We came in yesterday on our way to the Art Institute for a bite to eat. We loved our tea and light lunch in a lively European ambience. We also wanted to support this Ukrainian business during these challenging times. read more

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I think going for tea & pastries & small sandwiches is such a fun thing to do! I had the berry tea which was pretty good. I'm not a big tea drinker so I didn't love it, but it was definitely drinkable if you don't like tea. I liked the assortment of sandwiches they have. The ones I tried included eggplant, egg salad, chicken, salmon, chicken sausage. All the sandwiches were pretty good and different. I like that they had an assortment. For the scones, they gave us two each of one flavor with jam and jelly. I kind of wish they gave you two different types of scones. The desserts were different. I really liked this vanilla layered mini cake dessert, it was soooooooo delicious! The fudge was my second favorite. Overall, this is such a fun thing to do! It will be a very carb loaded meal but you can always just bring some home :) read more

Russian Tea Time - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The service and setting here is so classy and immaculate. I brought a tea lover here and they enjoyed the tea service. The food is somewhat pricey, but well worth it. Definitely one of Chicago's best-kept secrets. read more

I came here twice - once with a girlfriend for the afternoon tea service, and on another occasion with my mom for lunch. The afternoon tea service was cute and lent a frou-frou vibe for which the restaurant is renowned and customers eat up. For lunch, my mom and I ordered beef stroganoff and beef dumplings which came with sour cream. We ordered the house tea which came in glass goblets covered with an ornate, metallic holder/handle. I'd say the place offers more bark than bite, style over substance, and is a tad pricey (but what isn't these days w/ inflation?) but it is a Chicago "classic," and its location is prime. I'd say stop by if you're on your way home from a trip to the Art Institute or want to do touristy things if a) you're indeed a tourist visiting from a faraway place and you also want to do the Magnificent Mile / Art Institute / the Bean tour, or b) you've never been and have always been wanting to give it a try. read more

Pleasant ambience, tasty traditional Russian food, reasonable prices, but TERRIBLE service. We notified the hostess and our waiter in advance that we had to be served and eat promptly because of a concert date, but it took them a full hour to bring our entrees despite my begging and entreating every 5 minutes. Either their kitchen staff was badly understaffed or very badly managed or both. I would not recommend eating dinner here unless you have lots of time to spare. read more

I went to Tea Time with some friends of mine as part of a bachelorette party and overall we had a good time. We decided upon Russian Tea Time versus some of the other more popular afternoon tea spots as it came highly recommended. Well that and it's $10 cheaper than other popular spots! Just $29.95 for the tea service. We were a bit confused if it was all you could eat but the answer is No, it is not. It's all you can drink tea and you get your own tea pot but then 2 people share the 3 tier tower of food. Don't get me wrong though, this was more than enough food. But there were some food items I would have liked a bit more of ---- and some food items I may have liked a bit less of. On the three tier tower, the top tier had some scones that weren't exactly scone like but were tasty with a couple of compliments for each. The middle tier seemed to be everyone's favorite - the savory! My favorite bite on there was the salmon piece...noms! But there were other tasty meat & veggie options on this plate, as well. And the bottom layer was the sweet full of mostly non-chocolate items which wasn't amazing for a chocoholic like myself. Everything I had was decent but there wasn't any one bite I was dying for more of or anything I was blown away by. Service was acceptable though they didn't seemed all that thrilled to have us in and our reservation was a bit mixed up even with me booking months in advance. It was nice that we had a back area all to ourselves though for our group of 10. Parking is rough around Russian Tea Time but don't park in the garage across the street! I ended up dropping $40 on parking for our 2 hour stay. All in all, I probably would opt to check out a different place for afternoon tea rather than visit Russian Tea Time again. read more

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I read reviews of service not being so great. They are all attentive - just not over the top friendly which I think goes with the vibe of this place. We came from the Art Institute and looking for afternoon snack and decided we will treat ourselves to the experience. So glad we did. The tea selection is very good and the tea service is of great quality. My family had gelato and Mama Klara. Thumbs up for everything. We got a kick out of the Russian music. You have to be in the mood for it. We totally were and head a great time! Which it isn't so early in the afternoon and was a different group I'm with or I would totally go for the Vodka flights!!! read more

