I've visited this place many times. The ambiance is lovely--well-decorated and perfect for spending time with friends and family. The service is excellent! The staff, especially the girls, are always eager to make sure you're happy and well taken care of. The only thing I'm not completely thrilled about is the food. It's not bad--far from it--but everything I've tried has been just average. I absolutely love octopus and figured I couldn't go wrong with it, but unfortunately, even that didn't compare to other places I've had it. That said, everything else is perfect. Maybe it just comes down to personal taste, but I've tried many dishes here, and none of them really stood out. read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

We decided to try this Balkan restaurant. There is a big parking lot in the back and you enter into the restaurant on the far left side. Each room is different from the next, it makes it more unique. The employees were very pleasant and checked on us often. We ordered beef tongue, cheese bites mix, seafood mix, Balkan style meats, lamb chops, skirt steak, garash cake, creme brûlée. Portion sizes are large and great for sharing with friends or family. We did family style and shared everything. Prices were fair. Overall 4.5. -beef tongue 5 - kind of expensive but worth it. One of the best appetizers to get. Tons of flavor and very little chewing. -cheese bites mix 5 -feta and mozzarella cheese. The mozzarella sticks look different from your average American version. The cheese pull is not as stretchy but it's still well made. -seafood mix 5 - very fresh seafood. Perfect if you want to try a variety. The seafood is tender and moist. -Balkan style meats 4 - I love Balkan meats but the pork chop was painfully dry. The other meats were moist and robust. -lamb chops 5 - lamb chops cooked beautifully medium. Use the sauce provided. The rice was also very good. -skirt steak 5 - very tasty meat. It wasn't dry, cooked medium. Risotto was delicious. -garash cake 5 - The cake was light, not super rich. It's very good. -creme brûlée 5 - very creamy version of the creme brûlée. I never had one this creamy before. read more

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5 stars for the Balkanika Restaurant. I highly recommend a visit if you like Bulgarian/European foods. We went on a Monday night and there were no other customers in the restaurant, we were seated instantly - the inside is massive with multiple rooms, private sections, a big bar and a deli shop where you can buy some things to go. The bartender and our waitress were both very friendly and accommodating. I tried the grilled calamari - and it was excellent. The portion size was good - 3 pieces of the calamari rings, 4 pieces of the tentacles and a salad with a delicious green sauce. The prices are also pretty reasonable. I'll have to try their other dishes next time maybe the Kebabchi or sujuk. Definitely check them out! read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Grilled Calamari - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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I was brought by a local and had a great experience! I ordered the meat combo and it was delicious and the atmosphere was great for lively evening. read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Balkan Style Meats - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Great service, music is relaxing and good to my taste... Food is delicious and fresh .... Coming back soon.. read more

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Highlights: *Immersive Bulgarian ambiance with multiple decorated areas *Uniquely Bulgarian cuisine is worth a visit * Food may feel "heavy" to some Food: *Balkan style meats *Daily special: eggplant with feta cheese *Daily special: cheesy potato soup *Garash cake Having scoped out the menu in advance, I had my eyes on the Balkan Style Meats. What we were pleasantly surprised about was the eggplant! It was a daily special so we didn't know what it looked like (the regular menu has pictures) or how it was prepared. Anyway this is the best eggplant I have ever had. The tomato-based sauce was flavorful in a way that seemed more basil than salt. The eggplant was fried with light breading yet it was crunchy on the outside. The Balkan Style Meats is a great way to try the traditional sausages and Bulgarian meat. It is heavy because these are all pork, which is why eggplant seemed appealing to balance it out. The server recommended adding potatoes (if the eggplant isn't available, something else is needed). I think the kufte and kepabche were my favorites. The pork chop was a little bland by comparison. Garash cake was decadent and there was a nice texture with the soft chocolate and the crunchy nuts. Service: For reference we were there on a weekday lunchtime and were the only patrons for forty-five minutes before a party started in the outdoor dining area. Service was pretty good because there wasn't much competition for the server's attention. She seemed excited to share some background about Bulgarian cuisine and was patient in explaining details to us (I asked her what each item was on the Balkan Style Meats for the caption of this pic). Ambiance: There were multiple areas that were decorated, and each with their own distinct style and vibe. *Deli and grocery - just the fact there was a deli in this restaurant is cool *The bar and lobby - had some traditional Bulgarian stained-glass *Private party rooms - no windows and ideal for banquets *Sunroom and outdoor dining area - the sunroom has plants and skylights giving lots of natural light. Combined with the outdoor dining area, there was a definite beach vibe going read more

