Craft Urban Aurora — Restaurant in Aurora Township

Arrived 20 minutes early (there was a long line 60 minutes prior making a reservation and thought it would be just as long so I bought us some time), no line but wasn't seated. The best they could do is seat us at the bar for our meal or wait the 20 minutes.

We checked in with the host at the time of our reservation and had to wait an additional 10 minutes for our table to be ready. (The table that was first offered to me was a very small table at the end of their stairwell next to the rowdy bar and on the path to the bathroom). The hosts were great, kind, and courteous.

Once seated, our waitress was kind and very knowledgeable, she gave us the specials and I decided on the chicken picatta. The water tasted like it was pulled out of the fox river and room temperature. The wait was kind of long and when the food arrived the chicken had an overpowering fish taste to it and it was extremely salty. The potatoes it was on were also very salty.

I told my waitress when she asked if everything was ok and she offered to take it back. Not thinking they could do anything to help a fishy salty chicken, I decided to keep an opened mind and try to enjoy it. I probably got about 4 bites in before it started making me sick to my stomach and pushed it aside. Still determined to enjoy the evening, I googled how chicken piscatta was made thinking that maybe I just have an unsophisticated palette or that I didn't hear the preparation correctly. As I was doing so, the lady sitting next to my husband and I waved at me to get my attention. As it turns out, she had the same entree and had the same complaint. Too fishy and too salty.

Another waiter came by to pick up our plates before our waitress noticed him and thank him. She saw that I had hardly touched my chicken, I think she sent the waiter in anticipation of me possibly saying something. I didn't. I didn't want her to feel bad. Her service was great but I was hoping she would atleast discount the dish maybe even take it off the bill. She didn't. This is totally on me though, I should have said something.

The dj was great though! He has great taste in music, is very energetic, and is the only reason I treaded on with my evening out...

This restaurant is located in downtown Aurora and nearby to the Paramount Theater. My girlfriend and I have been looking for a new place to eat before seeing shows at the Paramount and we were excited to try Craft Urban. The restaurant has lots of glowing reviews about how trendy the place is, with its colorful murals, and the delicious food they serve. I had a much different and negative experience on my first time here.

I went on a Saturday evening before a Paramount musical, so the restaurant was busy. I was glad I had made reservations. Upon entering, the hostess (who I later discovered was also the manager) asked if we were okay sitting indoors, since their outdoor patio was so popular. She seemed relieved when we said that was okay. She then decides that it is okay to seat us at their worst table. So I did not get to see any of their colorful murals or get to experience their trendy atmosphere. My only view was literally the empty space under their staircase! I will post a picture of my table. I did politely ask to be seated somewhere else, but I was told that the place was fully booked.

I was hoping the food would make up for the lack of a view. I ordered one of their popular dishes, the pot roast. The food was just meh. The meat was tender and well seasoned, but it sat on a bed of sauce and corn. The problem is that the corn tasted like someone had just poured out some canned corn on the plate. I will post a picture of my plate. It definitely was not worth the $28 that I paid!

I did speak with the manager, who only made things worse. She was unsympathetic to the experience I had and just had excuse after excuse. It came across that I should be grateful for whatever I received since they were so busy.

I also learned that Craft Urban has late night ramen. I might give them a second chance after another Paramount show. I imagine they will not be as busy then and I might have a better experience. But Craft Urban definitely does not know how to handle a busy restaurant before a Paramount show and their food is outrageously overpriced for...

We saw a matinee performance of Frozen at The Paramount yesterday and after the show we went this new-to-us restaurant for a post-theater dinner. It was great to walk just a couple streets over to dine at Craft Urban after the musical. Someone at my Pilates club recommended this restaurant to me. So glad we went. When you walk in, there’s a bar area across from the kitchen with a few tables close to the kitchen. Past the bar there’s the dining room and also stairs for a second level dining room. My husband started with an old-fashioned, which was on point. For dinner, I had the butternut squash gnocchi and my husband had the pork chop. I only had about a dozen gnocchi on my plate so my dish wasn’t filling. The gnocchi, though, were light and pillowy - just a small portion. My husband’s pork was slightly pink but still a little dry. The taste of the pork was very good. I know, because I snagged a few bites. We decided not to get an appetizer like we usually do when we saw the dessert on the Sunday specials. We split a yummy ice cream sundae made with Graham’s cinnamon ice cream with apple pie filling and chunks of pie crust. Yes, please! We had great service from Masha, who was attentive and friendly. I liked that the manager Stephanie came by our table for a chat. You could tell she cares about her customers as I saw her going about the restaurant visiting tables. It really matters to me when management takes the time to stop by. In reading other reviews, portion size is an issue with others and also the restaurant charge. I can agree with the portion size, but read your bill as it clearly states you can ask them to remove the small restaurant fee. I’m happy to have another decent restaurant in downtown Aurora to go to after we enjoy a performance at the Paramount. I’ll definitely be back, and I do recommend it for your pre-or...