I am truly impressed by this place. As a Russian visitor who has tried Georgian food many times I can confidently say this restaurant's food is incredibly well done. The food has a very great home made sense to it, and is complimented by the lovely atmosphere curated by the owners. The owner Oksana truly cares about the taste and culture of Georgian food, and made sure that we felt at home and understood the essence of the cuisine. Thank you so much for the experience! read more

This place is very expensive and food is just average. I would even say this place is sketchy to say the least. I ordered lamb chops that came with potatoes and they tried passing off white rice, but they certainly wanted to charge the same. Georgian restaurant out of Khinkali... read more

I was in this restaurant twice, the first time I ate inside, it was delicious, but the photos on yelp do not match the reality, many things are not on the menu and once took the takeaway food, it was not tasty, did not put any salad and sauce . Waited a long time for the order. This dish costs $ 12. I will not come back read more

Chicago Diplomat Cafe - Modern European Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had gone to one Georgian Bakery up north before and had a very unpleasant culinary experience, but this place set the record straight! I'm so happy that I came here! We had the Ajaruli Khachapuri, The Julienne, and the Chkmeruli. Each bite was full of different textures and flavors. Try it, you will not be disappointed! read more

Lunch : We ordered Soup Kcharcho - very good Lamb Kebab Pork kebob Salat - super Ajaruli Khachapuri - super good read more

I feel dumb for waiting this long to try this place. Very, very tasty Georgian food (tastes kind of like Russian food, and I think they mentioned a dish was sort of Ukrainian). My fiance and I ordered the 3 vegetarian entrees to share, and I got a borscht soup to start. The soup was delicious and warming and tomato-y, perfect for this cold late March night. All 3 vegetable items were great, but we especially liked the eggplant/red pepper one (I don't recall the name). And the cherry on top is it's BYOB! Had such a great meal on the cheap! read more

We had a wonderful vegetarian meal here today, ably assisted by our stellar wait person, "Hamlet" (!) who guided us through the Georgian menu. The borscht, eggplant appetizer and the mushroom dishes with homemade bread were delicious but the rose ice cream with Turkish coffee were the perfect ending to our dinner. We will, definitely, be back. read more

Chicago Diplomat Cafe - Modern European Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

While running errands, we wanted a new & unique place to eat & Diplomat Cafe was a delightful find. We met, Oksana, the Owner & Chef, who explained they served Georgian, European & Mediterranean cuisine; dishes from pastas to Kabobs. The atmosphere is great, it's under stately elegant & unique, a welcome change from the cookie-cutter decors that is so prevalent for new restaurants in Chicago. The hospitality is second to none; Oksana is very welcoming, she lets you know she is really pleased that you have come to try her cuisine. Hamlet is the main server, he was informative & pleasant. Though we knew he was there when needed, he always came to the table at the right time. To start, we had the "Olivie Salad;" traditional European potato salad with carrots, peas, eggs, pickles mixed with herbs and light mayonnaise. This dish was very tasty & gratifying. Our second dish was the "Chikhirtma," a traditional Georgian chicken soup made with rich chicken broth, thicken with beaten eggs, flour, onions Georgian herbs & spices and it actually came with whole pieces of chicken. This was the best & most unique chicken soup I've ever eaten. For the entree we had the "Chkmeruli," a traditional Georgian baked chicken soaked in a garlic cream sauce, baked and served in a clay pan; this dish was just, WOW, a must to try!! We took home the Georgian potatoes baked to perfection extremely tasty with a hint of garlic, outstanding!! The Georgian Kababi, minced pork with dried barberries and traditional Georgian spices and herbs. It is served in traditional style, wrapped in Lavash bread with onions and sumac; very juice and tasty! WOW.. WOW.. WOW.. read more

See all

I had never eaten Georgian cuisine prior to dining at the Diplomat Cafe. The food was very unique and I enjoyed all of the dishes they provided. The appetizers consisted of a rolled eggplant dish, pita and cheese sandwiches and a tomato, onion and cheese salad. Each was fresh and flavorful. The main courses were lamb, pork tenderloin and salmon. Each was accompanied with a sauce that matched perfectly with the applicable dish. The salmon was served with rice while then lamb and pork were standalone. Lastly, the Russian chocolate cake was a perfect finale to a memorable meal. If you are seeking something new and unexpected, give the Diplomat Cafe a chance! read more

