and the dessert was delicate and not too sweet. A separate plus for the service: important, calm, humane. People come back here for a reason. read more