Balkanika Restaurant

I was looking for classic grilled sea bream served in a restaurant for months. Even in the Greek restaurants is rare.I found it in Balkanika!!!!Simply prepared, extremely delicious, served with Chimichurri.The place is so good and European. The ambience is unique and different from anything I have experienced in Chicago. I took many American friends there during the years and they are all hooked up.

We had Our son's Baptism here in June. Amazing Atmosphere, Amazing food. Everyone was raving about it. Service could've been a little better but sufficient Overall Awesome

Highlights:*Immersive Bulgarian ambiance with multiple decorated areas*Uniquely Bulgarian cuisine is worth a visit* Food may feel "heavy" to someFood:*Balkan style meats*Daily special: eggplant with feta cheese*Daily special: cheesy potato soup*Garash cakeHaving scoped out the menu in advance, I had my eyes on the Balkan Style Meats. What we were pleasantly surprised about was the eggplant! It was a daily special so we didn't know what it looked like (the regular menu has pictures) or how it was prepared. Anyway this is the best eggplant I have ever had. The tomato-based sauce was flavorful in a way that seemed more basil than salt. The eggplant was fried with light breading yet it was crunchy on the outside.The Balkan Style Meats is a great way to try the traditional sausages and Bulgarian meat. It is heavy because these are all pork, which is why eggplant seemed appealing to balance it out. The server recommended adding potatoes (if the eggplant isn't available, something else is needed). I think the kufte and kepabche were my favorites. The pork chop was a little bland by comparison. Garash cake was decadent and there was a nice texture with the soft chocolate and the crunchy nuts. Service:For reference we were there on a weekday lunchtime and were the only patrons for forty-five minutes before a party started in the outdoor dining area. Service was pretty good because there wasn't much competition for the server's attention. She seemed excited to share some background about Bulgarian cuisine and was patient in explaining details to us (I asked her what each item was on the Balkan Style Meats for the caption of this pic).Ambiance:There were multiple areas that were decorated, and each with their own distinct style and vibe. *Deli and grocery - just the fact there was a deli in this restaurant is cool*The bar and lobby - had some traditional Bulgarian stained-glass*Private party rooms - no windows and ideal for banquets*Sunroom and outdoor dining area - the sunroom has plants and skylights giving lots of natural light. Combined with the outdoor dining area, there was a definite beach vibe going

We have never had Bulgarian food and this was wonderful! Bulgarian wine (white) was dry, tart, crisp.The salad was simple - cuckes, tomatos, ,Olives, cheese drizzled with olive oil .We had the main pork dish - wonderful! Dessert was too sweet for me but Steve liked it. We spent the evening reading about Bulgaria. We added it ro our bucket list Go to this lovely place!

I came here with a friend because I love exploring different ethnic restaurants! I had high hopes and was excited to come here. I loved the ambiance and server was great. However I didn't want to try any meat dishes here because I prefer vegetarian or grass fed beef or fish. I prefered not to have fish served with bones. I looked at the salads and I knew I could duplicate those at home too. Nothing looked all that appealing for my dietary preferences. I don't eat organ meats.So I decided to have just appetizers and two chardonneys. I ordered motzerella stuffed mushrooms.I've ordered them at other places many times but these did not taste right. They tasted odd, the flavor was way off. Staff was nice enough to let me order something else so I tried fried zuchinni. It too was off. This was more like falafel, it had zuchinni in but the flavor was not fried zuchinni. I'm not so fond of falafel.I also ordered a mozerella flatbread pizza. It was not flatbread. It was also some if the most tasteless pizza I ever ate. I ended up giving most of my leftovers to my dog.My cash bill was $54 with tip. Thats a lot of money and chardonney was $11 per glass.Sorry about the bad review I'm sure many people love your other main dishes. Too many other places to try I won't be back.

Continuing to explore and discover Chicago's amazing culinary scene, I had my first Bulgarian dining experience! Yes I've had Banitsa but that doesn't count. The restaurant also had a small grocery area on the side! Also, there was a DJ playing amazing music and the bartenders were excellent! **Must Trys:*Mixed Grill meats (Kabobs, Balkan Sausage, Balkan sujuk, and steak with feta fries *Shopska salad *And the spreads with bread

We arrived at 1 for a buffet banquet. The sausage is king here. I couldn't decide which is my favorite. The thin, snake like one or the darker fat one that is more garlicky. Shashlick salad was so good and loaded with tomatoes. At 1 PM the lot was full and we parked easily across the street. It feels like there's always a party. We even got to meet the chef.

Very good, large portions of Eastern European food. we had excellent, light breaded cheese appetizer, grilled calamari, mixed grill platter, scrumptious roasted potatoes, and a fresh cabbage, carrot, dill salad. Topped off with a delish napoleon for dessert. We departed happily with leftovers. Originally we were going to the other Bulgarian restaurant in town, but they were so crowded no parking. So happy we found this place with ample parking and delicious food! We'll be back!

My boyfriend and I differed on our opinion here, so we'll meet in the middle. We ordered a lot of food and everything tasted fresh. Our favorite dishes were the french fries with feta, shopska salad, and the meatball. For me, in the combo shashlik, the chicken was a little dry and the pork fatty. The garash cake was different--chocolate mouse and walnut meringue. Not overly sweet with a distinctive nutty taste. COVID-specifc review: Unfortunately, this is where I would take off another star. When walking through the large restaurant most of the staff did not have their masks on properly because they didn't cover their noses. When I came nearby or when they were interacting with patrons, they did move their masks to properly cover their face.

this is a very nice place and we love the way they make their meat dishes. I have many favourites here and we been enjoying the food every time.