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Den Den Restaurant

4.5 (165 reviews)
ModerateVegetarian, Eritrean
Open • 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Updated a few days ago

Den Den Restaurant Photos

DEN DEN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Casual
Good for kids
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Den Den Restaurant

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Reviews With Photos

lamb, beef, seafood, veggie, chicken on injera
Mona T.

The food here was delicious and so filling. I came with a group of 5 and basically ordered one item from each section on the menu, trying a lamb, beef, seafood, veggie, and chicken selection. Honestly, I don't even know if we specifically got what we ordered; it seemed like the server just gave us what she thought was good for each section, which was fine by us. Eritrean food and Ethiopian food have a fairly large overlap, sharing the injera and eating style, but differing on certain sauces and use of tomatoes (among other things). The injera here wasn't as sour as I've had at other places, which I found I actually prefer, and I really loved its taste. The salad in the middle was a nice touch and the dressing was delicious. All the flavors of each item were rich and robust. My favorite was the fish-- it was tender and full of flavor; I felt the beef was pretty tough/overcooked though. Overall, it was a lot of food and we all were extremely stuffed afterwards; it was well worth the ~$30 per person cost. A family-owned neighborhood restaurant with very homey vibes and a spacious interior, our servers were super sweet and attentive. They kept bringing out more injera, various spicy sauces, and water for us. Though the food took quite some time to come out, it was worth it when it arrived. Overall, it's a great spot to bring a larger group, and if I lived closer I would definitely come more regularly. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: 4.4/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall Value: 4.5/5

P G.

Den Den has been a favorite Chicago restaurant of mine for years. They serve Eritrean food. It features meat, vegetables and legumes served with injera. Injera is a fresh, whole grain sourdough crepe made fresh of teff and other ingredients --one side is more smooth, and the other side more bubbly to capture the food. The proprietress is named Eelen and she does a splendid job. I recommend the vegetarian sampler, of which there is a picture attached. Den Den also serves spiced tea, very different from the Indian variety as it has no milk, but completely delicious. This is a perfect restaurant for vegans since almost all the vegetarian dishes are vegan along wth the tea. I have eaten here over 100 times (not an exaggeration) and have found it consistently tremendous each time. Not every city is fortunate enough to have an Eritrean restaurant, Chicago is lucky to have Den Den. Five stars

My first time having this type of food and it was amazing! Extremely friendly staff with great recommendations for the inexperienced, good portions too. The Denden Mes wine was also delicious.

Veggie Combo
Steve A.

Clark Street up north has a lot of ethnic restaurants, and this is the only one I know of its kind. Den Den is Eritrean food, which is among the rarest known cuisines around here, even in a big ass ethnic metropolis. It's not that hard to find Ethiopian restaurants, which are similar but have slight variations between these. High prices are the biggest complaint. There's lots of vegan and vegetarian items to choose from. A lot of basically unknown cuisine to average Americans can be found around here. It's very rare to find an Eritrean restaurant anywhere but this is one. There's a slight difference from Ethiopian cuisine, but these are quite similar. It seems there's more meat used in Eritrean. Particularly seafood. Eritrea is along the ocean, while Ethiopia next to it is landlocked. They do have plenty of vegetarian choices though. It's about $15 an entree. The injeera is fluffy and spongy. Lots of vegetarian choices. The yellow lentils are the best protein. Also lots of vegetables such as greens. They serve it like Ethiopian where you use your hands and injeera. Got to make an update for this business. It seems to have changed hours so be sure to go when it's open. They're open daily except for only Wednesdays.

What an awesome place! I'm so sorry that we haven't been here sooner!
Chris M.

I'm kicking myself for not posting this review sooner. We've been here a few times and always experienced excellent service and delicious food. Authentic Eritrean cuisine with generous servings sizes.

Steve H.

I'm a 30-year fan of Ethiopian food yet have never tried Eritrean food. It's quite similar and while I'm experienced and a little bit knowledgeable of Ethiopian food, I could not quite identify the subtle differences. Customer service at den den was top-notch. The owner and his team were so very polite, friendly and attentive. The restaurant was very clean. They were very conscientious about covid-19 protocol. Our food was so very fresh, flavorful, not salty, and presentation was a treat just like had an Ethiopian restaurant. I will return, and I will do a little homework so I'm knowledgeable of the differences next time!

the menu for the restaurant
Cheryl H.

Phenomenal & Flavorful food !! Eating this with the "sponge- y " bread ( as I like to call it ) is a wonderful experience.. just a tiny bit spicy and excellent quality . Casual atmosphere. Very kind people and service . I can't wait to bring everyone here .... !

M Z.

This my favorite Ethiopian Restaurant. The service is always great. Family owned buisness. They are always very gracious and nice. And once I needed a platter short notice and she supplied and also let me borrow a tray. I will always support them https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe1Mv8jU/

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7 years ago

Good tasty food, friendly service, value for money. Would go back for my eritrean food fix.

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Ask the Community - Den Den Restaurant

Is your Inerja gluten free?

Our regular injera is not gluten-free. We do offer gluten free injera but we do ask for advanced reservations of at least a day for gluten free injera.

View All 2 Questions

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Demera was an excellent introduction to Ethiopian food! Since it was our first time, the staff was…read moreincredibly friendly and attentive, taking the time to answer our questions and make recommendations. The food was absolutely delicious and tasted incredibly fresh. It struck the perfect balance of being healthy while still being satisfying. We ordered a platter that didn't look like it would be very filling at first, but it was more than enough food. I would definitely recommend Demera to anyone looking to try Ethiopian cuisine, whether it's your first time or you're already a fan. If you're planning a date night in Uptown, this is a great place to start the evening, then head across the street to the Green Mill for live jazz and cocktails. It makes for a fun night out!

I love Ethiopian food and this is one of the small number of well-known Ethiopian restaurants in…read moreChicago. Need anything more really be said about it? The spicing is not shy, the meats are good, but as is so often true the vegetables are the star. The yellow lentils and the collard greens are probably my favorites. The spiced tea is good too. The service was adequate but neglectful, the QR-ification of the menus annoys me. And if we were in Washington DC or something we could have nice debates about how this place rates against many excellent competitors, but in Chicago I will just say that it is good, and if you like Ethiopian food you will come here sometimes.

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Den Den Restaurant - vegetarian - Updated October 2026

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