This little Kyrgyzstani place absolutely blew me away with the taste and aroma of their dishes. The place is small and the menu is limited. I like to explore different cuisines so I had gone to try out some kyrgyz food. It turned out to be an absolute delight...the menu is a fanstastic concoction of noodles, dumplings, etc from a Chinese influence, the Russian influence coming out in the meats and their preparation, combined with the spices from the Middle East. Together they come together in fantastic ways that are difficult to describe. The food is light and aromatic and you can tell that each ingredient kind of contributes to the flavor of the dish. My wife and I love this place and have taken our friends there all of whom loved the food too. A peek into the kitchen will show you why the food is made with such loving care.You'll see a motherly lady busily and lovingly cooking the food which tells you that the place is kind of a family-owned business. I would definitely recommend their Plov (Pilaf) and the dumplings. Their stuffed lamb fried appetisers were very good too. A must try. read more

I've been coming to this place for manty. But last time we came food was too salty and greasy. Mantys were all ripped and fell apart, which was a disappointment. I'm afraid I won't be coming back for this quality. read more

This place is AWESOME! I have eaten some of these foods in my travels to Uzbekistan, and the authenticity is amazing! From olivier to play to oromo to lagman, you won't be able to get enough! And reasonable prices too. Do yourself a favor and check this place out! read more

I've been going there for BORST since they opened. Let me tell you, one of the best soups I've ever had. And it's vegetarian ! So incredibly well seasoned and full of vegetables. Mmmm read more

I took some friends out to eat here when I last visited Chicago because I've had Central Asian food before (Kazakhstani, specifically) and I wanted to share it with them. It's not particularly complex or spicy or anything, so the quality comes down to whether the ingredients are good and fresh and whether they're cooked well. Well, at Jibek Jolu, they definitely are! Everything we had was delicious. Lagman, of course, is a staple favorite - and everyone who is saying the Korean carrot salad (and yes, it's something you really do find all over Central Asia) is delicious is SPOT ON. There's some Russian food on the menu, too, if you're more familiar with that. Personally, I like fried food, so I was all about chibureki. The monti were great, too. We got a bunch of dishes and passed them around so everyone could try different things, and none of them were disappointing (although I'm not the biggest fan of beshbarmak). The waitstaff was very friendly, the prices were really cheap, and although they don't serve alcohol, they let us bring in our own vodka and provided us with shot glasses to drink it from. Just don't forget to give a toast every time before you take a drink! :) Ah, and I do wish they had bilyashi... so when's a Tatar restaurant going to open up? :) read more

Well, there you are! My 100th review. Might as well be for a cute little place by my house that serves food from Kyrgyzstan. I actually had to grab a to-go menu so I would know how to spell Kyrgyzstan, though I still have no idea how to pronounce it. Apparently it's on the crossroads of the Silk Road, and that I know from Yo Yo Ma. Thanks Yo Yo. Jibek Jolu used to be a pizza place and they really fixed it up pretty cute. Inside is small and was warm and sunny when we were there. They have two large tv's playing what I am assuming is Kyrgyzstani MTV. Kind of funny. Since I wasn't facing them, I kinda enjoyed the music. All of the Yelp reviews rave about the Lagman, which did not disappoint. When you order it, you can see a woman in the kitchen start the process of hand rolling your noodles. And I'm not talking Italian style with the crank hooked to the table. I'm talking ROLLING dough in her hands. Kick ass. For an appetizer we had the Samsy, like a Kyrgy samosa or empenada, stuffed with beef and onions. My hubby had the Lagman and I had the Vareniki, which are little dumplings stuffed with mashed potatoes. Mine were yummy, but a little on the bland side. EXCEPT when a bite was taken with a little of the carrot salad we got on the side. Oh the carrot salad. It is really super awesome. And like two bucks. Fragrant and sweet, perfectly marinated to still retain a little texture. We ordered the honey cake for dessert. Truly unlike any dessert I've had. We couldn't stop eating it. I think it's made with almond meal, because texturally it's not like your run of the mill cake. Something oozed out of the middle, and I think it was warm butter! Yeah! Jibek Jolu is BYOB, friendly, clean and savory. I think in the heart of a warm Chicago summer, it may not be on the top of my list, but considering it's cool to cold here ten months out of the year, this is quality. read more

