Yasemi, A Modern Mediterranean Restaurant

Wonderful new Greek restaurant in Chicago’s River North neighborhood in the Godfrey Hotel building. Great ambience, pleasant lighting, and comfortable seating. Absolutely delicious food options and exceptional service. My dining partner and I shared several dishes…our favorites were the Half Deboned Chicken large plate, the Maitake mushroom kebab, and the hummus with pita bread. Everything was excellent… we’ll definitely be returning soon!

A friend and I did the restaurant week menu and we enjoyed the experience. The ambiance is excellent and welcoming. The space is huge with plenty of room. Decor is modern and charming. The restaurant week menu didn't have very many vegetarian options but the one option we had on each course was pretty good. The drinks were amazing and service was great. I'd be interested in returning and checking out the regular a la carte menu.

One of the best dining experiences I’ve had. The food is absolutely divine! Very friendly service from Yana. The chef George was kind enough to share his recipes, but also needs to publish a cookbook. Every dish is phenomenal. Even the pita bread was heavenly. I went back for the second dinner in a row, and I will be back anytime I travel back to Chicago.

Visited for Restaurant Week, and I have to say, I’m beyond ecstatic that I did. From the avgolemono soup, to the chicken kebab, I was thoroughly impressed with how fantastic these dishes were. The server was wonderful, customer service as all around amazing, and the executive chef was a man full of pride and passion for his dishes. I highly recommend.

My husband and I had dinner at Yasemi and had an absolutely fantastic experience! From the moment we walked in, I noticed how beautiful the restaurant’s ambience and decor is. We started out great thanks to our kind and attentive server, Molly, who made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. The drink menu is impressive, and I highly recommend trying the Aegean Sunset—it was a smokey delight. One of the best features of Yasemi is that the plates are designed for sharing, allowing us to sample a variety of dishes from the menu. Our favorites included the charred eggplant spread served with homemade pita bread, which was rich and flavorful. The grilled octopus was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and we also loved the beet burrata salad. We’ll definitely be coming back!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Yasemi: Good Intentions, Mixed Execution Yasemi is one of those places that clearly tries hard—sometimes a little too hard. The service is incredibly attentive, almost to the point of feeling over-eager. There’s a fine line between being welcoming and making diners feel rushed, and unfortunately, this place leans toward the latter. The menu itself is a mixed bag. Some dishes hit the mark, while others felt slightly off. The **avgolemono soup**, for example, was decent but had an unexpected creaminess that made me wonder if it had dairy in it—unusual for a dish that traditionally gets its texture from eggs alone. The **heirloom tomato salad** was fresh and well-balanced, but nothing particularly memorable. On the other hand, the **beef kofta** stood out as one of the better offerings—juicy, flavorful, and well-seasoned. One small gripe was the upselling. While recommendations are always welcome, the enthusiasm felt more like a sales pitch than a genuine suggestion. For mains, the **chicken kebab** was well-prepared and paired nicely with a tzatziki-avocado sauce, and the **cauliflower bravas** had good flavor, though it's hard to get overly excited about cauliflower as a centerpiece. Dessert was the biggest letdown—no baklava, no traditional Greek sweets, just a rice pudding that was unfortunately forgettable. Overall, Yasemi has potential, but the experience felt a bit too polished in ways that didn’t necessarily enhance the meal. If you’re in the area, it’s a fine option, but for more authentic and less fussy Greek food, there are likely better choices.

I have visited Yasemi twice since its opening. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is welcoming. Yana was my server both times. Her warm personality and menu recommendations were a highlight of the experience. The beef kofta is a favorite of mine, but all of the dishes are delicious. I recommend happy hour as a first visit.

We had an absolute amazing experience at Yasemi! We ordered the dip trio, maitake mushrooms kabob, and the branzino! The portions were amazing size for the prices and all the food was soooo delicious!!! All the staff was exceptionally nice as well! Yana was one of the best servers we’ve had and George the chef made sure to shake our hand after the meal. The manager and hostess also took their time to ask us how everything was. Great experience!

Yasemi is one of the newest gems in River North, tucked inside the Godfrey IO, and it has already won me over! The modern Mediterranean flavors, beautifully plated dishes, excellent service, and vibrant atmosphere make this a spot worth visiting again and again. What We Ordered & Loved: Spreads Sampler (3 choices - a must!) Whipped Harissa Feta - Creamy, slightly spicy, and perfectly tangy with EVOO. Loved the balance of flavors! Tzatziki Avocado - One of my absolute favorites! The Greek yogurt and avocado blend made it extra smooth and refreshing. Charred Eggplant - Smoky, garlicky, and packed with Mediterranean goodness. Mezze: Cheese Pie - So crispy on the outside, so delicious on the inside! The combination of feta, truffle honey, and nigella seeds was perfection. Pro tip: Pairing it with the Whipped Harissa Feta makes it even better! Large Plate: Maitake Mushroom with Charred Eggplant - One of the juiciest, most flavorful dishes of the night. The mushrooms melted in my mouth, and the charred eggplant added such a deep, smoky touch. Dessert - DO NOT SKIP! Ekmek - This dessert was unreal! Soft challah, mastic cream, candied pistachio, lemon Chantilly, and raspberry coulis--every bite was pure heaven. It's a must-try before it sells out! Overall Experience: Delicious, fresh, and creative Mediterranean flavors Perfectly executed dishes with great portion sizes Excellent service--friendly, attentive, and welcoming Great vibe--modern, stylish, yet cozy I will definitely be back to try more from their dinner menu, and I'm especially excited to check out their breakfast and lunch offerings as well! Yasemi is a new favorite, and if you haven't been yet, you're missing out!

