Best (Actually Good Food) Deal in Town – Rosa de Lima

-By Megan

A few years ago, Bobby was planning a birthday party for his sister at The Green Eye Lounge. We were searching for a place that would deliver food to the bar and we stumbled upon Rosa de Lima, a neighboring Peruvian restaurant. We had a wonderful (and extremely affordable) experience with them that night and it has become one of our go-to Chicago restaurants.

While Rosa de Lima has a variety of menu items and everything that we and our friends have tried has been excellent, there is only one meal that I want to talk about in this post. It was the first meal I had at Rosa and it’s the one I keep going back for. And indeed, it inspired the title of this post – best (actually good food) deal in town.

So let me break it down for you. For a mere $13 you will receive:

• One Chicken Soup per person 
• One Basket of Bread 
• One Whole Chicken 
• Two Sides

People - for $13 this is an insane steal! When I eat at Rosa I will generally take down the soup, a few slices of bread, one piece of chicken and maybe ¼ to ½ of each side dish. If I ordered this for myself I’d have 3-4 meals covered! Or if you are a man twice my size, you have at least two meals here. And as I alluded to in the title, this is not a nasty bucket o’ chicken from KFC.

The soup is a simple one that varies throughout the year depending on what’s on hand; usually it includes chicken, some veggies, and rice. In the fall or winter it is the perfect antidote to the cold.

Soup

The chickens are large, moist, and perfectly seasoned with Peruvian spices. The chicken is served on the bone with skin on. Please don’t be lame and take off the skin – that is where all the spice is. 

Chicken

There are many choices for the sides, but I always go with the sweet plantains and yuca (also known as cassava or manioc). The plantains are done perfectly – soft throughout with a slight crisp on the outside. And the yuca is a nice alternative to fries. 

Plantains & Yuca

 Finally, the glue that binds the whole meal together is the sauce, a Peruvian specialty called “aji.” I have been told it’s made of jalapeño peppers, cheese, and garlic. It is subtly spiced  with a unique tang, and despite having my tongue burned off on occasion, I always go back for more.

The "Aji"

 In addition to this great meal, I always enjoy myself at the restaurant. The servers might be the nicest human beings I have ever met. Sometimes the service can be a little bit “European,” but just accept it and enjoy a leisurely meal.  And please – do give this place a shot. Although it has delicious food at affordable prices, it is rarely full. I would hate to see this place go by the wayside for a lack of clientele! 

Rosa de Lima - 4 Food Babies

 All and all, Viva la Rosa! 

-Megan

Rosa de Lima

2013 N Western Ave (Just North of Lazo's) - (773) 342-4557

Open Tuesday - Sunday: 11:30am - 9:30pm

For More information check out the Rosa de Lima website.