This was an amazing experience. We sat in the enclosed patio. It was early and we ate off the Happy Hour special menu. You had an alcohol beverage (or non) and two appetizers for one low price. Alexis made this amazing drink- one with vodka and one virgin. It was lavender syrup, ginger beer muddled with mint and a beautiful sprig of mint garnish. It tasted devine! We shared the 6 apps: hot honey catfish sliders; hot honey wings and fries; two orders of shrimp and grits; fried green tomatoes. I definitely will be back. Excellent food and service. read more

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I really wanted to love this place but I did not have the best experience! Went with my best friend for happy hour and we tried everything in the video plus drinks. - The hot Hot Honey Catfish Sliders and NAFSI Wings were really good - The fries were completely cold and we had to have them bring out some fresh ones - The shrimp and grits was soooooo salty and we were disappointed I do plan on going back to give it another chance because I liked the vibe and location. read more

I really wanted to support this Black owned business, which makes this review disappointing to write. I spent about $145 + tip. The catfish, collard green dip, and chicken were hood, but the fried green tomatoes lacked seasoning, the oysters were disappointing and the happy hour drinks weren't great. The reason for the review and the one star is the customer service provided by management. My to go order of catfish sliders was first delivered to the table next to us. After waiting about 20 mins for it to be corrected, I later realized I still never received it. After paying, I left the restaurant without my order. I returned about 10 minutes later after only going to the parking lot behind the building, but the manager refused to give me the food or refund the $10 because I had already left. They tried to say I was I had been gone for over 30 minutes, so the order was disposed of. It's unfortunate they are willing to lose a customer over $10 after I had spent $145. Instead of resolving a simple mistake, I had to dispute the charge with my bank. A $10 solution would have kept a customer. Instead, it's costing them one. read more

Oh my!!! This place is soo cute inside. There is a beautiful inside and a covered outside where we watched the game. There were 2 televisions to watch football. The menu was standard but the food was absolutely delicious!!! We had the lamb chops and potatoes with. Side of grits and our other party had the platter. Everything came timely and hot. Staff were very attentive and service was excellent. Definitely recommend!!! read more

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Nafsi was the perfect restaurant to visit after golfing in South Shore. Their girl dinner special included sliders, fries, a salad and cocktail and was an excellent deal. I've always been afraid of oysters and theirs were delicious! I would go back to try them again. We loved the hospitality of their team too. read more

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I was shocked this place was so empty on a Friday. Perhaps it was because I went the weekend of Lollapoolza, but it seemed there were more staff than customers. The Veggie garden bowl was delicious as well as the fried calamari. The staff was pleasant and the restaurant appears to have a good vibe when more people are dining. I would recommend this restaurant for happy hour, a date, or a social gathering. read more

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I struggled between 2 or 3 stars because there's potential here but ultimately this place needs work. The food we had was good and the happy hour deals are decent. Service is a huge misstep here, we arrived a few mins after they opened and had a reservation, there was barely anyone there and yet our service was insanely slow. Again they had just opened but a lot of menu items were not available. Getting our drinks was so slow we started going the patio bar to get our own drinks that were sitting out just waiting. The hot honey catfish sliders were delicious, truffle fries and fried green tomatoes were good too. I have friends who experienced the same issue with service so this wasn't just a one off. They charge 18% auto gratuity which I don't mind when the service is good, they also charge a fee to use cards which I find annoying. The decor is nice and they have cool events here too, the potential is there but service and menu availability needs to significantly improve. read more

Nafsi - Hot Honey Catfish Sliders Fried Green Tomatoes Truffle Fries - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

