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    Cira

    4.1 (601 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Cira Takeout or Delivery

    Cira Photos

    CIRA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Trendy
    Romantic
    Classy

    Recommended Reviews - Cira

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    Reviews With Photos

    Vibe
    Becca K.

    Came here for breakfast! Coffee was pretty decent but loved the avocado toast! Probably one of the best I've had in a while and the potatoes were perfection. Had some bacon on the side too but it's pretty standard. The space is so open and very much giving West Loop vibes.

    Ankit S.

    This place gets really busy on a Friday or Saturday night. It takes a while to order at the bar and I wouldn't blame the bartenders but some of them just plainly ignore you and go to the person who come after us. The drinks were alright got their tequila sunrise and it was so bad. Ambiance and music is Great and it seems like it's first come first serve for seats after a certain time. There's a photo booth around the corner and lazy bird right downstairs.

    Lee L.

    We dined here recently as a group of eight for a milestone birthday celebration. It was a very good meal in a lively but noisy atmosphere. Since we were a larger party with a variety of dietary preferences and restrictions, we had the opportunity to try a broad range of their offerings. There were some hits and a few misses, but in the end everyone came away quite happy. Appetizers: Hummus - fairly standard, topped with a pumpkin seed relish and served with pita. Baba ganoush - flavor was a little understated, could have used a little more spice. Seared octopus - tender and flavorful with a delicious za'atar relish; one of the favorites of the evening Mushroom skewer - I didn't personally try this (the vegetarians among us finished this off), but it was well-liked by those who ate it Pastas: Squash mezzaluna - cooked in brown butter and served with an agrodolce sauce, this was really excellent. Good thing we got two orders of this. Pistachio ravioli - orange butter saffron sauce topped with garlic bread crumbs, this was another favorite of the table. Mains: Grilled dorade - cooked with the skin on and topped with panzanella and a caper relish, this was one of my favorites but it was less well-received by others. The fish was well-prepared and moist. Chicken confit - prepared with a pepper and mushroom cacciatore, this was a miss for most of us. The tomato-based sauce just didn't seem to work, and it was hard to get the chicken off the bones in a clean manner. Tuscan steak skewers - we asked for medium rare but they came out medium, but it was still tender and flavorful. This was served on a bed of beans that looked odd but worked well. Desserts: Apple mille-feuille cake - caramel and mascarpone and thinly sliced apples; really very good Baklava with berry compote - it seemed like a good idea, but in the end it just didn't work. The baklava rolls were a little dry and hard to cut as well. Service was excellent. It is very loud in here and it's hard to have a conversation with anyone who isn't seated right next to you. The restaurant has also bought into the trend of keeping the lights at a very low level, which I guess is done for ambience but sometimes it would be nice to be able to see your food a little better.

    Shakshuka**
    Andi P.

    5 Stars for a beautiful dining area and lounge, fantastic breakfast, and kind service. We arrived for brunch (without a reservation) on a Saturday and were excited to see they had room. The hostess took us over to the main dining area (there's also a lounge area closer to the entrance that looks like a lovely place to hand for drinks and bites). Shah was our server and he helped us pick the fluffy pancakes, the shakshuka, and crispy breakfast potatoes. All three were perfect. The shakshuka had a bold, rich, and deep flavor. The spices in this really shone and we were grateful for the crusty toast served alongside. The pancakes were such a delight!! Fluffy and almost like little soufflés! The compote and syrup gave us a perfect tangy/sweet combo and the side of crispy potatoes gave me the crunch and salt I desired. We were thankful for Shah's guidance and loved chatting with the chef who also stopped by. Overall, a definite repeat-worthy spot!

    Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta  Crispy Falafel
    Allisen J.

    Super impressed with this spot. The ambience was an EASY 5 stars: massive restaurant and beautiful decor and natural lighting. We came for dinner after drinks at lazy bird downstairs. We ordered wine, which was excellent and falafel and bruschetta to start. Very fresh and good flavor. We ordered gnocchi for the main and it was pretty good but not the star of the show. Would def come back to try more of their well balanced menu!!

    Interior
    Anthony D.

    The restaurant is in the lobby of a hotel. I believe it is also a coworking space, but it's a pretty great spot to grab brunch. This time I ordered: - Cold Brew - Breakfast Burger The burger was great, a little on the tall side which made it a little messy when trying to eat it. The fries were nice, but it seems like a few were stuck together during the frying process so a little chewier.

