Came here on Valentine's Day with the mister. He thought it was an Italian restaurant for some reason, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't since Italian food makes me all bloated and gassy.
Anyway, the place wasn't packed, and for that, I was glad. It was dimly lit, with ample seating and what looked like a full bar off to the side. We were quickly seated and drink orders were placed. I got my usual, Jack and coke and he got a Stella. Since neither of us have had Serbian before, we took a while to place our orders but the staff was very patient and helpful. (Also a man, who I'm assuming is the owner, handed me a single red rose shortly after we were seated. I thought it was very sweet.)
I don't remember exactly what I got, but it was good. My date got a veal dish that was also very good. He-ate-everything, and also some of mine. Lol. We couldn't decide on desert, so our waitress kidnapped my boy and led him to some back room lol. I'm assuming there's some type of pasty store back there from what he said. I didn't see it myself, but I think it's pretty cool that they have that.
During our meal, there was live music. Two men and a pretty lady serinanded us in Serbian and although I couldn't understand a word, I loved it. It was a really nice touch to a beautiful date.
I would definitely go back, especially since my drink was mixed perfectly lol.
First, you must understand, this is a Serbian Restaurant. This is food made by Serbians for Serbians. If you grew up with a Serbian family member that was an amazing cook, you're in luck.
Second, this is not a TGIF, Chili's, or other American Corp. Restaurant. You will not have that style of meal. This is a meal made for the people by the people. Where you feel that you are in the country where the meal is from. Not some fake food, fake service, and fake look to it.
Third, know the style of food and menu before going. Going in uneducated will not be as good a time. You really need to know what to order and how to order it.
Fourth, Order the Ćevapići you can never go wrong here with it. It's the best meal they serve, and the reason I keep coming back. All first timers have to try it! Must try the rolls they bring out, homemade next door.
The Sopska salad is also great (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and then covered with cheese). Would only order when Tomatoes are in season. Honestly could eat this daily! Also note the salad is enough for two hungry or three normal sized adults.
And last, when ordering dessert have them take you into the bakery (next door) The value of dessert is unreal and some of the best I've had.
On a side note: Serbians are not vegetarians, at least the ones I've met!
My sole visit has left me (us) wanting more! Scant lunch crowd was a tad unappealing, but we stuck it out nonetheless. Not knowing too much about Serbian fare, I took a shot at their daily Monday special...and lucked out big-time. Tried the Veal Soup; very similar to a cream of noodle. Stout chunks of tender veal, little to no fat or gristle, impeccably seasoned, and spot-on temperature. Paired perfectly with my soup de jour was their amply raved about foot-long pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon/pork and stuffed with cheese. Freaking delicious! A lot like your more commonly consumed Cordon Bleu; breaded, meaty, and oozing with cheesy goodness upon first slice. Sides of fried potatoes, cabbage salad, and tomato with cheese spread were icing on our Serbian cake. For $9.00, you CAN'T go wrong. Had to take a pass on dessert, although I'm sure it would've great. Friendly and helpful service was pleasant. Somewhat of a secreted European Mob vibe made for an entertainingly anxious atmosphere. A little Serbian National News playing on the flat screen in the bar was a unique touch. Don't let a slow lunch crowd and broken English steer you away, you'll be ecstatic you stopped to try this satiating diamond in the rough.
Review Source:My friends and I went there for the first time today after having this place recommended by a serbian friend. First we got the veal soup which was awesome. Then we got an appetizer. We went for the sample platter which was also amazing. It had feta cheese, butter, 3 different kinds of cold meats and some kind of cheese spread. For our main dish we chose the chefs platter for 4 people. When we got it, we were in awe. The plate weighted at least 4 pounds! It said that the meal is for 4 people but it could have fed 6 easily! All that food for around $70. Awesome. Oh and the waitresses were very nice and pretty too! The platter we got had 4 kinds of meat, bread and cabbage salad in a bowl on top of it all. On the bottom we had a big portion of French fries. This was some food coma inducing food but totally worth it.
Review Source:Been here a few times, whenever I pass through Chicago. Great lil Serbian restaurant/bar. Â Always walk out with a full stomach and a smile on my face. Maybe because I get lil taste of the motherland, or that you get so much meat with your entrees. Â The only complaint I would have is the menu could use a little work. And some entree prices could be a couple dollars less compared to other ones.
