This place is phenomenal. It was my first time eating Eritrean food and I am so glad I tried it!!!! It was delicious and flavorful and incredibly filling. I split a bunch of food with my boyfriend and mom on one huge platter. The fish was the best part, which we ate along with 2 spicy beef dishes, lots of lovely lentils, and a salad. We tried the tea (very yummy spiced tea) and apparently the coffee is roasted tableside prior to brewing from what I witnessed at another table. I definitely can't wait to go back there. read more

Den Den = Yum Yum! I've been here twice and both times were fantastic. The food is so delicious and always fresh and hot. The servings are plentiful and prices are even better. When we ordered coffee, a woman came out and showed us how she roasted the beans right then and there. It was, of course, some of the most flavorful coffee I've ever tasted. If you haven't tried it, you're missing out. Get yourself to Den Den! read more

Delicious! So much food and so tasty! We got the veggie sampler plate with extra injira. Highly recommended

Went on a whim having had and enjoyed Ethiopian before and been told that they were really good, and they did not disappoint! First off they have this honey wine, Tej (I think is how it's spelled), that is fantastic. Being that this is a mostly byob area I was pleased with the option, not to mention a full bar! The food was fantastic, the staff was great and the atmosphere was very comfortable for sitting around and enjoying the wine after dinner. The only draw back is they don't accept credit cards. This may be because they just opened and they haven't set it up yet tho. read more

Omg where do I begin. The food is so good. And the portions are huge. Super friendly and speeding pick up. Help support local businesses and enjoy this neighborhood gem! read more

The ambiance is something to be desired but the food and service is amazing. I have never had Ethiopian food but I must say it was delicious. A fun experience too eating with your hands. I would definitely go back. read more

Scam. Closed one hour before scheduled closing time. Not answering telephone. Very disappointed! I do not recommend this so called restaurant. Stay away or stay hungry. read more

Best food in East Africa right on the North side of Chicago. Can't beat it, come with your family, friends or significant other. Either way your in for a treat!! Bon appetite! read more

It was a fun experience. Not familiar with Ethiopian food, but it was fun to try it. Enjoyed the experience and the food was good. Some stuff I really liked and other stuff was meh. The bread like thing is an acquired taste, but I was told that it comes with pretty much every meal in Ethiopia. If you like experience, try it out. Also, you eat with your hands. Dig in. read more

What a treasure to Rogers Park this place is! Loved the veggie combo. Food was flavorful and service was great!

Woah, sooooooooooo delicious! The people are really great (though be prepared to speak slowly and clearly sometimes), and the food was phenomenal. Definitely going back as frequently as possible :) :). read more

I highly recommend the fish and lamb! We got #s 13 and 23. The fish was amazingly marinated. I believe it was grilled because it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside (perfectly cooked). When i took a bite of the fish, flavor just burst into my mouth. I want to come back and try the other fish dishes. The lamb was also perfectly cooked. Drinks are cheap, my Sam Addams bottle was $4. Come support your local Eritrean restaurant!! read more

Some of the best Ethiopian food I've ever had. Really quick and kind service. Had the veggie sampler which had a good variety. Yummy!

Yum yum and yum!! I cant write enough yums for this place. This place is one of those places where you go if you want real home cooked food! I dont have any ethiopian friends here in the city but if I did and I would imagine they eat this kind of food and I would basically be their adopted family member. The service definitely is little on the slow side. There is a bit of a language barrier which sometimes makes it difficult to communicate with the one and only waitress, but shes soo cute that I can forgive any lapse on her part. The food is just something that I cant even describe. Its just one of THE best places I have had Ethiopian/Eritrean food. I use these two words together because concept and flavor wise they both are pretty close. I believe due to the growing popularity of Ethiopian food there are some establishments that are maybe slipping on the authenticity and flavor side but this place is about as authentic as you get. This place is an absolute must not just for the fantabulous food but also for the real authentic experience that you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else. For those who expect top notch service this isnt for you. It requires patience but its all worth it. read more

I've only had it for take out, a few times now. I've ordered the Vegetarian Sampler each time. It's really, really good. It comes with two different cabbage dishes, one of which has a nice kick to it. Standard - but yummy - lentils of two varieties, one in the berbere sauce and the other yellow and somewhat plain (no plainer than at any Ethiopian spot, it's just not my favorite dish). There are plentiful potatoes and carrots to nib on, as well as the collard greens which are superb. The first time I ordered it there was no salad involved, but the latter two times there was a little cold salad in a great vinaigrette included. That really made it for me. The injera is delicious and plentiful. I won't say this is the best Ethiopian food for vegetarians in the area (that honor has to go to Lalibela), but I'm still very happy to have found this place. I cleaned the entire plate each time. The food really hits the spot and fills you up without feeling gross or greasy or heavy. It's open later than the other local Ethiopian places, and the interior is inviting enough. I hope to go for the dine in experience soon. Friendly service for take out, and usually a crowd of young men drinking beer and watching soccer. read more