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Beef stragonoff barley tidbits and beef stew with stuffed yellow bell pepper. Very nice to the palate. Their dishes was of generous proportions and the ambiance was of fine dining décor. I wanted to try their Russian Tea Party, but it was not at that time that they held it. 2:30-4:30 is the only time frame that holds it. Quite a romantic spot. read more

I have been there more than a dozen of times, on different occasions. Had almost everything off the menu, and wanted to rate my experience higher but just couldn't justify it.. I'm Russian and the bar is set pretty high. My first time being there I could tell there was something fake about this restaurant. The food felt just.. too Americanized.. It was good, don't get me wrong.. but not as good as back home. And a lot of stuff missed on the menu, like very popular Olivier salad, or "schi" or "shashlyk" or "bubliki" or "sushki".. the list goes on. Food quality was good. You should try beef stew, "golubtsi", beef stroganoff and pancakes with caviar. I thought the duck was good too, but my girlfriend complained it the duck strudel that came with it was gamey. I don't think I'm a fan of their borscht. It was overly sweet and they don't have a traditional loaded version (with meat and other yummy stuff). Mushroom soup was no big kinda deal, kinda salty. I didn't like the herring... If you feel like having a desert, I recommend the house tea and the triple chocolate mousse. Vodka shots. Nothing wrong with that!! Ambiance is great! It feels very antique and sophisticated. It can get loud sometimes. The doorman is always very nice. The service was for the most part good, but there was one time when a server kept asking me if I was finished and he could get my plate. I felt rushed.. didn't like that. A simple lunch will cost you $25. If you want to try more (including desert) you will spend between $25 and $55. And my most expensive lunch was $75 when I had pancakes with caviar for $40 and 3 shots of vodka for $30. My girlfriend and I dined there recently and the bill for 3 appetizers, 2 soups, 2 main dishes, 4 flights of vodka, 1 tea and 1 desert amounted to $180. The food could and should be better. So much better. read more

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Beautiful service, lovely tea, and scrumptious snacks :) Mark, along with all the staff, took excellent care of our group

I had the most unexpected, wonderful experience here. I was with a big group of friends and someone suggested coming here for our holiday brunch. I was not at all familiar with the restaurant but I am officially in love. Lovely, charming setting right across from the Art Institute. Top notch, formal and attentive service. Our server also listened when I said we were not in a rush and paced our food really well. We started with a few bottles of bubbly and their house tea. The yummy house tea was exactly as described and came in the most beautiful and ornate glass mugs. It was also never ending refills! The food was absolutely addictively fantastic. There were five of us and we decided to share a bunch of appetizers. Everything we ate was hot, fresh and delicious. The chopped liver plate was probably my favorite and it was perfection. We also had the potato piroshkies, assorted dumplings, the lamb samsa, latkes, duck strudel and mushroom caps. The dumplings were so good we ordered a second round! Everything came with the most wonderful carrot salad that I couldn't stop eating. We saved room for dessert and enjoyed the cheese blintzes and bread pudding cupcake. Amazing!! Reservations highly recommended. This is an absolute gem. They also serve afternoon tea. I will be back!! read more

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Russian tea time missed the mark on a few key areas: authenticity, ambiance and price. THIS IS NOT REAL RUSSIAN FOOD. First of all, I am Russian, so I've had my share of exposure to Russian dishes, from home preparations to restaurants. Don't get fooled by the name nor any of the descriptions on the menu. The attempt at the borscht was weak, it was tremendously over sweetened and way too watered down. Duck stroudel was an interesting dish, but again, very sweet. The salad was not a Russian salad at all. I wouldn't say that any of the food was necessarily bad, but it was not authentic. The menu also was missing many key Russian dishes, such as salat olivie and shashlik. There was a chicken kebob on the menu, but that's not a classic dish, rather a twist on traditional pork shashlik. CHEAP AMBIANCE. Some elements were there, others were completely off. The lamps and ceiling looked cheap, the vases with flowers were a good add, but the vases themselves were the cheapest glass vases you can find. OVERPRICED. Now, coming back to the main point. The prices were ridiculous for what it is. Other than the location, there is nothing about this restaurant that would warrant a $30 price tag to go along with many of the dishes. read more