Review Source:My brother and his wife treated us to dinner March 4. My sister in law is Serbian, so she likes a "taste of home" now and then. I am so glad they took us to Zupa. It is a very nice family restaurant. Quiet and nicely decorated. The service was great. Our server, Tania, was as sweet as can be explaining things on the menu to us. Â The menu is in Serbian and English. Prices are VERY reasonable. I had a cheeseburger that must have been over a pound, with salad and fried potatoes and it was 8.50 !!
My husband ordered dessert and Tania took him with her into the bakery (next door) so that he could make his own selection.
I hope we get to go again because this was a very lovely place. Excellent food and service.
I think the reasons we didn't like this place so much are probably the reasons everyone else loves it. First off, I think it was the wrong place for my Mom's birthday because her new husband is from Jordan and is very strict on no pork...Pork is like in everything here.
Also, since it was my Mom's birthday she probably expected a little more attention than the watiress was giving, especially in terms of explaining the very vaguely written menu. Not only was she npt able to recommend anything but she also seemed pretty unfamiliar with it. It was also offputting that the menu when actually attempting to explain a dish was incomplete/innaccurate.
We ordered the warm crepe thing for an appetizer, it arrived at the same time as my family's entree's and my entree took like almost ten more minutes to arrive. I mentioned quietly that i thought the crepe was supposed to be an appetizer, she said they were backed up in the kitchen (there were only 3 other tables in the place).
The crepe was deep fried, which was not mentioned on the menu as far as i could tell and was served with a hugemongous plop of mayonnaise. It was terrible...no flavor...horrible for you...gross.
The entrees were piled high with potatoes and other sides that seemed out of place with the entrees and the burger was sooo huge in diameter that it was an obscence display of over indulgence (when he had only a third of it and the waitress was asking if he wanted to box it for home, when he replied no, she said you should have ordered the smaller burger...i thought "why didn''t you tell us about a smaller burger when we ordered it since it was obvious that the no-pork eater was having a hard time finding something he could eat")
When my entree arrived, the main part was delish but all the extras seemed out of place and unnescessary.
I'll go back and try to stick to ordering meats and not expect an americanized server/menu. I think they could benefit from a quality control person though cause with just a little tweaking of the menu layout/description and portions they could probably be fantastic.
meat meat and more meat
oh and BIG serbian guys, lots of them, doing shots. Most with no necks.
And some hot serbian women ( of which I was one of course.)
i had the "patty" which was a huge hamburger stuffed with cheese and other goodies.
we also had bacon wrapped pork- come on pig wrapped in pig- whats not to like?
the salads were large and the shop salad great.
the greek salad was served without dressing- on purpose?
tehre were 2 different menus that we were given- one more like lunch, one more like dinner... which caused some mild confusion. we were there at 3 pm which is a odd time I guess.
the service was very european- which means impatient americans may be annoyed. But to us, it was like being on vacation on the
"continent"
give it a try- there;s not much Serbian food in burbs and few restaurants in Lyons.
I didn't know what to expect when walking into Zupa. However, the waitress was friendly without hovering, and the food was good, The salads (big and full of vegetables) are wonderful, and the entrees are all about meat. Good meat! and lots of it! You will not go hungry! Pleasant atmosphere as well. Overall, will definitely return.
Review Source:I've been to Zupa 4 or 5 times and have yet to be disappointed. Â Nothing on the menu is familiar to me, which makes each trip an adventure as I try to have something different each time (except the sopska salad which is a necessary prelim to every meal). Â Prices are very reasonable. Â The only time there was a language barrier of any sort, the server was so beautiful I really enjoyed trying to communicate my wants, foodwise, of course.
Review Source:We sat down for a fun and filling meal at a very very reasonable price. We thought there would be a language barrier, so we ordered simply. There was no language barrier, they were fluent in English, but I think we did just fine with the order. Everyone got a veal soup, sopska salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, vinegar, oil, topped with a feta-like shredded cheese), bread with kajmak (it's like a salty clotted cream / butter type spread), grilled hot banana peppers in a garlic, parsley and oil dressing, the famous Zupa platter (grilled meat platter with various cuts of pork, chicken, kebab, patties, sausages, intended "for 4" but fed 7 easily), some Serbian BG Pivo (a light and drinkable pilsner style beer), and finally dessert, consisting of square slice of cream pie and crepes, with a light filling of ground walnuts and rosehip jam. We ordered a second round of the crepes they were so damn good. There was some Serbian musician playing and singing, he was pretty good. We did some light dancing while waiting for members of our party to finish up in the washroom. Total price for 7 people stuffed to the gills with high quality fare: $65.70, tip not included. I intend to become a regular here.