If you want to try something new and really authentic you have to check Chicago Diplomat Cafe. From appetizers to dessert all food there is mouthwatering. Hard to make a choice what to get. Make sure you have the empty stomach when you will go there. Good idea you can buy authentic sauces right there to use at home. Service just Great. We will be back for sure. Check all my photos what I made there. read more

See all

FAKE GEORGIAN PLACE!!! RUSSIAN SERVICE!!! If you are looking for famous Georgian hospitality, DON'T GO to this place. It's an insult to the Georgian culture and its people. Having been to Georgia (Europe) myself, it is not nearly similar to the experience you may expect from real Georgians. All you will find here is the infamous RUDE RUSSIAN SERVICE. They want to pass this place as authentic Georgian, but with the Russian staff and owner still bearing the Soviet Russian customer service mentality, it doesn't work. Last time I was there, I was treated appallingly: 1. We had to wait for MORE THAN AN HOUR only to get the food we never ordered. 2. We NEVER RECEIVED the khinkali that we had pre-ordered by phone!!! (Oksana seemed nice. But don't be misled by this!) 3. They tried to FOOL US by bringing another dish hoping as Americans, we didn't know how real khinkali looks like. 4. While waiting, we witnessed their Russian speaking waitress serving Russian visitors first, even though they came in a lot later after us. In addition, these guys received an exceptionally warm welcome. 4. Finally, we got yelled at by the same waitress when we reached out. Their preference for Russian visitors was soooo obvious that it almost felt like AMERICANS were NOT WELCOMED and looked down upon here. I believe this type of customer policy is rooted in their Russian background - "AMERICANS ARE STUPID!' has been a trend in Russia for decades. One of their most popular stand-ups is a series on Tupyje Amerikantsy/Stupid Americans by Mikhail Zadornov, their comedian, who depicts Americans as complete idiots in comparison to smart Russians. Never thought it would receive that kind of treatment in Chicago, U.S.A!!! Thank God they did not serve us the Novichok poison. And of course, nobody called back to apologize. Who cares about Stupid Americans?! read more

This was such a great find. The atmosphere was prefect, great music, not too loud, tasteful decor; "casual elegant." Love it when they have cloth napkins but they also put paper napkins, tastefully, on the tables. The service was excellent! Hamlet was the server & like the atmosphere, he was prefect. Hamlet knew the right time to come to our table & gave us our space to enjoy our food. The food, as the French would say; "Magnifique!" After we ordered our appetizers & main dish, we were full but the food was so delicious, we ordered food to go for the next day. However, we did leave room for dessert, which was a French pastry horn, filled with cream. "delectable." Everything was delicious; so I would say, try anything that tickles your fancy, you cannot go wrong. I personally loved the chicken in white garlic sauce served in a clay pot. The owner Oksana, recommended the same clay pot dish but instead of chicken with mushrooms & cheese & Georgian spices or the Georgian dumplings, so we will try that next week when we go back. Lastly, Oksana is very welcoming & wants to make sure that her guests have a great meal experience. ...What more can you ask for?! FYI, since the restaurant is new, it's BYOB so before you stop in, get a bottle of your favorite beer or wine! Thanks Oksana so glad you opened your restaurant!! read more

Ambiance and service is for 4/5* but food isn't.Went there for a lunch with my bf and we left disappointed We had a greek salad , Mtsvadi Chicken (4 small pieces of chicken which tasted like attempt of orange chicken with rice instead potatoes as we requested) and Chakapuli traditional georgian stew made of lamb, onions, tarragon, tkemali, fresh herbs and garlic stew (17$) wich came out in a small bowl and it was really tasteless so we just looked at each other and had to eat it because we were really hungry.So basically we enjoyed the salad ,turkish coffee and left to have a real lunch somewhere else. read more

