The food was delicious and the portions were generous. I really enjoyed my meal and would happily come back again.

Food was ok Service was terrible ...slow and unfriendly! The owner was the worst...just a Balkan bully! No respect for guests at all! read more

Been here once because my inlaws are Serbian & invited us over. This place is incredible. Great Ćevapi and Pljeskavica. The ambiance is great music... always TVs around for us non Serb speakers to stare at. The rakija selection is great. Must try for fans of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern food who love to try new things. Was surprised by some negative reviews. So here's a cultural lesson for Americans like me: the service at Zora is typical of any restaurant in Europe. It's actually considered impolite for a waiter to give you the bill, or checking in an excessive amount of times, without you asking it's seen as "rushing you out the door". So if you need something from your waiter, another drink, water, an order, be prepared to flag them down to get their attention. All Europeans eastern, western, Balkan don't like to be bugged by waiters, so if you need anything you have to get their attention. Think of it as practice for going to Europe :) read more

I can't really understand how Yelp has such a low rating for this restaurant, but the fact that it is listed as a pizza restaurant at the time of my writing this gives me a clue. This is a Serbian/Balkan family run restaurant, and it's really good. The meat plate for two will feed two linebackers, or 3-4 average people! The spreads (Kaymak and Ajvar) are delicious and likely to please a lot of palates. Our favorite meats were the two sausages (so much flavor!), the bacon-wrapped chicken breast and the chicken thigh. But the massive burger and the sirloin? were also good and others liking their meat at medium might enjoy them even more. The bread was simple but fresh and delicious. Service was very much consistent with a quality-family run kind of place. Price-wise, you are paying mostly for the quality of the food. International soccer may be playing on the TV, but there are seats away from it if that doesn't interest you. They also have a nice, enclosed winter patio. Recommended! read more

Zora Kafana - a platter of meat and vegetables - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great Balkan food, good mood, and good people at Zora. I highly recommend Zora Kafana to all good food lovers.

The food, the music, the wine what more can you ask for? This place has an authentic Balkan dining experience. You get the meat plate the salata (salad) full menu of drinks and then the entertainment starts with some of the best singers I've seen outside of Serbia. Staff was attentive and provided good service. Finished off with the tiramisu and it was divine! Kako divno sve su ukusno! Will definitely come back next time I'm in Chicago! read more

Zora Kafana - Rakija (Serbian Brandy) and Mineral Water - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Delicious food, great service, and cozy vibe. Katarina deserves special praise!

Some of the best food that we had in Chicago!!! we enjoyed it very much!!The people are very friendly and hospitable!!

We ate at this Serbian restaurant for the first time with family & friends & it was great. The civapi (traditional Serbian sausages) were really good, as was the Karađorđeva šnicla, & all the meat options that we tried. The bread was amazing as was the kajmak spread. We also tried the cream based veal soup which was also really good. Everything was fresh & delicious. My husband also ordered palicinke (thin European style pancakes) with a chocolate filling, and they were really good, too. Our waitress was very attentive, & did a great job even though we had a large group. Would highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Zora Kafana - Mix Grill Meat for 4 people - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had dinner here on New Year's Day and it was okay. I thought the food was good; we just ordered ćevapčići, grilled feta & a šopska salad. The reason for the 2-star rating is the service. The service is very bad! Our waiter was nice , when he was around. Nobody cares that you're there! The salad we ordered, never came, so I canceled the salad order. Our waiter told us to pay our bill because he was finished for the evening and we could sit and stay and start another bill. Well, once we finished eating, nobody took the dirty dishes away, nobody approached us or asked if we'd like anything to eat or drink. NOBODY!!! I flagged someone down to take the dirty dishes and food away and that person didn't even ask if we needed anything else. Several waiters passed us by and said nothing. THE WORST SERVICE EVER!! Ambiance was okay until they started moving tables around for a band & singer who were arriving later. IF you're a Regul here, you're treated with dignity! If you're not a regular here, they collect your money and you're treated like nothing! read more

Zora Kafana - Ćevapčići - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is not your typical American restaurant. I had some business in the area and decided o stop in for a quick lunch. I had the Serbian hamburger and a crepe. The food is really good, it took a while for the food to be served but when it got to me it looked like it was freshly made from scratch. Service could go up a notch or two. The decor is nice. I did not like how the ceiling tiles were broken wires hanging and a leaky toilet. read more

I hate to leave bad reviews but this restaurant made me write down this negative review to make aware other people how the owner is treating clients . We are neighbors in Europe and have a very similar food cuisine and music which made us go to the restaurant so we could have a dinner and listen music. My husband loves the music from former Yugoslavia and he was very happy when the owner came and asked him if we were going to stay till the end which we would but the owner said he promised our table to other people so if we can leave. This was really strange for us .My husband got frustrated and told us we are leaving. I have never had an experience like this and most likely would not return. Not to mention that the food came at 10.00 pm when we came to the restaurant at 7.30 pm. The food was not that good.The food was kind of burned And VERY Expensive for the type of restaurant and class of Restaurant I would not give even 2 stars for that place. read more