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Super nice experience. We called our order ahead because we were on a time crunch and they had everything set for us the minute we got there. It was awesome. The atmosphere is amazing, so much detail, beautiful art work. Very friendly service. The food was super delicious. I want to come back and try more dishes, they have a large menu! read more

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Diamond in the rough! This place is such a find, from the food to the service. Our server Vanna was so welcoming and informative. From the appetizers to the mains, all of us enjoyed every bite. You can't order wrong. Special thank you to Daniella for charcuterie platter, and introducing us to your 2nd restaurant! read more

Had calamari and garash cake for dessert before a show in rosemont. Calamari was tender and paired well with the sauces. There was an event so a lot of the tables were reserved but the waiter still seated us in a private room for a good experience read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Garash cake - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

I was looking for classic grilled sea bream served in a restaurant for months. Even in the Greek restaurants is rare. I found it in Balkanika!!!! Simply prepared, extremely delicious, served with Chimichurri. The place is so good and European. The ambience is unique and different from anything I have experienced in Chicago. I took many American friends there during the years and they are all hooked up. read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Last night my daughter and I had a busy day and we were looking for a good place for dinner at 9pm. We found Balkanika had great hours, so we decided to give it a try. We left happy and full. It always looks closed from Oakton, but we wandered through the restaurant and found the patio was busy. It's a very nice roomy place and the bars make for the full dining experience. We started with the feta, hummus and baba ghanoush spreads, the pita bread was so fresh and the spreads were delicious. Then we had the broccoli au gratin and weren't disappointed. For our meal we had the steak and risotto. It was so good and tasted homemade to us. Full of fresh ingredients. For dessert we had the garash cake. We were tired and forgot to take pictures. The food was well plated and left us very satisfied. We will be back and I have no doubt this will become a family favorite. Maybe even book a party. Give it a try. I'm sure you will enjoy everything. read more

Continuing to explore and discover Chicago's amazing culinary scene, I had my first Bulgarian dining experience! Yes I've had Banitsa but that doesn't count. The restaurant also had a small grocery area on the side! Also, there was a DJ playing amazing music and the bartenders were excellent! * * Must Trys: *Mixed Grill meats (Kabobs, Balkan Sausage, Balkan sujuk, and steak with feta fries *Shopska salad *And the spreads with bread read more

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I was out grocery shopping after work today and I passed by this place on my way back home, I'm completely new to this area so still learning all the good places around here. I decided to look up their menu and right off the start I was impressed, the food looked really good and the prices as well not to mention so many good reviews already. I was looking what I'd want and came across the pizza section and was really surprised by the type of dough they are using so I decided to try it out as it reminded me of a pizza style from Poland. So I went in and placed the order. First when you walk in you can tell it's a nice classic place, very welcoming staff and good vibes. They even got their own mini deli inside the place.. The smells coming from the kitchen were amazing. Ivan the bartender took really good care of me, helped me out with my order and answered all my questions . I ordered to go a well done Margherita pizza with ham and mushrooms, waited about 25 min. When Ivan came out with the pizza you could just smell the amazingness coming out of the box, opened it up and my jaw dropped how perfected the pizza was, I barley got into my car and I had to take a piece out and try it & let me tell you it was heaven on earth! The crunchiness, taste, the sauce , the cheese was perfection!!! It brought so many memories back from Poland! I loooove pizza but I am not a fan of thin crust, it's just not my thing. I've been living in the USA for 13 years now and I have finally found the best pizza spot I've ever had for the last 13 years ! Hands down thank you!!! Can not wait to come back and try the rest of the food. Prices are honestly great comparing to many other places. read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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Excellent service and excellent food. A great experience all around! The chicken hearts in white wine and garlic sauce was delicious. The meat plate will not leave you hungry. Thank you to the staff in the bar, extremely accommodating and welcoming. read more

We had Our son's Baptism here in June. Amazing Atmosphere, Amazing food. Everyone was raving about it. Service could've been a little better but sufficient Overall Awesome read more

We have never had Bulgarian food and this was wonderful! Bulgarian wine (white) was dry, tart, crisp. The salad was simple - cuckes, tomatos, ,Olives, cheese drizzled with olive oil . We had the main pork dish - wonderful! Dessert was too sweet for me but Steve liked it. We spent the evening reading about Bulgaria. We added it ro our bucket list Go to this lovely place! read more