We started with a couple of meat filled dumplings (Piroziki), then Greek salad, chicken Kiev and the Georgian pork kababi (after the waiter suggested not ordering the Mtsvadi). Everything was delicious. The waiter was helpful and food came out at a reasonable pace. The Piroziki could have used a tangy sauce to enhance the flavor a bit. The new management has done a very nice job redecorating the place. Inexpensive goodness. We'll be back. Note: it was pretty empty for a Friday night. Let's try to give this place some love! read more

The food here is amazing. Everything is incredibly flavorful. The ajaruli khachapuri is a cheesy, bready dish from heaven. The khinkali are the tastiest, juiciest dumplings. All the entrees are fantastic - wonderful spices and flavors. Diplomat cafe is just a very special place. Authentic and tasty Georgian food, a fun atmosphere, very nice ownership and staff. Highly, highly recommend. read more

First to be fair, I did not eat here. I was so excited to come and eat the amazing food they have. Made reservation for Tuesday (yesterday), called in he morning to confirm. Arrived and was told that the they are very busy and it will take about an hour to get our food. They clearly were not prepared to handle the tables. There was other door open and somebody was smoking right outside and we could smell it in the restaurant. We decided not to stay. Did not seem that they even cared they lost the businesses. When I called to talk about it I was told, I called everybody in the morning to tell them we are busy. Well, nobody told us about it when we confirmed it this morning. If you have a restaurant in Chicago, good spot, you should be ready to handle your clients, specially when you have the reservations for them. I am disappointed mainly because I was waiting for this food since we learned about this place. I may still give them another chance because I heard that the food is very good and if yes will update the review but so far: 1 star is more then enough read more

We enjoyed a very nice Georgian dinner, Napoleon cake, and Turkish coffee at this restaurant. Our server was very polite, attentive, and knowledgeable. Recommend this place if you're in Chicago. read more

See all

Our first time in the cafe, and we loved it. Service was good, the place is neat, clean, and nicely decorated. That's what we had, and everything was good. Charkhali Tkemalshi (beet bites) Nigvziani Badrijani (egg plants) Pkhali (another egg plant dish) Chkmeruli (baked chicken with garlic) Lobio (beans with tkemali souce) Georgian cuisine in is not spicy, and uses lots of herbs. Wines go very well with Georgian food, so bring your own wine and enjoy. read more

The best food in Chicago!!! I just got back from Georgia and can compere. Diplomat caffe is authentic Georgian food. Love the food and atmosphere!!!! read more

First, the food here is amazing. I find it hard to believe that people could actually give this place low ratings. Then again, some people are just crabby and only exist to try to bring down others. Secondly, the atmosphere here is really nice and is very welcoming. I have been here about 3 times and plan on coming back many more. Lastly, keep doing what you're doing Chicago Diplomat Cafe. Oksana is great and I really appreciate the service I am given every time I come here. So if you're in the area, give this place a try. You will not be disappointed!! read more

We loved our trip to the Republic of Georgia and were excited to try this place out with some Georgian friends. We were all extremely impressed - the traditional dishes were executed very well. Everything was delicious, affordable, and who doesn't love a BYOB! Highly recommend. Great for groups so that you can try lots of things! read more

Great Georgian food, Very nice atmosphere and ambiance. BYOB option is great to bring your favorite bottle of red to accompany the meal.

My friend called the day before Easter and asked if they were open. Someone said yes. We showed up on Easter and waited for a couple minutes while people were bustling around some big birthday party. A young man came up and told us they were not accepting walk-ins that day. Not acceptable, as the person we spoke with yesterday should have mentioned that, or even said they were only taking reservations, if that was indeed the case. Thus, you lost two future customers. We walked several blocks in the cold, only to wait at the door opening and then be told they would not serve us. The young guy apologized, but sorry is not enough. I intend to tell others of this incident, and as I mentioned above, you lost two future customers. We received far better treatment at Boston Market down the street on Ashland, where we ended up going. read more

