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    Chicago Diplomat Cafe

    4.3 (220 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

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    CHICAGO DIPLOMAT CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Chicago Diplomat Cafe

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    Sarah P.

    We ordered a LOT of food. The service was great. This was our first time trying Georgian food. The dumplings were my favorite and the fried rolls were good too. Everything was very thick and flavorful. The ambiance was very authentic and cozy.

    From top-to-bottom: Julliene, Ajaruli, & Meat Crêpes
    Jay G.

    The Adjaruli is the most from any Georgian restaurant but The Diplomat is a must for anyone visiting Chicago! Great food, great atmosphere and even better service. Come with an appetite, but even if you need a to-go box, they'll give you instructions for reheating at home!

    Indoor
    Mariya G.

    Food-delicious!! Definitely try the khinkali (similar to soup dumplings) so flavorful! Ajaruli was also good the mix of hot cheese and egg combined with bread-cannot go wrong! Unexpectedly the Lobio was a big hit with our group even the skeptics tried it and were pleasantly surprised. I wish our service was more attentive I'm not sure if they were understaffed but our waiter would disappear for a while and we weren't sure if he did note our order or not.

    Authentic decor
    Phil G.

    We stopped at the Diplomat for a late lunch on our way back to Milwaukee from a visitation near Joliet. Last month, we dined at a wonderful Georgian restaurant in NYC, and we wanted a repeat performance. Unfortunately, while the Diplomat was very good, the kitchen's technique wasn't as polished as the place in NYC. Thus, the four stars. Luka was our effervescent server, and he was a highlight of our lunch at the Chicago Diplomat Cafe. At Luke's urging, we ordered the Khachapuri, which has cheese and egg sunk into a pastry bowl. We didn't enjoy this as much as the Imeruli Khachapuri we had in NYC, which is more like a pizza. The fried khinkali were six enormous dumplings, but they were greasier and not as crisp as the ones at Chama Mamma. But, these were good. Please don't take my review the wrong way. I'm just comparing. Our Ojakhuri was very good, the lamb reminiscent of what is placed in a Greek gyro. We enjoyed our meal in the expansive space of the Chicago Diplomat Cafe, and we will return with friends. This is a fun place.

    Cold Appetizers Mix
    Tabitha W.

    We stopped in for a weekend lunch after having spotted this restaurant in a Google search and never having tried Georgian food before. We were waiting for a while before we were brought menus. Since we weren't familiar with the cuisine, my husband blindly ordered the Megruli ($28), a double-layered Samegrelo region Khachapuri stuffed with a mix of cheeses and topped off with smoked Sulguni. We were not expecting such a large, rich dish very reminiscent of a sauceless pizza! It tasted good, but it was very heavy. I went with the Cold Appetizers Mix ($25), a vegan mix of nigvziani badrijani (eggplant with walnut garlic paste) and chef's choice of Pkhali (variety of vegetable pate with herbs and walnuts). This was okay, but the selection felt very repetitive. We were offered bread to go with this, but it turns out that they didn't actually have any ready. We left here with a lot of leftovers. It's a very interesting cuisine that is worth trying, but it may be best if you have a larger group to share these sizable dishes with.

    Mtsvadi Mtsvadi
    Aljona K.

    This was absolutely terrible. The meat was burnt, extremely dry, and completely overcooked. It was hard to chew and had no flavor at all. The potatoes were also dry and stale, clearly not fresh. The salad tasted old and spoiled, with an unpleasant smell and texture. The food was inedible. I couldn't eat it and ended up throwing everything away. This was a complete waste of money. I do not recommend this place.

    Cornish hen
    Amy M.

