La Mora - CLOSED
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Roscoe Village2132 W Roscoe St
(between Hamilton Ave & Leavitt St)
Chicago, IL 60618 (773) 404-4555
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
23 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"Oh Pump Room, you are taking the honors of my first five star review. Perfect place for almost all nice occasions. Yes, it's a nice, classy…" read more »
22 Reviews for La Mora
La Mora was decent I thought. Went for the tasting menu once and was OK. More importantly, when is the new John's Place opening in here!?
This place closed. It's been empty for a few months.
I know a few people who went and said it was ok.. I've lived a block away for going on 2 years and had never been there.
Really 4.5 stars.
I had dinner here Saturday night on a first date! No reservation? No problem, we asked to sit outside (smokers). Date ordered the fillet and server explained it was a very popular dish and RAN, yes RAN, inside to make sure it was still available. We got the last one!
I had the scallops with polenta. Wine list is nice, with plenty of choices.
Only reason for 4.5 and not five is we did not try any of the starters or desserts. Next time.
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Nearly a perfect five, except we had to wait a little bit too long for service. Once we did get the food, it was spectacular. The asparagus/arugula salad was particularly delicious, as was the pasta frutti di mare (if you're into seafood). The outdoor atmosphere is blissful and family-friendly (if you're into families). The owner came out and talked with our table and the whole experience was homey, with surprisingly sophisticated fare.
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Went here last night with my fiancee. Completely random choice, as we were driving down Roscoe looking for somewhere to eat. We drove by, and I hopped out to look at the menu. I think it was mostly intrigued by the simple but sophisticated menu. We decided to give it a try.
I was slightly turned off at first by the hostess (there were about three couples in the restaurant when we entered, and she asked "do you have a reservation?" When we said "no", she sighed and seated us) but from that point out, the service was nothing if not gracious and attentive.
My fiancee commented that it was a little funny to see so many servers for such a small dining room, but I never felt rushed or crowded by them. Our waiter was quick and efficient, but also very polite and friendly. He got his job done, and didn't linger to chitchat, which I appreciated.
We had the fried calamari for an appetizer, and it was the most tender calamari I've ever had. I had the filet, which came in a delicious sauce, but was just a *tad* overcooked for my tastes, but not so much that it wasn't still very tender. We finished with the "Fosters La Mora", which came in a fantastic caramel rum sauce that was great.
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Visited this lovely romantic restaurant over the weekend and was quite impressed. The ambiance is warm and inviting. The service and food was top notch and our waitress was eager to offer suggestions. My date and I started with the garlic shrimp sates appetizer and as entrees we had the blackened mahi-mahi (special) and the beef tenderloin. Everything was artfully prepared and tasty. We finished with the Tiramisu, which was delicious and huge! I'd go for a half order of this monster unless you're still really hungry ;)
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My fiance and I went here last Saturday as our Valentine's Day treat. It was very romantic - dimly lit, small, cozy atmosphere. The service was great and everyone we came into contact with was very friendly. The only complaint I had was that the front room (where we sat) was a bit cold as the door opens right into the room.
We each had a drink (I a pomegranite martini and he a mojito) that we each enjoyed immensely. We both shared the pumpkin ravioli in a sage cream sauce (special) and the linguine with mushrooms, scallops and shrimp in a white truffle oil based sauce. Both dishes were excellent. We could not believe the amount of scallops and shrimp on the linguine! Given that we ate 2 loaves of the bread along wtih every scrumptious bite of the meal, we did not have room for dessert.
Gives us a reason to go back! :)
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I went here for a nice dinner with my roommate and my mom. We loved the smallness (quaint, not cramped) as well as the simple decor and the feeling of warmth when we walked in. Our waiter was really great and our food was delicious!
We topped off our evening with free (yes, as in zero dollars) half order of tiramisu....a special Tuesday night deal surprise! Not to mention the fact that our half order looked more like a double order.
Free Tiramisu Tuesday would be enough to make me crave this restaurant again, but the food, waitstaff, and atmosphere combine to make me say this is a real keeper!
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La Mora is a wonderful spot for a date, or small gathering and I would have given it 5 starts until I recently realized that they are not equipped to hold larger parties.
The first time I went it was with 4 other girls on half price wine night (Monday?) and all of our food and wine was delicious. We had a great time, good service and was a perfect place for girls night out.
Months later, I returned with my "dinner club" of 9 friends, guys and girls. We waited for about 45 minutes for bread and then an additional 45 minutes to an hour for our entrees to come out. It was like pulling teeth to get refills on water as well. Although the food was still delicious, and everyone enjoyed their entrees, we were there for almost 3 hours.
UPDATE: I've been twice over the summer with my mom and then once with my boyfriend and both times were specatular. I think they are trying some new things to keep up with all the other Roscoe restaurants and its all working! The chef even had a delicious amuse bouche for us which you dont get too often! Always be sure to ask about the ravioli special - both times I was there it was fantastic - the first time was Portabello mushroom and then butternut squash - delish!
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I don't undertstand why nobody yelped about their tue-thu $24 3-course meal?! Such a bargain for a meal that I would probably given it a 4-star, but the value definitely bum it up to 5! Loved the food, the service, the outdoor seating.
Really 3.5 stars, but i'm rounding down due to confusion. I have no idea what type of restaurant this place is trying to be. The menu is supposed to be eclectic, but in reality is more schizophrenic. For example, on the one page menu you see caprese salad, samosas, greek meatballs, truffle pasta, beef tenderloin, mojitos, tandoori chicken, etc etc. It's like italian, greek, indian, cuban, american fusion. Weird.
