Sorry Mommy Restaurant (Halal) — Restaurant in Elk Grove Township

I gotta give this place yet another 5 star review. There are so many here already, but I was a bit dubious of them because many reviewers only have 1 or 2 reviews to their name... but legitimately, this place is a gem.

I remember being in this building back when it was Pepe's, and the layout is mostly the same, but otherwise the decor has been completely updated. There are pretty lanterns everywhere, laser cut window treatments, live plants, and other nice touches. Even the ceiling has a pretty tile pattern.

We visited at about 5pm on Saturday night. I think two or three families were there, so plenty of room. We wanted a booth, and were offered our choice. I picked one near a window, which maybe was a mistake, because that side of the room is directly beneath the heaters. I like my heat, but it was too much even for me. Just FYI.

Our waiter, Kyle, was very helpful and happy to explain the menu to us - though I had already done my research in advance! I did ask why this place is called Sorry Mommy, and Kyle told me that the chef's mother also had/has a restaurant somewhere out there, so this one is the son's foray and, "Sorry, Mommy," his restaurant will be even better!

I came here having seen photos of the Guru Lagman and knew I wanted to try it. It did not disappoint. I am a sucker for hand-pulled noodles and the texture of these were perfect, with just the right heft and chew. The noodles are mixed with a bit of bell pepper and beef stew (though the dish is not "brothy"), and the flavor overall was very cozy and aromatic. It also has a little bit of a kick, though it's nothing too overwhelming. They give you some more chili puree on the side to turn up the heat even more if you want. Be forewarned, though, that the optional chili puree is some serious stuff, and I say that as someone who likes spicy food.

The menu also offers Boso Lagman, which is similar to my Guru Lagman, other than my noodles were steamed and the Boso Lagman noodles are fried. Another FYI.

My husband has been on a dumpling kick lately, and so he ordered the Manty. The Manty dumplings look kind of like giant soup dumplings, if you've had those before. The inside of the soft dumpling dough is filled with juicy, oniony beef - sort of reminiscent of my mom's meatballs. The dish was rather simple, but it also hit a pleasantly cozy note. I really liked them, and my husband was over the moon.

The one downside is that the menu is pretty expensive. The portions are filling, and the ingredients all seem very high quality, but it will be hard to return as often as I otherwise would/could if the prices were a bit lower. I understand the business may not be able to weather lower prices, but my wallet can only weather so much as well! The lagmans are just shy of $18 each, while a lot of other noodle dishes in the area compare very favorably in both flavor and price (e.g., pho, high end ramen). Then again, if you go to a fancy Italian restaurant, you may pay $25 for a basic plate of noodles, so I guess it depends where you usually frequent.

All told, I hope more people will discover this place and make Sorry Mommy a regular part of their rotation. They certainly deserve the business and, even with the one downside I mentioned, I'll surely be back to try more of the enticing menu. It's exciting to have access to more great, new flavors...

We visited Sorry Mommy to celebrate a graduation and had a mixed, though overall pleasant, experience.

Our group of four ordered a variety of dishes to share: two types of lagman (fried and guiru), one chicken samsa, mantu, vareniki, “The Nest” salad, house bread, and compote. For dessert, we tried both the San Sebastian cheesecake and the honeycake.

The highlight for me was definitely The Nest salad – fresh, flavorful, and well-balanced. The fried lagman was decent, and while I appreciated the texture of the noodles in the guiru lagman, the sauce didn’t quite win me over.

The mantu was the most disappointing dish of the night. It wasn’t freshly steamed and seemed reheated; the filling was only lukewarm, and I missed the juicy, steaming-hot quality that really makes mantu special.

Desserts, on the other hand, were lovely – both the cheesecake and honeycake were well-made and a satisfying end to the meal.

Our waitress was kind, attentive, and made us feel comfortable throughout the evening. However, our experience started off on the wrong foot, as the initial hostess didn’t offer a warm welcome when we arrived.

All in all, Sorry Mommy has potential, and I would return to try other dishes – hopefully with a more consistent level of freshness and...

Sorry Mommy is a fantastic culinary journey to Central Asian Cuisine. They serve all certified Zabiha halal meats. Bursts of fresh and wholesome inviting flavors in every dish they make! Above and beyond our expectations. Malina took our carryout order and even offered us water while we waited for our carryout.

We started with the Samsy (handmade beef & chicken meat pockets) that were flaky, filled generously and a decent size.

The La Zi Ji was a nicely cooked chicken dish with dried Sichuan red peppers that were a little sweet and not at all hot. We loved the chewiness of the Sichuan pepper pieces that accented the flavor of this unique dish. This was one of those dishes you experience once in a lifetime and never forget it!

I had a side order of in house hand pulled noodles which were light and complimented the chicken entree. We also ordered the lamb/beef Lulya kabab that was moist, flavorful and pretty decent size.

Accompaniments of red sauce and thinly sliced purple, white onions went perfect with everything.

This meal was so delicious and enjoyable. We can’t wait to go back and try their soups, bread and other original dishes. Exceptional service, beautifully decorated dining rooms, plenty of outside covered dining and...