A very elegant restaurant offering one of the best culinary experiences in Chicago. Its cosmopolitan yet traditional menu includes original recipes from Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Moldova, a great selection of wines and spirits from the former Soviet Union countries, Europe and USA, served in a very tasteful setting. Russia Tea Time is a masterpiece, created and owned by a Ukrainian woman from Russia who lived in Uzbekistan and immigrated to the United States in the 1990s. Strongly recommend as cultural and culinary destination in Chicago, located just across the street from the Arts Institute.
Visited on a cold and snowy Sunday. I was struck by the unique decor. There was a snafu in the service, where I didn't get a server for quite some time, but the delicious food made up for it.The house black tea was great, and the vodka flight warmed me up nicely. Will definitely visit again.
Been a favorite of mine for almost twenty years! I try to make a stop for afternoon tea whenever in town. Always excellent service and food!
I’ve never been to a better place to eat in the city. Best borscht ever!!? Staff is also incredible! I can’t recommend this place enough!
Wonderful restaurant. The food and the staff are exceptional. The house tea is a must try! We liked it so much we went two days in a row.
We had a beautiful time with their afternoon time. Two of us were vegetarian and one person was non-vegetarian, and they were able too arrange that for us. The food was great, and the tea was next leaves, especially the Darjeeling Earl Grey! As a tea blogger I asked to speak to one of the staff members to learn more about the teas- they were informative and very friendly which I appreciated. The decor is also beautiful and everyone seemed to be having a great time!
We came to this beautiful restaurant on a cold Friday afternoon. It wasn't busy. We were greeted by a very nice girl who checked out vaccine cards and then took us to our table. The entire place is spotlessly clean and very aesthetic. Even the bathrooms.We ordered the following:Chicken Kebab Shashlik ($22 as of Jan 2022). It was very delicious.Grilled Chick Breast Florentine ($24). Very tasty, especially the mushroom sauce.
The most LOVELY place to have a serene lunch and tea on a cold day. The staff are so kind and the ambiance is beautiful. I’ll be back for proper tea service in the future, but until then I’ll leave you with a photo of the most delicious napoleon I’ve ever had.
Used to come here every single time I visited Chicago. From 2018-2019, I began to notice something was off. I just found out that the business was sold and its founder is no longer associated with it. Don't get me wrong. New owners seam to be honest and trying to do the right thing. But unfortunately this is definitely no longer worth it. The menu has changed substantially. The quality of the food has changed drastically. For instance, the basic borscht, pelmeni and blini do not taste authentic anymore - and I know exactly how they should taste. They are now even charging for the bread which, btw, is not your typical kleba. In all, if you are craving Russian food irrespective of quality (just to say you ate it), then go for it. But if you are craving ACTUAL Russian food, I would recommend you to go elsewuere.
Extremely welcoming environment coupled with outstanding Eastern European cuisine. the Georgian wines were excellent, and the house vodka flight was unique and delicious. but the real highlight was my server, he was incredible patient, kind and professional. this is my new favorite restaurant.