I can't wait to return here and try them again for a special occasion. It is an African-Caribbean fusion restaurant, which is a new type of cuisine for me and I was eager to try the dishes. It definitely shows the history of migration and influence from a variety of areas of the world. (Caribbean, Latin American, African.) For the uninitiated it seemed like it also had some Asian (Indian and Thai) flavors and inspirations too, but I understand these flavors and spices are also common in the Caribbean. Luckily I went with a friend who loves to sample and share, so I tried 2 appetizers (salmon and rice balls and the naan) and two mains (the prawns & polenta and the stuffed plantains with beef (not sure how they were named on the menu.) The dishes are interesting and had complex flavors. I had to make myself stop eating so I wouldn't overstuff myself and also so I would have a second meal the following day. The cocktails were also very nice (although pricey at $20 each) and the bartender made good suggestions based on both my and my friend's preferences. The ambiance was very lively but also intimate. There is a small bar at the back that I'd like to sit at next time. There are a lot of small and big details that make the experience unique. (There were two birthday parties when I was there and the whole restaurant birthday ritual was a very nice "gift.") They have specially developed hand lotion from Suuri designs in the washrooms, which smelled nice and was a great touch. The service is the only component that needs to be improved a bit to bring my review up to 5 stars-we just need a little more attentiveness such as checking in more frequently and keeping water glasses filled. I don't mind a "tip included" policy because I know that it is done to provide a living wage to restaurant workers, but I do like it when I know beforehand due to the host telling us as we're seated. I didn't see the message on the menu, but I didn't necessarily look for it. I do wish them luck and hope that they do well. It is nice to have another higher end restaurant in Hyde Park to join Erick Williams's Virtue and Cantina Rossa. read more

The food was great zI had the lamb burger and it was cooked to perfection. And the Jorja Peach cocktail was just right and full of flavor. Love the decor and the staff was really nice and a great help. I will be back and bring others with me. Overall everything was Excellent. read more

In short, not worth it! Walked in, no reservation. In order to seat us, they wanted first and last name: A bit big brother'ish, but did not want to ruin the experience. Drinks $18 overpriced for HP Appetizer: Scallops: $24, 3 small scallops with just ok flavors Main: Marisco: $38 for 2 medium size shrimp, 3 mussels, and dried up crawfish. Sauce is mild, and needed lime to spice it up. Lamb burger, in general better, but fries over done. No desert. Kicker: They have a policy for 2 people with mandatory 20% tip! I don't know any restaurant that does that. Not even ALINEA or NEXT do that. WTF! Judge for yourself, but not again for me. read more

Was excited about trying this new place out near me. Went there last night about 8:30 and the doors were locked. Someone cracked the door and said "sorry we are closed," even though the door said they closed at 10 and people were inside eating. I walked right next door and had THE BEST MEAL and Mikki was THE BEST server!! When we walked in and asked what time they closed they said 9PM because they were closing early but they would still seat us. Talk about hospitality. So the moral to the story is eat next door @AscioneBistro. Mahari gets a thumbs down for me read more

Mahari - Lobster bisquei - African Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is delicious and the customer service is amazing!!! The decor is all imported from different countries in Africa! The owner encourages feedback and is always attentive to the needs of the patron. I'm visiting from out of town but this will be my go to restaurant whenever I'm in town. I had the lamb burger, the cabbage and a party of 4, we shared the small plate of chicken wings and the salmon fritters. All the food we tasted is seasoned to perfection. I definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

Mahari - Sitting area - African Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Delighted to have Mahari as one of my restaurant favorites! Interesting, well-seasoned options from the African diaspora: I especially loved the salmon/rice balls, scallops, and mushroom skewers. Each of these options has a great, flavorful sauce without being heavy. Lovely, lovely staff. They are well-trained and work together to ensure a great customer experience. Our server, "Love," was attentive, kind, and "familiar like family" while maintaining professionalism. Colorful, cozy decor. Beautiful handmade tables and chairs. I love the beautiful ceiling artwork of fabric behind the light fixtures. I occasionally moved to the African and Ampiano beats that played in the background. The music was loud enough to enjoy, and while being able to have conversations with your dining party. Check out Mahari! You will not be disappointed. read more

Great food and Ambiance...Customer service was on point and friendly. The owner is visibly involved in the operation . read more

The food was amazing! Flavorful and beautifully presented . The service was very personable. The dining room is quaint and intimate! Can't wait to go back! read more

