Pachamamas

Sadly this fine restaurant has announced that it will close after Valentine’s Day. I wonder whether the future would have gone better for Pachamama’s if it had remained at its former location in West Lawrence. That dining room was unique and is now available only for special events.

Excellent food. Great attention to detail. Immaculate plates! ! Definitely a must when in Lawrence!

Extraordinary food and drinks. The fig Manhattan was amazing as was the evening entrée special which consisted of duck, shrimp, and pork. The chocolate mousse with orange marmalade was incredible.

This is our go-​to restaurant for celebrations and special events. Rarely are we disappointed in our usually full-​plated, delicious meals. While the Bar has plenty of small plates and burgers, we usually splurge on full entrees, appetizers, and make use of their appealing wine list. They are very accommodating of dietary restrictions and usually have nice specials. Our experience with the wait staff has been good but a little spotty — sometimes they seem a little aloof. Still, they’re friendly and trying their best. It’s a great dining experience and I highly recommend Pachamamas!

I’ve been to pachamamas four times now… I’m usually an optimist when it comes to a great setting but I don’t feel like the money you spend is comparable to the dining experience you have.
This is why:
I love the location, beautiful décor, friendly staff (most of the time), very accommodating yet in my opinion the food isn’t all that amazing for the price you pay for. I’ve had the roasted lamb, the lavender chicken breast and their steak. Although all the dishes were juicy and tender, I feel like it lacked flavor. I mean, if I’m shelling out nearly $ 30 for a single dish (a date night with drinks will set you back nearly $ 80), I believe it should knock all my expectations out of the park.
But on a side note; the desert here is spectacular. The warm apple tart is delicious! As well as their brown sugar cake.
My waiter seemed rushed and really wasn’t all that friendly (as long as I get my food
, I’m fine, but the whole vibe that you don’t want to be there looms)…I’ve been waited on him twice.
Maybe I’m just being über pretentious about my food, but either way, I’ll most likely come back when the time is right.

After March 29 2013 they only serve dinner.

Pachamamas is one of the best places in Lawrence to go for interesting and well-​prepared food, and though it’s not on Mass. Street, the patio still offers excellent people-​watching.
Both interior and exterior are always immaculate. I’ve never seen any part of the place not sparkle, and that’s a huge deal for me.
The servers and bartenders are top notch and are genuinely invested in your experience being great. The chef often sends out an amuse bouche, which is an unexpected touch in this area. Management is also awesome. I’ve called ahead to discuss a special meal for my vegetarian sister-​in-​law and all questions were answered and all requests granted.
My husband, stepson, and I went on a French fry tour of Lawrence and, hands down, the pommes frites here are the best in taste and consistency.
The cocktails are fantastic and the bartenders are willing to whip up something new and inventive for you.
We generally stick to ordering small plates (we like to bounce around from place to place this way), so the seasonal menu offers a nice variety. The Pachamamas salad holds a special place in my heart and I adore it to the moon and back.
Why only four stars? They no longer make my beloved crispy crab spring rolls. I dreamed about those things. Nearly worshipped those things. Considered naming my son Crispy Crab Redmond. My husband is allergic to crab, so these were all for me. Now, nothing on my plate is safe. Sigh.
It can also get a bit loud in the main dining room. The acoustics are off, somehow. It can be distracting.

One of the pricier places in Lawrence, which is why this place doesnt get my fifth star. The environment here at Pachamama’s is beautiful! Take your significant other out sometime, they will love it. The place is definitely up scale, with newly printed menus each night. I got the chance to try the salmon while I was there, and trust me I was not disappointed.
They do have a bar in the place, but I would suggest eating, and then heading across the street to sand bar, or even the upstairs joint named Henry’s, as the prices are pretty steep.
The staff was a amazing, I was greeted with a smile as soon as I walked in and was shown to our private room in the back, which I found out is great for parties. THey had a wait staff there to assist us that wasnt too overbearing, but still knew how to make sure we had everything we needed.
I would strongly recommend taking a night off to have dinner at PAchamama’s, its worth it.

