Arkadash Cafe
5721 N Clark St
(between Edgewater Ave & Hollywood Ave)
Chicago, IL 60660 (773) 506-2233
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol: None
17 Reviews for Arkadash Cafe
was empty and the waiteres ignored use but the food was good I must say but it did not justify the $12.00 dollars for soda and not from a can but from a fuckin fountain!!!!!!! That left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I will never come back to this place and if you do decide to go bring your own pop or drink water, oh wait they might charge you for that too!!!!!!
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I went to Arkadash a couple times before with my cousins and its a pretty cool place to hang out at for a middle eastern joint. We didnt't have a problem with our coconut hookah (the best!) and our waitress was really nice. We ordered to start the hummus and pita bread and man was it good. Then we had entrees of shish kabob and chicken and it was deliecious. The food was warm and succulent just like it should be and the salad was really good. The music is kick ass and everyone jumps in on the dance floor which could be bigger. We got to sit in the back where there are pillows and rugs and just chill as well. Prices aren't too bad for a joint like this.
I could go back and forth between the number of stars Arkadash deserves. We average out to 3.625, but i'll round up:
Service: 1.5 Stars.
Us: Are you a BYOB restaurant (which we assumed due to the postings on Yelp (i have since notified the site) and Metromix)?
Lady: A BYO-huh? (only with ze accent)
Us: Um--we brought wine. Can we drink it here?
Lady: Yes we have wine.
Us: Um--but can we drink a bottle of wine that we brought?
Her: Yes, in 35, 45 and 55 dollars.
Me (in a whisper to my companion) i don't think she heard us. there is a large wall of liquor. let's just order something.
Us: Do you have Turkish beer?
Her: Yes. Light and Dark.
Us: Do you have a recommendation?
Her: If you like ze light, it is better. If you like ze dark, it is ze best too.
Entertainment-5 stars!:
We were there a few minutes before we realized that the music was live. The music is played (and sung) by a charming fellow by the name of Yagmur. We knew his name because it was emblazoned on the wall above him, as well as the platform from which he performed some of the most beautiful (albeit only) turkish synthesizer serenades i have ever had the pleasure to experience. He was sitting in a chair, but he managed an impressive amount of swaying and hip-thrusting. I also felt as though he was making love to me with his eyes. There was also a sexy little belly dancer who, due to her lack of belly, may not have been the best belly dancer i've every seen, but she was mos def the hottest.
Food: 5 stars!
I would eat middle-eastern food every day if i could. Everything was fantastic. The falafel was crispy and garlicky on the outside and mushy and steamy on the inside. My lamb kabob had tiny pieces of lamb and giant peices of pepper and onion layered between, grilled to perfection. I dared myself to eat the hot pepper garnish, and was quite close to death, so i don't recommend that part of the meal, but for that I will not blame the restaurant.
Ambience: 3 stars.
As each member of our party of 7 arrived, they asked the same two questions: 1) where is everyone? and 2) why do i feel like i'm at a turkish wedding? We got there about 9:30 and left about 11:30, and there were no more than 5 full tables during that time. Such a shame. I wish Yagmur, the Belly-less dancer and the steamy falafels could have had more people to appreciate them.
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This is my second time at Arkadash Cafe and I have to say I am less than pleased. For starters they bring you water bottles when you sit down instead of glasses of water and then charge you $2 for them. Furthermore, the drinks are $9 a piece.
The service is HORRIBLE, I am a server and I actually considered not tipping the snotty blond waitress, especially after the shady thing with the waters. Unfortunately, this was not an option since a 15% gratuity was added to our bill despite ONLY having 3 people at our table. This was sooo shady and possibly illegal. My friend paid with a credit card and the server actually wrote his tip in before giving the slip back to him.
The food was okay but seriously...not worth it. Go someplace that is not shady.
We ended up at this place by default. We were going to go to some Cuban/Colombian steak house a few doors down, but guess what they're closed...for good! So since we were already in the hood we decided to check out this place. Now the place was dark (I didn't get the whole blacklit thing going on...but that's not the point); the live entertainment was loud, the people lively...just what i love. Not to mention the food was delicious & affordable. Our waitress was very attentive and answered all our questions. I will definitely go back.
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I went on a weekend with a couple of friends after we couldn't find a parking spot by the other places we wanted to go...I was thinking this place would be packed, because they have belly dance show AND live music, I was thinking if nothing else, at least it would be packed with Turks, but nope...there were about 6 or 7 tables, but regardless people were really attentive, at one point everybody was on the dance floor, it was cool. My friend and I ordered a vanilla hookah, and it wasn't all that great, and it came way later that it should have. We actually stayed there for a while, and when we asked for the check, we were told each of us had to spend at least 15 bucks....this is so ridicilous, and in any case, we should have been told when we sat down, not when we're leaving?!?! They need to have better and more experienced waiters, sorry!
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Ok...unlike the other reviewers I did not go on a weekend, so it was very quiet. Located on Clark St. almost where it meets Ashland, its a big place.Had a beautiful pillow-laden table near the front windows. The bread was delicious warm semolina that we had with a very good hummous. The calamari was surprisingly light and non greasy and delicate.