For years, I lived in South Shore. I never bothered going to South Shore Cultural Center, although it was in walking distance. Only after being gone from South Shore for almost 20 years did I even know there was a restaurant in it. Albeit not the Parrot Cage of old, Nafsi is the new restaurant. I met a friend for a late lunch. For the first landing, I ordered charred Caesar salad, and my friend ordered creamy chicken bisque soup. The Caesar salad did not look charred, but there was a hint of smoke that made it pop. My friend commented that the bisque was delicious. For the second landing, I ordered their peri-peri chicken with dirty rice and asparagus, and my friend ordered the shrimp and lobster pasta. Per restaurant week, the rice was supposed to be jollof rice. Being half Ghanaian, it was better that the dish came with dirty rice instead because I would have been comparing it to Ghanaian. The server said the chicken was like at Nando's Peri-Peri. The chicken was very good, but it was nothing like Nando's. My friend stated that the pasta was outstanding and full of shrimp and lobster. The atmosphere is nice and vibrant. It's also loud, louder once the lights dim for the evening. There is a high price point. I won't complain about that. However, it is something to note because some people may expect Cheesecake Factory portions for the cost. Add to that paid parking, you may shell out more than expected for the entire experience. I may get back later in the year during the summer so I can enjoy patio seating while watching the waves on the beach. read more

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Food was just okay. I did enjoy the grits but was underwhelmed by the oysters. Also, service took a little longer than one would like but the actual server was very nice! read more

I met some friends for an early dinner and there was an issue with the reservation. After being seated, the website states that vegan dishes are available, however that was not the case. After talking to management we were able to have a vegan dish created. I and another guest ordered the blackened catfish and grits, that was very good. I also placed a to go order, which was bought out to me before my entrée, which is always given towards the end of the meal. However, they took it back and cooked a fresh meal. I ordered the cheese burger with fries. It was very good. Overall the ambience was great and the drinks were tasty. read more

Nafsi - Vegan meal - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Dope semi-new joint located in the South Shore Cultural Center!!! Came by not too long ago for a late lunch/early dinner with my mom and it was very good! Staff is really cool and attentive and are good with breaking down the goodies on the menu. We had Syeda as our server. I started out with the Happy Hour mezcal margarita and it was really good. I heard the Happy Hour Honey Hot wings were good also so i went with that and yeah they were on point. Oxtail Empanadas were decent. Southern Butter Cake for dessert was fire! My mom got the Artichoke Dip and the Rosemary Lamb Chops and they were all very good also. There is an outside seating area for those warmer al fresco months. Check this place out as it's worth the trip if you dont live south. read more

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So right now we had a reservation for 7:00 we were seated by 7:07.. we ordered drinks mine didn't come until 20mins later and my guy didn't get a drink because they ran out of beer. Our server Jason was good even got my guy a rink for the inconvenience. The oysters didn't come with any fixings, the cooke oysters just had old bay on top. Not impressed. My lemon drop was good. The vibe is cool we sat outside. Our entrees were good my guy said the lamb chops were okay. I ordered another drink but never got it.... Its okay not sure if i would be back though read more

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I'll start with the positives - The food for the most part was really good. I finally had actual catfish, something I haven't had in a while since maybe going to Virtue (keep that name in your pocket for later), we had calamari, which was ok, and my entree came with mashed potatoes which were good once I added a pinch of salt (at home because they didn't have salt or pepper on the table). Now for everything else- We waited a little bit to be seen and then be seated. We made reservations in advance, as it was my mom's 86th birthday so we were all excited that there was a place nearby to dine that didn't involve going to Hyde Park. Anyway, once seated we waited close to 20 minutes for water. There seemed to be one server with someone shadowing him in our section, so my sister asked him if he could get us water. He told us our server would be with us shortly in a pretty dismissive way. My sister then asked the host if someone was going to come and take our order, by this time we had been sitting for over 20 minutes, in bright light with Afro Beats blasting too loudly over the speaker (yall can't make a mix of different genres?). The host ended up taking our order and then our server came over, taking our order again until we told her we had already put in everything. The food came out pretty quickly but that was it. The servers kind of were also runners. Once the food was on the table that was it, nothing else. No one asked us about anything, you were on your own. My mom did ask for a dessert that sold out and after we told the server it was her birthday, she went to the kitchen and they did us a solid. And she said the bread pudding was good. We watched folks nearby sit just as long for food leave after an appetizer. Honestly it's no surprise because after getting the bill I realized this is Virtue pricing without hardly any of what makes that restaurant successful. I would come back, but maybe on a slower evening. Hopefully things will work out and get better, at least dim those lights and turn the music down a bit. read more