Russian Tea Time - Borscht is overly sweet - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had heard a lot about this place and it was about half of what I expected. Went here for tea and desserts and got two different kinds of tea. The quality was decent for he price, but could have been better. (I used to drink lots of tea when I worked in China, so maybe my standards are a bit high.) Also got two desserts, the Apple pastries and chocolate cake to share. The cake was great. Chocolaty, smooth, and oh so good. The pastry however was a little dough, with an entire apple cooked with a little flavoring. Not the best dessert I have had, but it could have been worse. The worst part about this is the lack of service. I don't expect great service, but waiting 10 minutes for our order, 20 for our team, and having to flag down our waiter for the bill (those three times are the only times we saw him) was a bit dissapointing. As I said, not bad, but could have definitely been better. read more

Russian Tea Time - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We stumbled upon this while out walking around the city and it was better than we could have dreamt of! The interior is just beautifully done, the service was excellent, and the tea was so incredible I ordered some for my home. We loved every second of it and I finally got to live out my high tea dreams. I will recommend this place to everyone, it was absolutely lovely. read more

Russian Tea Time - Hi, it's me- enjoying my tea! Look at the beautiful interior! - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Pros: - Beef dumplings are v good. Served w salted drizzled butter and sour cream. Delicious and hearty. If there are 2 people, recommend the entree portion - Honey cake is excellent. Tastes like teddy grahams Cons: - Subpar service. Everyone seems unhappy to work here - Stroganoff is their signature dish. The meat is not unfresh, but it's clear they're using an older cow - Place is dark and dinghy. Not in a good way. Needs new carpet and better lighting Other notes: - Latkes and stuffed cabbage are ok read more

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Me and my wife came here for our Anniversary and we would have given them our entire paycheck if we could have. Our meals were outstanding. The service was impeccable. The vibe was perfect. Out of all the restaurants we ate at on our trip this was by far the best experience. Highly highly recommend! read more

Russian Tea Time - Moulard Duck Legs, Lamb Shank - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've been here before, but had to leave a review today because of the exceptional service despite every table being full (holiday travel, I'm guessing). We're being well tended to, the food is amazing, and our tea was refreshed despite the servers obviously being extremely busy. read more

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We had dinner last night here and it was the perfect combination of old European elegance and wonderful food. Service was smooth and unobtrusive, each course coming when we were ready for it neither rushed nor too leisurely. And the food was incredible! We have eaten here 25+ years ago and, aside from the lack of Russian imported items (caviar and vodkas, Boo) the food was as good we remembered. We should have just ordered the borscht and crepes with sour cream and salmon roe (and all the caviar-style accompaniments) but I also did not want to miss the beef stroganoff! So I had that and finished with the honey cake.. will be back as soon as possible. read more

Stepping into the restaurant you are greeted by gentle instrumental music playing while the settings is reminiscent of the Tsarist times of old. Service is impeccable. From sitting down, ordering, and food delivery it was kept at a constant pace but not too fast so that I could enjoy my meal throughout. My water glass almost never went halfway empty, they're that on top of it. For food, I highly recommend having a cup of borscht (with sour cream of course) as well as their chicken Kiev or even their stroganoff. I also had a pot of earl grey which they served loose leaf, with milk and sugar to complement. All in all this is a wonderful environment to take friends or even business acquaintances out for delicious food in an immaculate atmosphere with top notch service. I will be absolutely be back read more