My family selected this place for my 60th dinner celebration; one of my pet peeves is customer service whether i am spending a 1.00 or more, and though it doesn't matter to me what race owns the place i will admit when black own business don't give good service. i normally check out the reviews but since i was my bday i didn't i just went with the flow, so now i am wondering if we picked the wrong day after looking at the reviews when i got home. maybe its not a place to celebrate special events. The music was great, the place is a cool vibe, but the customer service on this day was 0-1 and i want put all that transpired because this review would be a book i will say it definitely put a black cloud on my birthday . how do you run out of happy hour menus? i felt like sofia sofia sofia yes i said i wasnt going to forget her name kept avoiding us until happy hour expired. i asked her about the wings and if they were spicy after she gave us a few of the items she could remember from the happy hour menu. She told me no its like a barbeque sauce, so i ordered them and then i was sick . The wings for me were extremely spicy having my mouth burning, my sinus flaring and me trying not to cry i have always have good birthday dinner places and this was a fail. i had someone ask me if i would go back and give it another try, and honestly i really don't know ,but everyones experience is different, but for my family and myself this was not a good selection. i know my kids felt bad because they wanted me to have an awesome day because you only turn 60 once. read more

I went for a large birthday celebration. There were about 20 of us, but the way the tables are set up, the guest of honor could jump between tables & be present with all of her guests. They also allow individual checks, even with a party this large (they bring the checkout right to the table). They also do a walking drum circle to celebrate birthdays & get the entire restaurant involved. I ordered the Pollo N Frijoles, which was included large portions & amazing flavor. I also got the Spice Route Sidecar, which had great presentation. I truly enjoyed the experience & service & look forward to trying more of the menu. read more

Mahari - Large Bites: Pollo N Frijoles Libations: Spice Route Sidecar - African Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The ambience was beautiful. We really enjoyed the experience. We were given an explanation on the decor such as the table tops being handmade and the walls being made of African Clay. Our server Lov was wonderful. Attentive, kind, fun, and knowledgeable. Only note I would give would be to use a single ice cube in the old fashioned, regular ice watered it down. Other than that bestie and I will return for brunch. read more

MAHARI Is an exceptional restaurant with scrumptious food prepared to perfection! The service is impeccable and the beautiful interior and atmosphere is unmatched! Don't miss the opportunity to experience an amazing dining experience ! read more

They have some great choices on the menu. Everything was very tasty.would definitely recommend.

Honestly, I really want this place to be good. Took 20 minutes to take our order on Friday night at 8:30pn. Food temperature was highly inconsistent and chicken was underdone. We left it on the plate so that we wouldn't get sick. The ideas behind the food are interesting and some of the flavors are quite good. But for the price point, the inconsistency is shocking. The vibe of the place is honestly quite wonderful but the food and the service do not match. Also, the drinks were problematic. Their take on a Manhattan was average and the Margarita smelled and tasted like a barn. Unfortunately, I could not recommend. Really hope that they'll continue to improve. It is clearly loved by the community and could be an amazing place. At this point, it is overpriced and a waste of an evening. read more

I've been dying to come here...The food and service were amazing! Atmosphere and vibe were top tier. The food was flavored to perfection! I will be back! read more

The service is very welcoming a sense of family. Very hospitable with attention to details. read more

Mahari - The food looks delightful and taste was delicious ! - African Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is absolutely amazing here! Every dish that I had burst with unique flavors. The combination of herbs, spices, and grilled meats have such a unique taste and a great way to get a taste of the African diaspora. The ambiance and service sets the tone for a great experience! read more

Mahari - The spiced watermelon cheesecake is a must try! - African Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had brunch today at Mahari. WOW! Skirt steak was perfect and the pnaancakes were amazing! Sitting outside was a bonus, Great experience!! Excellent service by Chifea! read more

Such a nice addition to Hyde Park -- might just be one of my favorite restaurants in the city. The sambosas and stuffed plantains with beef were amazing. I want to come back and try other things on the menu, but can't imagine returning and not getting those again! I also love that they have cocktails and mocktail options, which were great. This place was so crowded and hard to get a reservation at when it first opened, but it's finally started to calm down. I'm sure I'll be back soon. read more

the sister at the table across from me looked over and said "how were the wings? you f'd them wings up!" and we both broke out laughing before i gave the obvious answer. "fiyah & desire!" i swear i love my people! marhari's is a feel good space perfectly paired with out of this world experiences designed for your taste buds! read more

