My boyfriend misses his mama's cooking. Â I'm a great cook, but I'm not haitian.
So, we made the long trek up north to Chez Violette, and it was worth every cold minute of waiting for the 3 buses we took to get there.
The place is no-frills, but very typical haitian as far as decor and ambiance go. Â This is evidenced by the fake flowers everywhere, the mauvey color choices, and the music/tv selections.
But truly, this food is DIVINE.
What to expect from Haitian food: Â basic premise of meat in sauce with some veggies over rice with beans is the way it works. Â I particularly recommend the Haitian style chicken to newbees who are looking to try something both user-friendly and traditional.
Sauces are usually tomatoey and just a hint of spicy but mostly savory. Â Pikliz are a cole-slaw like CONDIMENT, and are VERY HOT. Â
Pate is tasty but runs a little small, and comes in a bunch of varieties (beef, chicken, veggie, fish) but be sure to ask about availability.
Do takeout if you want, but I do think it's worth coming in, sitting down, soaking up the culture and the atmosphere, and enjoying a truly delicious meal with some wonderful sweet people!
Our book club met here and we were not disappointed. I am Haitian and I am a pretty good (ok ah-mazing) cook. My mother, even better. Violette met every expectation of good Haitian cooking. I will definitely be back and bring others to experience real Haitian cooking when I don't want to slave over a pot of oxtail all day.
Review Source:So the BF has a coworker who is Haitian, and this place has new owners new menu and they were doing a buffet for a grand opening thingy
so I said why not lets go and check it out I had some how until this time not had Haitian food, not sure how often they will do the Buffet thing but $15 for all you can eat is a good deal and I tried a little of everything, some things I liked more like the fried pork and the fish were my favorites along with the Jerk Chicken and the Plantains
Oh hell it was all good not a bad thing on the menu and everyone was really cool, kinda felt like a minority that night as was one of only about 6 white people there
I want to go back and try some other things off there menu that they did not have on the Buffet
and they have a Sweet Potato Cake that sounds yummy, they didn't  have it that night so now I have a reason to go back if not for the yummy food
Really enjoyed it. Slightly disappointed that no pates were ready especially now that I've seen all the rave reviews. My guava juice was great especially after I spiked it with a little alcohol. Yes, this place is BYOB which is wonderful, because you can enjoy your party in a the laid back atmosphere without a drink tab. Now, this restaurant doesn't have much going for it in terms of ambiance, no music, bright lighting...but the owner and his wife were so nice that the vibe is truly welcoming. My food was tasty. We shared the Haitian chicken and griot entrees. Very generous portions. I will be going back for the pates!
Review Source:Such an adorable place and warm host!!
we went to chez violette a month ago and had a wonderful time
when we got to the restaurant on Sunday, it wasn't actually open yet
Violetta was so welcoming and apologized for not being ready, but i kid you not, the smell coming from her kitchen made it impossible for us to leave
after 20 minutes or so, she and her staff started bringing food to our table
first off was the fried plaintains, then it was her sunday pumpkin soup
the soup was just so good, very homey and special at the same time
for entrees, we had the griot and goat stew, both very good
the size of the entrees were huge and we brought most of the food home
during the whole time we were there, Violetta checked on us numerous times and made sure we were comfortable and enjoyed our food
I'll definitely go back and try more dishes, thanks Violetta!!
A great experience that I hopes stays in the neighborhood for a long time. We went on a Friday night with a YouSwoop deal -- and almost immediately decided we'd be back.
The owner was friendly and welcoming and suggested things for us to try since we had never had Haitian food before. We ended up with fried plaintains, malanga fritters, goat stew and beef and seafood stew, accompanied by two kinds of rice (one with black bean sauce, one with mushrooms that was like fried rice). Everything was delicious, perfectly portioned and cheap! And it's BYOB. I barely had room for it, but I made room for the pain patate (sweet potato pie bread pudding) for dessert. Fantastic.
There are some entrees that are only available on weekends and sadly they were out of pates, but I will definitely be back to try the other items. Everything sounds delicious and though filling, we didn't feel overstuffed when we left. Now if only I could get my French-speaking wife to order in French. Maybe when they have the pates.
Such a great find! Â My wife and I met here for lunch..we had been eyeing it for a while, and took the opportunity to try it out. Â We shared the fried plantains and goat stew..both delicious. Â Neither of us like cole slaw, but the version they serve here is spicy, and wonderful. Â They brought some extra out for us after seeing how quickly it disappeared. Â This is not fast food, but remember that they are actually cooking the food rather than reheating it. Â Highly recommended!
Review Source:This is a small family owned place, so I'd like to be able to support them, but they really aren't very good. Most of the items we tried to order were already sold out for the day, even though it wasn't even close to closing time. Despite the place not being crowded, it took over an hour for our food to arrive. I have no idea what took that long, because our food wasn't even fresh and hot when it finally came. The food itself was okay, and the owners were nice, but the overall experience was pretty poor.
