Uyghur Lagman House — Restaurant in Palatine Township

My recent visit to Uyghur Lagman House with three adults and two kids left me with some pretty mixed feelings.

Let's start with the positives. They get points for having high chairs for the little ones, which is always a plus. The interior was tasteful and understated, not too flashy, which I appreciated. And most importantly, the food itself was genuinely delicious. Hats off to the kitchen!

Now, for where things fell short: the service. There was a noticeable imbalance between the number of staff and the customers. It felt like they were constantly swamped. Our waiter, bless his heart, struggled with English. The menu was printed in English, yet he didn't seem to understand the names of the dishes. If you don't speak Russian, be prepared for a lot of pointing and broken phrases – it felt a bit like communicating in the Stone Age. We even witnessed a young American guy at the next table and two waitresses spending over five minutes just trying to get his order straight due to the language barrier.

Beyond the language, there were other issues. Our waiter mixed up who ordered what, which was a minor annoyance. When we ordered tea, they completely forgot the cups. We had to wait a full ten minutes to flag down our waiter to remind him, and then another five minutes for him to actually bring them.

The final straw was the sneaky 15% "automated service fee" that appeared on our bill, which the waiter never mentioned. Our original 180 bill suddenly jumped to 260, including taxes and a 3% credit card fee. It really leaves a bad taste when you're surprised by hidden charges.

The Verdict Big props to the kitchen – the food was fantastic! But the front-of-house really lets the place down.

My Two Cents for the Owner: My advice - invest in your staff! Hire a specialist to train your team to an industry-standard level of service. You absolutely need at least two waiters who are fluent in restaurant terminology in English or Spanish and can confidently explain dish ingredients. I literally cringed when our waiter pronounced "mousse cake" as "mouse cake." It was truly an "ouch" moment.

Overall, great food, but the service needs a major overhaul to match the quality of...

This was my first time at Uighur Lagman House, and I was excited to try it out. I ordered the special lagman, which was absolutely delicious — the broth was flavorful, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. Definitely a highlight of the meal.

I also tried the mantu, but unfortunately, almost every piece was ripped, and the meat filling had a strange taste, so I didn’t really enjoy it. Service was also a bit frustrating. I specifically ordered the special lagman again, but our waitress brought out the homemade-style lagman instead. When I mentioned it wasn’t what I ordered, she insisted it was basically the same except for spinach, which wasn’t true to what I had asked for. Eventually, I had to ask her again to bring me the correct dish.

The cold starch salad was fine, but nothing memorable.

Another thing worth mentioning — their social media presence could use improvement. When the restaurant first opened, I found their Instagram page and left a simple question about their noodles. Instead of getting a reply, I was blocked. Not exactly the best way to treat potential customers.

Overall, I’d come back for the special lagman since it was excellent, but I hope they work on their consistency, customer service, and professionalism both...

I was really looking forward to this place opening, especially since it’s not easy to find good Uyghur food in Illinois. Unfortunately, my first experience didn’t quite live up to my expectations. We ordered the special lagman, which tasted just okay—nothing memorable. On the brighter side, the black fungus salad was delicious, super refreshing and flavorful. We also tried the cucumber salad, which was basically the same salad minus the fungus—so a bit repetitive. I was especially excited to try their Uyghur manti, but that ended up being the biggest letdown. What we got felt more like a very soft, overcooked version of Uzbek manti—it was falling apart, ripped from the bottom, and impossible to pick up and eat the traditional way. Honestly, I wish it had just been labeled what it was, rather than calling it Uyghur manti when it clearly wasn’t. Overall, I didn’t enjoy my visit. But I still have hope that the restaurant will grow, refine their dishes, and eventually serve the kind of authentic Uyghur food I’ve been craving. I’ll definitely be willing to give it another try...