A birthday lunch done right! My husband and I ventured 30 minutes into the city to try out this spot, the first Georgian food we had eaten for 7 years since a trip to NYC. This spot was definitely tastier, well worth the travel, and we will be back! We tried several dishes, with the excuse that we would take leftovers home for our daughter for dinner. We each had a Georgian lemonade soda (I had pear and he had tarragon), and started with Badrijani Nigvzit (eggplant with walnut paste and spices) as well as two cheese khachapuri. Both delicious - the eggplant dish had a wonderful depth of flavor: smoky, nutty, with just a hint of sweetness...and the cheese pastries were warm and flaky right out of the oven and SUPER cheesy. For our entrees, I had the lamb mtvsvadi (it's my birthday and I'm getting the 'King's dish'), my husband had the ojakhuri (pork and potatoes), we also ordered the dumpling plate (khinkali), which were clearly made in house fresh to order. My lamb was tender, as was my husband's pork, but I swear I'd eat those dumplings 2x a week if I could! The flavors were warm and wonderful, a perfect meal to enjoy with my husband as the snow was falling outside. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated. We went in around 2 and the place was empty except for us. You would think this would automatically mean we were well attended to, but that's not always true. In this case we were. Our server was very polite and gave us plenty of time to ourselves, which I appreciate. An A+, I would definitely take company from out of town into the city to eat here to wow them with international flavors. read more

We all enjoyed some unique dishes in a lovely atmosphere with attentive service. What more can one ask for from a rare dining experience? We'll be back! read more

We had dumplings, great bang for your buck. The chicken was not bad, but the sauce was strange. This is more for my memory than anything else. We'll be back. read more

Incredibly SLOW service. I waited an hour for my meal. I ordered the chkmeruli after being told they were out of meat khinkali...which I guess means they don't make their own khinkali. At any rate, the chicken came out super dry. The sauce was good as well as the accompanying bread but the dish overall was a huge disappointment and nowhere near close to as good as what I had in Georgian restaurants in Russia. Despite my love for Georgian cuisine and this being the only sheriff in town, I won't be back. read more

Delicious Georgian food, all tasted very fresh and authentic. Wonderful vibes, live the newly renovated environment. The cheese hachapuri, salmon kebabs, and the apjasandali were my favorite. Will definitely be returning. read more

Literally 5 children screaming and playing tag the entire time. Absolutely ridiculous, we left early and still paid for what we consumed. The definition of obnoxious. Felt like more of a kitchen with family where you are there and not invited while kids are screaming. Initial food was decent. read more

Delicious Georgian fare--after a recent trip to Ukraine I've become obsessed with khachapuri. We came here with a group of seven to celebrate my boyfriend's mother's birthday. Good thing we had a reservation because it looked like every table was booked. I would recommend booking a table at least the night before and placing your order in too. We ordered a lot of stuff and each item came out one by one as opposed to all together. A lot of the tables that had reservations seemed to have placed an order beforehand so there's came out all together. I ordered the chakapuli, which is a Georgian stew made of lamb, onions, tarragon, tkemali, and herbs. It was good at first, the meat was super tender, but eventually became something you don't want to keep eating. Everyone else at our party ordered the lamb mtsvadi. The lamb was super juicy, however it was very tough. We ordered it medium, I would recommend doing medium rare to keep it tender. Traditional Georgian potatoes were served with the dish and those were amazing! It's basically super salty wedge fries, with the perfect consistency of crispy and fluffy. Probably one of my favorite parts of our meal. The khacapuri definitely did not disappoint. It was super cheesy and savory. Lastly, I highly recommend getting the ice cream, specifically the saffron flavored ice cream. It's garnished with pistachios, which complement the saffron really well. Pretty good experience and I would come back again. read more

