Mama Delia — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

To start off, the food is fabulous. We were here for restaurant week and each course I ordered was done to perfection with the carrillada being the highlight of the entire lineup. I had never had such flavorful and tender braised pork in my entire life. The chef and kitchen staff really know what they're doing.

The service, particularly the management leaves a lot to be desired. We had a reservation for 8 and arrived on time. There was nobody at the host stand so we had to stand there and wait for nearly ten minutes while trying not to get in anyone's way, which is difficult because the layout of the place appears to have been designed by an eight year old in that it is so cramped that there is no clear queueing system. As a result, a couple that came in after us was sat first once the hostess returned because they happened to be standing closest to the host stand. When the hostess greeted us and we told her of our reservation, she suggested we go to the bar while she got our table ready, so we did. It was about a half hour before, finally, we were told that our (reserved) table was ready, but our "table" was the communal high top in the bar area right behind where we were already seated. It made no sense to move so we just decided to stay at the bar. But then it was another fifteen minutes, just before we were ready to get up and leave, until we were given any menus. To be fair, the hostess said she would comp our drinks, but I had already paid for them so her offer was essentially meaningless.

Our first courses came out no problem, and as I said, they were very tasty. However, when we got our main course, they brought my girlfriend the wrong dish. They said they would be right back with the correct one, so since I figured it would be just a minute or two, I started to eat mine, which is super awkward as it's polite to wait until everyone has their food before you start, but I didn't want it to get cold. It turns out I made the right choice because it was almost fifteen minutes before they came back with hers.

The runner then came with our desserts, but again, one of them was wrong. So only one of us got the dessert while the other waited. For those who don't know, on a restaurant week menu, you order all your courses at once. The bartender was the one who took our food orders, and it's possible that he simply didn't hear us very well with the music playing, other people talking and the fact that the bar is about the width of a pool table. But he should have repeated the order back to confirm.

They did bring us another round of drinks as sort of an apology, which was nice, but we didn't order any. We couldn't because we had reservations at another place afterwards and didn't have the time to sit down for another round. So we had to awkwardly drink them quickly so we could pay the bill and get to the other place on time.

We got the bill and paid it. There were no "thank yous," comps, apologies or even a "have a good night," from the hostess. It was just a completely sloppy operation on the part of the management. My true rating is a 2.5, but since the food really was amazing, I'm...

To experience the moment after taking that first bite, when the entire world falls away - that is a rare thing.

Our reservation at Mama Delia was made well in advance for a Wednesday night, but we arrived early, by maybe 15 minutes or so. Service was prompt, and we received a guide through the wine and dinner menu from Michael, who I cannot oversell even if I tried. His knowledge of the selections, his ability to answer our questions, and his honesty with recommendations (whether it's the house special of the day or not) were on-point and backed up by flavor combinations I hadn't even considered.

The Tarta de Ternera caught me off guard - one bite and the whole restaurant fell away. I was in a real Disney moment, reminded of the wasabi at my first sushi restaurant, the eggs Benedict I had after an 8.5 hour drive, and the richness of the jamón which is played on endlessly within the menu, a tesseract of variations on acorn-fed ham.

You get greedy for those moments, and course after course, I kept thinking, "I wish this place had a dance floor," because I needed to move. I felt the energy, the light, the drive behind each plate, and I wanted MORE. Is that all you got?

Then the paella came. Pork belly confit with crushed cherry tomatoes, and the real battle began. We crammed a plate each, practically tearing the seasoning from the skillet it was served in. Across from us a couple was having salad and a pitcher of sangria, and I hope they enjoyed the easy path, because we climbed Mt. Arroz El Horno with the gusto of practiced gluttons.

Two, three plates in, we sat back with our tempranillo and sighed. Michael, sly as ever, asked if it was obtuse to offer dessert, and while the dessert menu was tempting, a little digestif goes a long way. When we asked the bartender what they had on offer, I saw the glint in his eye, the moment service folks relish. That look of, "hell yeah, I got you brother." A small glass of Fernet to wash down the furious battle we had waged, we could only sit there in awe.

This is a space that is authentically, holistically, organically true. They spare no expense on quality ingredients, and what they do with them evokes the sense memory so many of us strive for and (heh) hunger for. Mama Delia is keen, smart, and focused, and against the better judgement of my wallet, has found a loyal and regular customer.

Much love to the...

Being a local in the Wicker Park area I have to say it’s kind of heartbreaking to write this review ;( In the last eleven years, I’ve seen the change in the neighborhood from cute little shops to top of the line restaurants and coffee bars in Chicago. I consider Black Bull now Mama Delia on Division St the place to go for a drink or dinner after work… Or else, yeah! The special spot in the city to bring your family and friends on a weekend gathering celebration. When I saw the restoration being done in June I said: Oh well… another of my favorites is closing…gone! Black Bull survived the tough years after the Great Recession, but not the pandemia. I am sad”. But hey!!! surprise! I heard… “No, it’s not totally gone, it’s just an upgrade, it’s same owner with a more fabulous Spanish menu, it has now a pink wall instead of the black facade and a pretty name. That’s all!“ I was relieved, I very much love the diversity in the area and the Spanish food brings enough to me. Here is the point, I liked Black Bull not only because of the menu, but because, it was very welcoming, very friendly, fantastic service and happy servers, the environment was excellent, the managing was caring and awesome even in the slowest days like on a Wednesday night. Now we have a very sophisticated place and suitable and appealing menu… good food for sure $$$$$$$ yikes! However, last night... Wednesday... my experience with Mama Delia was of a very unwelcoming staff, boring, sad, low energy… I say unhappy environment. Oh come on… Owner think of this… Where’s the inspiration now? You don’t brand a restaurant on a concept and ambiance only, you brand it mainly on your customer service and satisfaction. In other words, on customer happiness and loyalty. Last night, was probably not the night to visit you, but coming from work on a beautiful summer night and since you’re on my way home, I stopped by… but I wish I wouldn’t have done it, because, I found myself now taking the time to write this review. People, weekends are probably better to visit Mama Delia since during the week it may not be the best experience. I want to be fair, so I’d mention from my previous visits in July and August chef Antonio and mixologist Ricky are great ;) good customer care and satisfaction. At least...