This place doesn't even deserve a one star rating. We walked in during a busy time and a waiter said he would prepare the one open table that was left. After making us wait 15 minutes, he finally cleared that table. However, as we were sitting down, he told us to wait and as we waited, a couple who were already seated moved to our table and the waiter sat us at the couple's dirty table. The waiter tried covering up the mess by setting an open menu over it but we weren't born yesterday. The fact that the waiter would even think to seat us at a dirty table while a couple WHO WERE ALREADY SEATED moved to our table is just baffling and extremely disrespectful. read more

For my 100th review, I am honored and enthusiastic to review Jibek Jolu. Let me preface by saying that this small, quaint Krygizstani restaurant on north Lincoln Avenue gave me one the most interesting and delectable dining experiences i've had in ages. The decor is clean, casual and inviting, going with the whole "Krygizstan theme" (i'm sure you're familiar with). I wasn't expecting such a vibrant array of flavors and impeccable balance. The carrot salad we began with was downright heavenly, a spicy and interestingly rich array of shaved carrots and radish. The meatball dumpling soup was expertly crafted; the broth being clear and rich, the dumpling being little shumai-like creations stuffed with chunks of seasoned meat. Next, the manty! Oh man, the manty. Gigantic dumplings stuffed to the gills with lamb and pumpkin. What I loved about these is that the pumpkin was roasted and not pureed, giving it a rustic chunky feel. The yogurt/butter sauce in the middle took it to the next level of deliciousness. Finally, the lagman I had was great, although i'll admit that i've never had lagman before, much less have EVER heard of it. But apparently it's a staple in Kyrgistan, so I gave it ago. I love udon, so this was a no brainer for me...it was the best of russia and asia...stewed meat and pepper and noodles. This is just a gem-of-a-spot. The food, service and atmosphere are a welcome addition to a strip of Lincoln that doesn't have much going for it. I can't wait to go back! read more

I have gone twice now and both times have been great. The first time I went was with a large group. We shared dishes so I had the chance to try a little of quite a few of their dishes. I really enjoyed them. It is comfort food. Hearty and lots of flavor. I recommend trying the samplers if you are trying it out the first time. The place is BYOB, service is excellent, price is very reasonable. A neighborhood gem. read more

Had samsi, Manti, grilled meat with rise and cabbage salad .. everything very tasty! Definitely coming back to try everything else.

Great place to eat tasty food and relax with friends, I highly recomend this place. They have another near downtown and both are great, the best of Kyrgis in Chicago. read more

I really enjoyed my first visit to Jibek Jolu. My two daughters and I shared 2 appetizers, 2 entrees (and then ordered a 3rd,) as well as a dessert. Everything was excellent. The prices are reasonable, and the food delicious. My favorite was the Lagman and the Samsy. The decor was nice - I have never been to a Kyrgyz restaurant before, but it seemed authentic. Definitely worth going back. read more

I have no baseline when it comes to rating this type of cuisine, but this place is fabulous. The seemingly simple dishes have very complex flavors and textures, I find myself craving Lagman every week. read more

If you want to try a very different type of food, this is a good option. It' a Central Asia Cuisine, that combines dishes from couple of countries. The taste is amazing, the price is very good, just be careful coz sometimes you call and it's very slow but it can get crowded faster than you can imagine. Another good thing is that it's BYOB. They are very nice and usually if they are not busy they take their time to explain all about their food. read more