Mahari - Lamb Burger 10/10 - African Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Save yourself a trip or better yet stop next door from this place and go to Ascione Bistro. Service was terrible, from the time we walked in until the time we left. Once we finally got our meal, the food was disgusting. It was so salty I couldn't eat it. I tried the Bayou Strata on the brunch menu and it was far from what the description stated it would be. The server claimed the kitchen was short handed and the cooks are different some days. Whatever the case, I don't recommend this place and will never go back. They must have their friends writing reviews because it's no way they have so many good reviews. This place is pricey, poor service and less than appetizing. I don't see it lasting long. Thumbs down all the way! read more

This was truly an amazing experience, from the decor to the staff it exceeding my expectations in every way. The staff was friendly and engaging, Grant, our waiter gave excellent dinner recommendations and service. I've never had a dinner where every dish was more delicious than the last. We started with the salmon fritters and ended our meal with the bread pudding and ginger sorbet both were delicious. Our main course cazuela de mariscos and the prawn and polenta were outstanding. I can't wait for my next visit! read more

Customer service was wonderful. From beginning to end Staff were very attentive, friendly and engaging. Definitely a family atmosphere and really sets the tone for the environment as other customers were friendly and engaging as well!! Food was perfectly seasoned and filling. menu was creative mix of African and carribean specialties. Non alcoholic drinks were amazing and refreshing. I would definitely return when in chicago/Hyde Park area. read more

Everything was very good great ambiance great food. the owner was very engaged in the experience of the restaurant and personable. I loved the idea of restaurant being about community and paying homage to ancestors! Great theme will be back :) read more

I love a good African diaspora fusion spot so figured I'd try this place during my recent visit. Inside looks nice, and the hostess and our server were friendly. But, things started to devolve from there; I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. From ordering, it took about 25-30 min for the appetizer I ordered to come out. It was a take on a mushroom suya skewer. It was neither suya spiced nor on a skewer, but it didn't taste bad. Next, it took about 40 min from ordering for the one beverage I ordered to come from the bar, partially because when it was made (late), it ended up getting served to the wrong table and had to be remade. Then we waited and waited and waited. And, 70-75 min after ordering, the entrees finally arrived. By this time, Mahari had officially been closed for at least 15-20 min. (Mind you, Mahari says patrons' dining experience should be done within 90 min, which by their clock, we only have 5-10 min left to eat.) There were issues with the entrees. In one entree, a seafood stew, the mussels didn't open and there was no crawfish as stated on the menu so the kitchen subbed it with shrimp but no one alerted us to the substitution. In another entree -- their take on a surf and turf -- they first said the dish was delayed because they were waiting on the salmon to be cooked, then it was delayed because they ended up serving the dish to another table, and then it finally arrived but the "turf" and the sweet potatoe puree were cold. There were other culinary errors, too, that really just made for a poor experience. When I brought these grievances to the manager, she offered to just make the dishes over again, which was absurd because it was 25-30 min after closing at this point. She said "okay, I can just take these items off your bill" but she also wanted to take the food away after we had waited over an 1.5 hrs to eat; she looked confused when I told her I still wanted my food because it's late and I need to eat something. I had to ask her for a discount -- to comp the meal -- cuz the (many) errors were theirs as a restaurant. She took back one side dish and said she would comp the cold dish. But, when the check came, the cold dish, which cost about $40+ with tax, wasn't comped. She gave me a 15% discount on the entire ticket, which amounted to $17, on a bill that was $110+. Mind you, gratuity is added automatically on top of that for any party TWO and bigger, and the food, service, nor the experience merited the amount on the bill. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant because they don't actually value the patron experience. Kitchen issues happen but, as a restauranteur, you eat that and are gracious to patrons when your team falters. I got none of that and even a slight annoyance that I expected better customer service and the comping of my meal after all of those missteps and very long wait. Sucks because I really wanted to like this place and add it to my trip guide. read more

Mahari is just what Hyde park needed, a great place to eat and an exceptional staff to complement the food. As they were celebrating a customer's birthday, they say : "We are not above you, we are not below you, we are right here with you." I felt that! I felt like I was apart of a family and dinner was about to be served! Did I mention the drinks? A MAZ ING! If you want ALL your taste buds tickled and a great vibe, please head over to Mahari and experience culture, great food, a family atmosphere accompanied by exceptional service. 3 thumbs up and I only have 2! read more

We went on New Year's Eve & Mahari treated us like royalty. Very welcoming. The food was delicious. We had a dish with crawfish. I love their menu title of the drinks "Libations" the decor is very earthy & rich of culture and texture. The entire experience gives Alot of character. read more