    We had an incredible experience here! It was a Friday night and it wasn't busy at all so we were seated immediately. Our server made excellent recommendations. We started with the cheese filled mushrooms and the diplomat salad. The portions were huge and the four of us had multiple helpings of these. I loved the herby-ness of the salad and the fresh, simple lemon dressing. I had the beef kebabs, my husband had the dumplings, and our friends shared the Cornish hen plate. You can order anywhere from 2-10 dumplings so my husband ordered 6. The server explained that you should take a bite and drink the broth first so that you can then eat the filling. She also suggested not to eat the stem portion of the dumpling. This was an excellent tip. My kebabs were incredible! I didn't end up eating them in the wrap they were served in but I did eat all of the herbs, onions, and sumac. I will dream about the seasoning on these. They were so delicious! The Cornish hen was served on potatoes. The skin had a delicious spice to it but wasn't hot at all. The potatoes were lemony and herby and oh so good! Herbs were definitely a theme with this meal and we all loved it! Our server left to make some deliveries and the young man that took over talked our friends into trying a Georgian cognac which they ended up loving and ordering instead of Jack. He also talked us into Grandmas Honey cake for dessert, which was also very good. It wasn't overly sweet which we all appreciate. This was an excellent experience and I'd highly recommend it!

    Ajapsandali,  Ajaruli, Chkmeruli
    Insia Z.

    One of my favorite places in Chicago so far. Perfect comfort food. My favorite things were vegetarian and that is very not on brand for me. I LOVED the ajapsandali, I couldn't stop eating it (eggplant and potato stew, so flavorful). The garlic chicken in cream sauce and bread boat with cheese and egg yolk were classics, also delicious. I also really liked the cold eggplant roll appetizers with walnut filling, so literally everything that I ate. So much cilantro on everything which was the cherry on top. I can't wait to come back and try more of the meat dishes and literally everything else on the menu. Came for weekend lunch and there was plenty of room, but I've heard it's busy for dinner. Service was attentive, vibes were cozy and warm even though it's pretty spacious. Can't wait to eat my leftovers and go back.

    Ajaruli
    Marissa P.

    This food is second to none! Unique flavors, high quality ingredients, and layers and layers of delicious seasoning. This spot is a hidden gem. The interior is cute and well decorated and the times that I've been it has been easy to get a nice table without a reservation. Great way to step out of the routine and try a new c

    Interior
    Bob S.

    Took out the family to Chicago Diplomat for some Georgian food. It was a quiet night so we had great service and everything came out extremely fast. Everybody enjoyed the meal as we ate family style. Everybody got to try a lot of different things. We started with some Kisi Amber wine. We also had some of the Georgian lemonade. Both were exceptionally good. We started out with the stuffed eggplant Pkhali and combination cold appetizer plate. The stuffed eggplant was by far the best on the appetizer side. we also had the Ajaruli stuffed with cheese. Which was our grandson's favorite! While we had several other main entrées, the best one by far IMO is the lamb stew! It was incredibly flavorful and robust, full of great herbs and cooked to perfection. We also had a combination of all the different soup dumplings, The cheese was the favorite, and the mushroom the least favorite. We love the high usage of garlic and walnuts, as well as a lot of herbs and all the different foods Yumm!

    Cindy L.

    This spot is such a hidden gem! The meat and potato dish was delicious. The egg-in-the-middle bread, which is kind of like an Ajaruli-style pizza, was amazing--cheesy, doughy, and the runny egg in the middle just makes it perfect. Also tried the Pkhali, and it's a nice little side to balance everything out. The place has a cozy, no-frills vibe, and the food definitely speaks for itself. Worth checking out if you're in the area!

    Ajaruli khachapuri

    Absolutely incredible experience visiting here for the first time. Generous and friendly waiter walked us through the menu, made a bunch of recommendations, and kept an eye on us during the entire dinner. Food was incredible, will definitely be back and be on my list of places to bring people from out of town.

    This place has a lot of cool Georgian dishes I've never had before, the servers are very nice, and the interior is pretty neat. I had the eggplant appetizer, which I really enjoyed, but for my entree, I have to say, I didn't like the lamb stew that much, and the amount was rather small, but I enjoyed what I tasted of my friends' entrees. They got the garlic chicken, lamb chops, and the fried whole chicken. I'll probably come back someday to try some of their other stuff out.

