Jibek Jolu

I’m a member of a fun culinary group that goes out and tries a new place every month. Seven of us invaded this very cool place on a Saturday and ordered most of the menu. Surprisingly, the place wasn’t very busy and we stayed for over 3 hours (sorry Jibelk Jolu :).
With one exception, the food was very good. Most important for us, the service was outstanding and the host was very [very] patient. We tend to ask a lot of questions and I’m sure many of our questions were probably silly. Regardless, our server never let on and answered all of our questions earnestly.
With one exception, the food was outstanding. We tried nearly every appetizer and my favorite was the «Chebureki» — a wonderful pasty filled with ground lamb. We tried three soups (Shorpo, Borsh, and Kesme). All were good, but the Kesme stood out to me. I saw it as a real example that parallels Kyrgyz culture. It had noodles with potatoes/​carrots in a subtly spicy beefy broth. I thought it was outstanding. For our main courses, we got a bunch of things and shared. The Manty was good but we were warned not to get them fried. The only disappointment was the Plov. This dish of beef and rice had a nice flavor, but the beef was severely overcooked and dry. The big surprise (I didn’t realize we ordered it until it came to the table) was the Shashlik Lamb. For whatever reason, I don’t generally order shish-​ka-​bob, but I will definitely get this again. It was one of the most favorable lamb dishes I’ve ever had. We also ordered the Jarovnya Beef, which was interesting and good, but IMHO was simply overshadowed by the lamb dish.
Anyway, definitely a place to dine. The ambience and people were very nice and the place is extremely affordable. To put that in perspective, we were there for the experience and never once thought about price, which is how this culinary club rolls. For the seven of us, I think our bill was about $ 220 before tip.

I went there 2 times … I love the food it’s fresh and delicious … My only consider was about fried manti filled with meat and dough. It was extremely oily … Didn’t feel well after I ate … Other than that I like the Lagman, Lula Kabab, blintchiki, honey cake and oreshki.,

Hearty, delicious food with lots of noodles, beef, potatoes, and yogurt sauce. Bring a big group so you can try lots of things — we found many things sounded similar on the menu but tasted very different on the plate.
The best dish was the pan friend manty — rich beef dumplings that were crispy on the outside and perfectly flavored on the inside. My friend’s favorite may have been the oromo — a beef and noodle lasagna-​like layered pie.
Other favorites included the pelmeni — tiny steamed beef dumplings that were somewhat similar to Chinese soup dumplings. The lagman was also a great winter warm-​up dish and very different from the alternatives. They also have a nice variety of soups (my friend tried the lentil and quite liked it).
You can order any entrée in a «small» portion and this is a great way to split a larger number of dishes. The only minor problem is we found the vegetarian entrees slightly less satisfying. The veggie-​friendly appetizers were actually heavier and more substantial. So if you’re veggie, make sure to look over the appetizer menu twice.
We definitely enjoyed this meal and found it worth making a bit of a trek. Be sure to check out the Kyrgyz music videos playing on the screen above the door!