Stepping into for afternoon tea, we were relieved to find plenty of open seats for parties of all sizes. Suhweet~ no reservations and waiting needed! The maroon velvety dining room is pretty low key-- ideal for good conversation over tea. Russian Tea Time offers an extensive 3-pages list of teas for all levels of tea drinkers. Just green tea variants filled the entire first page! I particularly was interested in Ginseng Green for its health benefits. The flavors wasn't overtly powerful, pretty lightweight. Among all the goodies of three tea trays, my favorites were all on the last plate. Can I have a full order of the chocolates please? The egg-shaped chocolate mousse with packed with a subtle punch of spice. A pleasant surprise to say the least. I also had fun having a mouthful of egg meringue instantly melting in your mouth! read more

Russian Tea Time - The powdered sugar scones. - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Between the delicate but filling pelmeni and the Mushroom-Barley soup? No clear winner -- both were superb. The Lamb Samsa was rich and tasty, and the service was singularly outstanding. The samovar was piping, and our waiter never let our teacups get empty. Love the renovations! read more

Quiet little place. If you're looking to have a private conversation and light snacking this is the place to be in this busy area. Cozy and quaint read more

Russian Tea Time - Basic tea service - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Absolutely delightful. We thoroughly enjoyed our luncheon. We were quite hungry therefore we skipped the regular tea with scones, sandwiches, sweets for a Prix Fixe meal and it was so delicious. I would highly recommend this place. It's so elegant and fancy looking but actually they are not very strict with their dress code. I saw people wearing shorts. We came from the Art Institute and just crossed over to find this restaurant across the street. We decided to try it and we were not disappointed. It is a little bit pricey but I can assure you it is well worth it. If you want broaden your horizons and not afraid to try something new then this is the place for you. You will love it as everything is done well. The main entree took a little time to come out but when it did it was worth the wait. We enjoyed our splendid time there. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. I live in Texas, where Russian food is very scarce, so I love to indulge when I am in Chicago. Great borscht. Chicken Kiev, and Beef Stroganoff! read more

A gem. On a weekday it was practically empty. Started with a House tea and ended it with a vodka martini. A little pricey (downtown business), but very worth it. The scones and jam were delicious! The style of the interior is also very alluring, especially the bathrooms. read more

Had to stop in after a day of shopping and it was cute and just exactly what I needed to restore myself after a lot of walking. The tea was amazing and the small players were great! read more

My husband and I stopped in for the afternoon tea service. What a fantastic time we had. Our server was efficient, welcoming and funny. Perfect afternoon date place! Make sure to order a bowl of borscht to warm up. read more

Went on a Sunday afternoon with a friend to try their full tea service. We were immediately seated. The ambiance and decor is very classic old style - reminded me of an English place! They have afternoon tea service from 2:30-4:30pm. We ordered 1 full tea service with Russian Caravan tea pot and an additional Ginseng Green tea pot. The savory and sweet bite-size pieces were delicious (spread across the 3 tier tower). The tea was refreshing! Oh, btw tea was unlimited. The service is friendly and we ended up spending close to 2 hours and $20 each! read more

Russian Tea Time - Ginseng tea - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Last year my friend visited from out of town and we tried the afternoon tea service at the Drake. We enjoyed it so much it was hence decided that we'd try a different tea service each time she visits. I thought Russian Tea Time looked like a great option, and something different from the traditional English tea. So I made a reservation for a Saturday afternoon, no problem, and our party of three was seated right away. We all loved the decor and ambiance of the room - cozy but lively. The menu has an extensive list of tea and I settled on the Rose Black fairly quickly, but with no one to give the order to :( ... If after ten minutes you have to wonder out loud whether you actually have a waiter or not, that's a problem. When he finally did stop by, his demeanor was disinterested (at best) and potentially hungover since he had difficulty pouring our tea without spilling. The Rose Black tea ended up just being ok, but nothing noteworthy. My friends commented they liked the selection of food because there were so many different things to try, both savory and sweet. We actually ended up taking a box to go because there was so much food we couldn't finish it all! Definitely felt like we got our money's worth in terms of quantity. But I wouldn't come back for the afternoon tea based on the quality of service. read more