We walked in right before 7pm on a Saturday and it was dead except for the man playing the keyboard. I dread empty restaurants and unexpected live entertainment so I was afraid the rest of my experience would be negative. I am glad to say nothing else was negative! The gentleman running the place was helpful in our ordering. We tend to over order since the boy is a big eater and this man assured us that the veggie combo and a lamb dish would be plenty. The food was not only plentiful but delicious and on par with the Ethiopian placed near by. And the keyboard guy - he was really talented and could play all genres of music and I was surprised how much I enjoyed him read more

The food was delicious, and it definitely reminds me Ethiopian food. Service was great. They need more marketing to get the name out. Highly recommend. read more

Den Den prepared catered food for an International Night at my school. The food was wonderful, ready when promised, and delicious. I would definitely recommend them for their attentive service and tasty Eritrean dishes. read more

Happened to see this place walking by so I tried it. First time eating Ethiopian and loved it. Had the vegetarian, lamb, and chicken. Watch out with lamb or beef. Found hard bones in some of the meat. Ordered the honey wine which was very tasty. Ended the meal with their Ethiopian coffee which was delicious. Highly recommend dining here! read more

What an amazing restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious, the family running the restaurant so very kind and helpful. We arrived at 3pm for a late lunch/early dinner with new friends and had an additional friend join us mid-way through our meal and each time they made sure we had whatever we needed (and brought us extra portions of quickly finished dishes.) We sat there eating, drinking and laughing for 5 hours---they did not mind us sitting and talking long after we paid the bill. We will definitely be going back. Such a wonderful wonderful dining experience. Thank you! read more

Den Den is a really great neighborhood find. I've been there twice recently and am looking forward to introducing others to the pleasure of their food. I particularly like the spicy fish. Among the vegetables, I especially enjoy the okra and the spinach. The spicy red lentils (kind of like an Indian dal) are also very tasty. The young woman who served us the first time about a month ago remembered us and was very friendly again last night. The owner came by and chatted briefly as well. All in all, I'd highly recommend Den Den. review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you're connected in any way to the owner or employees. read more

Very friendly staff and incredible food. Got the #4 and was not disappointed. Will definitely seek this place out next time I'm in town.

This is one of the best ethnic restaurants in the city! The food is amazing. There are choices for vegetarians, and meat lovers as well as good fish. Lots of vegetables and lentils. The tea is fragrant and delicious. Owner is very nice. A must visit in Rogers Park! read more

Great authentic Ethiopian food. Food that finally tasted like the real dishes back in Addis Ababa! I would recommend it for anyone that would be interested in trying it out. read more

My husband and I had been wanting an Ethiopian/Eritrean meal and this place did NOT disappoint. We got two entrees plus the veggie combo. It was plenty of food for the two of us, plus our 8 and 17 yo daughters. Just delicious, wonderful flavors, everyone loved even our 8 yo. Very friendly waitress as well. read more

Yargh! On my many travels, I can state here and now that I've never had true African cuisine of any sort. My wife has been trying to drag me up to the far north side for years, but I've always figuratively dragged my feet and something had come up to serve as a distraction. But last night was different! We had a plan, and put the pedal to the metal! Arriving at around 7 p.m on a Saturday night, I was happy to see that this establishment was not packed like a can of sardines. There were a few other parties inside this cozy place. It is humbly decorated with African art on the wall. Our server was a young man who was very nice. When we had a question that he didn't know, he went and got the cook (who might be the owner, I'm not sure...she was super nice and helpful) who treated us like we were her children. No, not in a condescending way...in a "more food, eat up, I'll bring you a little more!" kind of way. We ordered two entrees that were vegetarian, and it came out on a huge platter with plenty of injera. The flavors were effing awesome, very well developed. It also had a bit of a kick on certain dishes that tickled my fancy something hardcore. Throw in a little house-made honey wine to boot, and BAM, I'm hooked! read more

We moved to the neighborhood, this is less than a block from our home. We tried a few platters and it was incredible! We'll be going a lot more often! read more

I happened to pass this place a few weeks ago and it piqued my curiosity. So when a friend wanted to grab dinner this week , I suggested we leave Logan square and venture to parts unknown. Well worth the trip. Neither of us are very familiar with east/south African cuisine so we asked our server (also one of the owners Micheal) to guide us. Even though they do not have any sampler platters with meat, they prepared one for us. The food was balanced, spiced perfectly and the injera? Was sooo tasty and fresh. Its a small family run business so the service can be a little spotty but they make up for that in friendliness. My friend tried an Eritrean beer that complimented the food perfectly. I look forward to going back with a larger group. read more