I had never had Kyrgyz food, but was drawn to Jibek Jolu because they serve kotlety (Russian hamburgers, without the bun) and borscht, which I love from my days in DC.
The restaurant isn’t very big, maybe fifteen tables, but it feels comfortable and not at all cramped. Additionally, it is decorated to look like a Central Asian yurt. Very cool.
We started dinner with a bowl of borscht and a stuffed blini. The borscht was hot, full of fresh cabbage, beet, and potato, and that awesome dollop of sour cream. Authentic and just how I remembered it, but better. Much better. If you’ve been hesitant to try borscht, this is the place to break you of any pre-​conceived ideas. Did I mention how good this borscht is? Okay, good.
The blini was amazing. That thin, doughy pancake (think of a Breton galette, or savory crêpe) stuffed with seasoned ground beef, onions, and that cool sour cream. Easily the top of my list of blinis.
Dinner was shashlik chicken and steamed, then pan-​fried, manty. Drinks with dinner were kompot (a beverage made by stewing various fruits in water, then straining out the fruit. A sort of cold fruit tea), and sweet Russian black tea. The Russians take great pride in their tea and this «» was fabulous. The kompot wasn’t the best I’ve had, but still refreshing and tasty.
The shashlik chicken was amazing. Essentially marinated kabobs, but so juicy, slightly spicy, and utterly mind-​blowing. I don’t know what they do to their rice, but what appeared to be plain white rice had a hidden seasoning that paired perfectly with the chicken.
The manty (dumplings) was cooked to perfection, as well. I ordered mine with beef filling and pan-​fried in addition to being steamed. The doughy texture had a satisfying outer crunch and the filling, potato, onion, and pumpkin in addition to the beef, was fragrant and melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious. Make sure to eat it with the pepper relish served with the dish.
We got oreshki (filled cookies) for dessert, which were a nice way to finish the meal. Small and tasty!
A few additional notes– like I said, we initially came in for kotlety, but was told they didn’t have them this night. Also, we originally wanted honey cake for dessert. Negative on that request, too. That would normally annoy me, until our server explained why– the previous day was New Year’s Day, and the restaurant had been closed. The ladies that make those individual dishes typically prepare them the night before. As they were closed, no dice. That is how fresh and authentic their food is. Also, we boxed some of our food to take home. The same server, an awesome young Kyrgyz lady, came out with another box– she felt bad we only had a few pieces of chicken left to take home, so she had the cook prepare us another skewer of shashlik, so we could enjoy another full meal. Wow, I felt like I was with family! Also, the staff didn’t mind me trying out my mediocre Russian on them. Probably because we were the only English-​speakers in the restaurant. Did I mention the food is authentic? Oh, and try the borscht!
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I’m not Russian, but have eaten here twice and loved it. Great quality and delicious Russian dishes at affordable prices. Everything on the menu is great, but I especially liked the chebureki, borsh, plov, blinchki, stuffed blini. Employees are friendly and attentive. So good and can’t wait for more cheburekis!

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.

I have now been there around 7 or 8 times in the last five weeks. Love the place and the service. Service by Angie is great (hope i remember her name correctly). Very friendly and professional. Food is good too (let’s say 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5) but overall i like them enough that i rate them a 5.
Value: great too.

While I’ve never had Kyrgyzstani cuisine before, I wasn’t disappointed with the quality (hand pulled noodles!) and variety (Russian, Central Asian) of food. The portions were more than enough, and the large size of any dish was ridiculous. The price is very cheap for the quality and quantity of the food.
The menu is meat centric, though there are some vegetarian options (vegans may find the carrot salad and some of the soups of interest, but I would ask to confirm if they are vegan)
The ambience of the place is inviting and suitable for a family or a casual date. There were some more traditional textiles on the walls, such as a Tush kyiz. The only other customers were Russian speaking Central Asians, one family and two friends.
The dishes that I recommend are:
Main course:
Ashlann Fuu — a cold, spicy noodle dish with jelly. Try it.
Oromo — steamed pie filled with either pumpkin or ground beef. I had the ground beef, and couldn’t stop eating it.
Appetizers
Tandyr Samsy — a savory pie, not spicy
Stuffed Blini — typical stuffed Russian blin
Desserts
Medovik — Tort medovik, a Russian honey cake. It was moist, fragrant and just absolutely perfect. I would eat an entire cake. One day. I now make medovik at home, and hold the one I’ve tasted here as the prototype of all medoviks.
I also would try the Kuurdak and Lagman, both which are very famous dishes in Kyrgyzstan.
Things I wasn’t impressed by:
Kompot — It wasn’t ~bad~ but it could have been the particular batch.
Carrot Salad — I wanted to like this, but the lack of spice and abundance of oil just made me cry a little.
Service —
I would have given this place 5 stars, however, the service is hit or miss. Midway through our meal, our waitress disappeared into the back with her cell phone, never to return, though her voice was clearly audible. Our plov also was mysteriously missing from our table, but alas, not from our check which was given to us by another, apologizing waitress after what seemed like an eternity, Granted, former USSR restaurants aren’t known to have the friendly service that most Americans and Western Europeans are used to, but the apologies makes me think our experience wasn’t intended.
Overall? The food makes up for the service.