My husband and I arrived at this nice warm modern contemporary restaurant for dinner, and we were greeted and seated right away. We were there the day before Valentine's Day, so the menu was limited. I had one of there margarits's and that started my great evening. Our server was attentive and checked in on us. We enjoyed the crab cakes with shrimp on top and dirty rice stuffed mushrooms for starters and then we had spinach salad which was delicious. About another hour or so we enjoyed our main meal which was Tuscan chicken with creamy risotto and lobster and shrimp etouffee served over wild rice, very delicious. We also had for dessert, banana CHEESE cream pudding and I actually wanted to Lick the bowel it was so good. We also enjoyed the strawberry shortcake. I was hesitant about making a reservation because of all the negative reviews after restaurant week. I must say we were happy with our decision to dine at this restaurant. Yes, the food took a little extra time but it was worth it. I can't wait to go back for their weekend brunch. read more

Beautiful restaurant signing south shore cultural center. I wish there was an entry point near the parking lot but you have to enter through the front of the building. The decor and artwork were beautiful and the hostess, our server and the person cleaning the table were all very nice. However, service was a little slow but not horrible. It took awhile for a server to come to us but we were forewarned that there was only one server. I'm not sure why when the restaurant was nearly full. We just had drinks, wings and brussel sprouts to share. The wings were overcooked unfortunately so not the best. The Brussels were great but some had more flavor than others. I wish they were evenly coated with the glaze they had on them but I would definitely reorder them. My friend had the lavender mocktail and said it was delicious. I had an Arnold Palmer. Overall, 3/5 experience but I'll go back and try more items next time. I enjoyed it here. read more

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This restaurant has so much potential the food is delicious. Everything we ordered they were out. Who tf don't have truffle foe fries? No fried tomatoes.no sliders.no hot honey. The ambiance is great the staff awesome. I would like to try again In the future please make sure you have all items on menu. read more

This place is lovely! Located inside the Chicago Cultural Center is the beautiful restaurant Nafsi. It's very intimate but spacious at the same time. Loved the decor and recognized the art of the artist on the walls. Noted the beautiful floral installation on the ceiling. A vibe. We came on a special DJ night so it was kinda busy and loud. The drinks were great! We had a lemon martini, mezcal margarita, truffle fries and spinach artichoke dip. Everything was delicious. I tried the oysters and octopus compliments of the owner. They were delicious! Highly recommend. I will come back for dinner! read more

Nafsi - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This was my husband and my second time at Nafsi. The first time was fine. This second time, it was an apology to say the less. We had reservations for 5pm on a Sunday. They close at 7pm. Which should not be a problem. However because their kitchen closes at 6pm, it was a problem because our server who was also tending the bar didn't come over to take our drink order until 5:20 and our meal order until 5:45. Sunday is the brunch all day menu. Everything we order our waitress was coming back to tell us these they ran out of things( and they had to sub with something else). Not her fault just an observation. And then they rushed and brought out dessert and the appetizer at the same time. The food was underwhelming and bland because they rushed. The potatoes we undercook and breading of the chicken was soggy. By the time we finished our appetizer the ice cream that was already melting was ice cream soup. The food was not as good as the first time because they were clearly rushing. If your kitchen closes at 6 maybe for the 5pm reservations you should take their order within the the first 15 minutes of them sitting down or don't take 5pm reservations if it's going to rush the experience for your customers. Food cost entirely too much money to waste people's hard earned dollars on such abysmal service. I'm very disappointed. If you want to give Nafsi a try and have a the best chance at a good experience, go at a time WAY before they close. read more