Russian Tea Time - Tea tower for 2 - scones on top, savory finger food in the middle, and sweet treats on the bottom. - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been here twice now. My boyfriend is Russian so if he says it's not authentic, I won't argue. However, there are a few dishes that come close.. In terms of foodpairings and platings, it is very authentic. If you're Russian, you must have pickles and pumpernickel; complimentary and brought out right away. You will drink your vodka shots the proper Russian way while being accompanied by the required sides. Take your vodka shot in hand, exhale deeply, down the shot, grab the pumpernickel bread on your table, smell it deeply, then take a bite. And..repeat. 2 or 3 flights and you're good to go. You can't come here and not have vodka. Speaking of vodka they have excellent house infused flights including top shelf. You can customize your 3 shots. I really enjoyed the Coriander and Black Currant. Nice mild flavor. Lime was ok. Horseradish flavor was recommended by our Server and I'm so glad I tried. We thought it would be super spicy, but quite the opposite and interesting. You could taste the horseradish, but it was a little sweeter and mild. I'd give this a go just because it was fun to try and you can't come here and not drink vodka..did I just say that? My first visit, the Stuffed Cabbage and Beef Stroganoff were both very good. Both are solid choices and you won't leave hungry. This time I wanted to try something different and went with the Chicken breast Roulette. My bf had the Roasted Duck Breast with duck strudel. We shared Piroshkies (5 small - not authentic according to him, and very mediocre to me) and Beef Blinchiki which I really liked, but didn't love. I had a cup of Mushroom Barley soup which was ok, I've had better. Needed more flavor and not many mushrooms. His Borscht was just ok as well. He loved his duck. I tried and it was cooked very well and tender. Even better when combined with a poached prune. Great execution and flavors. Duck strudel tasted gamey to me. More for him. Comes with mashed potatoes and carrot salad. Portions are hefty. He almost licked his plate. My 'skin on' Chicken breast roulette was ok, wouldn't order again. Stuffed with spinach & ground chicken and baked. Didn't taste spinach. Wish they would've added more mushroom cream sauce because parts of my chicken were dry and needed it. Aside from the Vodka, you must try the house Russian tea. For dessert, we enjoyed a few forkfuls of the massive Black Russky cake slice. Lightly sweet, moist chocolate sponge cake with chocolate mousse. You need 3 or more people to polish this off. I like the ambiance here. Older interior with character and low lighting. Love the large booths. This is not a hipster hangout, though when we were here on the weekend of Lollapalooza (of all days) a large party of really loud and annoying 20 somethings arrived and sat directly across our table. So glad we were ready to leave.. Host is very friendly and accommodating. It was super warm inside and we asked to switch tables. Not sure about the a/c here. Our waitress was nice enough, but service can be very slow. While our food was timely, we barely saw our waitress and when we did it took forever. For Russian cuisine, there is a smorgasboard to choose from. And If you aren't Russian and/or don't have high expectations, you might really like it. I wouldn't hesitate to check this place out, if only once. And don't forget the vodka. It makes everything better. read more

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You know when you expect a lot and are excited to try out a place you bookmarked on 7/14/2009 and you finally try the place on 10/5/2010.. Well, so that's me and my other Yelper friend. We finally went in to Russian Tea Time and had the Vegetarian Platter for 2 hoping to get the best taste of several dishes! One, the place is really pretty - totally transports you into a different world and time. Two, the service was good but a little too pushy on the up-sell of their $10 teas that we didn't even realize cost that much! Three, the food was unique and an interesting experience.. the kind you try out one time to try it all, but have no reason to return at all.. The appetizer plate had 4 types of salads and dips (hummus, tabouleh, carrots, beets) and 2 other items (potato dumplings and stuffed mushrooms). The main course was a plate of assorted stews - mostly similar but the chickpeas and the lentils stood out from all the potato-carrot mixtures. There were two types of rice served on the platter too. The hefty bill was a little surprising just because it wasn't money too well spent or a meal that was completely satisfying. After such a big dent to our pockets, we didn't even contemplate dessert! If you are going to try Russian Tea Time for that one-time experience, if I may suggest, go for their Afternoon Tea service (which I haven't tried, but heard the server explain to some other guests is really what they're there for and hence their name.. P.S. Being as premium a place as this is, they need to invest in more than those flimsy thermacol boxes that leak the stew easily. They could easily have bought and given us the foil boxes with the strong cardboard seals. Hmm.. read more