I came here with a friend because I love exploring different ethnic restaurants! I had high hopes and was excited to come here. I loved the ambiance and server was great. However I didn't want to try any meat dishes here because I prefer vegetarian or grass fed beef or fish. I prefered not to have fish served with bones. I looked at the salads and I knew I could duplicate those at home too. Nothing looked all that appealing for my dietary preferences. I don't eat organ meats. So I decided to have just appetizers and two chardonneys. I ordered motzerella stuffed mushrooms. I've ordered them at other places many times but these did not taste right. They tasted odd, the flavor was way off. Staff was nice enough to let me order something else so I tried fried zuchinni. It too was off. This was more like falafel, it had zuchinni in but the flavor was not fried zuchinni. I'm not so fond of falafel. I also ordered a mozerella flatbread pizza. It was not flatbread. It was also some if the most tasteless pizza I ever ate. I ended up giving most of my leftovers to my dog. My cash bill was $54 with tip. Thats a lot of money and chardonney was $11 per glass. Sorry about the bad review I'm sure many people love your other main dishes. Too many other places to try I won't be back. read more

My boyfriend and I differed on our opinion here, so we'll meet in the middle. We ordered a lot of food and everything tasted fresh. Our favorite dishes were the french fries with feta, shopska salad, and the meatball. For me, in the combo shashlik, the chicken was a little dry and the pork fatty. The garash cake was different--chocolate mouse and walnut meringue. Not overly sweet with a distinctive nutty taste. COVID-specifc review: Unfortunately, this is where I would take off another star. When walking through the large restaurant most of the staff did not have their masks on properly because they didn't cover their noses. When I came nearby or when they were interacting with patrons, they did move their masks to properly cover their face. read more

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We arrived at 1 for a buffet banquet. The sausage is king here. I couldn't decide which is my favorite. The thin, snake like one or the darker fat one that is more garlicky. Shashlick salad was so good and loaded with tomatoes. At 1 PM the lot was full and we parked easily across the street. It feels like there's always a party. We even got to meet the chef. read more

Very good, large portions of Eastern European food. we had excellent, light breaded cheese appetizer, grilled calamari, mixed grill platter, scrumptious roasted potatoes, and a fresh cabbage, carrot, dill salad. Topped off with a delish napoleon for dessert. We departed happily with leftovers. Originally we were going to the other Bulgarian restaurant in town, but they were so crowded no parking. So happy we found this place with ample parking and delicious food! We'll be back! read more

Best Bulgarian food outside of Bulgaria! The kabob is a must. Be sure to enjoy the outside patio in the summer! read more

I made a to go order. The mackerel was too salty and my shashlik was burnt. Make sure you check your to go orders before you pay! I payed $15.99 for garbage read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

this is a very nice place and we love the way they make their meat dishes. I have many favourites here and we been enjoying the food every time. read more

Amazing food very nice staff!! I love the place and i always recommend it to my coworkers.

Awesome outdoor patio with its own full outdoor bar to compliment the inside one. Lovely little dining room that opens to the patio (casually romantic). Great grilled sausages and meats and east euro style cream sauce chicken dishes. Fun food to share. Friendly staff. Better than fair prices and decent pilsners and lagers. Crumbly parking lot, but don't let it discourage you! This is really worth a try if you don't recognize these dishes and is a really fun good-weather hangout! The outside will fool you...venture in and give it a shot. When on the patio you'd have no idea the street is right there. It's super cute. The menu has pictures to include those who don't know the cuisine. Very inviting and inclusive whatever language you speak. Diamond in the rough (best kind)! I hope it thrives. I will come regularly and will bring friends. read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Homemade Balkan style sausage yum yum! - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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Balkanika is the best Bulgarian restaurant if you are fan of the Mediterranean food that's definitely a place to check our!

This place is by far the best Bulgarian restaurant in the Chicagoland area. The food portions are large and beers are big. It feels like I am back in Bulgaria, very homelike feel. read more

Your server will ask if you want some pita bread. When you order it (with garlic, of course), they'll bring you a beautiful round loaf with a blistered crust and a perfectly fluffy interior. You'll want to eat it all. Do it. Other a katak salad or another salad if you feel the need to justify all that bread. You'll enjoy the salad and it will fill you up and make your mouth happy. read more

