Sayat Nova

My husband and I found it by accident on a Saturday night, as we were leaving the Nike store to go back to our hotel. My husband is half Armenian and was excited to see an Armenian restaurant. We loved the cozy Middle eastern feel, especially the ceiling light fixtures and candles light throughout the restaurant. My husband and I like to eat healthy so the meal we ordered was perfect for us. We are use to larger portions for the price we paid in Chicago compared to Michigan (Detroit area). We ordered our usual, lentil soup, tabouli, hummus and chicken kabob dinner with rice. The lentil soup was okay, bland not as hot as we'd like. The hummus was good but the portion size was a bit disappointing at $6.95. Back home hummus for $6.95 can feed 2 to 3 people. Same for tabouli, it was delicious, I like how it wasn't drenched in oil and dressing. But again at $6.95 for about one cup portion size of tabouli was a bit expensive. Perhaps we are not use to Chicago prices, after all we are in the city not suburbs. The chicken dinner we split, we both thought it was delicious, very juicy and tender but some pieces where charred.The rice was good but not a traditional rice pilaf that we are used to eating. The rice was not greasy, not much seasoning but that is how we like to eat most days of the week. Tho traditional Armenian rice pilaf we are used to has almonds or toasted pinenuts with egg noodles. We ordered dessert, baklava and knafeh. The baklava (phaklava) was decent, it seamed a bit dry, not as much nuts as we am used to. Maybe we are spoiled from the way my husbands Armenian mom makes it and Shatila bakery in Dearborn with the philo dough flaky and tall lightly drenched in simple syrup. we never had knafeh, it was our 1st time. we thought it was okay, but we are not ones to eat desserts that have creme fillings. We tried it just to try something new. We gave it 5 stars because our overall experience was good. We would definitely go back there again and try a different meal.

Flew in from LA with a hungry family. After being disappointed by a nearby restaurant quoting a 25 minute wait time Sayat Nova was excellent. Welcoming, great food, speedy service and fair prices. Excellent meat. Minor point off for less attentive service once seated, but otherwise brilliant. Will return soon.

I travel for work and always make time to try new restaurants. I come from a city with a great food scene so am a bit snobby about food. Sayat Nova was probably a top 3 meal I have had while traveling. Everything was delicious. The beef kebab, solid. The shawarma, really good. Hummus was fine, not amazing but good. It had a great texture. Both the cheese and spinach Boereg were so good I had to order more. I highly recommend this place.

The best meal we had all weekend! My sister and I walked past this place several times on our way to and from our hotel around the corner. The aroma of the food is what caught us first. Definitely a hole in the wall, as you wouldn't notice it since Ed's is right next door. A bit more pricey, but so worth it!! We had never had Armenian food. The flavor of the food was heavenly, and each bite was perfect. We tried the chicken and the shrimp plates and split them. Will definitely be coming back to try more!!

Such an amazing experience. Perfect atmosphere to reflect after our annual event! They even mentioned they have a private room for the next perfect time! Hummus was out of this world. Many thanks to Hannah, our bartender and the owner Ruben (*Please excuse spelling) for the hospitality, knowledge and love to carry this restaurant on for generations. Looking forward to my next time in Chicago to visit!

The owner personally greeting us and shared his experience updating his family’s restaurant. I loved the attention to detail in the decor and the thoughtfulness that went into it, incorporating designs from family heirlooms. Service and food are both on point. Absolutely no complaints. A must if you’re ever in the area.