    Ajapsandali

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    This was fantastic! We ordered the chicken stew and the apsandali and both were great.

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    Pirosmani Georgian Food Art

    Pirosmani Georgian Food Art

    4.5
    (21 reviews)
    19.6 mi

    Couple weeks ago we went to Pirosmani and had the greatest experience. I was really excited to try…read moreGeorgian food for my first time. This place was recommended by a friend who couldn't stop raving about it. First and foremost, the service was incredible. We were helped by Sofie and (forgive me if I'm wrong but I think Victoria). They were the nicest girls. Sofie really helped by giving some suggestions and explaining what we were eating. Most importantly we decided to do a wine flight of their 4 favorites. I ended up loooving the red Saperavi wine. Very savory. Then our group decided to try a little of everything and basically ordered the whole menu. Below is a list of all the food we ate, starting with my most favorite but it was alllll sooooo good. The Adjaruli Khachapuri and Khinkali boiled beef-pork were outtttttstanding. Loved. Loved. Loved. You cannot leave without trying these items. The desserts, I wish I knew what they were, but we just told them to bring their top three favorites. Some of the best desserts I've ever had. If you're full....find room! They are a must. Thanks for such a great dinner, we all can't wait to come back! - [ ] Adjaruli Khachapuri (Georgian bread with cheese and egg) - [ ] Khinkali boiled beef-pork (Georgian dumplings) - [ ] 3 delicious desserts - [ ] Lamb Chops - [ ] Wrapped Lula Kabobs (Grape Leaves) - [ ] Chicken Tabaka (whole chicken) - [ ] Potatoes with seasoning

    Came here to pick up some frozen Kinkhali and adjar khachapuri... well worth the price. It's worth…read morea stop after going to Stumara next door, so you can have some Georgian food at home. Great service and shopping experience. Highly recommend!

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    Pirosmani Georgian Food Art
    Pirosmani Georgian Food Art
    Pirosmani Georgian Food Art

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    Oda Mediterranean Cuisine

    Oda Mediterranean Cuisine

    4.4
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    Now why aren't more people talking about Oda? I will be a FREQUENT visitor now! To start this is…read morethe perfect, quaint, neighborhood restaurant. Dim lit but still inviting and plenty of seating for various sized parties but still keeps the intimacy. Our server, Alec was friendly, attentive and gave us the entire run down on the food, cuisine, and his favorite recommendations! Everything was absolutely AMAZING. Big Fs: Fresh, flavorful and filling. Once of my main highlights from the meal was something Alec recommended, the Adjaruli Khachapuri which is Georgian cheese and egg baked in a bread boat. I had never had this before and was blown away by how absolutely tasty it was! I also ordered the Kofte Chargrilled Meatballs which were amazing they came in a large portion but also were SO good bold in flavor with the perfect texture! I ordered the Crimson Petal and the Drop it Like it's Hot cocktails which were both extremely tasty! This was the perfect meal and I cannot wait to get back!

    This meal was so good, filling, and FLAVORFUL! Their dolma dish was really good, and the sigara…read moreböreği was so flaky and delicious. I got the Oda combo grill because I wanted to try all the meats, and I definitely chose correctly -- they were all seasoned and cooked so well. The rice and veggies were the perfect sides for the protein, and the portions are pretty big, so we had leftovers. We tried adjaruli khachapuri for the first time, and it was amazing. Once the egg is mixed in, it takes the dish up 5 notches! The drinks were well mixed, the ambiance was dimly lit and nice, and the service was attentive and amazing.