The atmosphere is absolutely lovely with the dark walls, heavy curtains, and jazz music. Our waiter was excellent, even if he didn't laugh at my corny jokes.
My husband and I did the 3 course pre fixe deal for $24 and used a restaurant.com certificate for $25 making this a super deal. We started with mojitos which were excellent...very minty with real crushed sugar. Next, i had the garlic shrimp skewers which were just ok. My husband had the samosas which were a bit greasy for my liking. I was nervous at this point that this restaurant was trying to do too many things, and as a result would do nothing well.
For main courses, he had the encrusted salmon with some type of buerre blanc sauce which was AMAZING. I had the truffle pasta which was also excellent. I started thinking, hey, maybe this whole eclectic dining thing isn't so bad after all.
Dessert was rather limited. My husband had this doughy pastry thing stuffed with ricotta cheese and hazelnut in a chocolate sauce. Sounds nice, but literally one bite was too rich for me to even think about having another. I had tiramisu which was just ok.
All in all, the entrees, drinks and service here are excellent, but the appetizers and desserts need a bit more work. Also, it's sad to see the two most expensive entrees on the menu left out of the pre fixe deal (the steak and the scallops dish). That seems a little cheap for such a nice restaurant.
I went to La Mora last Saturday with my wife and mother in law and we were all pleasantly surprised by how nice an experience it was. The interior is small and intimate and filled with curtains and plush looking fabric. Even though the restaurant was mostly full we could still here each other speak without having to yell. Having suffered through a long string of restaurant experiences with all the ambience of an airport tarmac, this was indeed a welcome change.
Our food was quite good with my filet being the definite highlight of the meal. Everything was presented very well and although our shrimp skewer "pyramid" fell over when they were bringing it out, they definitely know how to make their dishes look beautiful.
Our service was probably the weakest part of our dining experience, although I would not say it was bad. I think our waiter could be described best as "haughty" but also "very competent" and not at all intrusive to our meal.
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Mmmmm good!
We went early on a Saturday night, and what a surprise - free caviar and oysters for every couple on Saturdays! What a nice start to what turned out to be a fabulous meal.
The wine list was good and the Columbia Valley Riesling we chose was excellent. We both had seafood - he the scallops and I the special of the night, crusted salmon cooked to tender perfection, served over risotto in a walnut cream sauce. It melted in my mouth, and I found myself devouring the entire plateful, though I usually never finish a meal!
I'll definitely be going back to La Mora!
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My absolute favorite restaurant in Chicago- rarely a wait, good food, good service, good ambience, and a good neighborhood (with parking! Imagine that!). I still daydream about LaMora's beef tenderloin.
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I'm glad that the reviewer below had a table for them on a reservation. We showed up 10 minutes late (admittedly on a Saturday night), and though there were still tables open, they stuck us right next to the door. Food was fine, not great, but fine; same with the service.
Now, admittedly, part of me is just bitter because I parked down the street in the lot for some skeezy thrift store, and got "the boot", and $115 to get it taken off in time for the show I had tickets for (the outstanding House Theater, by the way).
But seriously -- I was underwhelmed.
They held our table for us, although we were 45 minutes late, for which I am eternally grateful.
However, I made the mistake of NOT ordering the scallops, but the salmon. It was average, not fantastic. I spent the rest of the evening looking at the other table, in envy.
My partner had the beef, which was great.
One thing- try not to go during the busy hour (730pm to 830pm) during Fridays/Saturdays. We had to wait a good 40 minutes for our mains. Were they doing a tit for tat?
Hmmm. Still, a lovely evening nonetheless.
oh PS: be prepared to holler to your partner. The room is tiny, cosy- and with 20 people talking(shouting/laughing) at the same time, I left with my ears ringing from the din. bzzzzzzzzzz.
I found this place by accident when planning a birthday celebration. We walked in on a random weekday night, and our party of 8 was readily seated. A man sat and played solo guitar for us while we ate our meal. The food was UNBELIEVABLE -- I ordered a blackened shark that had the most interesting and delectable flavor, and was cooked to perfection. While my cousins were skeptical at first (picky eaters.. you know), everyone raved about their meal. The wine was terrific and they let us open our own bottle as well. I loved this place so much that I came back two years later with an even larger party.
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substandard. service was honorific. drinks arrived late and were sweating. calamari while tasty was of minuscule proportions. salmon was dry. will never return.
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I went here before a play and I thought the place was great. It was a bit of a hike from the Paulina brown line but it has a nice outdoor seating area. I had the salon which was delicious.
Its an interesting mix of what seems like contemporary American food with splashes of Indian food in a few dishes.
Definitely check it out if you're in the neighborhood.
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Great cozy place in Roscoe Village perfect for a date or spouse. The decor is great with mirrors and dark colors, and they played songs from musicals in the background the night I came.
The spinach salad great, the asparagus salad yummy, and the grilled calamari well seasoned. The scallops were seared perfectly and were just mouthwatering. I also tried the Mahi Mahi which was also quite tasty.
All in all, just a perfect place to unwind with some elegant dishes, kudos to the chef. Also used gift cert from restaurant.com which made it a great deal.
This place is good for romantic dining and they have an outdoor area for the warmer months. The wine list is supposed to be pretty good (I'm not a big wine drinker) and there are lots of seafood items on the menu. I enjoyed the food here, but people have said that they have had some strangely spiced entrees.
Love this place! Great neighborhood restaurant, cute, quaint and delicious. Great wine list as well adn teh prices are decent. Tends to be crowded on weekends so make a reservation.
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