I've been in this restaurant many times. First let me say about the food. This is the best bulgarian food I have eaten in America or anywhere else as a matter of fact. Probably I will continue to go there since I like the quality of food and the trendy feel of the restaurant is nice as well. This is what's good about the place. About the service.....oh man! I and my company just left from there after waiting about 15 min for someone to come and take our order and after no one came to check on us, we just left. I had something to say to few people from the staff on my way out and if you think someone apologized or said, I am sorry ....not at all! Probably because this is something they would do only in an American restaurant, not in a Bulgarian one. Every time when I go there it it's bugging me how I and my friends will order our food and they will bring the food out in different times where I can have my order but the person I am with will have no served food for another 5-10 min and I will make the choice to wait out of decency so we could eat together and not to be watching the other eating. I am so used to the American way of serving customers. Things like, after they bring your food 4-5 min later they come back to ask you if everything with the food is alright. Not in Balkanika! And now is the wait for your check. And you wait and wait. You are long done eating and you wait and wait. Finally the waitress comes and you ask her to bring the check and the check comes. And you wait and wait and wait for her to come and get the money. I still brush off all this because I like the food. Just today's experience really pissed me off. Not all waitresses are like this but......but some of them.....oh man. There is a thin young girl with blond or dyed hair on a ponytail....she doesn't even say hello when she comes to the table. Well she is unique with this everybody else is supper friendly and nice. This waitres will walk up to the table with a pen and the order pad in her hands and just looks at you waits for you to say something. Just to summarize. Supper nice place when it comes to environment, feel, music, nice and friendly staff. Owner is around often engaging with people showing love and attention...all good. But when it comes to service......I guess it is the Bulgarian way. My American friends learn to wave at the waitress so they could come. Man the food is good! To the restaurant management...dismiss this review and blame the customer posting it or take it to heart and get better since you know what the problems are. read more

Food was good atmosphere was chill. Waitress was above average! Would go back again.

Second time here. Food was on the point. But service was terrible!!!! We were charged for the beer we didn't even order. Plus we were charged for side of ranch we didn't order either. We were waiting for 20 minutes with card on the table, finally I gave up and came to other server asking for the box and check. We were waiting so long to leave that I didn't check my receipt before I was charged. read more

Good food.. Great drinks .. Amazing energy. The decor is cute and large dinning area / dance floor. The food is absolutely Amazing..traditional Bulgarian grilled meats fresh salads. Exquisite service and large parking lot for parties. read more

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We've driven past here so many times. Tonight we tried it: oh yes we will return! Food was delicious! Our server Ivona was friendly and informative. Really enjoyed the atmosphere: definitely did not feel like we were in a suburb near the airport! Simultaneously homey and cool. So many menu choices with something for everyone. Do yourself a favor and go to Balkanika, ask questions, order items you've never heard of and, if you have room for dessert: get.the.napoleon! read more

We hadn't eaten here since precovid, and I forgot how good the food is. My wife had trout which was a small fish butterflied flat and grilled -- delish! I had the mixed grill -- each item of chop, skewer and sausage better than the last. I also recommend shopska salad covered in the best Bulgarian feta. Try it, especially on the large patio during pleasant weather. read more

This place offers a great selection of balkan cuisine, good service and great ambiance.

At first I was wondering why no one was at the hostess area. But as we enter in the bar area, which was beautifully decorated we were seated. We were seated by a beautiful waitress who guided us to the drinks. I chose Balkan brandy, it reminded me of sake. It was warm to the touch and went down smooth. We order a seafood mix and Balkan mix of meats. The food was very tasty. We were so full that we had no room for desserts. I definitely will return. Friday and Saturday nights the dance floor opens up. So, you single people out there, go. I know I will be there. read more

Be careful! It supposed to be a good review, but... The meat in chicken shish kabob was RAW! No apologies from the staff or management, no any type of compensation. They even included it in the check. I used to go to this hotbed of salmonella (Balkanika) for just over a year, the waiters at this place never excelled in speedy service. Today they broke their own record. We were waiting and waiting for them to pick up the check, finally we went to pay on our own. Those are just highlights. There is more "issues" with this place. Never go back. read more

Their food and service is amazing. I am from California. I came to Chicago for the second time and I just had to come back to this place. Their food is great! read more

We went here tonight for a birthday dinner and sat on the patio. This place was really great. Fun atmosphere and the service was excellent. We had several appetizers, the grilled calamari, friend calamari, assorted cured meats, broccoli AI gratin, and the shopska. Everything was excellent and fresh. I had some of the large chicken kabob as well with mushrooms and peppers and it was very good. We'll definitely be back. read more

A hidden gem. Walking in, we noticed almost no one was speaking English. We were overwhelmed by the menu, which included quite a number of veggie and fish options. Our server was very helpful, and even discouraged me from ordering an entree that she said was big enough for two. The Baba Ghanoush appetizer was wonderfully garlicky, and my fettuccini with house-made Alfredo was the best I ever tasted. My husband's mixed grill was a huge amount of meat that even he couldn't finish. Total bill was $35, a real bargain. We'll be going back soon! read more

Balkanika Restaurant - Modern European Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois