Jazz Cafe

I have to say that I was very impressed with my Saturday night dinner for a friends birthday here last night. From the mass of Russian restaurants in the northwest suburbs, this one definitely rises to the top. The quality of the food it was top notch, each dish had a distinctive taste and you could tell was created with the outmost care. You don’t get that from the other Russian restaurants. Their dishes tend to taste like fish, meat, etc. but nothing special. The food was delicious, from the trout to the chicken roll ups, to the duck, to the salads that were put as appetizers. I truly enjoyed every dish. I will definitely be coming back here and will consider this place as top in terms of hosting parties here. Oh and the favorite of the Night, was their amazing crispy fried potatoes oh Em Gee!

If I can give this place negative stars… it would be –10! The week before my party, the owner called saying they have space for my party. The next day he called expecting me to have an exact number of people I would have at my party and tell him the package I wanted. I asked for some time because I just found out they had room. The owner Sergey was extremely rude and it seemed like he didn’t even want my business. I ignored it hoping my party would turn out to be better. My party started at 7pm… by 9 I had salads, main course and at 930 I had my cake and at that time I was notified I need to be out by 11:30! I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t pay russian restaurant prices! I also had extras added on meaning the price was more expensive! On top of that, the calamari that I added as an extra to my package was unbearable! It was impossible to chew and the pieces that you can chew were so crunchy it was unbelievable! On top of that the owner is no where to be found. I was told the owner had a partner who turned out to be a server. Basically… there’s no management to be found anywhere in this place! I will be taking further action. This place is ridiculous and you’re better off going to a fancy russian restaurant than this place! It will be cheaper and better food and service! Worst place ever! I will definitely Be telling everyone not to go here!

Jazz hands! Well, I hope not, anyway.
Jazz Café is a Russian restaurant which probably shouldn’t be called a café much more than Mistiko or LaMirage. If you plan on coming here, I’d definitely advise to consider going with someone who is familiar with Russian cuisine and/​or can read Russian.
Let me start by saying that the tea was great, and the food was… decent. I mean I understand that blintzes are apparently a Russian cuisine, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to amazing cuisine.
All in all, it’s a nice place to go and a place worth checking out the food. I always dig some good blintzes.

The owner was really rude on the phone, when I called to ask some questions. So I took my business elsewhere, where customers and establishing a new business relationship was much more appreciated.

To establish some credibility my parents are Russian and I have eaten plenty of Russian food; restaurants, my house, friend’s house etc. and honestly I DON’T LIKE IT! My parents, some family friends and I decided to come to Jazz café for dinner (obviously not my choice) to keep it safe I came with the intension of ordering only friend potatoes and a salad (cucumbers, tomato, sour cream) and I did. Everyone else got a massive spread of patte, salads, compote (fresh fruit juice), soups, chicken tabaka, stuffed cabbage etc etc and holy cow IT WAS AMAZING!!! I was pleasantly surprised, The chicken tabaka was the bomb, the home fried potatoes were perfection and the compote was beyond fresh– we went through 4 pitchers for the 5 of us. This may have been just as good or even better than my mom’s cooking (only Russian food I will happily consume). I definitely will be back and can’t wait to bring my friends into this hidden gem for a great home cooked meal.

Can’t beat it for the money, I hope they continue doing what they do!!!
Maybe if they had more seasonal dishes with some unique twists I would rate them higher. Surely good place to visit if you are in the neighborhood…

Tried Jazz Café for the first time and liked it. We had pierogi, beef stroganoff and pan fried potatoes. All were very good. Prices were resonable and the service was excellent. We will definitely be back.

Came here recently on a Saturday night for a really good friend’s birthday and had a very pleasant experience. There’s definitely things that could have been better about it but overall, it’s a great casual Russian restaurant. Not sure why it’s called Jazz café, but I think on some Friday nights they play some Jazz music, but don’t quote me on that since I came here on a Saturday night.
The food was pretty good, had lots of Russian specialties like crepes with cheese, pickled veggies (my personal fave), pan fried potatoes with garlic, beef tounge with mayo, crab salad, vareniki (dumplings with cherry), pâté, I mean you name it, they had it. The quality of the food was good, it wasn’t the best that I’ve had, but definitely tasty. Am I dying to go back just for the food? Probably not. And this was the $ 45.00 package which was definitely enough to feed all us hungry Russians. They also had the best Napoleon dessert, which was one of the best I’ve ever had. I may just have to order out from there and JUST get that cake because I liked it that much.
Now onto the entertainment, in my opinion, the music sucked. A lady and an older gentleman attempting to sing it out like they are rockstars. However, the music did not do this place justice even though all we wanted to do was eat good food, drink our booze and dance the night away. Plus, there was another large party besides us there who got super wasted and started singing instead of the band, kinda ridiculous and kinda unorganized. Where is the security when you need it?!
In summary, everything was definitely tasty, entertainment was not up to par compared to the rest of the Russian restaurants in suburbia, and you gotta get that Napoleon cake. I’m still thinking about it. Would I plan my own bday party here for a large goup of friends? No. But would I come for a simple lunch for some yummies when my mom doesn’t want to cook? Sure.

This place has excellent, authentic Russian cuisine. Granted, those kinds of places are few and far between, so I have nothing compare it to — but all I can say is I’ll definitely be back to grab some meat and cheese pierogis, and their crispy fried potatoes. Yum!

Excellent place. Great service and super tasty Russian food. Aside from regular lunches, went here for a party once — it was excellently organized. Prices are good for the quality. Cherry compote and mushroom soup are out of this world!

As a non-​European, I went with my friend to try out Russian/​Ukrainian food.
The food overall was satisfying and the service was outstanding. The dumpling soup was tasty and I particularly liked cheese blitze which I tried with this red sweet thing (I wish I knew the name for it) but the filling of blitze reminded me of cheesecake for some reason. For a non-​European, I cannot tell authentic vs. non-​authentic, but I have to say that the food tasted good. The waiter patiently explained different food we were trying for the first time and also gave us free drinks to try (e.g. home-​made tea) which made me feel welcomed and appreciated.
The name of the café «Jazz Café» does not go with the music nor atmosphere of the restaurant but if you want some nice food with outstanding service, you should give this place a try.

Came here for a birthday party — banquet style, in the big room. Didn’t realize that they were having another party in the small room and there was only 1 bathroom in the place. Throughout the evening, the other party kept walking through at the most inconvenient times…
Food was just ok as well, nothing special or original from the rest of the russian restaurants around. I was the most excited to try the cherry vareniki, but they turned out to be very artificial. Party was lots of fun, but it could have been anywhere.

I just recently found out that Jazz Café is a russian restaurant.
I had been passing it many times throughout my driving trips, and thought it was either an american-​styled bar or lounge. Yeah, i guess if the name isn’t as obvious as «Boris’s Hot and Happenin’ Katletki and Borsch», I won’t bother to ponder if the restaurant ‘s style and menu pertains to a specific culture.
On a day in which i felt particularly more russian than i usually do on most days, i decided to come here with my boyfriend for some lunch. This place also got really great reviews and this devotchka wanted to see what all the hype was about.
We arrived at noon and walked into a pretty empty restaurant. There was one woman eating in very middle, and no server to be found. Within a few minutes, The server came out and seated us. The place was really cute. White tablecloths, small tables, lots of sunshine in the restaurant.
I ordered their homemade fruit kampot (punch), and it was amazing. It tasted like fresh berries, and i usually despise punch because the kind that’s mostly sold as stores tastes like something squeezed out from the fiery pits of sugar hell, and the one i got was soo refreshing!
The menu was very authentic. I recognized all the items because as a child my babushka didn’t believe me when i said i wasn’t hungry anymore, so she stuffed all types of russian food in me herself to fulfill her babushka duties.
My boyfriend and I ordered stuffed peppers (galbutzi) and they were delicious. They were presented so classically, and the meat stuffing was very rich and flavorful. I’m usually a light eater and this portion was perfect for me. there were 3 peppers and i ate all of them.
Service ruled, and our waiter was really friendly, attentive, and nice. (shout out goes to you sir with the eyebrow piercing!)
I will definitely be back here again. Good food, atmosphere, and service.

Excellent choice for inexpensive, authentic Russian food. Fantastic service and décor! My go-​to dinner choice when my daughter is busy dancing next door.

Excellent food and service. Russian food was really good. My favorite was the kampot, which is a fruit drink. We went there for a bday so had a variety of great food. Highly recommend it.

Found this place via Unilocal,and had a fabulous lunch!!! Had the borsch soup, homemade buzhenina, chicken tabaka… all outstanding and uniquely ukrainian. Finished with Napoleon cake that was the best we have had, along with homeade blueberry cherry punch. Need to come back when they have music!!!

Excellent Russian/​Ukrainian food with a nice atmosphere. Service is generally quite friendly and they’re happy to explain menu items to those of us without the cultural background to know what everything is. Definitely recommended!

Really Tasty, and Authentic Russian food. Try the Borsht, solyanka soup, fried potatos, chicken «tabaka», and cherry vereniki. They make their own cranberry juice too. enjoy!

Discovered this little spot on accident, did not know it was a Russian/​Ukrainian restaurant until we checked out the menu. We were pleasantly surprised at the low prices and high quality food! The Ukrainian Borscht was delicious, the Siberian Pelmeni were very plump and tasty and the Pickled Herring was made very well! Definitely coming back to try out more of the menu!