Culinaria — Restaurant in Lawrence

I’d like to start by, I don’t leave reviews often but this needs one in hopes they improve. Firstly, the good things were the aesthetic gave charming and a hipster vibe meeting a brewery/winery. The ceiling was covered in paper lanterns of assorted colors and shapes— didn’t make sense for the genre of food. But it was esthetically appealing. I chose this restaurant because of its location and the pictures made it very appetizing. Upon arriving with family, 4 adults and one 10-year-old. We noticed right away it had primarily adults and I did see a few children nothing more. We were sat right away due to our reservation. After waiting some time we finally met our waitress (she was very busy, understandable), but it was enough time for us all to choose what we wanted. Upon her arrival and drink orders, I inquired about children friendly menu and she had that look of “Sorry but…” She did recommend that parents who do bring in children usually get the ‘ fried Chicken and hummus plate’, I had no other choice but to try that for my son. He was not a fan of it and I would agree, that the chicken was overly fried very dark brown and the batter too was extremely salty. It was not a blend that was palatable.

As adults, 3 of us ordered the chicken shawarma and the other ordered the chilaquiles. Being mindful here, Mediterranean is my favorite dish to eat and I’ve had my fair share of authentic Mediterranean restaurants over the years. But hands down this restaurant was not truly authentic. Did it have some dishes that are staples to the category, yes. But the spring house salad and sliced grilled chicken (giving great value grilled chicken from a bag in the frozen aisle) and fried baked potatoes….? That was the first. Then to see there are chilaquiles in the menu, that threw me off. Given that chilaquiles are an origin to the central and northern Mexico. Now seeing that chilaquile plate come out to the table, that is the most imitated version of what real chilaquiles are. At this point, I shouldn’t be as surprised but I am. Then the portion size is absurdly large. Now if you look at the portion size and the price tag you may think “Oh if I’m paying a lot then the portion is worth it”, that be right if it was truly authentic.

There were more drink options than food options. Then to not even have anything remotely to cater to children, not a single item or two threw me off. Listen, even parents that love this style of college town atmosphere and hipster vibe, too have children so maybe adding something to the menu would be a great idea. I mean its already all over the place. When you think about it, it can already be done, if the restaurant can fry up baked potatoes and fry up chicken, then there are already two staples that would target children who accompany their parents. That’s just a simple suggestion.

But the bill was unnecessarily high for food we could barely make a dent in or even enjoy. Marketing-wise, this should align more with its drinking (beer/winery) and college atmosphere than a Mediterranean restaurant. Revamping the menu and addressing the targeted audience with clarification is...

I was really looking forward to trying this "Mediterranean inspired" restaurant here in lawrence, and what a disappointment it turned out to be. I should have guessed it wasn't going to be good Mediterranean food just by seeing chilaquiles as 1 of the 4 entrée options. Anyways, the drinks were really good we did enjoy them. The atmosphere is really good too, and service wasn't the fastest but was to be expected during a graduation weekend. The falafel was really good, I can see that it might be a little too spicy for some people, but we really liked it. Also ordered the spiced beef hummus and halloumi caprese. The hummus is okay, but the beef was past "crunchy." it was more like burnt. For the halloumi, I didn't like the presentation, but that was just my personal opinion. My main complaint with that dish would be the halloumi itself. It didn't tasted or had the texture like it should, im not sure that it even was halloumi! Even with all of that, the main reason I'm giving it this rating is because of the entrée, the chicken shawarma. I don't even know where to start. It was bad, from the presentation to the taste. Chicken tasted as if it was boiled and then slapped with some Seasonings on top, with no color or taste to it. The pieces of potatoes that came with it were more flavorful, We couldn't even finish that. And to wrap it up, mousse for dessert. The flavor was spot on, but the texture it looked and felt heavy, more like a cake... without mentioning that half the cup was just cream. Considering that this is supposed to be one of the best spots in lawrence is very...

My wife and I came to Culinaria after a Jayhawk basketball game based on the recommendation of our sister-in-law. She is not only a great cook but a connoisseur of food and restaurants. We were immediately greeted by Tyler who was also our server. Tyler has a very pleasant and kind demeanor and gave us excellent guidance and recommendations. As soon as we were seated, we were favorably impressed by the limestone walls and the pleasant atmosphere. We also loved the portrait on the wall of Abraham Lincoln who represents the Free State history of Lawrence. My wife ordered House Hummus and I ordered Spicy Carrots and we shared them. As soon as we tasted them, we knew we were in for a wonderful dinner. The pita bread was wonderfully seasoned and the best we have ever had. The Spicy Carrots were incredible!!! My wife then ordered Shrimp Mujaddara and I ordered Chicken Swawarma. Both dishes were grand slam home runs!!! This restaurant ranks among the very best that I have eaten whether in New York City, Chicago or Kansas City. I cannot recommend this restaurant more strongly. Come here, you will thank me! PS We also met the co-owner of the restaurant who is married to the Chef. She had a wonderful story about how the portrait of the great Abraham Lincoln wound up on the wall of this...