CLOSED: Opera

CLOSED: Opera
(4)
1

Closed
Veg-options

Vegan-friendly

Ovo

Chinese

Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Upscale Chinese restaurant with a separate, all-vegan menu. Emphasizes local ingredients and eclectic preparation. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reported closed to HappyCow.

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1309 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60605
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+1-312-461-0161
- Last update on 30 Jan 2011 by Guest
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- Added by condekedar on 30 Jan 2008
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4 Reviews

First Review by ·X·

darrek

Points +37

Vegan

25 May 2009

Expanded vegan options - Edit

I went back to Opera after a long absence and I have to say I'm sorry I hadn't gone back sooner. They've expanded their vegan options since I was there last. The new kung pao tofu and kaipong (a curried rice dish) were fantastic. A great option if you're looking for a somewhat more upscale place than Alice & Friends or the Chicago Diner without having to pay all that much more. On top of that the preparation is very creative and the portions are large. I left with enough kaipong for lunch the next day. I highly recommend this place.

Pros: excellent vegan options, very friendly staff

gmjordan

Points +15

Non Veg

12 Apr 2009

Great Alternative to Usual Vegan Fare in Chicago - Edit

Went to Opera tonight. Non-vegan in a vegan household. Suffice to say that although I can always find something to eat at Chicago Diner and Karyn's Cooked, the menu does not change very often. We love Alice and Friends but it is a little far from downtown Chicago. Opera is the first Vegan friendly restaurant that felt like a real restaurant you could take a date without making it all about your diet. The waitstaff John was extremely professional and knowledgable (as good as Enrique as Karyn's cooked) and the manager Sarah was extremely professional and friendly. I thought the food was amazing. We usually have what the waitstaff recommends so we went with the wontons and Orange Tofu. They were amazing. Frankly, I was so shocked to read a less than positive review that I felt the need to register and review the place. Incredible place. You will not be disappointed. Five stars if I could give it. If they can separate their utensils and cook vegan, it's still vegan in my book. It should receive the five stars it deserves.

Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Friendly Staff

condekedar

Points +9629

Vegan

15 Sep 2008

Not worth a second visit - Edit

Opera is open late, which is a plus point. They recommend making reservations, but when we got there on a Friday night, it was fairly empty. The decor is cool and artsy-unusual, and the service was friendly and prompt.

I love that they have a separate vegan menu, however small it may be, and however confusing (it's not separated into traditional groupings of appetizer-entree-dessert, so make sure to ask what's what).

Now onto the food. The morel mushroom wontons were decent but nothing spectacular. Morels are delicate, so I wasn't sure that deep frying them in batter was the best cooking treatment. The portion size was kind of small considering the price ($9).

My Mapo tofu was also decent but nothing special. The portion size was much larger, even though the price was only $8, so I'm not sure how the restaurant sets prices. The flavors were a strange mix of sweet and spicy, but I found that the dish became boring after ten or fifteen bites.

There were two other vegans in my group and one of them was greatly disappointed by her "vegetable rice noodle stir fry" which she found to be overly sweet with low quality noodles. I tried her dish and concurred---it was sugary, rather than savory, and that doesn't make for a great dinner. Finally, the last vegan in the group enjoyed her "spring vegetable muushu."

While I must give the restaurant kudos for having a vegan menu, and having hip decor and nice service, I was not impressed by the food. Quite honestly, I probably won't go back here unless I'm desperate. It just doesn't merit a second visit.

Pros: Has an all-vegan menu, Friendly service, Open late

Cons: Mediocre food, High prices

·X·

Points +23242

Vegan

14 Sep 2008

Just OK - Edit

The nice thing about this place is that they have a separate Vegan menu; however, the food is just OK, or at least that's what I thought when I was eating it. Toward the end of the meal I found that I just wasn't too impressed and opted not to take my food home with me. The decor is very nice, as are the employees, but I probably won't go back again.