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    Dining room
    Dining room
    Pita and hummus - excellent
    Pita and hummus - excellent
    Oda Mediterranean Cuisine

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    Jibek Jolu

    Jibek Jolu

    4.2
    (226 reviews)
    13.1 mi
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    Jibek Jolu was all I could ask for to relive my time in Kyrgyzstan!! As soon as I walked in, I saw…read morethe familiar design, camels, and all the detail that transported me out of Chicago, yay!! It's so refreshing when a restaurant can do this! I wanted my family to experience a glimpse of Kyrgyz food, so of course we ordered all the things only a local would know about ! Shout out to our guide during our trip- he made sure we tried lots of cuisine that was all the way Kyrgyz food! The crispy eggplant is a must and is my favorite ! The eggplant is light and the sauce that is drenched on top is perfect to balance the fried crispy exterior. Next I ordered Samsa, Plov, and lamb kurdock. My husband ordered the beef rib and mash potatoes. Not the most Kyrgyz but he did try everything and loved it all! If you want a taste of central Asian cuisine please come to Jibek Jolu! Don't forget the honey cake!

    Beautiful space, delicious food, huge portions. A lot of us hadn't tried this kind of cuisine…read morebefore or this restaurant so we tried asking our server for recommendations. He wasn't very helpful unfortunately other than naming some appetizers that we tried, though these came after some of our entrees came out. It was also very difficult to get water and refills on water but other than that we loved our experience. We over ordered because again, we were not aware of how big the portions would be and our waiter wasn't very informative: Carrot salad- even as a side this was a big portion to share with delicious light Asian flavors Jibek jolu salad- another great shareable with a tasty dressing and cuts of tender beef Khachapuri- one of the recommended apps, also a big portion to share though we didn't know what to do with the raw egg that came on the side. After flagging someone down to help us, we discovered that this was a delicious cheesy bread with egg mixed in. Crispy eggplant- another recommended app which was delicious and sweet Lamb kurdock- I didn't love this dish it was kind of dry and lacking in flavor but huge with lots of potatoes and veggies Combo skewers- so much meat that was all very tender and flavorful, though it came on one thin soggy tortilla. It would have been nice to have more tortillas on the side to make a wrap. I also tried the chicken tabaka, and this was delicious with a curry flavor. Overall, most dishes were so delicious, but it was a bit of a learning curve on how to order and what to expect.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Jibek Jolu
    Honey cake

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    Honey cake
    Ararat

    Ararat

    3.8
    (107 reviews)
    26.9 mi
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    Like eating grandmas . I come solely for chebureki and I am never disappointed. Go to the deli for…read moresweets and other treats on the way home. Daughter loves borscht. Kid friendly and not upscale just a good hearty meal

    Tired of the same dull, old menu selections? I was. That's why when given the option to select…read morethe restaurant for my Birthday dinner I chose Ararat. Tucked unassumingly in a shopping mall in Mundelein, Ararat is a tiny hidden gem. With only about an 8 table dining room, it is a cozy, intimate venue, with a huge and amazing menu, featuring Armenian cuisine. A party of 4, we ordered drinks, 3 appetizers, and an entree for each of us. The portions were generous, delicious, and we probably over-ordered by at least one appetizer, but we wanted to sample and share as many dishes as possible. We began with glasses of tasty Armenian apricot wine. Our appetizers came out in sequence rather than all at once, starting with Italian Lady's Fingers. A mixed salad of cooked bell peppers, nuts, onion and prunes. Very good. Next we were served Khorovats, Armenian style grilled eggplant . Also an excellent dish. Last was beef and lamb dumplings, Khinkili. One of these large, juicy dumplings could have been almost half a meal by itself. I've tried khinkili in a number of restaurants, and these were the best I've eaten. Our entrees were Steak Kebab, Lamb Kebab, Lamb Rice Pilaf, and Frikasse, a chicken, mushroom, vegetable in sour cream sauce dish. All were very good, and were were saddened that we were all too full to try any of their baked goods desserts. The meal was excellent, the small dining room comfy and the service very good. One word of caution: If you plan to dine here you must be patient. Dishes were served as they were prepared, and apparantly little if anything is prepared in advance. The advantage is hot, fresh, and tasty dishes. The disadvantage is that there was a 10 minute delay between service of the 1st and 4th entree. We were in no hurry, so we did not mind. Also we were sharing our selection. For a casual, relaxed, delicious dining adventure I highly recommend Ararat.