Chicago Diplomat Cafe - Saffron ice-cream - Modern European Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was so excited to go to this restaurant. I had seen a review on tv and I was anxious to try the bread with cheese and an egg in the middle. I would name the dish but neither could I spell or pronounce it. It was a cold Sunday at noon and I had called ahead for reservations for 4 at 12:30. When we went in their was only one other group of 4 sitting in the one of two window seating. There are two Hugh tables for 20-30 people. We sat down and almost immediately felt how cold it was there. The door opened a few times and with each we literally had snow sprinkle us. There was a table for 6 at the far end of the big tables. We asked if we could move and were told quickly NO! We suffered through our meal and the place never got busy and never used the table. On to dinner. Our appetizers came with half of the main dinners missing. Then the last dinner arrived to be followed by the last appetizer. One chicken dinner was good and a second chicken dinner in a milky liquid was so over cooked even the sauce it was in cold save it. The bread and cheese egg dish was way to heavy with cheese no one could have a second raise of it. There was an eggplant dish the three of us actually enjoyed. Any mention of the food , order of when we got our food or how cold it was we where seated fell on deaf ears. The one waitress could care less. You get what we give you, that's that. I would never ever go back. The waitress was no help with trying to figure out what we might enjoy. read more

Food is super delicious and authentic! Really enjoyed our visit and will definitely be back!!

It was horrible! The service was very unprofessional and slow. They basically cannot handle big group of people. My recommendations is stay away from this place. read more

I am from Sochi . I can spot a fake Georgian food a mile away. Diplomat restaurant is true to the best food Tbilisi has to offer!!! My birthday table was spectacular! The culinary genius of the owner could only be matched by the elegance of the interior. The only place that can tell you the story and the traditions of the beautiful country through the thoughtful menu. read more

I was craving for Georgian food for so long and finally we got the right place in Chicago! The food is amazing, prices are good for the amount of food you get, unique menu and atmosphere. I loved the place and people working there. Go over their menu - they have really interesting mix of traditional Georgian, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisines! Definitely coming back again with friends read more

Delicious food and great service. Azerbaijani server was so friendly and polite. Thanks again. Appreciate it.

Definitely order some of the bread options on the From the Oven section of their menu. My date and I ordered the Lobiani and it came out hot with that wonderful fresh bread aroma. I order the Chakhokhbili Stew and my date had the Chkmeruli. The chicken in both of these were deliciously juicy with savory sauces. Save some of the bread to eat with these, it tasted delightful together. Will definitely come back and explore the other menu options. read more

Food could be better compare to pictures . Waiter was awesome . But overpriced restaurant for sure

Georgian food is my weakness. I spent many summers in Tbilisi when I was a child, so every time I eat georgian food it brings back warmest childhood memories. I can go on for hours talking about the hospitality of one of my favorite region of the world, but I will stick to the experience my friends and I had at the Diplomat Cafe. The place is very cozy and spacy. Most of the tables were taken but it did not feel overcrowded. The cleanliness is notices as soon as you walk in. And of course one of my favorite parts- It's a BYOB place!!! Now for us suburban people it is not a common thing. So yeah bring your wine and enjoy the tastiest food on Earth. Out server with a very romantic name Hamlet was so polite and friendly that it felt like we were good friends for many years and we just dropped by his home for dinner and a good movie. Thank you Hamlet! Now let's talk food. If you have never had georgian food don't be afraid to try as much as you can. They do not serve fear factor food, so you can't go wrong. Khachapuri is a must have! It's a cheesy bread that is baked right before it's brought out to a table. My personal favorite is adjar khachapuri- this one is served with a sunny side up egg on top. As I am writing this I am getting hungry. When you visit I would suggest you bring few friends with you this way you can share more food and try as much as possible. Soups are georgian specialty. Soup itself is a whole meal, so make sure you are extremely hungry before you come in. And to top it all please order khinkali- huge meat dumplings that you eat with your hand, because if you poke it with the fork and knife you will spill all the beefy juice on a plate and not in your mouth. It's just heavenly. And before you are ready to leave have a small cup of turkish coffee and a cream puff for dessert. I promise you that this soul food will make you feel so comfy and peaceful that you will forget about all the problems and just feel taken care of and nurtured. At the end of the evening we got a chance to meet the owner, her name is Oksana. This woman put in so much love into her creation you will feel it in the air. Enjoy and please share your experience with me :) read more

This place is the bomb, dont sleep on Georgian food. Best bread in the area. If you are looking for food from the state georgia, youre not gonna find it. This is from the country of georgia with love. 10/10 gonna eat here again. read more