Second time to Den Den and it was just as good as the first time. It was empty and quiet, but you know what, that made it all the better for date night with my husband. We get tired of crazy busy loud places. Here we could sit and talk as long as we wanted and actually hear each other. Den Den definitely makes us feel like we are not in Chicago anymore. We had chicken, beef, lentils, and some cabbage sides - don't remember which ones, but all were delicious. Don't forget to eat the injera that's soaked up the sauces under the dishes. read more

Please update hours of operation online. Went to the restaurant on Saturday at 3pm only to find it closed and not scheduled to open until 10:30pm. Online hours said spot was open. read more

I had the veggie combination on injera bread. The food was increidible, so delicious, flavorfull and also seems very healthy. Come hungry, the injera bread will fill you up quick! read more

Enjoy the food, but DO NOT LOOK AROUND THE RESTAURANT FLOOR & PERIMETER WHILE DINING. why? I'm remiss to report there were mice in the restaurant last time i was there. yes, not one, not two, but three (at least). our group spotted them over the course of the evening, mentioned it to our server, who promptly went over to the area to check on what we saw, and out scurried another one right out from under the table. she apologized profusely. so please beware. i live near the restaurant, so the next time i walked past i noticed this: the front exterior wall of the restaurant has 2 sizable openings in the brick a few inches above the pavement. these are wide open wall vents/drainage holes and are easy entry points for rodents. none of the neighboring businesses have this type of opening in their storefronts. food was delicious, but this last visit was most unfortunate. read more

I was visiting Chicago last weekend and staying in the Roger's Park area. So glad I found Den Den for dinner. I ordered the veggie combo and it was delicious. The shiro was spicy, the lentils were rich in flavor, and the injera was fresh. The service was great, the portion of food was perfect, and the interior was decorated nicely. This was a true Ethiopian experience and I would recommend Den Den to anyone. Thank you from Nashville! read more

Den Den Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing service and amazing food, and you don't have to wait 5 hours to eat like some other places in Chicago. The food is so good, not as creamy and heavy as Ethiopian food and you don't leave feeling gross. read more

The food is EXCELLENT. Very veggie friendly, very nice employees!!

Excellent food and friendly service. Den Den is an Eritrean restaurant, and if you've ever had Ethiopian it'll be a similar experience. However I think Den Den's Eritrean food is a bit less saucy/stewy than Ethiopian (in a good way), and the injera bread and some of the sides were more flavorful. Each meal that my friends and I got had a little salad with Italian dressing in the center (Eritrean food has Italian influences), a lentil dish on one side, a collared greens dish on another, a cabbage dish on the third side, and your main meal (meat or veggie) on the last portion. You can also get some of their coffee, where they will roast the beans right there and serve the coffee to you from a clay pot. It's super strong and flavorful, with a hint of what I think was ginger. Great restaurant owned by a very friendly family man named Michael. Check it out. read more

SO good. actually I just got carry out here on a whim. it's delicious, good portion sizes, and it comes with some sweet cabbage or something which is really really good. plus the people are friendly. I'll be coming back for sure. read more

Honestly the best meal I've eaten in memory. The waitress was beautiful, funny and great at her job and the food was incredible. If someone took me here on a date I would marry them. I went with 8 of my friends and we are all totally awe-struck by how good (and easy to share!) the food was. read more

Where do I start? The moment I walked in this restaurant, I was greeted as though I was family. The waiter was very friendly. He quickly took my order and shortly after my food was ready. I ordered the eggs and beans combo which was the best breakfast that I've had in a very long time. Everything was cooked perfectly and was tasty as well. I was also given the best tea I've ever drank in my life. It had a cinnamon flavor to it which made it so good. Not only was the food great, but the service was top notch. The waiter whose name was Seeair provided tremendous service throughout my visit. I was also fortunate enough to meet the owner of the restaurant who was a very nice woman. This is a family owned restaurant and the food and service is a reflection of that. I would recommend this place to anyone. I'll be back in my Arnold Schwarzenegger voice. read more

Den Den Restaurant - Eggs and Beans combo with the best tea ever - Vegetarian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

As has been noted in other reviews, Eritrean cuisine is very similar to Ethiopian cuisine. However, my friend and I noticed that Eritrean food is more herby than spicy, giving it more of a fresh and light feel. I'd heard that Eritrean food is just like Ethiopian food but with spaghetti but none of our vegetarian entrees came with spaghetti :( We quickly got over that disappointment because the food was so delicious and the service was fantastic. They made us feel very much at home as the vibe in the restaurant is very down-to-earth and friendly. Also, the coffee really is to die for. I thought I was going to overdose on it and I did not mind that at all. read more