Rosa De Lima

I hope RDL recovers quickly from the fire! The people of chicago need to experience this institution. the menu is extensive and i love every single side, but try their ½ or ¼ chicken. cheap, filling, juicy, what more can you ask for?
It helps that the staff is extremely kind and friendly!

It’s been a very long time since I have been here. I hardly recognize the place from it’s former self years ago.
The roasted chicken is a great deal. I got white meat chicken — lean, crispy and dancing with exotic spices along with two sides for six dollars! All orders come with complimentary garlic bread and a thick, creamy hot sauce. If you are really adventurous, try the grilled veal hearts. They don’t look like hearts at all and have a succulent flavor. Grilled to perfection, they come with a mustard dipping sauce. I almost always never eat veal, and this dish will be one of the few exceptions. The ceviche was fresh and tangy, but I must say the fish was not a high end species (probably tilapia). My waitress was ultra nice and friendly. If this place had a patio, I’d be there at least once a week.

Peru, from what I read and saw in researching to go there on an aborted trip in 2009, is a land of history (the majesty of Machu Picchu), mystery (um, again, Machu Picchu, who built that thing and what is it?), and meat. This is a country which apparently squeezes every last bit of sinew off the bone. It’s a country where they eat guinea pig (cuy) as their national dish to supplement their diet of beef.
So what is there for a vegetarian such as myself and one other Unilocaler who joined us for an event here to eat? Why the other staple food in the diet here in the United States (or is it prison) that goes with meat — potatoes (and lots of fish, if you’re willing to play pescetarian for a night).
Rosa de Lima might as well be called Papa de Lima — hey, it’s not like they have good signage anyhow — for how well they prepare dishes containing this vegetable. There nothing made with roses on the menu after all (don’t come after me with pitchforks, Peruvians, I know Rosa de Lima is your patron saint; and that the country has more than just Machu Picchu). But, the Crema de Papa (a side that, like the meaty manwich, eats like a meal) is so full of buttery potato goodness, it felt like rose petals on my tongue. And the Papa a la Huancaina, Peruvian potato salad, is memorable for the huge chunks of potato and egg that flavor it wonderfully. The fish is really good too (shhhhh!).
Now this appetizer dish is around $ 7.00 — and the rest of the prices on the menu go up from there. Rosa de Lima should not be mistaken for one of the taquerias that reside by it on Western (for one, because it’s Peruvian and not Mexican) — this restaurant is a bit fancy schmantzy.
Not that I realized how much money I was spending because this place has a magic elixir called Pisco (a western South American grape liquor) put into in all sorts of drinks. I prefer the Pisco Sour, a slightly bitter lemon and pisco mix covered in a froth of egg white (it’s not as strange as it sounds, though they do have margaritas for the less adventurous). One of them, since I’m a lightweight, sort of knocked me down. But it didn’t knock me out so I still had to try the Cuscuena beer. It’s now one of my new favorite, not very hoppy, imports and I wish more places carried it.
I could lie and say it’s taken me this long to write the review because I don’t remember the night. But, really it’s just because the cancelled trip to Peru still holds some bad memories. But this turned out to be a good place to salve those — or at least try to kill the brain cells containing them.

So yeah, they said this place is hard to find. I came prepared with the address so I was pretty confident and they do have a sign but, as my friend pointed out, it takes a little putting together when all the sign says is Rosa and something about Cancun. Hmmm… isn’t this place Peruvian?
I had to have some Pisco, so I went with the Capitan. Pisco, sweet vermouth and bitters. It was delightful, but I have to admit that more than one might have made me believe I was in Cancun… er…Lima. So for round two I went with a Lucuma Sour. Kind of like a daquiri with a native Peruvian fruit. It was gooood.
For my entrée I ordered the Lomo Saltado. It was good and, according to our waitress, very authentic. Fortunately I had the opportunity to dine with many others. Let me just tell you what is a-​mazing: the chicken soup, garlic bread, mashed potatoes (OMG!) and the potato with the Peruvian cheese sauce. So good, I’m drooling.
My friend’s roasted ½ chicken with 2 sides for $ 8 was an amazing deal and quite delicious as well. That’s what I’m having next time. With the mashed potatoes. Mmmm.
Our server was so friendly and cute as can be. With such delicious food and great deals, I will definitely be back. Soon.