    Photos
    Dinning area
    Dinning area
    Inside the Khinkali
    Inside the Khinkali
    There are 8 tables in the dining room and 4 more out on front patio.

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    There are 8 tables in the dining room and 4 more out on front patio.
    Russian Tea Time

    Russian Tea Time

    4.1
    (937 reviews)
    4.6 mi
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    My friend and I have been wanting to try caviar so we decided to check out Russian Tea Time after…read moretaking a look at the menu. We started off with the caviar which came with blintzes on the side, egg salad, chopped onions, and sour cream. We ordered a bottle of champagne that was the perfect combination. We wanted to try a bunch of different items so we decided to split the Russian Tea Time platter for two as we were able to try some appetizers and then the entree plate included beef stroganoff, stuffed cabbage and chicken kebab. Everything was so tasty! My favorite food was the caviar, stuffed cabbage and for dessert we split the honey cake. The inside of the restaurant looked nicer in person than the photos I had seen online. The ambiance was sophisticated and serene. Our server was very attentive and they were quick to clear any dirty plates.

    This is a great place to eat before the CSO, which is right next door. It was a cool night so there…read moreis nothing better than a cup of Borscht. The potato verenikeis were a good appetizer. The menu has classic Eastern European food. I love a stuffed cabbage roll but theirs is a little sweeter than my mom's Hungarian version, but one is a meal. The classic beef stroganoff met expectations and so did the Chicken Kiev. For dessert we had the Vareniki with cherry sauce. It's a delightful place and there is parking across the street. The wine list is limited as I didn't see any reds.

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    Beautiful tea service
    Beautiful tea service
    Medovik- honey cake
    Medovik- honey cake
    403 BTL Saperavi, Veluri

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    403 BTL Saperavi, Veluri
    Kitchen House Cafe

    Kitchen House Cafe

    4.6
    (37 reviews)
    18.5 mi

    My wife and I dined at Kitchen House Cafe tonight, and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. We ordered…read morethe Megrulian Khachapuri and Lamb Kebab. The Megrulian Khachapuri is traditional Georgian flat bread, made from a yeast dough and baked with a savory cheese filling, and a second layer of cheese baked on top. It was served right from the oven cut into wedge shaped slices and was delicious. Our shared lamb Kebab was a very generous portion of large chunks of grilled lamb. Served in a bowl with its natural juices topped with thin sliced onions, it was perfectly seasoned, tender, and cooked to a perfect medium rare as we had requested. A side of the Georgian version of ketchup was an excellent accompaniment, tart, tasting of garlic and herbs with just a bit of heat. Service was very good, prices are reasonable, and the dining room spacious and attractively decorated. I recommend Kitchen House Cafe, and we look forward to coming back to try more of the Georgian dishes listed on their menu.

    Kitchen House Cafe had the vibe of a place that could be a hidden gem, but tonight felt more like I…read moreaccidentally wandered into someone else's family reunion. There appeared to be a private party going on, and to be fair, they seemed to be having a fantastic time. I, meanwhile, mostly felt like an NPC in the background of their celebration. Service was a little off-putting -- not outright bad, just the kind that makes you wonder if you somehow interrupted something important by ordering food. I tried the Chkmeruli (garlic chicken) and khachapuri. Both were decent enough, but at around $45 total, I kept waiting for the "wow, this is worth it" moment that never really arrived. The khachapuri was fine, the chicken was fine... everything was just aggressively okay. To be fair, your mileage may vary. I may have caught them on an off night, and clearly other people there were enjoying themselves. But based on this visit, it felt less like a cozy culinary discovery and more like paying cover charge to awkwardly attend a party I wasn't invited to.

    Photos
    Dining Room
    Dining Room
    Khinkali
    Khinkali
    Bar area

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    Bar area

    Chicago Diplomat Cafe - modern_european - Updated July 2026

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