    Their version of kids buttered pasta
    Jim D.

    Came here after a failed attempt at thanksgiving dinner elsewhere. Flavors were bland, overpriced & despite it being the food holiday of the year there were no special incentives. Fireplace is aesthetically pleasing but that's where the compliments stop.

    Gem Caesar (add falafel)
    Heather F.

    Opted to have a last minute brunch at Cira while walking around the neighborhood with friends earlier this fall. I had never been before, so was a blank slate in terms of expectations. As others have noted, the restaurant is situated in the Hoxton Hotel lobby. There were a number of people hanging out with laptops when we visited, and not so many patrons focused on social dining, which left the vibes pretty flat. Along those lines, the service also felt a little disengaged. Acknowledging it can be tough when a group is being social to know how much to intrude, it still felt like there were moments where we were definitely left waiting for some time, namely to place our order and get our check. We ordered the mezze platter to start, and it was very colorful and enjoyable. The pita it came with was good, but did not go far, so I would consider ordering an extra piece depending on your group size. I was feeling something fresh, so I went with the Grain Bowl Tabbouleh. The description emphasized quinoa and kale, so I had figured some heft, but ultimately what jumped out was the cucumbers and tomatoes, neither mentioned in the description, and the feta. The kale was very scant. I added an extra falafel as I was hungry, which proved to be fine, but it wasn't terribly interesting (a little undercooked in the center and overdark on the exterior), compared to a standard mediterranean plate of the same. A friend of mine got the Gem Caesar, which was more vegetable forward, and another the smoked salmon and hashbrown dish, which was pretty and composed, but not out of the ordinary. I certainly wouldn't say anything was problematic, but given the price point and the other takes online, I did feel like brunch was definitely a more middle of the road experience.

    Fluffy Pancakes
    Amisha R.

    I ordered the short rib benedict which was a bit dry, but I did enjoy the hash browns that came with the dish. The service was quick, but not as attentive as you would hope. I asked for something and it took the server a reminder to remember to bring it to be me even though it wasn't that busy. You definitely are paying for the ambiance though, which is classy and elevated.

    Seared Octopus and Lamb Kofta
    Victoria S.

    Loved this place! It's spacious, yet welcoming! Almost feel like a library. We ordered an assortment of dishes. Highlights include the octopus, broccoli, and grilled chicken. The star of the show was the blueberry baklava. Just get it, trust me! The drinks were very very good too. Well made. I want to return and go to the downstairs area? I believe it's a go-to spot in the evening. I'll be back for sure!

    Vibe
    Leyang Z.

    Second time dining in this restaurant. Main dish was good, service was disappointing. I ordered the "Green" salad and Sea Trout. Salad had very little asparagus inside -- only several thin slices. The trout was grilled to perfection -- very crispy skin, and very juicy, meaty flesh. What interested me most was, however, the sprouted lentil side served with the trout, where they put pickled beets, sprouted lentils and a light hint of sauce. It had an earthy, slightly sour flavor. Paired greatly with the fish. Service, however, was disappointing. The server gave me a salad with dressing for the first time (I asked dressing on the side). But what really annoyed me was that lots of people came to my side to order drinks as if they did not notice that I was dining at the bar. Someone even touched my plates! The servers and bartenders just overlooked it; no one informed the customers to be careful. In fact, they should have asked them order the drinks at the side of the bar.

    Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates
    Suhani A.

    This place is so beautiful and the restaurant itself is massive. Very dim lighting and absolutely delicious food. I hate pistachios and hate dates but the pistachio ravioli was probably my favorite dish of the night. I usually like falafel but didn't like this one; it felt like there were too many pickled veggies that were overpowering the falafel and the falafel didn't really taste like your usual. Overall, I thought the food was excellent but the portions are way too small. I think even for an upscale restaurant, the portions are very unreasonable given the prices.

    Divya V.