Review Source:This rating is strictly for the food which is exactly why you should visit Chez Violette. I had an eversave coupon that was about to expire thus we made the trek here from Naperville. I wasn't expecting much but it was totally worth the long drive. The food is delicious. We tried the chicken and beef pates, both really good and clearly a hot seller. Also tried the goat stew and the legume stew (beef + veggies). The goat stew meat does have some fat on it but if you've eaten goat before that is typical and actually makes the stew tastier. Oh and the portions are huge. We both ended up with enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Service was slow and ambiance lacking but this is a fairly small family run place and that should be expected. We did not mind at all. All in all great experience and we would love to stop by again sometime!
Review Source:Vegan Haitian food?! Â
I went here last night with a large vegan meetup group. Though I am not a vegan, I was totally curious to see how a main meat cuisine could be vegan and I feared it would be bland and tasteless.
Happy to report... I was wrong!
I have a list of everything I tried down below. Before you judge me for being a glutton.... it was buffet style :), so I got to try a little of everything.
First off, OMG the PATES! The vegetarian pates are on their usual menu and were fab. Also, indulge in a fried plantain, so delish.
Pumpkin soup was kind of eh, bland. Could have done without. Doesn't really even taste like pumpkin.
The mayi moulen was good and slightly reminiscent of Indian food.
Overall, all of the dinner items were good and flavorful without meat. So I'm assuming they must be good without it?
The pain patate dessert was kind of er, alright I guess. I guess I think dessert should be more sweet, but it is unique.
Lastly, the owner, Violette came out and was SO gracious. I really appreciate people taking time to be kind to their customers. With all the super busy *stick your nose up to the sky* restaurants, meeting people who care really does set this restaurant apart.
One last important thing.... unless you eat habanero peppers like candy then you will absolutely find the coleslaw to be hot! It has ghost peppers in it! Beware!
Fried Plantains - both sweet and green
Pikliz (Haitian Slaw) spicy pickled carrots and cabbage
Akra (Malanga fritters) - root vegetable, seasoned  with their own blend of spices
Haitian pates (if they can be made vegan) - savory and flaky filled with Caribbean spices and vegetables
The salad was a traditional Haitian salad of Avocado, Tomato and Watercress.
Soup Jeromon (pumpkin) classic Haitian soup.
Rice djon djon with pigeon peas
Mayi Moulen (cornmeal) wiht spinach and okra
Red Beans and Rice
Vegetable Mix
Pain Patate - sweetened potato, fig and banana pudding.
Truly wonderful. Â Chez Violette is not far from Howard red line. Before I begin, I'm Haitian, and my grandma is the best haitian cook there is, lol.
BUT, Violette comes in at a close second! Yes it is that good! My mom took me here to get some pate (my grandma doesn't make pate, womp womp ) and we ended up getting pate, chicken, rice, and sospwa ( ican't spell in creole, but that is the bean sauce)... ALL of it bomb!
A note on the pate - it is so good. get it. call ahead to make sure they have enough because we bought out their last couple at the end of the day haha.
Oh and I didn't try their plantains (banan peze) but FYI Haitian plantains are thin and fried. Sometimes sweet, sometimes savory. You won't find the chunky ones here. We don't do that, lol.
Sanson and Violette are amazingly gracious, sweet, polite hosts. It was such a pleasure to drop in. They are really truly great people.
They also had kola champagne, which is this orange pop that I grew up drinking. It is hard to find, but YAY they had it!
The whole restaurant is clean, tasteful, and just awesome. I love it. I am definitely going back!!! Â (don't tell my grandma!!!!)
The owner was very hospitable, making us feel right at home. Â The food was delicious. Â The table split the griot, the red snapper, the legume de boeuf, and the lamb. Â All were delicious. Â Make sure you order ample Haitian slaw - it's a great spicy topping to your meal. Â I highly recommend this gem.
Review Source:Chez Violette was an odd but lovely experience. Â As stated before, the decor is nothing to write home about and the service was sketchy, but I'm still giving it 4 stars because ... the food was great. Â The pates were flaky and flavorful (we all preferred the chicken) the plantains with the spicy slaw was unique and tasty. Â Warning, it is a SPICY slaw that they cautioned us about after the fact. Â The fish of the day was spectacular, the chickpeas cooked to perfection. Â The fried pork was delish and the beef stew with legumes exceptional. Â The mac and cheese - yummy. Â The only disappointment was the goat stew. Â I know ... the goat stew. Â 3 of us ordered it and the goat ranged from room temperature to cold ... in the same bowl. Â For all 3 of us. Â Very sad especially for someone who loves goat as much as I. Â Oh well, lesson learned. Â I will go back though. Â Everything else more than made up for it!
Review Source:This should a be a 4.5 star rating. The food is AMAZING. We took my mom here for Mother's Day. She grew up in Haiti and makes the most amazing food, so it's a big deal when she describes the food as "out of this world." Among the five of us, we tried most of the dishes on the menu.
The best items are:
- Pates - amazing pastry crust, perfectly seasoned meat. They only had a the beef and chicken and both were delicious. I would love to go back for the veggie and cod fish pates.
