Samarkand Cafe

131 W Dundee Rd, Buffalo Grove
(224) 777-7776

Recent Reviews

Sort by
Mahabat Ataeva

Shashlyk meat was smelled so bed. We asked them to recook us new fresh meat,but they didn’t make it. The restaurant owners insulted us and kicked us out of the restaurant

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

T D

How come restaurant can run out of sour cream on Friday 8 PM? Some foods like pelmeni must be served with sour cream .

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Sina Majidi

My experience at Samarkand Cafe was underwhelming in terms of both food and service, but what really raised concerns for me was what I noticed afterward.

I took the time to read through their reviews carefully and looked for authenticity—things like detailed experiences, balance, and natural wording. What stood out was a large number of overly generic 5-star reviews that sounded scripted and repetitive, offering little real detail. At the same time, I noticed harsh, targeted criticism toward other restaurants that didn’t feel like genuine customer feedback.

As someone who values transparency, these patterns made the praise feel unreliable and the overall reputation questionable. A good restaurant doesn’t need manufactured hype—it earns trust through consistent quality and honest customer experiences.

Unfortunately, between the mediocre visit and the concerning review behavior, this place did not leave a good impression. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for an authentic and trustworthy dining experience.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 1

Orzu Akbarov

Best plov out here and great service and great food and great people

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Dimitry Blavav

Great restaurant, great food way better then others, also very cheap and waiter very nice. Definitely recommend

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Nuraika Usa

The food is good, especially kuurdak. But You should have connected the delivery

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

RealNomad

Unfortunately, the interior feels very outdated, like something straight out of the 1990s, and the design is quite harsh on the eyes. On top of that, there were only two waiters serving the entire dining area, which led to very long waiting times before anyone came to our table.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 2

Patricia Gerges

The lamb kebab is insane!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Tanya Sukhostavska

Great Kitchen.
Friendly and clean !

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Denis Bond

Great service and Food is Amazing

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Chrono

Samarkand Café is a charming, lantern-lit slice of Central Asia that easily earns a very strong four stars. The plov is deeply satisfying—fragrant rice, meltingly tender lamb, and those sweet raisins that make every forkful addictive—while the grilled kebabs deliver proper charcoal punch and the hand-pulled laghman noodles have exactly the right springy bite. Manti are plump and comforting, the tea ritual is lovely, and the warmly hospitable service makes you feel like a welcomed guest rather than a customer. It’s only held back from a full five by occasional inconsistency (one visit the meat was perfection, another slightly dry) and a dessert selection that feels a touch limited. Still, for authentic Uzbek soul food in an atmosphere that glows with genuine Central Asian spirit, Samarkand remains an absolute delight well worth repeat visits.

Oleksandr Mihulin

Was everything perfect, food was awesome, thank you 👍

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Aleksandar Ilic

Horrible, don’t come here.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Lyriel Bradley

Despite the fact that I typed my to go order clearly, the staff did not follow my instructions-- a wrong item and wrong ingredients on the other... and when I called to inquire they promptly hung up on me.

Very disappointed at incompetent service. Waste of money. No plans to try it again.

Irina Cebotarean

Delicious food and great service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Loading...