The food is amazing and I love that it is Serbian I would recommend the cevapi also the palacinke are really good and you should go for a visit read more

One of the best cevapi I've ever had. Multiple options for dishes all cooked very fresh and the crew were super polite on time with any issues or questions. You can't go wrong but starting here to try the menu with friends and family very open and the main thing is everything is super clean. From the restroom to the dishes and utensils. Best European dishes to try and enjoy. I would highly recommend many to try it out and see for yourself. It's one thing to hear but another to see the dishes laid out so well. read more

Worst place I have ever been, from the start even when reservation made the owner rudely refused to give me a chair saying we have one extra person, we ordered a lot of food it was done in 10 minutes and there is no way they prepared that much food for that time. Next the owner was gossiping loudly with other guests that we are taking room with our kids. We paid $ 340 with tip almost $ 400 for two meat plates , two small salads and drinks to be treated like this. I give only one star for the young kid that was serving us, I feel bad for him... if the owner treats his customers like this I bet he is treating his employees worst, plus they were seriously short staffed. So disappointed.. read more

The worst dining experience I've ever had! I dine out a lot and am not very hard to please. So I bought a Restaurant.com gift certificate for this place since its close to work. Three of us went for lunch. Ambiance: First tip off, the place was empty at 1pm. Patrons in the outside seating were smoking right by the entrance. All the lights were off making it seem like they were too cheap to turn on the lights. There was one waitress for the whole place. It reeked of cigarette smoke. There was blaring techno music the whole time - not good techno mind you, they played the mix versions of various songs the whole way through 15 minutes each of repetitive beats that were never mixed into anything else. On to the food: We all ordered iced tea. One of them had a HAIR in it. It took 15 minutes to get a replacement on the drink and the waitress didn't seem to realize what the problem was even after we explained it twice. We waited 15 minutes for our salad course. I got my entree salad half way through the other's salad course which was fine. It took another 40 minutes to get the hot entrees. Steak Salad: bagged salad, 4 slices of cuke, a handful of greek olives, 1 skinny steak which was the tough as leather and full of gristle. Bolognese: bland. How do you screw up pasta sauce? Saltimboca: OK. The prosciutto was not crisped up or anything it was rather rubbery. The one plus: hot bread and butter. Yum. Even though it took 15 minutes to get a refill on the bread tray after we requested it. The icing on the cake: Even though I presented my restaurants.com certificate before ordering, when it came time to pay, the waitress tells me its cash only because of the cert. I had no cash. She promptly offers up the ATM in the back hallway. OY. So, service was crappy, food was crappy, ambiance was crappy. Its CRAP. read more

If you want a dark cafe with lot of euro and middle eastern ethnicities, this is the place to go. This place has great food and a european style fast food dining. Come here with a casual date or friends. Be ready for some loud chattering and big groups of ethnicities eating or just having coffee. My favorite is the Calzone or Buffalo Chicken Sandwich w/ a side salad and peppermint tea. The prices are great and the service is ok but remember its like europe! You have to usually ask for the check. People hang out there for HOURS! read more

Like Teresita, I came with a restaurant.com certificate in hand. I read the part about cash only though so I came prepared for that. I did NOT come prepared for the bad food, nor the repetitive euro dance music that droned on endlessly in the background. Small glasses for the iced tea promised the need for numerous refills and the waitress had to be flagged down for most of them, even though we were one of the only two tables in the place. Chicken nuggets were worse than the ones served at McDonald's. Salad came with 4 slices of cucumber, 4 tomato wedges, and 4 olives. Really? The house Italian dressing was extremely bland. The waitress seemed proud to offer that it was made there. I wouldn't have been. Oil was all I could taste in it. Ribeye steak sandwich was the THINNEST piece of beef that I have EVER seen. Seriously. Tough and full of gristle. The toasted sesame seed bread was the only redeeming part of this sandwich. Good bread. Bad sandwich. My friend enjoyed the cheesy Italian beef, which I have to admit looked great. I would not dine here again, $25 off or not... read more

I have been coming to Café IL Cortile for a while, and I was a fan of the last owners, the chef and his wife were very nice and their food was good. A new owner took over a few months ago with a new management team and as usual, I was a little bit skeptical at first. I have to say that I am quite impressed with the food, the service, and the new management team. They have made changes in the menu and everything I have tried so far has been well prepared. The place is very clean, the ladies waiting on you are always great and everybody here is always making sure you are 100% comfortable. They are all friendly, chef and managers alike so you can't go wrong with this place. I would recommend the Cevapi plate but anything you try here will be good, so please make sure you come and check it out ASAP! read more

Do yourself a favor and just skip it. Ordered Baileys with Vodka, and at ANY other bar its well mixed with ice. Waitress brought the two in one glass and ice in the other. My friend ordered Baileys and milk and no ice. It was HALF of a rocks glass. This was a joke, and the waitress could not give less of a f*** it seemed. To top it all off the drinks were $10 a piece. For half a glass of milk and Baileys. read more

The ambiance here is amazing. I love the interior of the restaurant here. I had the chicken wrap while enjoying some nice cold beers on a cool Wednesday afternoon. Special shout out to my bartender Mariola for being so courteous and attentive. read more