Great ambience, service, and food with generous portion sizes. We ordered the dip trio with the hummus, whipped feta, and the charred eggplant all of which were delicious with the pita! The pita was seasoned well and was very thin and light. We also ordered the cheese pie which was presented like 3 empanadas and was also very tasty! I got the mushroom maitake kabob for my main entree which was very flavorful and served with rice!

Really enjoyed my meal here! Went here on a whim because I saw it was on InKind and wanted to check it out. Everything we got came out hot and delicious. The decor is also super welcoming and cute. I cannot wait to come back for their happy hour. The only one thing I'd suggest is maybe having more runners filling up waters as it was difficult to get someone's attention during the meal.

Came here for a happy hour drink and bite. Love that the happy hour specials are daily as well. It was empty on this Saturday afternoon, but the bar seating and decor was beautiful and airy. The tangean sunset drink was a delicious refreshing cocktail, but our hummus was extremely salty. We were asked if we wanted pita or crudite with this, and we asked for a little mix of both. First of all, this wasn't enough for the amount of salty hummus, and then we were charged extra without us knowing because of the mix. When I brought it up to the bartender, she didn't do anything about it either. A restaurant surcharge is also added to the check. Not a great first impression unfortunately.

Picked here because we were craving fish, specifically interested in their branzino. Unfortunately the Chicago restaurant week menu did not include their branzino as an option so we just ordered off the regular menu for branzino and salmon and the happy hour menu for the beef kofta and hummus. We came around 4:30PM since we didn't have a reservation and was able to be seated quickly. There were only a few people there at the time. Service was good at the beginning. Food came quickly. But it did lag a bit as we were trying to wrap up. Took a while to get our bill and pay. They have a good amount of staff though for the space. I enjoyed the flavors of the beef kofta. The hummus also has EVOO which added a nice flavor but one pita is so little for the amount of hummus they give. The fish entrees were not as interesting or refined as I was expecting. The branzino was butterflied but the skin was not crispy at all. The meat was closer to medium, not dry but not tender either. The sauce was a bit too heavy, there wasn't anything sharp or refreshing to cut it. The salmon was cooked way too dry. The outside had a bit of a crunchy crust but the overall meat was also hard. The lentils actually helped a lot. It had a bit more brightness and moisture from the tomato paste and some fresh olive taste. The lentils were on the al dente side. Overall the fish dishes weren't particularly interesting in terms of flavor combinations and the meat was on the overcooked side. I was disappointed enough I didn't even want to try their Elmer dessert that initially caught my eye.

My friends and I swung by Yasemi to try to out their restaurant week and A La carte menu. This restaurant is right by the Godfrey Hotel. The ambience was very chic, especially the bar area. We had booked two separate reservations but the server was gracious enough to help accommodate all of us on just one table. We started by ordering some drinks. We tried the Greek espresso martini, the kafe old fashioned, some wine and the non alcoholic version of the kiwi kefi. Surprisingly, the kiwi kefi blew it out of the park and was our favorite drink for the night. From the A La carte menu, we ordered the three dips with pita. We selected the tzatziki, harissa feta and the hummus. These dips came with two pita breads. All the three dips were delicious, especially the hummus with its creamy and earthy taste. The pitas paired with this dip were a delight too, very soft, warm and herby. We then ordered some cheese pie and patatas bravas. The patatas were ok in my opinion but the cheese pie was delicious with its crunchy exterior, whipped feta filling and honey glaze. For the restaurant week menu, my friends tried the chicken and lemon soup which was great, the heirloom salad which was ok, the chicken and the beef kofta which were both really good. The cauliflower bravas were not my favorite but some of my friends loved them. Overall, we were really impressed with the food and the ambience but had to take one star off for the service. Even though our server was very sweet and accommodating, the service was slow. We had to wait quite a bit to get water for the table and for our dishes to come out. Nevertheless, this restaurant is definitely on the top of my list for Mediterranean restaurants in Chicago now. A must try!

