Russian Tea Time

Delicious. Loved the tea and food. Service is slow but would still come again

My friends and I went to the Monet Exhibit at the Art Institute and then enjoyed a late lunch at the Russian Tea Restaurant. I called them from the Institute to see if we could come earlier than our scheduled reservation and they said "fine". This is in the midst of the Pandemic....so when we arrived there were very few people dining. Social distancing and masks were in order. Our waiter was super. Our drinks, (especially the Russian Vodka) and our meals were perfect. I hope that this lovely restaurant can survive this Pandemic, they deserve to for sure! Please, if you are in that area stop in to enjoy the restaurant.

The restaurant was sparkling clean, comfortable. Russian food was delicious and service was excellent. I love the endless refills of Russian tea.

We enjoyed our dinner at Russian Tea Time. The food was good and plentiful. The service was very attentive. Loved the experience.

Everything about the restaurant was amazing from the food, staff, tea, and environment. I can't wait to come and try this again with my friends.

Great staff! They explained the foods. Great tasting food and tea!

The lighting for dinner is way too bright. It felt like eating at a diner. The food was also disappointing.

Great experience at our favorite restaurant in Chicago. So glad to have all of our favorite cruise items and beverages served in style again!

Enjoyed our afternoon tea service here! It was our first time here. We do afternoon tea often, whenever we travel. This was the only restaurant we could find in Chicago that is currently open for tea service during the pandemic era. The restaurant is clean, diners were spaced out about every other table at least. We were taken to a separate dining room in back where there were only two other diners in the whole room, so plenty of distance.

Servers were attentive. Food was very tasty, though the sandwiches were very small (basically just one-bite size instead of finger sandwiches), and the scones were a little smaller than we are used to. However, the price is very reasonable for their tea service, so can't complain too much. The background music wasn't the usual classical-type music that you would expect during afternoon tea. It sounded like Russian folk music, perhaps? Since it's a Russian restaurant that serves traditional Russian lunch and dinner food items, it's probably more in keeping with the tone for those meals. But I'm very glad that they offer their afternoon tea service in addition to their regular menu options, and it's a great location, right across the the street from the Art Institute and Millenium Park! Would definitely recommend this place.

The only high tea place I could find still operating - everything else seems to have been shut down due to COVID. Great location next to the art museum. Everything was delicious.

Fun fun fun

First time back since remodel/re-opening. Took family who had never eaten here before. The food and service were top notch, love the new look of the space. We enjoyed dumplings, stuffed cabbage, beef stroganoff and chicken Kiev. Lovely meal and highly recommend.

Outstanding Chicago gem. The food is really exceptional. The homemade vodka flights a delight. Were understaffed day of, but they made up for it with their hospitality. Glad they are open again.

It was very immersive, and the tea was exactly the flavor I expected. There was a lot of food for the money, and it was prepared in a beautiful way.

Love the honey cake and house tea.

Girls weekend

I am so glad they reopened after remodeling!! It looks so. Beautiful!! The food is always soo delicious and I LOVE their vodka flights!!

My mother and I had a lovely time here for dinner. I was really sad though because I wanted Pelmeni but they didn’t have those. It sort of ruined our evening. Our waitresses were very friendly. Thank you for still holding our reservation even when we were a little late. Your food reminded me of home. (Kazakhstan)

Just loved it as always and service was amazing!

The food was terrible - this place is not what it used to be.

Quality, authentic Eastern European specialties, beautifully presented

We have been here several times and always order our favorites. There was a new option on the menu for tasting platters for two. We ordered two for our table of six with an extra carrot salad and order of 6 pelmeni. The amount of food was generous and we got to try more things that we normally wouldn’t have. We are so glad that we did because we now have a few more favorite items that we now would order. The service is wonderful and atmosphere makes me feel like I am in a different world from the hustle and bustle of Chicago. Highly recommend Russian Tea Time!