Nafsi - Melting ice cream on Bread Pudding Deluxe, brought out first before the rest of our food. - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was surprised and happy when I found out there was a new restaurant in town...Nafsi! I put it on my to-do list and when my cousin's birthday came up, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to see what the hype was all about. Nafsi is a beautiful restaurant located inside the South Shore Cultural Center inhabiting the space that was once the Parrot Cage (backstory; PC was the training restaurant for students attending Washburn Culinary Institute). My cousin and I came on a Wednesday for the happy hour from 4-7 and to groove to the sounds of the popular house music djs who were performing on the patio. We arrived about 6:45 and were immediately seated with no reservation. We wanted to dine on the patio, but unfortunately, that area was full. The friendly host took us to the area to check it out anyway and we observed a grown and sexy crowd enjoying themselves in a chill atmosphere. The host instructed us to view the menu via a QR code and said our server would be right over. Our server sauntered over and asked about our drink orders since happy hour was over at 7. We placed our orders (2 mezcal margaritas) and then about 5 minutes later, she came and slapped down paper menus saying that was the real menu with way more menu items than the digital version. It was kinda confusing, but we figured out we'd share several apps. When I tried to get her attention to place the order before 7, she conveniently didn't notice us, but then magically appeared at 7:01 to take our orders. When I inquired about the happy hour menu she said it wasn't available anymore. Yeah, ok...anyway. We ordered several apps: the garlic wings, cabbage, jollof rice and the oxtail empanadas. I just HAVE to say this: I've worked as a line and prep cook in many restaurants and I know if prep work is done correctly, I know how long it takes to produce any dish. Yes, the drinks were strong and delicious, we were deep in conversation, catching and cracking up so we weren't looking around impatiently demanding to know where our food was. But there is no reason why it should take 30 minutes for apps to be delivered to our table and not be perfect. The wings and cabbage were WAY too salty and the jollof rice was dry. The oxtail empanadas, however, were a standout. These fritters were seasoned and fried to perfection and we to' those suckas up! The ambience at Nafsi, is warm and inviting, with light and airy colors, soft lighting and groovy, relaxing music. However, midway through our meal, they blasted this loud, unfamiliar birthday song through the speakers and the servers came marching out with sparklers and a cake. Kind of a vibe-killer, but it was...cute. Nafsi is a much-needed and welcome addition to the area and the fact they have house music DJs on Wednesday is a definite draw . I'm hoping they work on creating a more cohesive menu with a distinct cuisine. It was Chicago Steakhouse, but oh yeah, here are a couple Southern/African dishes to appease its demographic. However, I like the vibe and will definitely be back. read more

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This restaurant does not disappoint with food, ambiance and decor. I went during happy hour and I really enjoyed myself. The playlist of music was fun and a great atmosphere if you want to stop by after work. The food was good. I had the shrimp bucatini, roasted carrots and lavender spritzer with pineapple. I absolutely loved the shrimp bucatini. The sauce was full of flavor. The carrots were good too, but a few of mine were burnt at the very ends. The spritzer was just okay. The reason I didn't give it four stars was it was a little loud at the bar - which I understand they couldn't control. There was also a few fruit flies or some sort of flying insects around that I had to swat away. One even landed on my face. I think this is a great place, with immense potential. I still would highly recommend stoping by to support this new business. read more

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We chose Nafsi South Shore for our anniversary dinner on August 28 because our Valentine's Day experience had been exceptional. Unfortunately, this visit was so disappointing that it completely changed our impression of the restaurant. I ordered the seafood tower, and my wife ordered the veggie bowl, which includes soy ginger tofu, along with a side of fried catfish. Without asking us, a woman assisting our table, who was dressed in street clothes and whose role was never explained, decided to leave the tofu off my wife's meal simply because she ordered catfish. That was not her decision to make. The more serious issue was my lobster tail. It was undercooked and appeared spoiled. We brought it to their attention immediately. Although they apologized, the response that followed did not reflect the seriousness of serving questionable seafood. We also had to repeatedly ask about the tofu. The same woman admitted that she had intentionally excluded it. About 15 minutes later, she walked past our table and acted surprised that it still had not arrived. Then came the billing issue. Our first check reflected the full amount despite everything that had occurred. After we sent it back, a 20% discount of approximately $13 was applied. We also had to question the service charge that had been added to the bill. When the tofu finally arrived, it did not have the soy ginger sauce that is part of the dish. The gentleman serving our table, whom we later learned was the manager, then told us they did not have any soy ginger sauce. That was especially troubling because before my wife ordered, she was deciding between the veggie bowl and the salmon, and this same manager specifically praised the soy ginger sauce while recommending the veggie bowl. The sauce was also not included on the list of unavailable items. The evening ended with one final mistake. When the manager brought out the tofu, he also brought another takeout box. I assumed it contained a replacement lobster tail. Because he bagged the food and sent us on our way with an obvious attitude, we did not open the box until we got home. It contained a cheeseburger and fries that we never ordered. This was not one isolated mistake. It was a series of failures involving food quality, missing items, poor communication, inconsistent explanations, billing issues, incorrect food, and a lack of professional management of the situation. What is most disappointing is that Nafsi had already shown us that it is capable of providing an excellent experience. That is exactly why we chose to celebrate our anniversary there. Management should be concerned that a returning customer can go from an exceptional experience to one this poor. Serving undercooked and potentially spoiled seafood should have prompted immediate attention from management. Instead, we left feeling dismissed, frustrated, and extremely disappointed. We expected much better from Nafsi South Shore. read more

