Sandy’s Serbian Restaurant

You get a lot of food for not a lot of money. Nice music. If you are Serbian or are interested in exploring other cultures and their foods, Sandy’s is for you. This is a very nice and intimate restaurant that is highly recommended by me.

Recently I bought a $ 25 gift certificate to Sandy’s restaurant. We stopped by around 7 PM on Friday and found the door locked and light off. So I called the number and left a message which has not beer returned for over the week. Eager to try their food I called them on Sunday and was told the food will be served till 6 PM and later they will be open for drinks only. It was almost 6 so we did not go. The following Monday we were there at 5 PM and the restaurant was closed again. I do not think they want my business.

Sandy’s restaurant rocks. The best tasting food in the city. I love Serbian food, not because my husband is Serbian, but it taste very very very good. Grill is the best. I highly recommend this restaurant.

I am a PETA member but as a 100 percent Serbian American — I LOVE THIS PLACE. Nice folks, great food and Serbian culture. My husband can not get enough of the Sunday buffet, the salads, Sarma and veggies are the best and the desserts would do my kuma proud.

Sandy’s was the site for a wedding reception I attended this last weekend. What a loverly little Serbian spot! While I haven’t dined at many Serbian restaurants in the city, just Devine and Beograd, Sandy’s is far superior to both!
The reception was table service, so I have no opinions on the buffet that so many have reviewed.
Forgive me as I don’t know the name of any of the dishes I tasted, but my taste buds remember the FLAVOR. The soup was light, delicious, and not overly salty. We were served two salads, a tomato cucumber salad in a delicate dressing and a cabbage like salad that was dressed in a lip licking vinaigrette! I could not get enough.
The main dish (I mean that literally) had a variety of red meats, chevapi, and chicken for us to taste. The chevapi were tasty and not overdone but I cannot say the same for the chicken. While the chicken was seasoned well it was DRY… sad face because it looked like it had so much potential.
All in all, I will be coming back to Sandy’s to see what they offer for dinner as opposed to an event.

This place is great. Haven’t experienced the buffet or live music yet, but the meal I had was really good. I also think the décor — though unquestionably dated — is nice and welcoming. Service was excellent as well as friendly. If Sandy’s is only a shell of its former greatness — as many of the reviews suggest — it must have previously been the greatest restaurant in the world. Looking forward to going back soon.

I went here a few times in the last several years, and unfortunately, it seems it is getting worse each time. I am Serbian, so I grew up on the dishes Sandy’s serves. Originally, I was overjoyed to know that a Serbian restaurant was so close to home, and I enjoyed the atmosphere and the music. Each return trip makes me feel that I will not be a customer much longer. I went there a few weeks ago. It was reasonably crowded. I sat at a table so that I could be close to the stage. There was a larger party next to us. After about half an hour, the waitress asked us to move to another table so that they could expand the group next to me. Now, I did not particulary mind the move, it was more the way they approached us. They started taking our items, without explanation at first, and placing them on another table. I ordered cevapcici, one of my favorite dishes. They were rubbery, and the texture and flavor of the meat was not good. The only thing I liked about the meal was the wine. My friend’s dish was not of great quality either. I do not like buffets, so I do not partake of them. The waitress, Beljana, is nice, but not present most of the time. I used to take friends here all of the time, but now I do not feel it is worth the trip to be disappointed again. I am looking for another Serbian place to go for a good quality meal, and service that is considerate and not hard to track down. In recent years, the quality of the store they run nearby has also worsened. It is a shame. As they say, «Sram te bilo», shame on you. What could have been a great Serbian oasis in Chicago is just another place you can avoid.

We came to Sandy’s after a friend’s family event. I just have to say, I don’t like buffets. In my line of work, I’ve grown accustomed to eating cold buffet food after the main event is over. Not a fan. Then I walked up to the buffet at Sandy’s and my eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning.
The buffet, and the restaurant for that matter, brought me back to the days when we would go with Grandma and Grandpa to the VFW for the fish fry. I say that with love. It just felt homey and like I was at someone’s house for a big family meal.
I immediately started loading up my plate with whatever I could find that I didn’t know what it was. I also enjoyed that the pig and the fish were served whole with the heads and tails. I admit that I’m not a Serbian food connoisseur but everything I chose was delightfully tasty. The baked ham and chicken, fried fish, sauteed vegetables, fresh tomato and cucumber salad (yeah, looking back it seems like there was more that I didn’t know what it was. Don’t know where my head was… wooo!), beans and my favorite… sama. All so good. And then there was dessert. Baklava and crepes with jam. Yum.
After lunch at Sandy’s I felt like it was lunch with my own family, not just my friend’s.

Sandy restaurant was goood. I enjoyed the food and it had alot of tastey cuisine.
By the way, you should also try out the «Theater Café «on Irving Pk RD. Its a great serbian restaurant with gourmet cevaps.

Excellent food; enormous portions. Not meant for the PETA crowd, unless you mean People Enjoying Tasty Animals. Will certainly come again when I am in Chicago. Really had a wonderful time.

Sandy’s has taken a turn for the worst in the past year. I never know what to expect anymore, but I’ve come to somewhat expect the mediocre. It’s a shame.
Their piping hot, extensive buffet has turned into an overpriced, room temperature spread of OK. I can still eat it, but why should I feel obligated to pay $ 15 for all you can eat when I barely eat anything at all?
For months they haven’t been able to decide how much the buffet goes for. I’ve started bringing extra cash in anticipation of having to pay more than the time before. It used to be $ 10 without a beverage, then it was $ 12 with a single beverage. I have no idea what it would be these days.

Sandy baby, you’re okay. Just okay.
Our group of four arrived with somewhat lofty expectations. I had high hopes of drowning my overhang (that’s Croatian for hangover) with a bowl of homemade veal soup, some meat, and maybe a palacinka (crêpe). Or two, if we’re being real.
Anticipation: fail.
They no longer serve the veal soup they’re notorious for making. It was the sigh heard ’round the table. But we collected ourselves and moved on to more plebeian soup offerings, such as the chicken and vegetable varieties. Nothing special here.
For $ 15, you get unlimited trips to a buffet that includes sarma (stuffed cabbage rolls), sliced meats, grilled meats and sausages, two varieties of potatoes, lamb, and some cold salads (but not traditional salatas). There’s also a dessert bar which features a cold custard and palacinkas filled with strawberry jam. Even though I’m really not a sweets person, those were probably my favorite besides the mixed grill items.
Refills are $ 2 after your initial drink. We all know refills cost a restaurant only pennies, so why not just make them free? Otherwise, no beef (pun intended) with the service… she was a delight.
Would I recommend Sandy’s to others looking for an authentic ethnic experience? Probably not when you can check out Zupa’s out in Lyons or Café Beograd for burek if you’re set on Serbian.

Couple of friends and myself had a taste for cevapcipi — Serbian sausages so we had decided to go there. It was my first time. Food could be so much better, the waitress was very nice but we were waiting for our food about 40min and the restaurant was almost empty. The music was so loud we couldn’t have a decent conversation at all. Yelling at each other across the table is not working for me. The live band was horrible. Not going back there.