We looked forward to our dinner at The Russian Tea Room but we’re very disappointed in the experience. The Host seemed overwhelmed with the crowd of diners. The service was slow. It seemed there were not enough waiters to service the customers and the few were harried. The food was tasteless, we ordered a salad, the potato stuffed dumplings and the latkes. Everything was void of taste. Would we return a second time? I don’t think so.

I took my mother for tea time and it was wonderful! We loved everything about our experience. We want to go back for a meal in the future.

This is my go-to restaurant for special occasions, when I have family or friends in town, or when I visit the Art Institute or Chicago Symphony. The dishes are from all parts of the former Soviet Union, and taste great. There is a good selection of vegetarian and meat meals. They make their own tea that is served in traditional Russian glasses, and they flavor their own vodka in many yummy, authentic tastes. (Their best seller is horseradish vodka--try it!) For dessert, try their honey cake. Very perfect service, too.

Wonderful service and excellent eastern European comfort food. There was a mixup with our Open Table reservation for 8. Our party came from all over the country. They went out of their way to pull tables together for us. Thank you Russian Tea Time!

Celebrating my friend getting into law school. This was a great place and we loved every second! Thank you!!

Their honey cake desert is something so unique and exquisite. Highly recommended.

Food was very good. Ambiance was nice. Service was awful! Sergil was terrible. Acted like he didn’t want to be there, no checking in, long wait in between courses, had to call others twice to get what we needed. I even told him I didn’t want to be rude but he was acting like he didn’t want to be there. Then he disappeared for a long long time with our credit cards and had to ask for them back. It was not very busy.

Atmosphere seemed a little tired. Menu has all the expected Russian foods. Borscht was good, but not as good as what I had in St. Petersburg.

Food tasted like it was from the frozen aisle at the grocery store.

Really enjoyed our tea that began w/ scones, then savories, & then sweets. Lovely intimate space that’s a respite from bustling
Chicago summer scene of festivals etc.

Loved our service and waiter

Not terrible but also just not very good. Many items were listed as sweet and sour, I was ready for pickling and some tang but everything was soooo sweet! Without collaborating my date said “this tastes like bland cafeteria food” and I had been thinking the same. The Beet soup was actually quite good because it had a better balance but overall not very distinct flavors and very mediocre. The bread was good but if that’s the thing you take away from a dinner how good was that dinner really? Wish I had better things to say I really wanted to love this place.

Our family has been been going to the Russian Tea Time for years, but I must say I'm always amazed at the level of excellence we experience our last visit. From the food to the service we were pleased beyond words, and I would recommend this establishment to anyone looking for a great dinning experience!
Dirk & Jan Swiderek

Starting with stale bread and finishing with inedible appetizers and main course, then adding painfully loud music, the overall experience was dismal. This is not what Russian food tastes like. Disappointing.

We dined here in May.
I have to admit that I was underwhelmed by the ambiance of Russian Tea Time.
The restaurant was very dated and overflowing with the Geriatric set. Picture the Golden Girls complete with mauve, green, and burgundy accents. We learned that they would be closing soon for renovations. I hope chose well.

The Russian Tea Time is apparently the go to restaurant before the opera or a play. What they lacked in ambiance, they made up for in food. We started out with bowls of Ukrainian Borscht and fried potato and chicken dumplings. The soup tasted very much like our Grandfather's and made me teary eyed. The dumplings were simple. I ordered the Classic Beef Stroganof and my husband ordered the Lamb Shank. Both of these were absolute Heaven. There are no words to describe how rich, creamy, and tasty these dishes were. It was amazing.

Do not skip dessert. Treat yourself. Seriously. Their Napoleon Bonaparte is the best.

Always a great meal. Flight of vodka lets you try several

We had an enjoyable lunch. There were three of us and we shared the Russian Platter. Every item was delicious and we loved all the different tastes...especially the stroganoff. Even though the platter was to be shared by two, we had plenty of food for the three of us. I would definitely go back.

Delicious food and excellent service. Definitely recommend the restaurant to friends and family.