This is my 2nd time here so I thought I would post a review. First of all, I wish for their sake they would change their name. It is IMPOSSIBLE for me to think of for some reason. I agree with another poster, change it to Silk Road as that is how it translates I guess. Probably I am an idiot but I'm just trying to think as an everyman. Overall I really want to like this place. It's very casual and non-pretentious. It's just that I don't really like anything here that much! Sorry....For a dumpling kinda thing, I don't find theirs especially flavorful or tasty, or really having much interest at all. I was craving some kind of dipping sauce for them in their various incarnations to help this out and the server just gave me a blank stare. I've read talk of some dill/yogurt sauce in other reviews, that sounds good... but that wasn't an option. Finally managed to get some sour cream. How thrilling. How about bringing a medley of tasty sauces out? There was some "garlic sauce" listed somewhere. She never heard of it or they were out. There were some listed on the back with the special chicken (which they were out of as well, among several other things). Sorry, everything was just dry and bland. I guess I just don't get it. In a world of empanadas, somosas, pierogi, mandoo, etc. etc., these were just the worst incarnation....sorry! You really need some help ordering here and some direction. Some of the servers can give it, I could overhear. Ours could not. The bread was decent but brought out with nothing, not even butter. Does this cuisine not offer any bread toppings, condiments, etc? I think that is the key word here lacking...condiments. A presentation of this really should be perhaps done in a more "small plates" way, ie the Korean Ban Chan (sp) type. Just a way to taste everything and appreciate the foods. I really don't want a large plate of Korean carrot salad. I have had it....it's fine... but a forkful or two and that's about my interest level in it. They should offer a small bowl of soup, etc. Just to get some of these flavors flowing! There's a stagnation here based on the staff and its marketing (or lack thereof) to do this. Hard to define but it just needs a bit of ooomph somewhere. It's not that the menu isn't slick, it actually is! Anyway, check it out. It's certainly not expensive, so worth a try to try a new cuisine. It's just not something I loved. 3 stars because It's one of those deals where I suspect it's probably my fault for not loving it! read more

Yes!!!!! That's all I can really say about this place. Sure, I can verbally explain my experience, which may somewhat help with the visuals, but that will be unfair to your palate! So my advice to you is, find yourself an uber and try Jibek for yourself! read more

I live pretty close by and always pass by this place... but never noticed it...We went here today. The food and service was excellent. We had the lamb chops, tandoor beef and lamb skewers, different soups, and appetizers. A lot of Mughali Indian got its roots from this food. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend this place to others looking for something different and tasty! read more

Uniquely great food with home made care and attention to details. The food is both healthy and delicious. No excessive use of sauces or broths or deep frying. I had the sampler appetizer and everything in it was freshly made from scratch. It definitely takes genuine love, and effort to prepare food like this as opposed to some restaurants that rely on warming up canned food. read more

We were driving through Chicago and wanted our friend to try their food, because we loved it, last year, when we visited our friends in the city. I felt really bad, worst server, she couldnt smile at all, then when she brought us just 2 entrees for 3 persons, she didn't apologies, nothing, she insisted that we ordered only 2!!! How??? It's 3 of us, why would we order only 2? My husband had to wait for his entree. You have to ask her: "excuse me can we get some sause to this meat?" " sorry we are missing a fork". We were bothering her, so I didn't ask her for a bread, had soup without it. If you dont like people, do not care about customers, why do you work as server? Food: only thing we liked was blinchiki and hot tea..... Of course they were out of lagman :( Beshbarmak was Bad, thats all I can say, my husband is from Kyrzyzstan, so I know what I'm talking about. Solyanka was so so... None of us couldn't drink "kompot", we had to reorder hot tea. We decided to give it another try and ordered beef "shashlyk"... bad idea. Never order shashlyk from this restaraunt, it was awful, and we couldn't finish it either. You know when you have a bad server, that's when she sees that you didn't finish your entries and "drinks" and she doesn't care about it, because it don't matter to her, if you going to come back. And we are not going back there and I will make sure to tell everyone I know in the area, that this plase used to be good. We paid 90$, so all 3 of us can get a stomach aches. I dont mind paying for a good food, I left dissapointed. And now my friend thinks that kyrgyz cuisine is not tasty at all. Thank you Jibek Joly. read more