I’d give it 4.5÷5.0 stars if that was an option.
Went here on a total whim with one of my buds. Found this on Unilocal and was in the mood for something completely different. So off we went!
The food (IMO) is a hybrid of Persian, Mediterranean, with some South Asian elements. The food was excellent! And the service was wonderful. Even better was the fact that all of the diners were from Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan — ALWAYS a good sign to see folks from that part of the world dining in a restaurant that serves their region’s food. The Honey Cake was VERY good. And the place is decorated very nice too.
If you’re looking to try something completely different, don’t hesitate to stop in here. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Having spent a summer in Kyrgyzstan teaching English, I was VERY eager to try this place, and so glad that I did! I took my parents here so we could experience Kyrgyz food together. Always down to try new cuisine at least once, they thoroughly enjoyed their meal as well.
First off, the inside is decorated like the inside of a yurt. I had the chance to stay in a yurt in the mountains, on the way to see Lake Issyk Kul with some fellow English teachers and it was an amazing experience. Once the sun set, the air gets chilly, and I remember I was freezing below four layers of blankets. Clenching my teeth so they wouldn’t chatter, I still wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. I was so cold that I spent a lot of the night staring at the top of the yurt, praying for sleep to come (I have ZERO cold tolerance…) but that was what made entering Jibek Jolu so nostalgic. I was back inside the yurt, snuggled next to dear friends, body heat crucial to my survival, but man oh man, it is beautiful in the mountains.
On to the food. For a party of three we ordered:
–Lagman: stewed beef and veggies over hand-​pulled noodles
–Manty (small order of 4): dumplings w/​beef and onions
–Kuurdak: stewed beef with potatoes and onions
–Lamb Shank: served with rice and carrot salad
–2 drinks: Airan (yogurt) and Kompot (fruity)
–Post-​dinner tea
We split all of this family style, and our table was also given complimentary Central Asian-​style bread. When I had manty in Kyrgyzstan, I remember the dumplings being much more oily and heavy, maybe because they were filled with lamb/​mutton instead of beef. But they were good here and definitely a different style of dumpling than say, a Chinese dumpling or a pierogi.
The lamb shank was delicious, as was the Lagman, and the Kuurdak peppery. Next time I would order the Shashlik (meat kabobs) and the pan-​fried manty, but that will be for next time. I had a rush of nostalgia here, even though I wouldn’t be able to tell if the food was «authentic»… But if you’re one of the only Kyrgyz restaurants in Chicago, I think Jibek Jolu is a safe bet. Plus, you’ll be eating inside of a yurt :) kinda. Overall, a great place to try Kyrgyz food and you won’t be disappointed!

Nice storefront ethnic, featuring Kyrgyz cuisine – you’ve got your lagman, you’ve got your manti, you’ve got your plov. You get the idea. Anyway, I went in search of borscht (they call it borsh) to add to my collection. It’s on the menu, it’s described as clear beetroot soup, and the menu picture shows exactly that. But it was not to be. What was served was cabbage soup (OK, maybe cabbage borscht). It was brown in color, with tons of sliced cabbage, carrots, red peppers, celery and potatoes, and a basket of good bread. The soup was nicely seasoned and served warm with a dollop of sour cream. All good but there was not a hint of beets in sight. I kept asking the waitress if this was the borscht and she kept assuring me that it was. I realize many versions are heavy on cabbage and light on beets, but the menu here promised something else. I think I was disappointed because I was expecting beet soup and it wasn’t.
I sampled a number of nice salads. This is a good place for vegetarians. The lunch crowd of 4 was riveted by Kyrgyz MTV on the big screen. If you like storefront ethnic restaurants, I think you will be pleased with this very welcoming spot.