Been wanting to try this spot for a while since it's literally a stone-throw away from where we live. We came in to a Taco Tuesday menu and the food is very disappointing. We paid $100+ for food that should have been $10 elsewhere. The $15 taco plate, literally have a tortilla with few pieces of chicken, a ring of onion, little drops of cream and a little cheese x 2. Cilantro and onion on the tacos is an extra dollar!!! It's like a kids meal that wasn't even good. The "loaded nachos" is supermarket-bought nacho chips with cheese sauce that I am sure is from the canned isle as well. The $10 Hibiscus lemonade is a tiny glass full of grenadine syrup. And on top of it, 18% service charge that is automatically charged on a very cold meal is wild! This is really sad because we always want to support local businesses and restaurants here at the south side but I really cannot recommend this. read more

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Was there after my cousins wedding. The ambience was everything. The aesthetics was very pleasing to the eye. The service was impeccable. The food was seasoned to perfection. The drinks were made just right. The highlight of the evening was our server/hostess Mahogany. It was a huge table , but her service was top tier. She was attentive, friendly, detail oriented and took care of us the entire time. She exemplifies exceptional customer service and hospitality. Her service alone is a 10/10 I highly recommend. read more

Nafsi - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great food and beautiful decor. The truffle fries were delicious. I got the salmon and it was a hearty portion size. So I have leftovers. We got the marg flights and they were delicious. Our waitress was nice but service was a little slow (our apps came out only a couple minutes before food so we rushed to finish them) and it was flies/nats that kept hovering. While we did enjoy our food it was a little on the salty side. I do want to try them out for brunch and on a cooler day. read more

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So impressed! Food was good. Appetizers: Fried green tomatoes and sliders. Dinner: Peri-Peri chicken. With various sides: sweet potato cornbread, mashed potatoes, Cabbage. Drinks: WONDERFUL! Peaches & herb and Lemon drops. Dessert: Bread pudding was really good as well. Service: Amazing! Our server was classic! She was a class act! She made the special occasion SPECIAL! Real customer service. I appreciated the waitress that showed appreciation to us as guest! Ambiance:unmatched! We sat outside with the lakefront as the backdrop! It was great!! I definitely will recommend! I love this for the SouthShore area. read more

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Overall not a good experience. The quality of the food is not great especially considering how much they are charging. staff is friendly but not attentive, Had to request anytime we needed somthing. Definitely would not recommend read more

My cousin wanted to celebrate her birthday here and we are glad she did, the food was great as well as the drinks. The service was phenomenal and the ambiance was magnificent. We thought the macaroni was a bit salty and the chief came out and apologized and offered to replace with something else, he was grateful for the feedback and offered our party oysters. ( Excellent Customer service). The owner happened to be there that night and was super friendly and welcoming he even took a photo with the birthday girl, at the end of dinner they brought out dessert and we sang happy birthday. I recommend this place ten times over! Loved everything about it! read more

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The food was great and I liked the ambiance of the restaurant. We ordered our food thru our phones, the first orders came out within 30 minutes. (The waiters didn't always know who ordered what) Because we enjoyed certain dishes we ordered more, it was my Mom's bday. The waiter told us there was a big party and some of the orders weren't correct or got messed up. It took over an hour and a half for us to get the 2nd round of orders. It was inconvenient because I wanted to cancel the food and leave. We couldn't do that b/c everything is ordered thru the phone and was already paid for. After a while, the waiters just walked past us, they didn't really give us updates or anything. I hate this because I liked the menu a lot! read more