This was the worst dining experience of my life. Do NOT waste your time or money going here!*** Where should I start? Overall, the customer service was the worst part about this restaurant. The waiter was inattentive and unfriendly, and he had some difficultly understanding/communicating in English. What I love most about Chicago is the small ethnic communities and restaurants that allow you to taste authentic cuisine from all over the world; Jibek Jolu is clearly not friendly to outsiders, and only seems to care about its Kyrgzy, Kazakh, or Russian-speaking guests. I went here for Father's Day 2011 with my family because it had great reviews, and I had purchased a $25 gift certificate from restaurant.com I don't even want to waste my time thinking about how horrible this place was, so I will just list my main grievances below: The waiter was slow refilling the water. Two members of our party wanted to order a side dish listed on the menu, and the waiter refused, saying that a side dish did not come with the meal. We tried to explain that we knew it didn't come with the meal, but we would pay extra for it, but he just said "no" without any explanation. My sister just wanted some rice, but he wouldn't let us order it! My cousin (who is a vegetarian) wanted some veggies with her dumplings (the only non-meat item, btw), but he said no as well. He didn't even ask the chef or manager if the restaurant could make accommodations! The food was not served in a timely fashion, and we were not served at the same time! They seem to have made each dish one at a time. Three of us were served within 30 minutes after ordering our food. I had to wait another 10-15 minutes after that, and my poor cousin had to wait nearly another 30 minutes to get her dish! We had all almost finished eating by the time she was finally served, and the waiter offered no apology, only the excuse "we are busy"!!! Instead of coming to our table to explain the situation, I was forced to go up front to ask about my cousin's dish! Why didn't they prepare to be busy?! We made reservations ahead of time! It seems they didn't have more than one cook in the back . . . Our server spent more time cleaning up another table than paying attention to us--he only came to take our order and serve our food. My father didn't receive his "appetizer" until the very end of the meal, when we also received the basket of bread. NO ONE enjoyed the food. I am a huge foodie, and I am not a picky eater in the least, but this food was tasteless and boring. The meat was rubbery and had the look of being cheap and old. My mother's noodles were so bland that she had to put extra salt on them. The food was not worth the price we paid. My dad, for example, ended up paying around $13 for merely two meatballs and a few slices of tomato, cucumber, and a small portion of white rice! Outrageous! Near the end of our meal, my sister left the table to use the bathroom. She still had food on her plate and planned on getting a carry out to take the rest of it to go. The waiter came over to and began clearing our table. Before we could say anything, he picked up her plate and put other plates on top of her food! He didn't even ask if she was finished! My sister was a bit disappointed when she came back, but there was nothing to say. We didn't even feel comfortable complaining because the waiter had been so inattentive before. As I mentioned earlier, this place is not friendly towards the average American, or those who are not from the same ethnic background as the restaurant owners, but Jibek Jolu is also not a family-type place. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice, except for a small TV in the background that makes the place much less classy. What made the atmosphere worse was that the station played some trashy music videos with dancing girls in bikinis. This was both very awkward and inappropriate for Father's day. When it finally came time to pay the bill, I had added up in my head an idea of what the meal should cost, so I was a bit surprised when I saw the inflated total price. I noticed that the waiter used a calculator (not the cash register) to add up the totals, so I re-added the total myself. I showed him on the calculator that he had overcharged us, and then the woman said something to him in another language. I won't assume that the miscalculation was intentional, but isn't it funny how people never make monetary mistakes in your favor? If you're going to be charging customers with the total you get from a calculator, I would hope you would be more careful!! There are other things I could say about this place, but I'll just leave it at that. Do not eat here. ***I wrote this review three years ago but never posted it until now. Perhaps things have changed, but I highly doubt it. read more

I ate here yesterday for the first time, and can't stop thinking about the meatball soup. I also had the lagman which was equally delicious. A nice quiet lunch spot on a Saturday afternoon. It appeared very kid friendly too. read more

By the way, this restaurant is Kyrgyz, not "Middle Eastern" or "Russian." Yelp, get some more comprehensive categories... this ain't the 90s... This is a surprise of a place, kind of located on a quotidian section of Lincoln, it was a nice little dining room. The food is quite unique, an interesting confluence of Russian, Persian, South Asian, and Central Asian. The salads are really interesting, and the addition of noodles to various savory dishes is very distinctive. I had a pilaf rice dish that was so much like Kabuli Chalow. Definitely recommend. The staff is nice but kind of neglectful, though not in a malicious way; there's only one waitress for the whole room. Also, the menu could use some more diversity, but this is likely a family run place so the selection is decided by one or two folks, so the limited number of dishes is excusable. But what they do they do well. We had 4 entrees and each one was a winner. read more

Treated us very poorly. Made a reservation prior and told us to wait 20 minuets to then be seated. Waited 45 minuets to walk into a full restaurant with the hostes speechless. Will not come back read more

First time ever trying out Kyrgyzstan food. It was great and tasty but service was poor at best.

