Iyanze Bar And Cafe

The service at this restaurant was really good. The place is really clean and I can imagine when they are having a live event it would be fun. The food was delicious. The portions are pretty large. I got the okro soup and fu fu. It was made perfect and delicious. I also had to try the Egusi which was also good. I couldn’t leave without trying the Jollof. I had it with chicken and fish. To top it all off their drinks are really good as well. Thank you and I will return again,

I usually only stick to one place for egusi & fufu cause multiple times I ordered from different places it was trouble but today I didn’t feel like driving all the way south from north & I usually just ride pass this place but today I’m like let me just try it out and what can I say the food was phenomenal for the price & the portions for me as well. And I only spent 15 all together & that price included the tip I enjoyed it so much I had to personally call the restaurant myself & tell them what I thought 😁I surely will be trying again soon! It was such a honor to experience west African food.

I bought Ofada rice from Iyanze tonight and it was spoiled. When I got home, the rice was gooey/drawing and had a foul smell, so I couldn’t eat it. This is a serious food safety issue and could have caused food poisoning. I tried calling and got no response. I paid $12 and I’m requesting a refund ASAP.

First time trying west African food and was such a great experience. Staff was super friendly and food was amazing. Would recommend!

If you want good African food, I suggest you go to one of the other African food restaurants on broadway/wilson. The meat is so tough at this restaurant you will NOT be able to chew it. You will have to Throw it away. When I called and told them about the issue, the lady I talked to was so apologetic and offered to replace my meal. The next day I went back they acted like I never had a conversation with the lady, they called her on the phone eventuallyand Instead of her replacing the order like she said she would… she offered a discount. they acted like I was begging them for the food for free when I feel like they should’ve paid me for the jaw pain I had after trying to chew through that tough meat. They were so nasty. The food is old. And the rice is either undercooked or instant rice. Do yourself a favor and just go somewhere else.

I really enjoyed all of the food. Tried a few new dishes to me and all quite delicious. People complain about small portions but I think for the price the portions are okay. Probably could’ve been a little bit more meat for the $5 portion but I think they almost give enough. I have a pretty mediocre spice tolerance, and I thought everything had a nice solid spice level. Everything was seasoned well. Jollof rice was smoky and tasty and a large portion. Also fufu was a large portion.

The place is dark and dingy! Needs a serious ambience makeover. Food prices are sky high, almost $25 for just one small serving of soup, no swallow. I'd like to see a Nigerian restaurant be more globally competitive, especially in terms of aesthetics and service.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely amazing experience. This Nigerian restaurant truly feels like home. The food was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned, just the way it should be. The jollof rice had that rich smoky taste, the suya was tender and spicy, and the egusi soup tasted exactly like something mama would cook on a Sunday. Mr. Dapo attended to me, he was so warm and welcoming, and the service was fast and professional. The atmosphere was vibrant, clean, and full of good energy. You can tell they put love into every dish. If you want real Nigerian food that hits the soul, this is the spot. Highly recommend, I will definitely be coming back again and again. 🇳🇬❤️

A friend took me here while visiting Chicago. The server was kind. I like that the food is set up like a buffet so you can see the food & choose what you want right than & there. Unless its a rare speciality dish, you don't have to sit around & wait which is great! Its also a very big restaurant so you can sit comfortably & eat. Just think the prices were kinda high for the food. $5 for one meat pie is too much.

Amazing food, I love this place. I order every other weekend. I tried this place with my friends and family and we enjoy it he egusi and goat.

I love the meat pie! It reminds me of home. I've loved everything I've tried. I wish there were more locations in Chicago. This is my favorite restaurant!

Made a previous review of the bronzeville location that reviewed 5 stars. Went back couple wks ago, looks like they have reverted back to poor customer service like their original location on the north side. Will not be going back.

For nearly $20, the 3 pieces of stewed chicken in tomato sauce and Jollof rice was unremarkable. Offering this meal as combo with another side and a drink would seem more reasonable. Worse was the customer service. The young lady (with the blue contacts) who took my order was quite unpleasant and unhelpful to me as I asked about the food offerings. She didn't greet me or indicate that I was at the wrong end of the line. (She just let me stand there until she was finally ready to take my order.) She seemed annoyed by my questions about the food. Yet, when an older gentleman appeared at the door, she was all smiles. What's that about???? Fewer people are paying to dine out these days. Our budgets are stretched, so it would be nice to know that the money we do cough up is well-spent. I don't b returning.