It’s nice to be back «home» and experience that pure Russian attitude, where you’re allowed to maintain a poker face while talking to the staff. Smile and they will smile back at you but you will not be considered rude if you don’t. Strictly speaking that is not a Russian restaurant, it’s owned by people from Kyrgyzstan (former USSR republic) and thus is a popular destination for people from there and other countries Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan former USSR republics as well). But Russians have enjoyed central Asian cuisine for centuries, so it’s in our DNA and we come there too.
The restaurant is pretty small but very cozy, may be a bit run down but by no means does that attract attention. The food is belissimo! You should try, those guys know how to cook their meat.
I’m leaving one missing star for future interior improvements.

Second time trying Kyrgyz food. The service was great, but my blinchiki and oromo (steamed pie; I had the vegetarian one) were not as flavorful or tender as at Bereke (on Lawrence), and the oromo was also smaller and more expensive than at Bereke.

I’ve been to this place twice, and it was awhile ago. I’m hoping that it stays in buisness which is what prompted me to recommend the place. This place is a must try. A little on the pricey side, so go when you’re flush.

I’d never even had Kyrgyz food and until last night could not have told you what it consists of. Apparently it consists of a delicious garlicky salad of shredded carrots that I have to figure out how to make at home, plus some nice dumplings and almost chinese-​y lamb noodles. My favorite entrée was the oromo, a steamed pie of cabbage, onion, and beef with a really addictive brininess. And what’s more it was bustling yet not packed at dinnertime on a Friday, another one of those places it’s perfect to have in your back pocket at 6:30 on a Friday night when you’re trying to figure out where to meet some friends.
My only real complaint is that they were out of quite a few things, and somewhat odd things — first a tandoor dumpling, then a dessert made of fried dough, then a honeycake as well. (How can they be out of dough?) But such are the mysteries of Jibek Jolu.
Oh and remarkably affordable too — our dinner for three, with plenty of food, was $ 50 before tip.

We have never eaten this kind of food and it’s across the street from a bar where my husband’s band plays so we thought we would check it out.
This restaurant did not only have amazing food but also a great atmosphere. As another reviewer said: I can’t pronounce the name or the dishes but it is a very different restaurant with really good food. The waitstaff is very helpful in explaining dishes and giving their recommendations. We ordered several different things to try and were not disappointed at all. We ordered the stuffed blini with tvorog (a farmer’s cheese) and it was awesome — probably my favorite thing we ordered. For my meal, I ordered the vareniki and my husband ordered the beef shashlik. He also ordered soup — the solyanka — again, we loved it!
And for desert we ordered the honey cake and homemade sweet Oreshki cookies. Seriously some of the best cookies I’ve ever had. This place was a winner all the way around and we will definitely be back.

Came here on tuesday night, small cozy place that picked up really quick! The food was great, we tried samsy, cheburek, manty and jarovnya. My mom is from uzbekistan and i can say that the food was very similar to the food i had at home as a kid. I liked the decorations too. Service was friendly. I would love to go back to try more items from the menu!

We’ve been here more than 10 times, the food is amazing, and it’s pretty affordable for the quality. You can also choose half portions and try different dishes.
FYI — there are some Russian dishes, but this is Central Asian cuisine. This is not a mix of «Russian, Chinese, Turkish and Indian food»

I had a friend take me here a while back and I’ve loved it ever since. The food here is amazing and the feel of the restaurant is different than most places.
If your the adventures type, you have to come here and give them a try.
Make sure to try their stuffed Blini when you first come in, very tasty. And for your main dish, you gotta try the Shashlik! It is amazing!!! It’s basically meat that is grilled on skewers but the way they cook it tastes great. You can get Shashlik with your choice of Beef, Chicken or Lamb.
If your in the mood for something new, you gotta check out Jibek Jolu!!!

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