If you like inventive, well prepared food and great service, this might be your restaurant. They did not put a foot wrong during my meal; the food and service were great. Inventive and well-​paired combinations arrived on each plate. That said, some other patrons weren’t entirely satisfied with the doneness of their steaks and the steaks themselves didn’t look particularly inviting (speaking for myself I wouldn’t confuse this place with a chop house — try something a bit out of your ordinary, Kansas people!). Overall experience was fantastic. Note for the famished: portions were modestly-​sized to the point where after a salad and main course I welcomed the fabulous dessert. Dessert is something I probably would have skipped if the portions were larger. The Blue room was a very inviting venue for a private party.

Lots of really good things about Pachamama’s (just Pach as the locals call it) that can be said. One of the classiest bars in the city, beautiful interior and an interesting menu. A lot of things that might point to a 5-​star rating and they’re clearly shooting for it.
However, there are hits and misses here and those just aren’t my experiences. They’re those of some of my friends we dine out with. Beware a full-​house: the wait staff can be the biggest issue here and I’m on record plenty for pointing out this is a problem all over town when fine dining is involved. Don’t expect professionals serving you. Expect college students or folks between college and their future employment.
Still, the food can be very grand and interesting, but you want to make sure the main chef is on premises when you dine. How you do that I don’t know. How many times have we dined here? Probably 12 – 15 over the years. Our most recent experience was one of the best, including the wait-​person, that is until dessert, at which point they seemed to disappear for an unusually long time. The four of us were discussing whether we should see if we could halt the order, pay and depart but eventually it came.
Pach has a management problem to my eye. They need someone better supervising food flow, waiter coverage and time between courses. If it’s there, I’m not seeing it. On a recent Thursday, with shops open late, the restaurant was maybe ¼ full but the service could have been better.
Still, of the 3 – 4 high end dining spots in town this is one of the best. The experience can range from 3 – 5 stars is my experience. Usually very good, sometimes great, but never below average.
TIP: hard to beat having your meal at the bar on nights when it isn’t busy. They have one of the better bartenders in the city and he knows his wines, beers, mixed drinks and is very attentive and friendly. The appetizers are typically very well done and can be filling. The bar is classy enough that it’s actually a very nice spot for two, but for four you really need a table.

This was really my first experience with fine dining but it was something I wanted to try. My tastes can be downright plebeian at times but I do try to broaden my horizons.
The food wasn’t perfect but that’s only because I had to go on a vegan day. I let them know when I made the reservation and they arranged a whole meal for me. Really they bent over backwards for me the whole time, host, wait staff, chef, everybody. That’s why the 5 stars.
My entrée was a variant on the cassoulet. I really like beans but don’t like corn and I can eat squash it just isn’t a favorite. It actually tasted better once I gave it a minute to cool off– it was very hot at first. The best part was the appetizer– fried spinach. I never would have thought of that. It usually comes with cheese but the chef, when he easily could have just left it off and called it good, instead substituted hazelnuts. That was downright inspired. It sounds odd but it worked brilliantly, and again I never would have thought of that.
If I do go back on a vegan day I’ll have to try the veggie burger. In retrospect I think I would have been happier with that. Really though, I should go when I can have the full run of the menu. I can only imagine what they can do without such limits.
It was expensive but not as bad as I was worried it might be– under $ 40 for me before tip. And the veggie burger would have cut that by a lot.

Visiting Lawrence, we were searching for somewhere good for dinner.
This is where to go.
It’s not cheap, but it’s not outrageous either.
I heard a comment wondering was it a former car dealership? I wonder if it was! There are huge windows to the n/​w onto the east heart of downtown Lawrence. There’s a little bit of outdoor seating on the north side if the weather is nice.
Once the waitress showed up, we had great service, with good cocktails and excellent dinners (but really cool salads actually!) and a great dessert.
We went here on the advice that the other good restaurant in town was closed for renovations. They’ll have to win the title back now.