Finally made it to Iyanze for Nigerian food! Haven't tried Nigerian food before? Go. If you're a fan of flavor and spice, go! Everything is good, but we especially loved the pounded yam --super fluffy --with all the stews and soups as well as the asun (spicy goat). Jollof rice, meat pies, and the plantains are musts-- but that's basically all the items we ordered. Everything was good and filling! The wait was kind of long-- but that's because we caught the establishment fulfilling walk in orders as well as catered orders. The staff was very hospitable and generous, even offering complimentary dishes for our party to try! Ordered: Meat Pies, Fried Plantains, Puff Puff, Jollof Rice, Beef Stew, Egusi Soup w/ Pounded Yam, Asun (Spicy Goat Meat), Pepper Soup

Uber Eats order was missing 3 of 6 items... including SWALLOW. How? How do you forget to pack FuFu?

They literally make up their prices, to whatever they feel like charging you, no lie. I asked about the special advertised on the wall, she says "that's only for when there's parties upstairs" WHAT KIND OF SENSE DOES THAT MAKE??? The staff is very unprofessional and nonchalant. I hope this place gets shut down!

The Food is good and the Service needs improvement--not too customer friendly -- I came all the way from another side of town to go to this restaurant and the people serving the food wouldn't explain what the options were

Fantastic..... I had driven past this restaurant over a number of years, but had never made time to stop in. Tonight I was rewarded for taking the time to make the time. The jaffa rice was par excellence. The vegetarian sauce was heavenly. The service was on point. And the price was just right.... Five stars and a fist bump....

I would leave more stars but everytime I order from here something seems to be forgotten. If I could get all of the food I ordered then this place would be amazing. Good food for a good price but if you're ordering from Uber just know they will charge you for something but not send it

Spacious clean and variety of cuisine, taste is unique and fantastic will make you want to go back for more

This place has fantastic food. Very tasty and really generous portions. Highly recommend checking ot out.

This is a neighborhood staple in the uptown neighborhood with a good sized west African immigrant population. I recently stopped here for lunch one day for some jollof rice. The set up is cafeteria style. You walk up to the counter order your food pay, and pick up your food. Despite there being a few customers and several employees and no line it took a few minutes to get anyone's attention. While waiting I saw one of the employees serve herself some food and sat down to eat while never asking if I needed to be served as I stood at the counter. I ordered jollof rice and goat meat with a side of plantains. They give very large portions and you can spend $13-20 for lunch. The food was good and tasty. Presentation and cleanliness could be improved on. I saw a partially eaten donut lying around the serving area. They don't serve donuts, so not a good look. If you need a fix of Nigerian food and you're in the area then check them out. Don't expect service with a smile but the food is tasty.

The servers have a nasty attitude and demeanor but have the audacity to hustle you for tips at the counter. Depending on how you are dressed, they can overcharge you. Food is overpriced for the mid-level quality and prices are never steady. The cost of going over there outweighs the benefit. Spend your money elsewhere.

Ok I need to change my review only because I found one in Bronzeville (same restaurant) and its 10x cleaner, quicker, and the food taste better. They just dont have puff puff all the time lol but yeah go to Bronzeville instead of this location

Let's talk about trash. Not only was my order missing everything but the one Jollof I did order actually receive was burnt and scorched. I ordered through grub hub. Now granted they did call and say that they were out of items, however, they were supposed to replace them with other things instead of completely removing it. So in my opinion poor customer service. Definitely ruined my experience. If y'all were closing or out of stuff just cancel instead of steal money and send inedible food.

The food was good not my favorite. I would say the portions were smaller than expected. And it was in containers inside a plastic bag so oil/juice was everywhere.

I only gave this restaurant a 2nd try because it's Black owned but NEVER again. I wish you all could smell the stock fish in this photo. I had to immediately take it to the trash chute. It smells extremely rotten! Also, for $10! This is what I get for a $10 fish! The last time I ordered goat and I only received 1 piece of goat. I called and asked the lady if 1 piece was worth $5 and she actually said yes.... But I gave it another chance because their jollof rice and Ayamashe soup (always delivered without an egg) tastes good. But bad decision on my end. I can't believe they served me rotten fish!