- Fried plantain - like other have mentioned, they are nicely crisp and not oily. It comes with a nice spicy slaw.
- Pumpkin soup - this is my all-time favorite Haitian dish and Violette hits the spot here; pefectly spiced, tender peice of beef, perfectly textured pasta and veggies. I could have a large portion for my entree. Be ware, this only available on Sundays.
- Legume de beuef - amazing veggie and beef stew. This was the best dish on the menu followed in a close second to the red snapper (served whole w/ the head)
- We also got the goat stew, cabrit and carribean chicken. While they were good they were not my favorites. I'd go for the beef stew or the fish again.
- Finally both rice dishes were great - I love rice with the bean soup but the red beans and rice is good too.
In terms of the service, it's a bit slow, but that's because everything is made fresh. I honestly didn't mind since we were catching up as a family and enjoying the Haitian music.
Bon appetit!
A true hidden gem!!! Â Like others, I read the article in the Reader and was inspired to make the drive up from the South Loop to check out this spot. Â Well worth the drive, and not just for the delicious food! Â The owners, Sanson and Violette Adrien, are charming, talented and gracious... and make you want to return. Â The restaurant is uncluttered, tasteful and the music appropriate to the cuisine (my big pet peeve at other restaurants!!) Â Added plus is that it is BYOB. Â Hard to find Haitain pate (the patties other refer to) and these are fantastic!! (Side note: I am salivating as I write!!) Call ahead to make sure they have some!
Review Source:My wife, son (2 yrs old), and myself went for dinner this past Friday night. Everyone who works here was very nice.
We started off with the pate's. We tried the chicken and beef. Both are tasty. The beef was better but we enjoyed both. It's great that they are baked and not fried. Both were very well seasoned.
For dinner I ordered the chicken with carribean spices. The chicken was awesome. It literally fell off the bones. The red beans and rice were delicious. The plantains were a bit dry but nice that they were not greasy.
My wife ordered the fish entree. She loved it! However, beware that the entire fish comes out including the head!
Only negative is that it took a while for them to come with the bill and then comeback to get my CC. Usually no big deal but my son was getting a little wild and I didnt want him to disturb others while we were waiting.
We will be back and you should give it a try.
Went there with a group of nine. The food was very good, we particularly liked the chicken with Carribean spices and the legume. Â Service was excruciatingly slow, but the owner's visit to our table seemed to make up for that. She is lovely and told us her journey from cooking for friends, to catering, and now opening her first restaurant. Definitely a place go back to - it's BYOB- bring a bottle to tide you over during the wait.
Review Source:No buffet yet and they are sticking to a relatively small menu for now.
The options they have were great! We tried the cod pâté which was welcome warm light puff pastry with a tasty filling. The griot (fried pork) as well as the legume (vegetable and beef) stew came soon after with black beans and rice as well as red beans and rice and plantains. Generous servings and the food came out quickly. Oh, and there was also a vegetable soup which was a mix of freshly chopped vegetables in a savory broth. Â
To finish, we ordered the dessert of the day, which was a gingery sweet potato pudding cake. It's a dessert served cold (pudding) and the ginger is full strength.
There's the goat stew to go back for, otherwise there's fish and steak at market price on the menu.
I love the food at Chez Violette. Â The pate's are very good although small for sharing. Â We also ordered the goat stew and the fried pork. Â The goat stew is so tender and flavorful. Â The accompanying plantains, rice and black bean soup are equally delicious. Â They do allow for BYOB so bring a bottle of wine or good beer to enjoy with the food. The atmosphere could use some ambiance. Â It is quite stark and cafeteria-like. I was hoping for a more intimate environment. Â But the food is worth the sacrifice.
Review Source:Interesting Haitian food, with really nice people!
We went for a big lunch at Chez Violette the second day after they opened. Â We had the goat stew, the fried pork, chicken with Caribbean spices, some plantain chips, and chicken and beef pates (fluffy empanada-style pastries with ground meat and spices inside). Â
The pates were delicious! Â Good light pastry and interesting spices. Â The pork and goat stew were interesting, though the cuts of meat were a bit fatty. Â My boyfriend loved the goat stew. Loved the plantain chips, and our sides of red beans and rice. Â I could have done without the chicken, which seemed like it was trying too much to bridge the gap between Haitian tastes and American. Â The meal could have definitely used some interesting hot sauces. Â Watch out for the Haitian slaw - it has quite a surprising kick to it!
The atmosphere is clean and nice, though seems like it's trying a bit too hard to accommodate American tastes. Â There are clearly some kinks in service and the menu to work out, but we got to meet both owners, Samson and his wife Violette, who were incredibly sweet and gracious. Â
Violette was a little puzzled why the 3 of us had ordered 3 entrees and kept passing them around the table. Â She came over and seemed worried that we didn't like our food (we were just sharing so we could enjoy all the tastes), and said she would be happy to bring us tastes of anything on the menu before we ordered so we could make sure we liked it first. Â Very nice!
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