Restaurant Mehanata — Restaurant in Maine Township

I honestly like this restaurant, and have been here several times over the years, so it pains me to leave 2 stars. The food we had was mostly very good, especially the signature Mehanata cake, and the outdoor patio is nice when you don't smell trash from the adjacent alley or have cars honking. The server was pleasant and accommodating too.

Why only two stars? Well, simply put, we felt ripped off by the bill. Specifically,

My guest ordered an Aperol Spritz from the "Happy Hour Menu" we were provided. Yes, it was slightly after 4:00 pm on a Wednesday. We were charged full price anyway. $11.99 for a very light drink.

The mixed Raziadki plate comes with a few pieces of pita. The server correctly noted that we were going to run out, and asked simply while he was en route to another table, "Can I bring you some more bread?" I thanked him for his attentiveness and indicated that more bread would be great. He did not ask me, "Can I bring you another order of bread," nor did he refer to this as a dish, nor in any other way indicate we would be charged. Note, there were only two filled tables in the entire restaurant at the time, so urgency is not a factor here. Can you imagine, then, my shock and dismay to find not one, but TWO, orders of plain Parlenka on my bill, for a total of $7.98???

If your menu separately lists "soft drinks," "pepsi," and additionally "coke bottle," do not assume your guest wants the overpriced, $3.50, 8 oz coke bottle when they order a beverage. The options should have been explained to me.

All in all, these "convenient mistakes" add up to a mischievous or deceptive practice that I do not appreciate. The bill was perfectly high for lunch without these sneaky insertions. Please be aware that the restaurant changed their policy and now includes a 3% "Convenience Fee" for credit card purchases - there is fine print at the bottom of the menu.

After "convenient mistakes," tip and tax, the total for two people was over $110. Trust me, with that kind of budget, there are a lot of restaurants open for lunch in Chicago, including other...

We came in with 4 people on a Thursday night. Super friendly staff and our pick of tables, although there were several filled with diners having aninated conversations. The heavy wood furniture and dark interior make you feel contained and cozy - there is a projector with low volume sports running on one wall. Our waiter was very helpful and had some funny (well practiced) waiter jokes. The menu is ten pages with photos and dish names in cyrillic, with English translations. I suggest ordering multiples plates and eating family style to get to try more of what they offer. A few tables nearby did this and we did as well, at first not wanting to commit to an unfamilar dish... but after the apps wanting to trt a bit of everything. We had a tomato and goat cheese dish (forgot to take a picture) that the waiter drizzled in olive oil and pepper - creamy and bright and very tasty. We had potato croquettes with dill yogurt and fritters with berry jam - excellent little apps to share. Then we ordered "chips" - hand sliced potato fried and topped with chopped garlic and herbs, next to the meat tray for 2 - coiled homemade sausages, pork, chicken kebabs... delightful. Very flavorful and moist meat and the bit of fries on the edge of the platter were quite good too. We all shared a slice of fig and marscapone cake and divvied up leftovers. Best part: VERY welcoming Chicago prices at about $40 per person with tip. Give this place a try. Park in the auto repair lot / liquor store lot next door, but don't park directly in front of the liquor store. Also there is a sign near the yellow awning that says certain spots in the strip mall lot are OK for...

I finally came here after having this place on my list for awhile. First things first, the parking situation. To the left of the restaurant, you’ll see a parking lot. Do not park in the first 3 rows because the liquor store is strict about it and will have your vehicle towed. The same goes for parking across the street in the empty parking lot. To be on the safe side, park in the 4th and 5th row after the liquor store parking spaces. The restaurant and the repair shop share the same spaces. You can try parking in that big parking lot in the plaza next door but I can’t guarantee anything.

You can eat inside or outside. We ordered beef tongue with tripe cooked in butter, garlic, and red pepper. We also had chicken roll up, tatar meatball, and the cake Mehanata. There is a 3% convenience fee which is only like $1.77. Prices are typical for this type of food because it’s not very common. Service was excellent and very friendly. Portions are huge so you’ll be taking home some leftovers.

-beef tongue with tripe 5 - I loved this dish. Beef tongue and tripe were soft and tender to eat. Good seasoning. -chicken roll up 4 - I like the concept of the chicken stuffed with ham, pickles, peppers, and cheese inside. However, parts of the chicken were kind of tough and dry. -tatar meatball 5 - I had something similar to this at another Balkan restaurant. Meatball is flavorful with cheese inside and very tender. -cake Mehanata 5 - this is a fig cake with mascarpone. Only slightly sweet due to the chocolate chips, other than that it has a...