Nafsi - This catfish slider was absolutely delicious - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was my first time visiting the restaurant as a customer. I came for happy hour on June 25, 2026. While the atmosphere was pleasant and we were warmly greeted by the hostess, the overall dining experience was disappointing due to the service and food quality. The patio was quite crowded, so we were seated in the main dining room. I didn't mind being seated inside, especially if it meant receiving faster service. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. We ordered our drinks shortly after being seated, but they didn't arrive until after our food had been served. When I asked about the delay, I was informed that there was only one bartender. While I understand staffing challenges can happen, the wait was still excessive. The food was also underwhelming. It lacked seasoning and overall flavor. I understand that not every dish needs to be heavily seasoned, but the meal was noticeably bland. The oysters were fresh, but they were far too salty. Our server never returned after our food was delivered to check on our meal, ask if we needed anything else, or offer another round of drinks. By that point, we were ready to request the check and leave. I would have ordered another drink, but I didn't want to wait another 20 minutes. As someone who has worked in the service industry for more than 20 years, I understand that no restaurant operates perfectly every day. However, proper staffing, planning, and attentive service are essential to providing a positive guest experience. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with my visit and don't feel compelled to return. Ironically, there was a beach party taking place behind the restaurant with better food and drinks. Had I known about that option beforehand, I would have chosen to spend my time there instead. read more

The food was not as expected. I spent around $100 and I tried a lot of things on the menu. The best thing about this restaurant was the parking and also the atmosphere and the serve the service. read more

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Gorgeous lakeside restaurant! Delicious food. Service was great if a little slow for 7 PM on a weeknight. Our servers were friendly and knowledgeable. read more

It was my first time and I think it'll be my last. This was the worst restaurant experience I've had in quite some time. We waited for over an hour after ordering, before finally leaving. We arrived after Sunday Service, around noon. With only 4 occupied tables we figured it wouldnt be a long wait. It took quite some time to receive our drinks, and they arrived watered down - a tell-tale sign that they're been sitting for a while. After some time of conversing, we realized it had been over an hour - no acknowledgement from staff or management. Wait, I take that back... The server did apologize for the wait. Speaking of the server, the young man was pleasant. But a word of advice to management... Make sure your servers are well-groomed, and matches the atmosphere of your establishment. Our server looked very dishoveled, his attire was unkept, hair not combed, and he needed a serious shave. Add to that he had dirt under his fingernails. So gross! This is why black-owned restaurants fail - not for lack of trying, but when service is subpar to downright deplorable, management lacks the skills of service recovery. Whoever was running today's service should've been smiling and talking to tables, apologizing for the poor service, and comping any juice/tea orders. read more

Lovely and amazing building with convenient parking. Everyone we interacted with was super kind, but service was unfortunately very uneven. Some food came quickly, some slowly. Drinks took forever. But everything was very very tasty and portions plentiful. The booth table for 4 we sat at was way too small for 4 people to have plates and drinks and I noticed the plates had a lot of large chips in the edges which was surprising as it's a new restaurant. The one big miss for us was the live saxophone player. It's a nice idea, but him walking around playing so loudly you can't speak to each other and awkwardly making laps felt very disruptive. Maybe leave him in one spot and give guests the option to sit nearer or further away. Or play music later in the evening and not during prime dinner time. I'm not sure if we'll go out of our way to come back, but we did enjoy it. Extra star for the people. read more

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Wow. I am so disappointed. Service was slow and food was very nasty. One of our orders was hot honey wings- so bland and hard. I spoke with a manager about it . He didn't offer another order or took the food off the check he gave a discount. Our goal was to eat and none of my party that attended ate their food. So sad I will NEVER go back read more