We had the lamb chops which were good. We felt like we were laying in our harem bed and our servents kept bringing us food and refilling our drinks. It was a great meal. I will go back on the weekend sometime to check out the wild side of Arkadash with bellydancers and hookahs and all.
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If you are looking to have a great time with a great crowd this is definitely the place. The food is good, not amazing but good ( the rice is really good). We usually have a late dinner and enjoy the belly dancing show and the "middle east" club dance scene until closing. The music and dancer Angelina is by far what makes this place fun. A fun international crowd where everyone is dancing to upbeat middle eastern music and you can just let go and not worry what others think about you (unlike a lot of yuppy scenes). My only complaint is that the server added our tip to the bill, I thinks that's rude. Check this place out on a weekend night it is a blast
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I haven't tried the food here, but it was fun grabbing a cocktail or two later in the evening. It's a nice change of pace from the usual bar scene. The middle eastern music and belly dancer make you want to get out there and show your stuff!
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This place is good for a sit down higher end turkish dinner. I recommend the nights/weekends with loud music and belly dancers. Effes is a awesome turkish beer recommend trying from here. Hookah is on the expensive end at $20. If its not taken relax and take your shoes off to the window pillow seating. Food is good.
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Knowing that this place didn't heat up until late, I thought a 9 p.m. dinner reservation would be right on -- but I was dead wrong. Walking into Arkadash at 9, our 6-person group was the first in the darkly-lit establishment and continued to be alone for much of an hour. We were not ignored, however, as our waitress was very attentive, flexible with our indecision and helpful concerning selection.
With a reasonably priced menu (appetizers between $5 and $10 and entrees between $10-$15), our meal would have been inexpensive if not for the several bottles of Turkish wine, Turkish beer, other bar fare and the Apple Hookah -- the price of which was purported to be $15, but was never written down. As it was, we spent more than I anticipated upon first glance at the menu.
Which is not to say we didn't get out money's worth -- the cultural experience of this authentic establishment was spot on. I believe we were the only non-Middle Eastern patrons, who ranged in age from 6 or so (we know because the entire patronage sang happy birthday to her at midnight) to 86. The singer/keyboardist was simply amazing, ringing out songs so flawlessly that it was hard to believe he was standing right behind me. And though the food was good, -- the spicy lamb was favorite at our table -- it wasn't the real highlight of the evening; Natalia the belly dancer was. Sultry and svelte, with her fluid movement and flashing eyes, she set the tone for the evening's danceing. Although she was only on the floor for a short time (disappointing to those looking for a show) when she left, dozens of women wearing the nightclub standard dress off spiky heels and skimpy blouses, crowded the floor, undulating to the exotic music -- it made me wonder if that's how harems might look. Later, as the music picked up its pace, a gaggle of guys joined the ladies, only performed a much more structured dance, stomping around the dance floor. (after watching this, it makes sense how Middle Eastern dance halls collapse during wedding receptions)
When we left at 1 a.m. (there still remained 2 hours of song and dance) we reeked of smoke (perhaps not an issue after Jan. 1) and sweaty from our share of dancing -- the floor is open to anyone -- but no worse for the wear. It was an evening like nothing I've seen before but something I'm sure I'll be talking about for a long time to come.
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Turkish Food,Belly dancers and Hookah's....
Yagmur and Safwan are great. I would strongly recommend reservations. That is if you are going to this place on a weekend.The best time to go is after 10pm.On the weekend this resturant turns into a Turkish Club with Live Music.Open until 3am.I would suggest it to anyone who wants to have a memorable night out with some Turkish and Arabic music.The Vegetarian plater is great or any of the lamb dish's are yummy..If you have a large group then this is a fun interactive
place to go ...just don't eat to much hummus leave some room in your tummy for the Dancing...enjoy
servers only, mainly Russian
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Re: the other review. Yeah, this place is a bit weird, but Arkadash ROCKS on weekends.
Watch out for my man YAMUR on keyboards. For a real Turkish (read: wild!) night out, head to Arkadash, and don't spare the Raki (nat'l drink of Turkey, sort of an anise liqueur and POTENT!) V. international crowd, and a unique night out.
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We came here with a group of about 15 people, and they were pretty quick with getting our orders out. The only weird thing was they were going to try to charge us to stay for the bellydance show (we did catch part of it, and it was great). They have hookah by the windows, which is great for a middle eastern restaurant. The falafels were great, and the salmon was surprisingly delicious for a middle eastern restaurant.
It's just a quick walk from the Bryn Maur L stop, and the neighborhood is nice.
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It's weird here and the foods not great. They added our tip for us. The only good part was the belly dancing.
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I went to dinner here with a friend and really did not have a good time. We were there around 8pm for dinner on a Thursday evening, so maybe the experience would have been better on a weekend, but still... The wait staff seemed very unfriendly and it took ages for them to come and take our order. Normally, it wouldn't bother me much, but we were the only 2 people eating in the whole restaurant! I probably should have taken that as a sign when walking in. Once we got the food, it was fairly tasteless and quite oily. I wasn't impressed.
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Great food, entertainment and atmosphere! Bring Khazna back!
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