Well the restaurant is ok. I was trying to see if I can aquire to eat Nigerian or west African food but I still don't have an appeal to eat it. Portions are big surprisingly. I ordered the jolluf rice with goat and extra plantains which was ok. There is a Spicer aftertaste that I actually don't like in their rice. I'm thinking it was an acquire to taste but I just can't acquire The taste of liking it. I did like the goat that it came with as well as the extra fried plantains I ordered. I also ordered fufu but I just can't get the texture like last time I ordered. I learned Nigeria is very diverse and they don't consider their food is just one style like any country. A fellow Nigeria I know who is Yoruba tribe wanted me to try his suit or at least one of his dishes and I ordered the ewudu soup and ate it with fufu but the food when the soup just doesn't appeal to me. I think it's the Igbo try who eat the fufu not the Yorba but it's a mismatch on what grains they eat. Also very expensive despite ordering. Other reason for three stars is also because of the way service was conducted you have to wait in line. I do recommend trying it as a bucket list and hopefully whoever likes it will give it more stars but I just can't eat West African cuisine such as Nigerian or Ghanian which I think is pretty similar. It is far different from Eastern African cuisines such as Ethiopian cuisine which I actually like. Sorry trying again to see if I could like it

First time eating Nigerian food and it was a great experience. I ate there with my family. We got pounded yam, egusi soup with beef, jollof rice with goat meat, and moi moi. The jollof rice and egusi soup tasted heavenly, so tender and the spices were perfect. Also, the negative reviews saying "it's dirty" and "the service was mean" are far from the truth. The woman that served us our food was very polite. Also, another lady came up to use when we finished and asked how we liked the food. The place is really clean and there is even paper towels at each table just incase you get messy. There is also a hand washing station by the bathrooms. A 10/10 experience and I will definitely go again.

I've been meat free for 4 months so last week I took a cheat day from my meat free diet & went all out! Iyanze made my cheat day so fxxxxxx wonderful. Absolutely love this place ! I got Ofada rice with ayamashe(Spicy mixed meat) dodo and fried chicken. Everyone must try this dish before they leave this LIFE o ! My friend got a rice combo and meat pie w fried chicken seriously demolished her plate lol. I cannot stay away from this place too long. Just great food, staff and atmosphere in my opinion. My only fake complaint is the prices However, AUTHENTIC MEAT isn't cheap so I completely understand. Will be breaking my meat fast again at another restaurant and surly will write a my second review.

ells over the food, you can literally see the droplets fall on the counter next to the food, we had to ask him to put his mask on many times. The wait is ridiculous. Zero social distancing, you can feel customers breathing on your neck. My jollof rice tasted stale and spoiled. When I asked for an exchange he yelled at me and said there was nothing wrong with his food. He wanted me to pay extra to replace the food. He yelled at me in front of all the customers and said he'll give everyone the rice to taste instead of simply exchanging my meal. Food is mediocre, and stale like it was cooked the night before and microwaved. The whole restaurant smells like a backed up sewer. The bathroom is filthy. I will be reporting this establishment to the health department. I would give this place -5 stars if I could.

I ordered food worth $367.47 My moi moi not delivered. 3 whole Tilapia ordered not served instead they gave a few pieces.Also served a few pieces of snail instead of what I ordered. The egusi was less than a serving spoon per order I called to discuss 2x they hung up on me. I would say very poor customer service and food not tasty at all. Not recommended

This is the worst African restaurant to order food from and it's solely because of the service. I placed three delivery orders via Uber Eats within 2 week, one after the other because each time they kept getting my entire order wrong. The first time I ordered Jollof rice, stewed chicken, two goat meat and plantain, and got fried rice only. The second time I ordered jollof rice, two goat meat, stewed chicken, meat pie and plantain and got fried rice with moi moi only. Prior to receiving the first order, I called the restaurant and asked them to please make sure that my order is exactly as I placed. I asked the lady who answered the phone to please make sure. She hung up on me. I called back again and asked the same question, she became angry and shouted out my exact order. I begged her to please be sure that's what sent out for delivery and explained to her how my previous two orders were completely wrong and that was the reason for me call. She assured me (although angrily) that it would be correct this time. When I received the third and final order (because I will never buy from this place again) which was a repeat order of the second order.... I got fried rice and moi moi ONLY! When I called and explained my frustration, I spoke to the same lady and she said my order was correct because she packed it herself. I could also hear workers in the background laughing and she began to cackle. It came off as if she'd completely messed up my order on purpose. I disputed each order and sent evidence to Uber Eats and received a FULL refund for all 3 orders but this restaurant has the absolute worst service. I would never recommend this place to anyone based on their horrible service. They never bother to call you ahead of time to let you know whether something you ordered is available or not. They just substitute anything and give you what they feel like. The food is decent (it's the only African restaurant near me) but there are much better places within the city.