Review Source:Well I finally got Zupa'd!
You see, my Serbian friends have been raving about this restaurant for some time. So we all carpooled and made Zupa our most recent Sunday supper club destination. And by supper, I mean a late lunch/early dinner. Growing up, we had only one meal in the pm and it's usually a large meal in the late afternoon. Serbs must think in tandem with the Croats as Zupa was packed upon arrival at 3:30pm.
They have a cold buffet though we chose not to partake. Most of us were there for one thing and one thing only: grilled meats! The menu is full of housemade sausages (both mild and spicy), cevapi, raznjici (kebabs), pljeskavica (Balkan 'hamburger'), and the infamous foot-long stick of pork stuffed with cheese and then wrapped in bacon. Holy heart attack!
We ordered the small grill platter which could really feed three people easily. And at $15, it's a steal. The large platter meant for 4 is the Empire State Building of meat platters... really, it's a tower! Beautiful, statuesque, and probably not worth ordering unless there's at least 6 wanting to share or you're hell-bent on taking home meatovers.
The sopska salad is also great (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and then covered with cheese). A bit excessive with the cheese, but very tasty. Also, they're generous with their homemade rolls which are meant to be slathered with sweet butter.
If you're able to save some room for dessert, there's an attached bakery with beautiful cakes, pastries and baklava. Ugh, I'm still full just writing this! At about $20-$25 a person for a mountain of food, Zupa translates to an excellent value.
When vegetarians go to hell I think they go to serbia........ Â
Serbians just do not understand anything other than animal based protein. And the closest thing to side is alcohol!
I have gone to this place two times now. Â They fixed up the place and made it twice the size. Â There was liquor store at the corner, but they expanded the restaurant. Â It was a little scary before, but now it is much better.
The food at this place is great.  For three of us we ordered the Zupa serbian plater.  They said it was for four people, but it could easily feed 6 people!  Keeping in mind my friend and I have never been known as  petite eaters. Â
The only thing that might turn people of about this place is that english is a second language at Zupa. Â The first time I went here no one could speak english at all(not even hello). Â This time our waitress could speak english. Â Also, we went there on a Saturday night and they had entertainment....... Â I just don't understand eastern Europe's fascination with crappy techno-dance music. Â Just not for me!
I will be back for more!!!!!
This place is a little hard to find. There is a sign for Zupa Liquors but the restaurant is there. Maybe two doors down from the corner. Â There is parking on Ogden and on the side street. I never had this food before. I like to try a starter and we tried this cheese spread which now, my mouth is watering thinking about it. The main course was delish. The meats were fresh though the veggies seem like they were frozen and have no taste. But you will not really care about the scoop of veggies once you taste the meal that you get. The server stayed away until we called her over or until we made eye contact with her, but once she was over she was very helpful. Â Just a heads up, we paid with credit card and there was no line for a tip.
Review Source:This was a very different experience for me. I had no idea what to expect from a Serbian restaurant. I went with a group of 8 people and ordered family style. The food was terrific. We started off with a Serbian salad of tomatoes, onions and cucumbers topped by feta cheese. A wonderful salad and plenty of it! We also had gigantic rolls baked next door in the bakery slathered with a butter/cream cheese combo that was out of this world. For our entrees, we ordered and shared what can only be described as two towers of meat. Pork shish kabobs, pork, chicken, sausages and a meat patty served on a bed of french fries with tomato lettuce and onions. Lots of food and all very tasty. Since we were there on orthodox Easter, the restaurant gave us 2 huge plates of roast pork, on the house. The staff was very friendly but a bit standoffish.
I will definitely return....
One of the most traditional Balkan restaurants that I've been to in the US. Meat, meat and more meat. Oh, and cheese and everything else that isn't good for you, but puts you into a delightful food coma.
Staff is friendly, but true to Balkan form they don't wait on you hand and foot; however, if you flag them down or they stop to check on you then they will be quick to bring your order with a smile on their faces.
Bread was great, spreads were OK, sopska salad is decent, but the soups and main courses are what you need to come for. Cevapi, snicle, uvijac, kotlet and filet. My meal was the crnogorski uvijac, which is a foot-long stick of pork stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon. Side potatoes were amazing.
Everything is somewhat pricey and they don't always have the full dessert menu. You'll probably spend $20 per person for a four-course meal, but it should last you two meals. There is also a bakery and shop on either side where you can pick up other items. I can't wait to return and try some other great dishes.
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