Russian Tea Time - Vegetarian appetizer sampler - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Felt like as if I came back to St. Petersburg. Caviar, cabbage, stroganoff, all so good. The best thing was the service. My waitress was super nice and informative. It was fun to experience such a dinner with friends. read more

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Russian Tea Time provides an incredible, authentic Russian experience! I came with a huge party of 14 for Brian M.'s birthday and ironically did not order Russian tea at a Tea restaurant - oy! I did however feel overwhelmed by the fantastically extensive menu. My only experience with this type of food is at Forte in Vegas (a Bulgarian restaurant that has food from all over Eastern Europe and Russia) but there were many new items on this menu that I was unfamiliar with but interested in trying. My friend across from me agreed to share one of the sampler platters for 2. With our entrees we each got to order a glass of house wine, beer or vodka shot. I had a glass of Riesling. The table ordered a fancy bottle of vodka and I gave my shot to the birthday boy. I was sitting next to a Russian and an Azeri who let me taste their borscht. It was great! The table shared several appetizers: lamb samsa (Puff pastry dish from Uzbekistan, stuffed with chopped lamb, onions, touch of cumin), beef blintchiki (2 blintzes (crepes) filled with ground beef and caramelized onions. Sautéed in butter, served over greens and drizzled with an avocado-coriander cream), herring (soooo good), and pelmeni (The dough is rolled very thin and hand swaddled. We offer our wonderful dumplings of seasoned ground beef and onions, boiled and topped with melted butter. Served with touch of carrot salad, sour cream and yogurt sauce). My Russian Tea Time Platter For 2: $65.00 To tantalize your palate we start with a tasting of meat dumplings, chicken kebob, stuffed mushrooms, carrot salad, beet caviar, chick pea spread, and cracked wheat and vinaigrette salads. Followed by a sampling of our most timeless dishes; beef stroganoff, stuffed cabbage, Moldavian meatballs, chicken Pozharskie, brown rice. The beet caviar, cracked wheat salad, and Moldavian meatballs were my favorite, but everything was quite tasty. Eric R. ordered a giant plate of beef stroganoff and he was so happy. For dessert I tried the house vanilla ice cream and left totally stuffed! I enjoyed the experience so much that I highly recommend it for a one-of-a-kind meal. Or come for the tea service!! Service was top notch and well executed. This place is awesome. read more

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Never been to Chicago before and this place was AWESOME such a hidden gem I got the peach tea with pastries and i totally felt like I was in a movie. Passes the vibe check. read more

Russian Tea Time - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went with my schools (lane tech) Russian club and it was so delicious. the food tasted great and decor was so fun. It was not too expensive also the service so friendly and we learned a lot about Russian culture.. Very enjoyable would come again 10/10 If u want an authentic Russian experience and meal, please come! read more

Russian Tea Time - MY CLUB ENJOYING THE TEA! - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

LOVE Russian Tea Time! Recently celebrated my birthday here and truly enjoyed the afternoon tea! Everything was delicious and the service was on point. I can't wait to go back! read more