We came here to celebrate Easter. This was our first time here since the Parrot Cage closed. Brunch is not cheap, my party was smart to give up eating out for Lent! This was economical compared to some places, but still. I studied the menu online before arriving, only to order 2 things that were not on the menu, but special for Easter. We arrived after our reserved time but sat right away. The outside terrace was full, and it was cool and rainy out but they had a covering and heat lamps. Next time I go I will see about sitting outside, even if for just drinks. The coat rack outside is very helpful, but I kept mine with me. I like to see my coat unless there's a coat check. We got flavored mimosas (passionfruit and lavender) and crawfish hushpuppies. They were so good moist but not greasy, and with some creamy-spicy sauce. Our waitress was informative and friendly. For my brunch entree I got salmon with grits and eggs (egg whites). My party got the Creole Shakshuka with poached eggs, a kind of African dish like stew with eggs, tomatoes, spices and herbs. She requested non-runny eggs but they were kind of runny anyway. A side salad and toasted bread came with it. It was good, and my salmon was big so I took some of it home. 2 things I did not care for: a photographer went around asking to take our picture, and after a while, she would frame them and ask if you want to buy any. Now they were in cute frames, and they were nice pictures, but $25? If you really want to capture an occasion, you can pay for it but otherwise I'd say no. The other thing was wine. We ordered white wine with the entrees and paid $13 for barely a half glass or mediocre wine. It tasted ok but the brands were not what I would select. We wanted the vegan chocolate cheesecake listed but they only had fruit flavor, so we got the chocolate layer cake! OMG it was so good; I declined coffee, but my party ordered tea which took 10 minutes to arrive. We had given up, but the waitress explained that the kettle was not working well. I hope they fix it, there are a lot of cool days/nights between now and July. There is a small tasting room off the dining room made for private wine tastings and dining. I may consider that, check out the picture. I'd go again for lunch. It has a romantic menu, but the setting is not very romantic or intimate unless you sit outside alone, away from the bartender. read more

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Lovvveeeed everything about this experience! We were a party of two, and we had a great time exploring the menu at a new, spacious and culturally sound restaurant in South Shore! The ambiance is clean and inviting! The staff were beautiful, attentive and helpful with explaining the details of every drink and meal! We ordered and loved everything we tried off the menu! We're already planning to return when the full menu is released! We enjoyed the potato croquettes as an appetizer. I love a good chef special so we took full advantage and tried the Shrimp bucatini, Fish & Grits and New Orleans style oysters. Lastly but surely not least, I love a cute, fresh and boozy cocktail and they were serving them UP! We had The Mule, Peaches & Herb Sidecar, Chicago Fire and... the Metra Express Martini, which was a nice spin on an expresso! As previously stayed, we will be back! It's great for a ladies outing, date and large group! Just Do It and Visit! read more

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We visited Nafsi during Chicago Restaurant Week for my Mom's Birthday. We were super excited to support this new Black-owned business, especially because it's housed within the South Shore Cultural Center - a facility that was off-limits to Black people when it was initially established. Drinks: Since we arrived early enough to catch happy hour, I ordered a Whiskey Sour. If you're a fan of whiskey sours, note that this one doesn't have sour mix, so it doesn't actually taste like a whiskey sour. It was very sweet and syrupy - I didn't finish it. My mother ordered the Nafsi Punch (non-alcoholic). It was also very sweet and syrupy - she didn't finish it. My sister ordered the Metra Express Martini, and my dad ordered a beer. Neither 1 of them ever received their drinks. They were told the bar was backed up, but we noticed that the party behind us received 3 rounds of drinks during the time we were dining in. Food: For appetizers, we had 2 orders of the calamari and 2 orders of the glazed carrots. This was the best part of the meal. The calamari was fried and seasoned well. The glazed carrots; though incredibly sweet, were pretty good. For entrees, we had 2 orders of the salmon with purple sweet potato puree, 1 order of the Herb & Curry Roasted Cauliflower Steak, and 1 order of the Pan Seared Herb Roasted Chicken. Salmon: the salmon was tender and cooked well, but un/under seasoned. The purple sweet potato puree overpowered the entire dish. It was way too rich to be paired with the delicate salmon. The dish ate incredibly heavy, and the charred lemon didn't provide enough acidity to give the dish some relief. Cauliflower: this was the only vegetarian dish on the menu. When I asked my dad how he liked it, he simply said it was "alright." Chicken: my mom said the chicken was pretty well-seasoned, but the rice was a throw-away. She actually said it tasted like it was from a box. The carrots were the same as the appetizer carrots, so they were sweet, but tender and tasty. For dessert, we had the Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake, the Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake, and 2 orders of the Banana Foster Bread Pudding. Both cheesecakes were incredibly rich, and after having super rich entrees, it was impossible to finish them. The bread pudding was hard/crispy and lacked flavor. Location & Ambiance: The space is absolutely beautiful! The décor is bright and inviting. They even have what looks like a private dining booth right outside the entrance of the restaurant, and they have a heated patio that was open despite the cold weather. I'm sure it's an awesome dining space during the summer. The only downside was the music was loud, which made everyone's conversations loud. There is ample parking available - just be sure to pay. At the end of the evening, we noticed crumbs galore in our chairs though. It's important to vacuum fabric chairs between parties to ensure they stay clean (either that or opt for a different style of chair). Service: Our reservation was at 6:30pm, but since I live so close, we arrived closer to 6:15pm. Thankfully, they were willing to seat us right away. Unfortunately, no one came over to the table until to greet us, drop off water, or even take our drink orders until 6:45pm. At that point, a server came over and informed us that she wasn't our main server, but was helping her out while she "got caught up on her tables." FYI: we NEVER met our main server, and the server who did come to the table only came over twice (once to drop off 2 of our drinks and once to bring the bill). No one ever came to the table to ask if we were enjoying the food or to even see if we needed anything. No one even came by to clear off our table, so when dessert came, we had to eat it while surrounded by all the dirty dinner plates as you'll see in the photos. Dessert was dropped off without any new silverware, and we waited for about 5 minutes before seeing a server we could ask for some. It took a while for us to get the bill. Once we paid and prepared to leave, still no one came to the table to ask about our dining experience, and no one was at the hostess stand when we left to thank us for coming. It was almost like everyone was purposely avoiding us. While I am an advocate of Black-owned businesses, especially those in my neighborhood of South Shore, I won't return. If you do decide to try it, I encourage you to try the oysters. I didn't have them, but it seems to be the 1 dish people rave about. #ImNotAFoodie #ImJustAGirlWhoLovesFood #YelpEliteSquad #ChicagoRestaurantWeek read more

