Ilchi Uyghur Cuisine

"Unfortunately, we ate at this restaurant last night, and it was quite negative. While I usually avoid negativity, I hope this review helps others make a better decision. Price: The prices were astonishingly high. A simple hummus starter was $12, and other dishes followed suit. While willing to pay for quality, this felt excessive. Service Shortfalls: With only one server for the entire restaurant, service was painfully slow. This impacted the entire dining experience. Hummus Disappointment: Despite the hefty price tag, the hummus was clearly store-bought, lacking freshness and authenticity. Even worse, the four tiny pieces of bread were insufficient to finish it. Dishes: My lamb shank dish ($37) was advertised as coming with "bread/rice" on the menu. However, only bread arrived. When I politely inquired about the missing rice, the waitress responded dismissively and somewhat rudely, placing the blame on me for not specifically ordering it. Unfortunately, the lamb itself was undercooked, adding to the overall disappointment. While some other dishes at our table were deemed decent, the overall consensus was that the portion sizes and overall quality did not justify the exorbitant prices. With so many options available in the area, diners seeking authentic flavors at reasonable prices, or even a luxurious experience worth the cost, can easily find better options than this place."

"Wow it’s so cool beef combo"

"Had birthday dinner with my family at Ilchi Uyghur! It was a satsifying experience all around! The ambience was uniquely beautiful with cultural art and music. The food was delicious and had a very inclusive menu - options for vegans as well. The hosts/owners, Ziba and Ahmed, were very hospitable and welcoming. Thanks for great and memorable service!"

"Worth to try. We got Gam Bian Soman, Manta. They’re delicious, really enjoyed."

"I think Ilchi is the best Uyghur restaurant in DC. Let’s go through the hits. The polo (pilaf) is absolutely divine—it’s savory, aromatic, and somehow achieves a textural delicacy and refinement that is pretty rare for lamb-and-rice dishes. The guyru laghman (stir-fried noodles, with noodles made in-house) are perfectly al dente and offer a wonderful balance of savory and spicy. They also offer that dish’s fun cousin, dingding somyen (stir-fried chopped noodles), which are the perfect comfort food. Their eggplant salad is to die for—they balance the vinegar really well here—and so is the langpung (starch and gluten salad, trust me, it’s amazing). I haven’t tried anything else, yet, but the classic laghman is supposed to be great. It’s very authentic, which is great, because Uyghur food actually suits all sorts of tastes. Ilchi’s predecessor at this location tended to make its dishes too sweet, but Ilchi went for the real complexity of Uyghur cuisine, which balances elements you’d recognize from Persian, Indian, and Chinese food. It pays off. The guyru laghman is simultaneously vegetal, umami, sesame, and lamby, with a subtle kick of Sichuan peppercorn. I wish it were less expensive, because I would eat here every day, if I could afford it. Quicker service would also be nice, but it seems like a family operation, so you really can’t complain. Still thinking about the guyru laghman. You know what, I’ll go there right now."