    I have been to Cira a couple of times in the past, this time I tried their restaurant week menu for dinner. The experience was great! So if you are choosing a restaurant week menu, the entire table needs to participate in it. For appetizers we tried the mezze platter, which was family size sharable. Although my friend complained that there weren't enough pita breads served along with it, however our server was kind enough to give extra pitas when requested. The pita is served with three dips - eggplant hummus, green pea hummus and a creamy dip. Everything tasted great! For main course I tried to Pistachios ravioli and my friend ordered the Tuscan Lamb Kebab. The ravioli was soo good, it surely melted in my mouth with every bite, yum! For deserts we tried the hazelnut cake and tiramisu brownie. I don't have a sweet tooth but still appreciated both the deserts a lot. For drinks we tried tequila based drinks - old fashioned with tequila and rags to riches. I felt rags to riches had a weird sugary syrup which made the drink too sweet but wasn't bad at all! We were celebrating a birthday so our server even offered cute chocolate balls with happy birthday decorated on a plate. It was a sweet gesture! Try this place for a good dining experience, they offer great Turkish food!

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    8 months ago

    Great cocktails and beautiful bar overall. This is located in a hotel and a great place to stop before you go to Cabra upstairs.

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    9 months ago

    Fantastic customer service, ambiance is just amazing, and food is delicious! Great for an evening out with friends or a date night!

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    Page 1 of 16

    Ask the Community - Cira

    Hi, is the restaurant dog friendly?

    Yes. We welcome dogs in our lounge area. We serve food and drink throughout.

    Are you open for Christmas dinner?

    Good Afternoon, Susie, We will be open for Christmas dinner! At this time we will not be offering… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    The Gundis Kurdish Kitchen - Kurdish coffee -- very tiny but sooooo good!

    The Gundis Kurdish Kitchen

    (676 reviews)

    $$

    Lakeview

    I'm very happy that I closed out my visit to Chi-City at this amazing gastronomy destination! Made…read morea last minute reservation, and the magic unfolded. Beverages: 5/5. I don't see the drink I ordered online and I forgot to take a picture of the menu. That said, it was a superbly blended craft cocktail with whiskey. Cuisine: 5/5. The stuffed chicken was recommended by the waiter and it was superb! Flavorful, filling, and just the perfect meal after walking miles around the city. The milk pudding was a solid closer, but I'd probably order one of their other desserts next time. Service: 5/5. Efficient, which was impressive, given the dinner rush. Ambiance: 5/5. Classy space, nothing to dislike. Buen provecho.

    I have since returned twice for dinner. We had a lovely meal 3 years ago and returned lat night…read morereminiscing about it. We found the service to be incredible - warm, sincere, helpful. The staff genuinely cared to deliver a positive dining experience. Our water glasses were always refilled (so many restaurants these days don't do it). The menu is marked so well for allergens - my friend is vegan and I am vegetarian gluten-free - I was able to enjoy the soup, appetizers, and salads. They prepared a vegan cous cous for my friend. I recalled the salads being better - it was mostly greens with very little of walnuts/ beans, etc - the other ingredients that had previously made these wholesome and enjoyable. I might suggest cutting back on overall size of the salad but not on the ratios of the recipe. The soup was flavorful and they provided me with gluten-free bread. And my friend absolutely loved the cous cous - generous portions, flavorful spices. My husband had had the lamb shank last time which he found a bit dry. Last night he gobbled up the stuffed chicken delightedly.

    Oda Mediterranean Cuisine - Butternut squash soup and mini eggplant roulades

    Oda Mediterranean Cuisine

    (208 reviews)

