Restaurant

Anelya

Name: Anelya
Address: 3472 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL, 60618, US
Telephone: (773) 692-2192
Price range: value

Contemporary•Ukrainian Village•value

Anelya is one of the best contemporary restaurants in Chicago for dinner, especially if you want a strong option in Ukrainian Village.

Editorial review•Dec 9, 2025

Anelya is doing something almost no one else in Chicago is bothering to do: treating Ukrainian cooking like the serious, layered cuisine it actually is — not a novelty pivot, not an ethnic curiosity, but a full argument that beet and cured fish and rendered fat and fermented grain belong in the same conversation as any other refined tradition. That argument lands harder because the restaurant sits in Ukrainian Village, a neighborhood that carries that name more as historical memory than living daily practice. Anelya functions as both reclamation and counterpoint to the idea that Eastern European food needs to be softened for American comfort levels. It does not manage your expectations in that direction. Diners who come open-minded reportedly leave converted; the incurious tend to miss the point entirely. The menu is built around dishes where restraint is the technique. The Forshmak — a chopped herring preparation that reads humble on paper — is consistently cited for its precise balance of acid, fat, and brine, the kind of calibration that signals a kitchen with actual conviction. The Trout Roe Tart is reportedly simple in construction and direct in impact, rooted in pantry-and-preservation logic rather than embellishment. The Chicken Kyiv here has nothing to do with the frozen-dinner version that haunts American memory; by all accounts it is the structural real thing, built around a butter-flooded interior and a crust that behaves the way a crust should. The Crayfish Holubtsi and Pashtet are the consensus opening moves — order them before you work through the rest of the menu. The room is small and the place fills fast, particularly on weekends. A walk-in on a Friday is an optimistic gamble at best; a reservation is the practical call. At this price level, you are getting away with something.

Carlos Mendez, Food & Drink Editor

Methodology•Chicago guides•Editorial team

Ukrainian Village dinner cool hidden gem

Visit Website View Menu Get Directions

Taste ID

Rate this restaurant

Score flavor, vibe, value, and service to sharpen your Taste ID and get better picks.

Rating (Google) 9.0

326 reviews

Chicago

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

9.0

Rating

Based on 326 reviews

Best used for

dinner and Ukrainian Village

Price and pace

Good value

Neighborhood

Ukrainian Village · 3472 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618, USA

Price

Good value

Google rating

9.0 from 326 reviews

Phone

(773) 692-2192

What to order

Signature dishes at Anelya

Trout Roe Tart

chive cream cheese, fresh wasabi

Pashtet

organic chicken livers, seasonal jam, spices

Forshmak

marinated herring spread, borodinskiy bread crackers

Chicken Kyiv

herb butter, green beans, roasted cauliflower puree

Rainbow Trout

whole roasted, potato purée, pear vinaigrette salad

Why go

What makes Anelya worth the move

Anelya is a clean first click in Ukrainian Village in Chicago when you want a contemporary option you can trust. Trout Roe Tart and Pashtet also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 326 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

9.0 from 326 Google reviews

Best used for

dinner and Ukrainian Village

Style

Contemporary in Ukrainian Village

Spend

Good value

Best for

Ukrainian Village dinner cool hidden gem

Know before you go

Google rating: 9.0 from 326 reviews

Price point: value

Popular dishes: Trout Roe Tart, Pashtet, Forshmak

Website linked on this page

TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Carlos Mendez for Anelya

Google snapshot

9.0 from 326 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by Carlos Mendez

Dhanteraz Indian Fusion occupies the former Savannah Supper Club space on West Roscoe Street, and the transformation matters: what was once a supper club is now one of Roscoe Village's most talked-about Indian kitchens, a BYOB spot where…

Plan the visit

Quick details

Visit Website Menu Directions

Address: 3472 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618, USA
Phone: (773) 692-2192
Price: value
TastyPals score: Coming soon
Google rating: 9.0 (326 reviews)
Cuisine: Contemporary
Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village

Restaurants in Ukrainian Village

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Anelya serve?

Anelya is a Contemporary restaurant located in Ukrainian Village, Chicago. Anelya is doing something almost no one else in Chicago is bothering to do: treating Ukrainian cooking like the serious, layered cuisine it actually is — not a novelty pivot, not an ethnic curiosity, but a full argument that beet and cur…

What is Anelya best for?

Anelya is best for ukrainian village, dinner, cool, hidden gem. Anelya is a clean first click in Ukrainian Village in Chicago when you want a contemporary option you can trust. Trout Roe Tart and Pashtet also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 326 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Anelya?

Anelya is in the Good value price range (value). Google rating: 9.0 from 326 reviews

What should I order at Anelya?

Start with Trout Roe Tart, Pashtet, Forshmak and Chicken Kyiv. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Anelya worth visiting?

Anelya holds a 9.0 Google rating from 326 reviews. Anelya is a clean first click in Ukrainian Village in Chicago when you want a contemporary option you can trust. Trout Roe Tart and Pashtet also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 326 Google reviews.

Where is Anelya located?

Anelya is located at 3472 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618, USA. Directions are available via Google Maps.

Explore more in Chicago

Best Restaurants in ChicagoStart with the flagship Chicago restaurant shortlist.Restaurants in Ukrainian VillageBrowse nearby places around Ukrainian Village.Date Night Restaurants in ChicagoRooms with the mood, pacing, and food for a slower night out.Best New Openings in ChicagoSource-checked recent openings worth knowing now.Best Pizza in ChicagoA city-aware pizza shortlist for your next slice or pie.Best Burgers in ChicagoBurger spots with enough local signal to compare.Best Brunch in ChicagoWeekend and slower-morning picks across the city.

Ready to dine?

Book a table at Anelya

Check availability on the restaurant's official site.

Visit Website

Get the App

See your Taste Match in TastyPals

Use the web for editorial context, then explore Anelya and similar picks in the app when you want a more personal Chicago dinner plan.

Personalized city picksCleaner shortlistsBuilt for iPhone and Android

TastyPalsTonight

Your taste. Our picks.

Smarter follow-through after the guide: better restaurant context, quicker narrowing, less second-guessing.

For tonight

Date night spots with warm rooms and polished service

Next step

Keep exploring in the app when you want a tighter shortlist

Website Menu