Mama Delia

Good, not great.

The biggest issue with this place is that you are paying executive-chef-is-former-youngest-Spanish-chef-to-earn-Michelin-star-in-America prices for what amounts to "solid Spanish food." The chef opened Porto in Chicago - which earned him that Michelin star - but it is now either permanently closed or possibly reopening. It's hard to tell, given that another restaurant has moved into the space and their website claims they're closed 'for the season.' (It has been multiple seasons, for whatever it is worth).

It took me a bit longer than usual to decide where I stood on this one, mostly because the food was quite good and there is a disappointing lack of Spanish food in Chicago. But I can't in good faith make a full-throated recommendation for the food at something like ~$100 per person.

It feels much more expensive if you get a few cocktails, as is always the case. The final bill was a good reminder of why restaurants are panicking at Gen Z's preference for being high all the time over the old-fashioned method for taking the edge off. The cocktail list was a bit of a disappointment, but they seemed willing and able to make anything reasonable that you could order.

In order of preference....

In as many words....

I want this hospitality group to succeed, mostly because the chef seems talented, nice, and invested in Chicago as a food city. That said, I am biased against restaurants that cater to the dinner-and-club crowd; if the opinionated people of Reddit are right, I am not particularly inspired by the projects that they have spun up more recently.

Mama Delia embraces this hospitality group's penchant for extravagant interiors, but they do seem to also be interested in making good food. The array of other stuff they have in the city seems like you are paying Mama Delia prices - which are already too high - for Instagrammable views and experiences, rather than good food. We'll see.