Pachamamas is a very good restaurant, but I am only giving it three stars. I’ll get to that.
The good: for the most part, they have very delicious and often interesting food. They definitely make the most interesting cocktails I’va had in Lawrence and I appreciate they always have one (and sometimes two) tequila cocktails. Many bartenders just seem scared of tequila. The menu (both food and drink) changes seasonally. They usually have one poultry entrée, one lamb, one beef, one pork, one seafood and one vegetarian. There are daily specials that usually include one meat and one seafood option. They also use a lot of local food which is definitely cool and they list the farms on the menu.
The servers are usually friendly and pretty knowledgable about the menu and they never mind splitting checks for large groups, which I definitely appreciate. I’ve been there for several ~10 person meals and they are always accommodating (but make a reservation!).
Pachamama’s also hosts some cool community events like Nerd Nite and craft fairs and I think it’s great to help out the community in that way.
But… I just don’t think it’s worth the price. One cocktail and one entrée and I’m out $ 50 (including tax and tip, to be fair). The portions are often small (common for high end restaurants) but they are filling thanks to copious amounts of cream and other high fat additions.
Another thing that bothers me, and for this I am actually deducting a whole star, is that the Star Bar menu is no longer available in the dining room. The burgers still are, but that’s it. I really enjoyed getting a grilled cheese with egg and a side of asparagus for under $ 15 (pre tax and tip). I understand that they need to make money in the dining room and they perhaps can’t waste space on people planning to spend less than $ 30, but I just find it unfortunate that they used to offer that menu and they no longer do. If they’d never offered it, I probably wouldn’t be bothered so much.
I’d really rather give them 3.5 stars, and deduct only 0.5 for the Star Bar menu loss, but I’m sticking with 3 rather than 4.

New to Lawrence and knew I needed to try Pachamamas.
Took a friend to lunch there yesterday and sampled the daily soup, house & panzanella salad, daily special and the seafood cake.
WOW
I love the simplicity of a panzanella salad-​this was anything but simple.
Kale, roasted cauliflower, ham, hazelnuts and an insanely rich goat cheese dressing. Best of all it was served warm. The kale slightly wilted, against the buttery croutons, salty ham & slightly charred cauliflower all happily dressed in the richness of the sweet pepper and goat cheese-​incredible. There is something in that dressing that almost disqualifies it as a dressing. It is as rich and complex as any sauce or reduction.
The house salad is equally layered in flavors and the best use of fried onions I’ve seen. (I’m usually not a fan)
The shrimp on the special were overcooked but the three onion risotto (a dryer-​more caramelized version) was superb.
The seafood cake is a generous portion that is so loaded with (ever changing) seafood that it barely holds together. It is rich in (again) layered flavors and I loved the bits of cooked egg white in it-​another ingredient I usually don’t care too much for. The broccoli served with it seemed like an afterthought but the subtle nutty quinoa
was the perfect compliment.
This was definitely the best dining experience I have had in Lawrence.

Hands down the place to take your important person whether for special occasion or for business.
Relaxed yet classy place. The menu item are fabulous, appetizer, main course, and desert. I had the lamb shanks and they were spot on. The chef is a great guy, comes to the table and be hospitable.
I would definitely go there again and again.

Pachamama’s is a good place for an eclectic meal in Lawrence. Most of the time, Pachamama’s delivers a superb experience.
The flatbread pizza is prepared very simply with fresh organic ingredients. Some may not like the simplicity but I enjoyed the delicious crust with fresh cheese and toppings.
The chef is fairly adventurous, so the ingredients don’t always come together as you might expect. I recently had a Chicken Curry Stew that was just OK, the taste was good but fresh okra in the soup imparted a gelatinous consistency.
I’ve had the burger on several occasions, it is a huge burger served with house-​made spicy ketchup. I like it. Others have said that the «smoky» flavor of the burger is off-​putting but I like it fine.
All in all, Pachamama’s delivers one of the best dining experiences in Lawrence.
If you are looking for a great dining experience for companions who are not very adventurous, try Tellers for traditional Italian.