Best Day to Experience West African Food and Culture is October 1st! Nigerian Independence Day. What a passionate vocal performance. If Oct 1, falls on a weekday, celebration is the weekend before. When in doubt, CALL! Good to experience West African food once in your life. I leave the appreciating & discriminating palette to Andrew Zimmern. Guestimating, dishes are usually made with tomato, onions and chili *without* any garlic or ginger to drown the way-of-life of an ingredient. 2 visits in 10 years: (1) FUFU was alright that didn't hit the spot, (2) Huge SNAIL STEW was too hard, and earthy for my taste. JOLLOF RICE has somebody's liver in it. CONCLUSION: I have serious issues with after-taste. :-(

Food is good. Customer service sucks!!! The women in there hate to see American women come in there to order food. Some of them will just stare at you and not take order smh. I've been choking to this restaurant for over 10 yrs and it doesn't matter how many different staff members they done hired they are all rude to American women and turns their nose up at us!! I've experienced this on multiple occasions and so have family members and friends I know who have came to spend money in this restaurant! If it wasn't for the other location having a really bad smell inside the place I would never come here again

This is hands down the worst Nigerian restaurant I have been in Chicago. I don't like the idea of picking up food in a tray. Sorta reminds me of being in the boarding house back home in Nigerian. The food is also below par. The only thing I may stop in for is their scotch egg but nothing else is worth it for me.

I placed my online order 4:07pm, I arrived around 4:30pm I ended up not getting my food until 4:50pm. The employees are rude and condescending and the service is extremely slow. I would give this place 0 stars if I could. They also overcharge.

I used to order Nigerian meat pie when they first opened. The owner made them herself and it tasted so good, and the crust was to die for. So recently I ordered 2 dozens to freeze and take for work. The meat is now 1/4 what it used to be, no meat inside, and tastes like trash. Please, if this people are tired of doing business, just shut the place down. I will never go there again and will never recommend.

Nigerian fare to order at counter. Sit down or carry out. One of the best "fast food" options in the neighborhood. Vegetarian and meat options. All the foundational food is tasty--beans, yams, spinach. (which we had today) delicious with the sauce. Spicy but not make you cry spicy. Had tried it at a Taste of Uptown and loved it. Still do.

Cashiers attitudes are always nasty...they don't want to help the customers. Their food is pricey and give you very little. The owners need to send the ladies at the front counter to school to be friendly to the customers. Very bad attitudes

The portion of the meat is poor. This restaurant has a nasty stinky smell so order out. I ordered goat with Jollof rice. The rice is good but the goat meat was horrible and had a foul smell like it was rotten!!! This place needs inspection to make sure the sanitary methods are being adhered to or atleast the meat quality meats it's standards. I love goat meat and never have I ever eaten it with such a foul smell!!!! This is unacceptable

This is the best spot. you HAVE to try this spot. I wish I took a picture of my food before I breathed it in. The staff here are also GREAT. THANK YOU!!!

The food is good. I'm a pescatarian so I got the "$10 holla". My meal came with fried fish( which is fried and then stewed), half jollof and half mashed beans (which were mashed black eyed peas). This was my first time eating in the space. Previously we've ordered pick up. But I really never have an issue with this place. It's never packed in here but it seems like a lot of the reviews have an issue with the service. Like a few really food places in Chicago, while it might suck, sometimes ordering pick up/delivery is the best way to enjoy your meal. Definitely worth the try.

Do Not come here!! They overcharge their customers. They are rude also. They just make up prices. Every time I come here I order the same thing and the price is always different. I will never be back here. I try to support black businesses. There are plenty of other good nigerian restaurants in the Uptown neighborhood. The prices are insane for the amount and quality of the food. I never write reviews about anything but they charged me $70 for a few small pieces of fish. Then have the nerve to think they are going to get a tip. I told the lady cashier this is so expensive. She just looked at me and walked off and didn't give me a receipt.

This was my second time visiting this restaurant. Both visits, I stood in line for 20 mins before I could order my food. There was only one girl working the front. The gentleman who was ahead of me ordering took forever...asking a bunch of questions while placing a huge order. No one came out to assist the young lady while there was a line. No one there knows how to multi task! I ordered the yam porridge, plantains & chicken. It was just ok. Chicken was cold. The meal wasn't worth the paid parking, standing in line for 20 mins or the price point.

