La Sirena Clandestina

Friendly and knowledgeable staff, nice environment and one of the best kale salads I’ve ever had. I’ve been here twice now and have found myself pleasantly surprised on both occasions. Great variety on the menu and good drinks too.

In 2016 I want to frequent restaurants within walking distance from my house more often. La Sirena is gonna be one of those restaurants I put at the top of my list while considering diff restaurants for dinner this year. You walk in, it’s dimly lit and it’s clear, by the smiles on the server/​hostess’ face that the folks who work here are passionate about making sure you have a delightful night.
La Sirena has never failed. I first wanted to check this place out because I heard it was designed by local Chicago artist, Brian Willette. As a big fan of his work, I was hoping the food would be as good as Brian’s art. And boyyy it sure is. I’ve had some truly terrific and innovative dishes here at La Sirena. Some of my faves include the sword fish ceviche, braised rabbit empanada and duck heart confit. Truly all of which had stand-​out flavors and an interesting rather unique twist on Latin cuisine.
Yes La Sirena yes!
I suggest bringing some cash so you can valet because it definitely is hard to park in the ever-​growing Fulton Market District. Please don’t be alarmed if there’s a wait for dinner, it’s very worth it!

Up front, I’ve only been here for lunch, but am looking forward to going for dinner one day.
With that out of the way… I work in the area and have made this small gem a favorite — especially on a cold day. I am particularly fond of their black bean soup. On a cold day, a bowl of that is the perfect way to warm up and keep yourself going the rest of the day. It does have some heat to it (the type of heat you feel not taste) so if that scares you, you might want to only do a cup or at least ask for extra crema. But if you like beans this soup (and the homemade crackers it comes with) is not to be missed.
I’ve also tried the empanadas, which were great; the cuban and the brazilian beef, which were both tasty but the type of sandwich you need a nap after. Also, I’ve not tried them yet, but I’ve heard the Alfajores (a type of cookie) will knock your socks off.
The service here has always been attentive and friendly, especially at the bar, and their out door tables are nice for a beer on a hot day.
All in all a solid spot that you keep wanting to go back to.

My pastry chef-​in-​training daughter was in from out of town for the holidays. She and I were walk-​ins Saturday night early — around 5:25 p.m. The small dining area was almost empty and the bar was entirely so. Paige was our server and she was attentive and gracious at all times.
We split three dishes, starting with the kale salad which is huge but not too filling. Since my daughter is a pescatarian and a «spice wimp,» they agreed to put the jalapeño peppers on the side of the salad. Its fresh cotija cheese was a tasty counterpoint to the kale. The poblano dressing was not very spicy.
Next was the ceviche with toasted pepitas and a kind of creamy green dressing that set it apart nicely from the typical lime juice ceviches you’d get on a warm beach somewhere. It comes with what the menu calls house made saltines that are actually more like large pieces of flat bread papadams. This was a great combo and disappeared quickly.
Paige checked with the chef to make sure they could make the grouper entrée without the morcillo (which I suspected and we confirmed was blood sausage.) It didn’t need it, as it was served over a bed of white beans and maple glazed sweet potato purée. Small portion but delicious, all the same. We couldn’t leave without trying one of their famed empanadas — this one with cream of mushroom filling. The crust was flaky but the filling was unremarkable — the only let down if the night.
Several times during our meal, Maria (who seemed to be the manager) came over to check on how we were doing. When we told her about my daughter’s profession, she spoke with us at length about other places to try in the neighborhood, spots with good deserts and breads and went out of her way to be helpful, supportive and informative.
When we were about to pay the bill, Maria sent over two comped deserts: a shortbread cookie with dulce de leche and a flourless chocolate cake with fresh mascarpone and a gooey, delicious ganache. Try to save room for these. You won’t regret it.
As we were leaving, the place was filling up and getting quite loud, so it could definitely be «conversation-​challenged.» That said, kudos to everyone at LSC. Thanks for a great night of dining!

La Sirena Clandestina was wonderful. It was a last minute decision to go and SeatMe from Unilocal made it super easy to make a reservation. We were seated right away and given menus. I had the Moqueca — the seafood stew — and my friend had the Chicken and sausage. Both were excellent. The seafood stew was bursting with flavors and the seafood was very fresh. It was also a very filling dish. I could barely finish it all. We started with the empanadas as an appetizer. The dough was quite delicate and flaky and the fillings were delicious. We had the french onion and the jambalaya.
The restaurant is small and cozy. Loved a lot of the upcycle elements used as part of the décor. I’ve read about La Sirena on TastingTable and am happy I got a chance to try it.

Absolutely fell in love with La Sirena Clandestina the minute I took a bite of the kale salad at the Chicago Food and Wine Festival this summer.
I made a promise to myself I would get to the restaurant and try more dishes.
I can’t believe this gem tucked away on Fulton street never crossed my mind and I’m so glad it is so close by!
Fortunate for them and unfortunate for me that they are across from the new Google building and will always be booked solid for a reservation.
I had the kale salad with roasted poblano dressing, cotija, pepitas, jalapeño. The poblano dressing added the perfect kick. We also tried the beets and burrata which was good but I would have preferred the beets with goat cheese to add a little bit of a bite. Of course we couldn’t leave without trying the baked empenadas. I had the roasted squash and a broccoli mac n cheese. Both were unique and delicious. Although stuffed, our curiosity got the best of us and we had dessert as well. I couldn’t resist the temptation to try the apple cider donuts with the rum glaze and squash mousse. The mousse was amazing but the donut was dry and lacked the flavor I was looking for.
Overall, this is a wonderful restaurant and I can not wait until they open their second concept this coming year!

Very cute place! Dining room is tiny, so we had to sit at the bar without a reservation, but the bartender took great care of us. I started with the oaxacan discoteca, which almost tastes like a traditional Chinese sweet drink (sweet plum juice), loved it! Bf had the pisco sour and peruvian ambassador, the latter of which was one stiff drink. Both were delicious though.
We ordered a ceviche, hangar steak and moqueca. While the flavors were excellent, I thought they were a tad stingy with seafood in their ceviche. The moqueca, however, was piled high with delicious shrimps & shellfish. The steak was good but over-​salted. Also wished it came with some veggies on the side, especially given the price of the dish (hangar steak is supposed to be budget cut!).
I liked the food & drinks enough to go back, but given the prices this is a special occasions place, not for neighborhood weeknight dinners.

Best best best best best best experience ever! Server was spot on and professional, food was to die for, ambiance was exceptional and the icing on the cake was my lovely drink that my server recommended. Great night! I will be back and spread the word!