Russian Tea Time - So yummy and filling! - Russian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Found Russian Tea Time on Yelp and we wanted to try the afternoon tea after a trip to the art museum. It was a tea experience I only need once. I would go back to try the regular food and vodka. We went for the afternoon tea on a rainy Friday afternoon. We arrived towards the end of the tea time and were seated quickly. It feels a bit like stepping into Russia, or the one I've seen in movies. The walls are dark red and the restaurant is decorated with traditional dolls, plates, decorate water pitchers, etc. We decided to share a tea since we were going out to a big italian dinner. Following our server's suggestion we went with the traditional Russian tea beverage, which was a blend of black teas with a subtle raspberry flavor. It was really good and also free flowing, which was nice. So, the sandwich selection was interesting. They were all finger sandwiches and most translated to literally one bite. So small. The bread was all stale and crusty, as it if had been sitting out all day. The combinations of flavors seemed traditional enough, cream cheese and salmon, a spring creme with peanut sauce, roasted red pepper and cream cheese, etc. They were all ok, nothing spectacular. The plate of desserts was better. Our selections included: Napoleon Torte, Rugalah, Cinnamon Cookie, Sugar Cookie, Apple Pie, Chocolate Cookie, White Egg Cookie "Bizze". The bizze was light as air and literally dissolved in your mouth. The other cookies were ok, nothing great. The vibe in there was interesting. The service was attentive and prompt, but not friendly. I wish I had tried some of the vodka. I would probably go back for that, you know it has to be authentic. But I will be sticking with my English tea favorites. read more

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This is a hidden gem in Downtown Chicago. This establishment was renovated and looks great. The new look is more open and clean and fresh. The wait staff was very friendly and kind. This is a nice place to meet friends or do a tea or grab a bite to eat. Indoor seating is available but, I would recommend making a reservation. The food and Tea is always amazing. This is a definite stop if you like something different and culturally unique. read more

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This restaurant lived up to my expectations. My whole experience from beginning to finish was spectacular. First off, I love the cozy atmosphere and I can't wait to see what the future holds with this Chicago bucket list worthy spot. The meal was started with some flights of refreshing vodka (Big thank you to wonderful Vadim for being so hospitable) followed by some amazing Borscht... the BORSCHT was made to perfection, I'm craving more. The Vareniki with the pumpkin inside is my new favorite! My main entree and the dessert was just as good. My co-worker who accompanied me also enjoyed the food and atmosphere. I definitely plan to return and try their Honey Cake next! read more

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I have honestly walked past this place a gazillion times. Downtown for symphony and decided to treat ourselves, sure glad we did. My wife and I have had another positive experience at a Russian restaurant years ago before kids, so it was a nice time warp to have a new venue to try. We walked in with no reservations, greeter said he would show us what was available. We took a two seat table next to the bar, just outside of the coat closet (the table without the view of the kitchen). While there was foot traffic, it was actually a pretty good spot. Perfect for us at least. I decided to skip the teas and beers and go for the booze. My wife had a glass of wine, I had the molotov vodka flight, which consisted of honey, pepper, and horseradish. If you love horseradish like me, it was like drinking liquid horseradish, sounds disgusting, but was great. The menu and your service person both do a great job of walking you through the customary way of doing the shots, Russian style. The food...my wife started with a cup, not a bowl of the soup and it was very good. The cup was huge, so it made me wonder what the bowl looked like. I did see a bowl go by and it was massive. So if you are on the cheap and money is tight, the bowl will more than fill your belly here. Our service person recommended the beef stroganoff, not your typical either, the meat is higher grade and whatever they do to it makes it buttery and melt in your mouth. Highly recommend. The carrots that accompany it were a pleasant surprise as well. Not sure if they are pickled or what but very tasty. I narrowed down to three choices, shared them with our service person and she recommended I go with the stacked vege stew. Sound like an odd choice? Perhaps, but let me tell you, the menu description does not lie when they say the way they stack the veges when they cook them help retain the individual flavor profiles of each item. Usually when you eat a vegetable based soup/stew, the flavor profile is consistently one. Not this one, whether you ate a potato, a carrot, a beet, etc, it tasted unique. It was wonderful if that is your thing. Both my wife and I were very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and will be back for more. We did indulge and opt in on a piece of lemon cake for dessert, the presentation was wonderful, but the lemon was very subtle, not over the top like I was expecting. The service was good here, they are very aware and sensitive to folks that are attending the symphony, so they are sensitive to your timeline. The atmosphere is old school and the crowd for the most part is as well. read more

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