They seemed like they couldn't have care less about fulfilling a to go order when I got here and waited 15-20 mins. Left a negative feeling after leaving.

I really enjoyed the food (well most of it). I had fish soup and chicken soup with fufu and Obe egusi. I didn't care for the chicken, the texture was to tuff. However my Nigerian friend insured me that's​ how it should be. I decided to try out this restaurant because I saw pictures of the scenery, I thought it was lovely. However the place seemed as if it was being remodeled or something and there were dirty dishes left on several tables and a ladder by the door. I would order for take out. P.s Im still looking for a good Nigerian restaurant.

I really had high hopes for Lyanze, but it really didn't exceed my Bolat experience at the Taste of Chicago. I ordered the goat stew and jerk chicken with coconut rice. While Amish A ordered catfish stew. The goat was extremely flavorful, but the meat was too tough. And of course, the coconut rice was plain awesome. The jerk chicken was way too salty, and I think I would have preferred almost any Jamaican jerk in Chicago over this. Catfish was way too bony to be enjoyed. When you're sifting through what feels like more bone than meat in your mouth, every single bite, it can get annoying. Also, the stew that the fish was simmered in was tasty, but it didn't really percolate through the fish. The owner of the place was welcoming and let us sample a few items. The space is appealing. I know it's hard to live up to the standards left by your older sister, but I guess I'll give it another try, maybe for the lunch special.

Terrible food, let's be honest. The plantains were dry, the chicken I got was all fat and bones, zero meat (and judging by my peers, we were all in the same boat), and even the sauces were spicy (good) but tasteless (not so good). I RECOMMEND: the fufu. They didn't mess that up but I don't know what sauce you'll have with it EXTRA TIPS: lots of tv screens so good spot to catch a game

Love the food here but the service is a bit off. Also the frequent customers or customers in general are fairly rude and cut the line often. It took us at least half an hour to get to us to order food. The food was all behind the counter so patrons got picky asking for this and piece or that piece within the order.

I was excited to try this place. I am a fan of the sister restaurant Bolat in wigleyville (before and after the makeover). I looked over the menu, and despite a modicum of experience at African food, I was a little over my head. I asked the server for vegetarian recommendations, but I think she was confused by my questions. I took a stab in the dark, and so did my spouse, and we ended up with some pretty boring stuff. My yam porridge was mashed sweet potatoes with either cassava or true yam pieces inside. Stodgy and unexciting, and the fufu didn't help. Unless this place becomes a little more user-friendly I will skip it for one of the other West African places in the area.

I will never return to that rude ran no customer service having restaurant again. You instructed me to call ahead for peanut soup and I did and they flat out said No we don't have to it. Ok that's cool, I won't spend my money there. Smh I only gave one star so that I could continue with the prompt. I'm good.

I'd say 50/50. The food is great sometimes, & sometimes not. Stuff is mostly disorganized. Also not all there food is fresh. Last time I was there I ordered the combo mixed with fish, chicken, and meat. The fish was bad I had to throw the food away. I have been there a few times and that was my last. Il rate 4 star coz that's my own experience. You may have a different experience. Good luck

The only African restaurant in Chicago land area that serve more Nigeria dish (south west) food, Nigerian beer, I was so surprised they even have a bakery too, Fresh Nigerian bread style & snacks that's what I call Authentic African Restaurant They even let you taste the food before you order how nice. I totally recommend 5 stars

Very bad customer service! Took forever to get me my order and the workers are quite rude! When I finally got my food it did not look fresh at all! Looked as if they kept it in the fridge for days and warmed it up to serve out to me! YOU GOTTA DO BETTER! There are better Nigerian restaurants in Chicago I would advise to look elsewhere!

Been a customer for years. Been bringing people with me to try this place for years. Been ordering the same two dishes (egusi and jollof) for years. As a Nigerian woman, I can summarize this place in one sentence: "Nigerian women serving Nigerian food with the Nigerian version of customer service." The food is spicy, heavy on the Palm Oil, closest to authentic besides home cooked, and in all honesty, worth the attitude that the cashiers give you. Take it or leave it. They lose a star because their prices fluctuate, from visit to visit. One day you may $9 for a dish that will cost you $13 the next time you return. That same exact dish may cost $7 for the cabbie behind you.

As long as you don't order any meat you'll be happy. Their sides and soups are usually delicious - but spicy. But their meat is always rock hard and inedible. And its unclear what things costs & how pricing works. I like their spinach side and egusi soup. It's worth a try.