    $$

    Andersonville, Edgewater

    I've always thought that having a great restaurant within walking distance of where you live is an…read moreundervalued property perk. We are lucky to have a wide range of cuisine options near our place in Andersonville, and now we can add Turkish-Georgian fusion to our regular rotation. We had a wonderful meal there--I took advantage of the Restaurant Week menu and ordered cioppino. Half the time I order seafood in a restaurant, I end up with rubbery shrimp and tasteless fish. Not at Oda. Their seafood stew was filled with great stuff. My wife had tokat chicken, which she also enjoyed. The humus, Khachapuri, salad and dessert flight were also excellent. It would be fun to go there with a group. It's an ideal place for a shared-plate night out with friends. But there is one thing--like most restaurants in the city, the tables are close together, which is totally fine. We're not looking for Applebee's-type table separation when we go out. Even when you get a table a few inches between two others, it takes about 30 seconds to isolate your own conversation and enjoy your meal, unless you're next to a table where the diners are essentially yelling at each other. I'm not talking about a couple fighting about money or a bunch of 30-somethings getting rowdy on Moscow mules and umami burgers during a night out without their kids. I'm talking about two people yelling--in a friendly way--about the most mundane subject of all: their coworkers. We noticed as soon as we sat down but by the time we considered asking to be moved, the three tables nearby were filled. No big deal. It was kind of entertaining, in an eardrum-splitting way. Their conversation was shockingly loud. And not just the statements, like "SHE THINKS SHE'S IN LINE FOR HIS JOB," but also the brief conversational acknowledgements, like "YEAH! FOR SURE!" It was like sitting next to dueling car alarms. If you're familiar with Pee-Wee's Playhouse, picture the obnoxious salesman who loudly blah-blah-blahs his way to a quickly slammed door, courtesy of Mr. Herman, but two of them whose faces are two feet apart. And we had no door to slam. All that being said, this isn't a knock on the restaurant at all. And since Oda is so close and so good, we'll be back. And hopefully by then, Josh from accounting figures out how to use Smartsheet--"RIGHT? IT'S RIDICULOUS!"--so if we do end up next to the Decibel Duo, we'll have a new workplace dilemma to listen to.

    Came for dinner. Our family shared pita and hummus to start, which was the best I've ever had. The…read morepita was fresh and soft, and the hummus was creamy. So much of the menu appealed to me, and I don't go out for Mediterranean often, so it was super difficult to choose a meal (family style would have been ideal but with Mediterranean we couldn't have more diverse preferences). So I ended up opting for two small/lighter dishes to have my own tasting: the mini eggplant roulades and soup (I tried to order the chicken meatball on the menu, but they only had butternut squash). The mini eggplant roulades were just DEVINE. So unique and so fresh. The soup was really good - since it wasn't on the menu I had no description when ordering - it ended up having some curry spice which isn't my favorite (specifically cumin) but still enjoyed it. Our server was really friendly, originally from Turkey and was receptive to my parents' excitement over our upcoming trip to Istanbul. We weren't rushed on a weekend evening. The restaurant was really nice and pleasant atmosphere. A little more upscale than I was expecting. I would absolutely love to go back here and try more of the menu. Although I know the struggle would be real to not repeat the eggplant roulades.

    Ema - Salmon bab.

    Ema

    (1.9k reviews)

    $$

    Near North Side

    I've come here with my boyfriend a handful of times and we love it. We like to try different…read morecocktails every time. The mimosa on a nice summer day on the patio is my happy place. The entrees are amazing too. The rice with the chicken skewer is my favorite so far and my boyfriend loves the beef and lamb skewer. The service has always been great as well. We've had the same server a couple times now and she's friendly and gets the job done. (Wish I could remember her name!) The ambience is great. With natural light coming in and the soft lamps, it's calming. Truly a beautiful restaurant.

    So disappointed. I…read morecame about 5 years ago and loved my meal, especially the sticky date cake, which lingered in my memory as my favorite all time dessert. This year I was so excited to bring my family and Ema was the only restaurant in Chicago I couldn't wait for them to try. I booked it as our final meal in Chicago and lay awake at 4am being so disappointed in my choice. Our server's greeting was monotone and emotionless, which I realize now, would be foreshadowing the meal to come. Ordered the following 1) Smoky eggplant- arrived appearing as an unappetizing curdled purple grey mush. This was the worst tasting baba ghanouj I have ever eaten. It was acidic and had the texture of cottage cheese. The only redeeming thing about this appetizer was the warm naan. 2) house made stratciatella with side of green falafels- The stratciatella was bland and stringy. I would not order this dish expecting the creamy interior of typical burrata. However, if you like string cheese mixed with heavy cream- you may enjoy this dish. The tomatoes and basil were good. 3) chicken kefta- kefta was bland, rice even blander . 4) short rib with polenta- bland and the meat and polenta had the same texture, which seems impossible but somehow the plating was over complicated by the addition of mushy dates and grapes. 5) buttered noodles- my 8 year old ordered this. It was decent with a good amount of Parmesan and cooked perfectly al dente. By the end of the meal, I was so shocked by how terrible the food was I didn't even want to order the sticky date cake that was my main purpose for returning to this restaurant. Ema, what happened to you?!

    Cira - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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