Restaurant Review: Roanoke (Chicago)

We went to see the Alanis Morissette musical, Jagged Little Pill, and wanted to grab something to eat nearby before the show. Roanoke is described as an “upscale American tavern.” Judging by the crowd at 6:00 PM, it seems to cater to a show crowd in the early evening.

Anthony’s Take: Roanoke offers solid food in a basic dining room. When we were there, it was definitely a pre-theater crowd, but the restaurant is also a good place for a business meal or when you want something simple and unfussy. Everything was had was fine, but nothing wowed or made us say we would come back to have it again.

Decor & Vibe

The restaurant has dark palette that feels masculine. It has an open kitchen to the right when entering. We watched as servers busily grabbed plates from the window.

There are two dining areas with a bar in the middle.

We were seated in the dining area to the left of the entrance. If I had not read it, I would not have known we were in the restaurant of the attached Residence Inn.

Food

The menu offers salads, burgers, apps, and some pub-inspired plates with a few Italian dishes mixed in.

I started with the New England Clam Chowder. It was thick and if it did not have bits of clam in it, I’d assume it was baked potato soup. The flavors were fine, but again it did not make me think clam chowder.

My husband had the Burrata. It came with basil pesto, pickled onions, and tomato jam. This is a great app for sharing as it’s pretty sizable. I liked the addition of the tomato jam and pickled onions to cut the creaminess of the cheese.

For an entree, I selected the Roasted Salmon. Again it was cooked well, but the flavors were rather nondescript.

My husband had the Chicken Parmigiana and had no complaints. It’s hard to mess up a chicken cutlet covered in cheese and tomato sauce and this one was again, just fine.

Drinks

Roanoke offers wine, beer, and a full bar. I had a glass of an Italian sparkling rosé and my husband had two French Alexander cocktails, which were the highlight of the meal for him. Pours were generous for both.

Overall Impression:

Roanoke is a good place to bring the parents, a client, or grab a bite before a show. While nothing was noteworthy, everything we had tasted fine and we made it to our musical on time.

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