I once made the mistake of ordering a margarita from a large, grizzled bartender at a dive bar in Oklahoma. The giant man leaned across the counter, stuck his face within inches of mine and said, «Son, that there is a frou-​frou drink.» I promptly changed my order to a «whiskey, neat.»
That bartender would have been very disappointed in my drink choices at Rosa De Lima. They couldn’t have been more frou-​frou. But, they couldn’t have been more delicious either. The Maracuya Sour contained passion fruit, Pisco and egg white. Yes my friends, you did read that right. Egg white seems to be as popular an ingredient in Peruvian drinks as Pisco. Hailing from a tropical island, I consider myself a connoisseur of passion fruit drinks. Of all the cocktails I have ever had, the Rosa De Lima Maracuya Sour best captured the true taste of passion fruit. The drink also contained a generous amount of Pisco and packed quite a punch.
The roasted chicken was quite tasty too. I couldn’t identify the herbs used in the rub but they produced a very flavorful end result. As sides I ordered the pureed potato and the fried plantains. Nutmeg enhanced the buttery potato concoction and the fried plantains retained their firm texture.
The true star at Rosa De Lima is their Maracuya Sour. For that frou-​frou drink I would have gladly endured the disdain of the tough old Oklahoman bartender.

This place is still amazing. My biggest issue is with the green sauce, and that’s because it doesn’t always set my mouth on fire. When it doesn’t do this, I use more with each bite and then it’s gone and I’m sad. Seriously though, I get extra green sauce and use it with everything I make at home.
The chicken is still my favorite, though I have yet to try any seafood. I hear they’ve got some delicious dishes, but I’m a sucker for the chicken and whoever I’m with usually doesn’t like seafood. One day… one day…
Their mashed potatoes have no lumps and are seriously some of the best I’ve had. If you like the green sauce, mix it in! Something you probably wouldn’t think to try here is the french fries, but my step-​father loves fries and got some. While they weren’t bad, I’ve discovered that they are meant to be under food so they can absorb the sauce, such as in the Lomo Saltado.
The margaritas are STRONG and the Pisco Sour is still one of my favorite drinks! Also, I’ve only seen three people working here, 2 ladies and 1 male, but they are some of the nicest staff I’ve come across. My boyfriend noted how they always came at the right moment (and how easy it was to get their attention) but never lingered too long. He loves this place so much he’s put it on his «to-​do» list every time he comes to the city. Hey, that’s fine by me considering the food is delicious AND cheap.
Remember people, you go here for the food, not the ambiance. However, I’m really happy to see there’s about 70 more reviews than when I first wrote my review.

I think I found what is quite possibly one of the best dining deals in the city at Rosa De Lima. Can I get a «hey-​yo!» for paying six bucks for a quarter chicken (white meat only, please!) and two sides? AND a cup of chicken soup? AND some tasty garlic bread?
Before I start gushing about the insanely good chicken, I have to do my due diligence and talk about a few things that were maybe not so good, hence the 4 star review.
First, no sign outside with the name «Rosa De Lima.» Well, they do have a dry-​erase board on the sidewalk that has the name hand written on it, but it’s not so easy to spot when you’re zooming down Western. Next, the décor is kind of iffy. It’s kind of like a cheapie Scarface set including lots of black and white, mirrors, a weird little bar, plants. It’s a pretty decent sized restaurant, but our group of 16 Unilocalettes were some of the only dining patrons in the joint. How are they staying open?
Now I’m ready to talk about the chicken. Sweet Mother of God, that roasted chicken is amazing. The skin is crispty crunchy magnificence and the white meat was so tender and moist, it should be illegal. And a total steal! While I paid a ridiculously reasonable price of $ 6 for my quarter chicken with two sides, a whole bird is only $ 10. TEN DOLLARS! Crazy, I say. As a card carrying carb lover, I ordered fries and white rice as my sides. The fries were way better than expected; Very crisp on the outside and piping hot on the inside.
Thirsty? Order up a house specialty called the Pisco Sour, which is Pisco, lemon juice, egg white and ice. Or a margarita. They are huge and delicious.
Last, but certainly not least, the juke box provided me with a lot of entertainment. Roll the dice and try some of the Latin music, or stick to your English language standbys like the Beatles, Bob Seger, Cher, Foghat and the Almost Famous soundtrack. I had the entire table of Unilocalettes singing, «Your So Vain» by Carly Simon as well as a rousing rendition of Cher’s «If I Could Turn Back Time.» I found my money to be VERY well spent in that juke box.