Taste and quality are average; service was slow but kind and considerate. Of all the things I had, my favorite was the oromo, which tasted very authentically kyrgyz and was well executed. Some of the dishes left something to be desired in the preparation. The carrot salad was good, but I wish the carrots had been shredded finer. Ashlanfu was underwhelming in flavor, and lacked the refreshing quality I remember. I'd come here if it was in my neighborhood or if I am seriously craving Kyrgyz did, but otherwise I wouldn't go out of my way. read more

If I could give this place zero stars I would. DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY! I was so upset from the rats I seen that I couldn't even eat my food!

Love this place ! The best shashlyk and honey cake :) I wish they had an outside sitting :)

Ordered delivery and service was quick and the food was delivered hot. Everything tastes really homemade and is comforting. My only criticism is that quite a lot of dill is used in the cooking; I like the taste of dill but a little bit goes a long way, it tends to overpower other flavors. Otherwise, everything was delicious. read more

The perfect place to visit when I feel like eating borsch, shashlik, and cheburek:) everything they have on the menu is deliciously cooked.

My first foray into Kyrgyz food. Everything we had was delicious. Definitely recommend. The service was a touch sleepy but don't let that bother you. read more

This place is wonderful! The atmosphere is is clean and cozy with nice lighting and traditional decor on the walls. The Russian music videos make it feel even more authentic. My boyfriend and I had the chebureki, plov, and beshbarmak. Everything was delicious and reminded us of traditional eastern European cooking we both grew up on as well as some of the dishes I had while in Mongolia. There was only one server but he kept up with all the orders. The place is small but it was almost entirely full on a Monday night. Impressive. Needless to say we'll be back. read more

Such a unique place. The food was really tasty and cabbage-y. Not a great place to go if you are a vegetarian, but I'm not! I think the meat jelly was a little too adventurous for me. Everything else was yummy and cheap. BYO is a plus always and the staff was attentive. Awesomely huge disco ball in the middle of the restaurant too! read more

This place is a find. The food is unusual - sort of a cross between Eastern European and Asian - blinis, dumplings, borscht, salads, noodle dishes, etc. Everything we had was tasty and filling - and I thought the spicy carrot salad was particularly good. Dinner with multiple appetizers and an entree but without alcohol or dessert was about $20 per person. My only quibble was that the service was oddly disjointed. Our waitress was a bit lost, linguistically and as a waitress. There was lots of pointing at menu items. She took our order in pieces at different intervals and the entrees arrived at different times. read more

Me and my family enjoy every single food there, especially shashluks are the best , yummyyyyy

Super delicious food from Kyrgyzstan, a combo of Turkish, Russian, and Chinese flavors that are not to be missed!

Took me a while, but finally made it back to Jibek Jolu and with two dining experiences, I'm ready to give them a solid four star rating! The Korean carrot salad is a must when you come here. The lunch specials are reasonably priced and they give you a huge amount of food. I had the Plov which consists of a few pieces of fried beef and a mountain of rice. In all honesty the beef wasn't all that great and almost seemed irrelevant. The rice was very flavorful and the more I ate, the more I liked it. Asked for a side of the lazy hot sauce which was nice and garlicky. My brother had the Ganfan which he also really enjoyed. This place is definitely worth checking out. I will be coming back for their lunch specials soon! read more

Very tasty russian fare. BORSCHT. LAGMAN and Korean carrot salad. Very polite and service ready staff. Clean. Wonderfully simple attmosphere. read more

I believe this may be the only Kyrgyzstani restaurant in the U.S. A wonderfully authentic and unique place. The food is very simple and quite good. Not at all fancy. Charming and friendly staff. Must experience at least once. read more

Was told this was a russian restaurant, during the time that I went, they were out of almost everything, choices were limited, I didnt feel like I was able to get the whole russian cusine read more

Love this food! It is so tasty and so many great dishes. Try the Manty with sour cream and salsa - amazing! soups are great, basically, anything I had there was delicious! read more