Uyghur restaurant plans to open at former Rep’s location in Palatine
A new restaurant spreading the culinary traditions of the Uyghur culture wants to open in the former Rep’s space in Palatine.
Kashgar Uyghur Dining is seeking village council approval to open at 139 N. Northwest Highway.
The spot has been vacant since Rep’s closed its Palatine location in 2025 and kept its restaurant in Rolling Meadows. Prior to Rep’s, the building was occupied by an Arby’s.
Kashgar Uyghur Dining co-owner Rahila Reshid appeared Tuesday before Palatine’s planning and zoning commission.
She told the panel it will be a family-friendly restaurant with authentic Uyghur cuisine and halal foods.
“We hope we can be a long-term part of this community,” said Reshid, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Waris Ablimit.
The couple owns a restaurant in Chicago, also called Kashgar Uyghur Dining, while Ablimit co-owns Uyghur Lagman House, 2997 Kirchoff Road in Rolling Meadows, with partners.
Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority population living primarily in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. They also live in smaller numbers in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan and many have settled in Illinois as refugees.
Alcohol will not be served at the Palatine restaurant and the drive-through will be available only for pickup orders placed by phone or online. The eatery won’t use the existing loudspeaker system and, because they will pick up prepared food, that should help reduce waiting, traffic and vehicle stacking, Reshid said.
“If an order is not ready when a customer arrives, we can ask them to park and wait instead of blocking the drive-through,” Reshid said.
They also plan to use existing outdoor seating during the warmer months.
The menu will include hand-pulled laghman noodles, polo (pilaf), grilled lamb, beef and chicken kebabs, dumplings, soups, naan, stir-fried dishes, appetizers, salads and desserts.
“We make everything fresh,” said Ablimit, a licensed chef who has a 26-year background in the restaurant business.
The proposal sailed through the planning and zoning commission unanimously.
“It’s a restaurant that’s sitting empty. It’s perpetually operated as one. The parking is there. I don’t see any problems,” said commission Chairperson Jan Wood.
The only concern was raised by a neighbor, Lisa Lindemann, who said there are giant trees, one of which is falling on the 8-foot fence by the property. She added the fence has broken through, allowing animals to get into her yard.
“If someone falls through that hole, it’s a 4-foot drop, where someone could have injury,” she said. She asked whoever removes the tree, whether ComEd or someone else, also repair the fence.
“My son has already seen animals and a fox go through that hole into our backyard,” she said.
The matter is expected to be heard at the village council on Nov. 9.
The owners said they hope to open the new restaurant in a few months.
szalusky@dailyherald.com