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Jollof rice, Efo and Iyan.

The food is very good, but on the whole, far too spicy for the average American palate. People leery of eating spicy food should go elsewhere, The problem is the service. The staff shares each others responsibilities, gets mutually distracted, gets sidetracked very easily and forgets about the customer. One often has to wave or flag down their server to get service. Orders are forgotten or screwed up. One moment the woman behind the bar is tending bar, the next moment she is busing trays the waiter then starts working behind the bar, then buses trays. Sometimes there is a second waiter for the same table. All work behind the cash register as well. All disappear into the kitchen. Are you getting the picture? They also look a bit dazed and confused when you come in, sort of like a deer caught in your headlights. They don't know what to say, and act surprised that anyone comes in at all! The operation seems poorly managed at the server level. The African beers are very good and worth trying.

We tried an oxtail dish at the Taste of Chicago that was pretty good. So we decided to give the restaurant a try. Boy, what a big mistake. It didn't taste anything like what we had at the Taste. Service was slow too.

Bolat has the best atmosphere in all nigerian reasturants!!!!!!!!!! no questions asked...these other reasturants need to get on their job! Bolats food is fresh tasty and "Tantalizing"! The food even looks appealing. Everyone can enjoy the food and the environment as well...they have customers from different parts of the universe! I am Nigerian andd Bolat is my first choice to dine alone or with friends before or after a study group! They're GRRREATTT!

Oh my god... I've found my new favorite food. African. Everything was so agreeable. So simple. So wonderful. We ordered the house special which comes with meat or fish, I got Goat, and Plantains, Jollof Rice, Steamed Rice, and Yam Porridge. All very very good. *Someone in this 'rate/review' complained about the goat being tough in a previous review... umm... goat is SUPPOSED to be a tough meat. You want soft? Get lamb.* The Goat in my Pro-Foodie opinion was great. Chewy with a good smoky flavor. I also ordered the Snail in a elegant spicy red sauce and it was amazing when paired with their palm wine. Flavor and texture heaven. Atmosphere was very cozy. Small place but nice and cozy. The bathroom was in a stinky basement but it's pretty typical for that area of Chicago. No surprise there. It was clean though. The service was a bit slow and apprehensive but after a few smiles and food compliments from our party, they warmed up. But I agree, they could be a bit more attentive. In total I'd give Bolat a 4 and I will make it a staple of my foodness in the city of Chicago. Go. eat there and enjoy.

Pros: the atmoshpere (nice decor), most of the food (fufu, egusi stew, jollof rice, palm wine), the manager is very gracious Cons: wafts of raw sewage if you sit at the table near the door to the downstairs bathroom, the beef patties were so-so and the goat was tough, the waiter we had was very slow I would love to go back to this place, but I would ask for a table near the front and far away from the bathroom. The food is very unique and addictive though. I'd go back just for the egusi, fufu and palm wine!

I called this restaurant on Fathers day, the phone went unanswered for more than 5 minutes. I called again and within 2 minutes got a response. I ordered 4 plates of coconut rice with chicken, meat pie, beef kabob and hot pepper goat soup and was told there wasnt any left on the menu! So I decided to order the Jollof rice and chicken and one rice and curry chicken so that by the time we got there the food would be ready. As we were about to leave, I got a call from Bolat. They had run out of Jollof rice as well! Is this a restuarant or a joke?