Had no idea this place was under different ownership as the name did not change. Also the menu has not been updated online which is a huge mistake and very misleading. My friend and I ordered a salad as nothing really seemed too appetizing. We figured how could they mess up a salad? Well....Evidently they can. Neither one of our salads looked appealing. I ordered a Greek salad and received a very plain tomato cucumber plate with no dressing. Plain! Waitress brought over oil and vinegar then. That does not constitute a Greek salad. When inquiring about the dressing she said the cooks stated "in his experience it is not good to add the dressing." Wait... What? No thank you. I will never be back to try anything ever again. I can chop up a tomato and cucumbers at home and save the 799. Would not recommend this place to anyone. Horrible service. It was very hot in there with no air conditioning. The front was open and flies were coming in. Also.... there is no dressing for their salad. I guess you can bring your own should you choose. read more

Very nice place and excellent atmosphere, must try burek,chevapi and thin crust pizza,caprichiosa my favourite

My experience here is much like the others below. Dark, dreary and smells like old smoke. The waitresses barely speak English and have an attitude. We ordered Panzarotti which is a stuffed pizza, fried to golden perfection. Forty minutes later we received BAKED dough, thick at the crust, hard to cut into, let alone bite into which is how Panzarotti is supposed to be eaten. We asked the waitress why these are baked when the picture on the menu clearly shows a fried pizza pillow. She said she didn't understand what we were saying and we asked her if we could speak to someone who spoke English. She never came back so I guess she's still searching.......I won't go back!! read more

Worst dish of pasta ever! I didn't think it was possible to mess up fettuccine with oil and garlic so badly! After waiting 30 minutes, we got undercooked badly seasoned inedible food! read more

I like this place,with new ownership the atmosphere is very good and the food tastes delicious,especially chevapes and Burek,I highly recommend. read more

This place been open for many years. During working days is almost empty, but on weekend is busy. Food is OK.

I don't know why this place has such bad reviews...I had a very nice salad and espresso while I was there. The service was very attentive and it's big portions for the price. It's a nice little place to stop and sit outside to relax. read more

My fiance and I went here for dinner after my grandma suggested it. Overall, everything went well. The food was very good, very fresh. We had never had fresh jalapeno poppers before. Though, I will admit, it was a little annoying that there was only one waitress for the entire resturant for most of our visit. But the waitress was nice. read more

Great new ownership! I love what the new owner has done with the place. Great atmosphere, very positive customer oriented staff and really yummy food. ...I mean really! !!! I enjoy their gyros plate and their xerotti, which is a calzone type of pizza grilled !!! Seriously fantastic! read more

I enjoy coming here to have coffee and lunch and hangout whenever I have time . Really good service. The food is really good have tried almost everything on the menu a read more

Not sure why this place is so clickish. Got ignored over ten minutes. Food looks good. They dp not have american coffee here. Eveyone speaking another language. Food looks good. Getting a polish vibe here. Not friendly at all. read more

Rob L. Is very clear for me after reading all of your reviews that you have big problem in your brain You are just so STUPID .I notes that all the review are written in the same time ????Who do you think you are ???Are you racist???? Why you hide your face???? For the store too many thinks we change and I believe You never been in the store even from out side. The food is much better ,the service is great and non of the girls SMOKE/////?? read more

This place has been consistently managed horribly since about 2005. I pop in about every two years just of lunch and coffee and it never really changes. The service is so slow and the waitresses barely speak English and most often have an attitude. And yes, ignorant people do smoke there and could care less about others customers or the rules. On my last recent visit for coffee only, I waited over 20 minutes for my bill and I had asked the waitress who told me " I am not your waitress, while she was smoking outside." I walked out and hit the road. Pass this place by, not worth your time. Stay home. read more

Food was averagge. Vegetable with dinner was a mix like you'd get in a frozen bag at the store. Kids pasta sauce tasted like it came out of a can. Won't be back read more

My dining experience here was delicious! THE BEST tiramisu I've ever tasted. The entree was delicious, the staff was polite. I wonder why there are reviews here from 4-7 years ago? read more

OUR WORST dining experience in a very long time. Went there with a friend on a Wednesday evening. A bunch of Russian-speaking guys smoking out front, several more seated at the bar, and still others occupying roughly half the tables should have been a tip-off. Inside, it was freezing -- both the air AND the floors. Several of the customers had on winter coats -- fully zipped up. Our server was okay, probably the best thing about the place. The food was mediocre -- canned mushrooms, of all things, on a "Supreme" pizza, the crust of which was doughy and tasted like cardboard. You could buy better from the freezer case at the Jewel which shares the same parking lot. Making matters worse, if that is possible, was the loud, pounding, abrasive music -- nothing like the dulcet tones of Old Blue Eyes one often hears in an Italian Ristorante. What a disappointment, particularly given the location. We were in Norridge, for God's sake, a town with a significant Italian population and number of great eateries including Il Basiliico and Vince's, to name just two. Whoever runs Il Cortile has no business running a restaurant. read more