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Terrible, terrible dining experience! I made reservations for a party of 9 for the Saturday before mother's day two weeks prior to the date on open table. The day before we were to dine at Nafsi I received two confirmation text messages. One from open table and one from Nafsi. I confirmed our reservations on both platforms. We arrive at the restaurant at 6:20 for our 6:30 reservations. When we check in the young lady tells us that it would be a 10 minute wait. 10 minutes became 20 minutes. I go back to the desk and inquire about our table. She tells me that they don't have a table available to us because they gave our reserved table to walk ins. She went on to say that a table would be available in another 30 minutes. We got seated at 7:45. Once seated nobody came to our table to take our orders until 8:10. When the food arrived the food came out staggered so some people were eating while other's waited. Oh I forgot during our wait for a table I actually talked to the owner of the restaurant. He explained that he'd lost capacity in his establishment and that he was also providing food for a wedding next door. I explained to him that that has nothing to do with me. Just a terrible experience. I'll never go back. I try to support businesses in the community but many of them seem to take our patronage for granted. Nafsi y'all gotta do better our your door won't be open much longer. read more

I came here after a photoshoot at the beach. I love the South Shore cultural center & its classy esthetics. My date and I, didn't make reservations but were seated right away in a cozy booth. I love the mixed media artwork on the walls. The place felt like an escape, like I'm at a resort. Our waiter was super friendly, and explained the menu. We started with fresh oysters & our usual celebratory beverages. We also order our entrees at the same time. The oysters were super fresh and tasty. They are pretty generous with the lemons and the sauces also. I enjoyed the truffle fries. Can't go wrong with truffle fries. But my creole pasta was divine. I had the option to chose a protein to accompany it, and I chose lamb chops. Excellent choice! The pasta was creamy and delicious. It was very flavorful and unique, unlike the usual Alfredo type pastas I've had. The lamb chops were perfection also. I'm glad we saved room for dessert. We shared the bread pudding with ice cream. For a warm Friday eve, this was the perfect dessert to end things off with. The bread pudding was warm and the cinnamon and other flavors felt so cozy. This is easily one of my favorite meals I've had this year & I will definitely be back with the family soon. read more

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I would not recommend. The goodness just ik. Nothing to rave about. I ordered the vegan plate with rice, greens, and tofu. The food she no seasons and was very bland. And it came lukewarm. I don't think they are set up to accommodate large parties woth varying orders. Also the server brought the French fries out to the table in a hole that he held in his hand...a fry fell out and he put it back in with his hands. Gross. I won't say any more but for the prices they can do better read more