An ok place to try if you’re looking for somewhere «classy» to dine in Lawrence. The space is great-​open and modern with large windows that let in natural light. The servers are incredibly well-​trained and knowledgable and the food menu and their wine offerings. We had a great overall experience here, but the food just didn’t quite live up to our expectations.
The food was all good… just not great, and definitely not worth the hefty price tag. In general our meats and fish were overcooked and not very tender. I had a special with sea bass and a warm shrimp potato salad-​the whole dish just had a single flavor-​potato salad. Great idea, but poor execution. We were glad we gave it a try but I don’t think we’ll be returning. For those that may not have the most selective of palates, this would be a great place to take someone you want to impress.

Passing through Lawrence, I managed to find possibly the best cocktail lounge in all of Kansas. I came in wearing shorts and a t-​shirt and found a seat directly at the bar. The bartenders are joke around with customers, themselves and with the manager every moment they get. It’s so fun. The drinks are made and priced very well.
On this particular night, the special was on Martinis. So of course I watched my bartender make 15 in a row before I decided to try one. Processing this delicious gin martini, I followed that up with an old-​fashioned, The Carlos Picante (mezcal, pineapple, cilantro, agave nectar and beer), Weedeater (rye, cherry, ginger, and orange), 8^th Street Bourbon Press (fig-​infused-​bourbon and lemon-​lime soda) and the Garden Variety Caipirinha. Impressive.
Amazing. Did NOT know Kansas has these quality-​type bartenders. Keep em Pachamama’s!

Yum, yum, yum. The food quality at the Star Bar is amazing, as are the drinks. If you head there on a Thursday, you can take advantage of the $ 5 well martinis.
I had not been to the Star before, but gathered a group of friends and headed there since I had read about a tomato water martini that they make. We sat in one of the clusters of casual chairs that are available and were promptly waited on (even though it was a busy night). Even when the band started playing on the patio and the crowd was heavy, our server was very attentive and went out of his way to get us what we wanted (see my tomato water martini below).
I started with the tomato water martini (which was no longer on the menu, but our wonderful server managed to find the tomato water and get the bartender to whip up a couple). And, at $ 5, I took advantage of the special and also tried the delicious shady shandy (vodka, Tank 7 and Chambord… you can’t go wrong) and a grapefruit gimlet (also not on the menu, but they will make it for you if you ask really nicely). My companion’s cocktails were also delicious.
Our group ordered several appetizers, including delicious lamb meatballs and possibly the best crustini I have ever eaten (bone marrow, with avocado, Gorgonzola, Radish, and Truffle Honey). I also had the pork burger with kim chee, an egg, and yuzo cream cheese (delicious but very messy – if you get this, get extra napkins). The flat bread and salads ordered by my companions also looked great, and were greatly enjoyed.
Over all, great service, great atmosphere, and wonderful food and drink. Star Bar for the win.

My dinner here was really wonderful! I was on a work trip and had already bookmarked this spot to try, but it also came highly recommended by our local friends. The menu changes regularly and everything was so very fresh.
The night I went I was treated to a little amuse bouche before my entrée arrived. The waitress came by to tell me about the specials. She was very sweet but could have been a bit more polished on knowing what the specials were. I decided to go with the lamb meatloaf that was on the menu and it was so good! It came with fennel that had been treated like onion rings (battered and fried) which was the perfect complement to the meatloaf. It sat on top of brown butter polenta, which I could eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner it was so tasty.
I decided to finish my email with a cinnamon, maple ice cream sandwich. It was a bit sweet for my taste, but I really enjoyed the combination of flavors and was glad I had ordered it.
I may not find myself in Lawrence again, but if I did, I would definitely be having another meal at Pachamamas!