My friends and I booked a dinner reservation for a restaurant week here and overall it was a good experience. The staff were very sweet in accommodating extra seats for us at the last minute. Overall ambiance is classy, chic, and modern. I opted for 4 course dinner in their restaurant week for $45. Started with avgolemono soup which was so yum and rich in taste. It was quite filling also. For the next app, I chose the cheese pie but wasn't a big fan of it. The combo of truffle honey and nigella seeds didn't quite work for me especially since it interrupted the transition from the lemony soup to the savory main course. For the entree I had chicken kebab with tzatziki avacado and herbs which was super delicious. Chicken was cooked perfectly and flavorful. By the time dessert arrived I was too full to enjoy it right there and then; Nonetheless the rice pudding, that I had taken for the next day, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Only reaosn I'm deducting a star is the slow service. We had to wait quite a while for water refills and unfortunately the tea we ordered never arrived and even though we canceled it, we later realized they still charged us for it. Overall, I'd still recommend this place; may be on a quieter weekday when the service might be more attentive!

Restaurant week in Chicago. Selected this location due to desire.for a new experience and nearness to another destination. Decided my choices before so selected a perfect Sav Blanc for pairing. Tomato salad 10/10: great flavoring and although "I" would have enjoyed more cucumbers i recognize this is NOT a Greek salad. Delicious!! Cheese Pie 12/10: ok so this is in real time...and it is awkward to do a 12/10. But I don't feel bad! The creamy cheese with the perfect pastry and honey.....drool...just drool already! Chicken skewers: 6/10...maybe underseasoned to appeal to the masses? I wish I'd gone in a separate direction Rice pudding: 100/10. You beautiful bastards...I see why this is the only option. Perfect smoothness with a slight grain texture. Magnificent finish Service: 7/10 my wine glass was empty for an unacceptable amount of time. Water was always full. Benefit of doubt to the team. Total score..easily 8/10. I'd come again not during restaurant week and try some lamb. But bring guests...wow them with a cheese pie app and a rice pudding finish

Review is more like a 3.5 but I rounded up because the pita was probably the best in the city. I'm not sure what seasoning they put atop it but I truly put it into the stratosphere. It's adjacent to a hotel lobby so be prepared for all that comes with that including children dining in the pajamas. It's worth nothing that the ceviche had extremely bold flavor as well. Chicken as well as the cheese pies were merely ok, the chicken had a delectable texture to the skin but the cheese pie was utterly flavorless. In closing come for the pita & then leave.

Love the ambiance here! Definitely a cool spot for a nice date with the decor and lighting. The service was nice and attentive, I think the water guy filled up our glasses like twenty times. The spreads were awesome! We tried the traditional hummus, Harissa and avo tzatziki. My favorite was the harissa. Pita was fresh and well seasoned. The fish was also delicious and they had a lot of other options in terms of meat and seafood! Highly recommend!

We held a team dinner at Yasemi this week - group of over 30 from all over the country. Chef George and the staff were absolutely amazing. Everything we asked for in prepping for the event was . Food was incredible - the chef timed the delivery of the pitas coming out to perfection. We did a custom pre-fixe menu - literally every dish was fantastic, but the chicken, shrimp and branzino were definite favorites. Service was impeccable - quick, attentive and also keen to notice when to slow down and let people enjoy too. Even the rice pudding was fabulous, and they even accommodated a special request for plain rice pudding with cinnamon (rave reviews on that too)! And then to find out that they just opened! Amazing. Would definitely be back anytime I'm in the area, whether with a group or not. Thanks so much to everyone!

Great service and excellent open face pork Gyro. I look forward to the next meal here. My wife had the gluten free post rice bowl, also very good!

Ahh! This used to be Doce Italian, remember that! This is from the folks behind Monarch & Lion, Bar Goa and etc. I had Pita w/ Whipped Haressa Feta, Tzatziki & Avocado and Charred Eggplant and etc. The staff and service is Yabulous.

My first time ordering from Yasemi. I was searching through the reviews and restaurants along West Huron. Read the menu, happy to see the Mediterranean menu selection and options available for delivery. Will definitely order again. A different take on the gyro. It was open faced and divided into four delicious quarters . I loved the open faced approach. It was quite filling and enough for the next day. A winner indeed.

We were surprised to learn this restaurant was opening the day we arrived in Chicago December 12, 2024. Our waitstaff was very attentive, knowledgeable of the menu, and very friendly. Our appetizers were carpaccio, which was great, and hummus which was very flavorful. Our entrees were lamb shank and branzini. Both were beautifully plated. The lamb was prepared to fall off the bone. The branzini was tender and flavored to perfection. We would return to this restaurant.

Everything we ordered was delicious and the service was impeccable. We will definitely be back. The ambience was very warm and inviting.

We had a great time at Yasemi. Went to the bar first for Happy Hour. They do it every day 4-6. Fantastic. Next we went to dinner. Try the trio of spreads. You will love it. Also the pita and crudite were the best. Unique, high quality and delicious. The food was well prepared and delicious. My only issue was the shrimp kabobs were over seasoned but cooked to perfection. Our server Annie was the best. Excellent service and very pleasant and informative. The restaurant is warm and inviting. Give it a try.

Wonderful! If you are in Chicago put Yasemi on your must eat list! Great service and the food is even better!