Ada's is my go-to lunch spot in the Loop. Â (Actually, I alternate between Ada's & Gold Coast Dogs up the street in the parking garage, but Ada's seems healthier.)
My usual: chicken noodle soup, either a corned beef or pastrami on rye, dill pickle, latke (hot potato pancake) with applesauce, slaw and a can of Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray (probably the only soda pop on earth that tastes like celery).
The place is huge: a bar area that fronts Wabash seems popular with Loop workers after 5:00, a long take out deli counter with all kinds of fascinating things to buy, a narrow seating area along the waiting line and a large square dining room at the back. Â The servers all seem to have Russian accents.
When I was a kid in the 1960's, Ada's was a little hole-in-the-wall deli at Kedzie and Montrose in Albany Park, next door to Kaufman's bagel bakery. Â They seem to have done all right over the years, to have relocated to the Loop.
This place is truly awful.  I have given it a couple of tries because I work right across the street and it seems like it has gotten increasingly worse.  Today my boyfriend and I went on our lunch break and for being a downtown location, you would expect good things from a Jewish deli.  My guy got the "special" chicken melt with soup and fries, is sort of a  no brainer but there wasn't really one good thing about it.  Let me break it down.  The "world famous chicken soup" they are known for is pretty much just broth with white rice....and that's it.  I didn't spot 1 piece of chicken, and I had several spoonfuls.  The sandwich itself was on a soggy English muffin and was barely warm let alone hot. The chicken salad mixture was sort of tough and mostly mayo.  It had a heavy coating of hard cheese over top.  The fries were room temp and soggy.  The slaw was out of a bag and about a half of a teaspoon size serving.  I had the greek salad which had NO flavor, mainly iceburg lettuce and the most disgusting feta cheese I have ever had.  Our server was sloppy and chewing gum and although the restaurant was almost completely empty, the bus boy was the one checking on us and asking if we need anything.  After our check was brought to us, he never returned and I had to find someone at the front of the restaurant to run my card.  Needless to say I will never be returning back to that place again.
Review Source:I've eaten at Ada's twice and the food is amazing. There Manhattan and Ruben are delicious. Some of my co-workers got the cabbage soup, and they loved it. One of them isn't even a big cabbage fan.
It's a sit down Jewish deli style restaurant. The day I went there was right before Christmas and it was not that crowded. I've heard it does get crowded at times. The sandwiches are huge, I didn't even finish mine, plus with the fries it is worth the money. They have daily specials and soup specials, which I have heard good things about.
But if you are in the loop and want something not super fast food, try Ada's Jewish Deli.
Just walked past this today and decided to try it. Should have kept walking. Considering it was lunch time, the place was dead. That should have been a cue that the place was awful. The service was equally as terrible as the food. A simple question of how big are the sandwiches couldn't be answered. I am sure the question is asked often as the sandwiches are upwards of $10.00.  I ordered breakfast, and  it was the worst I have ever had. The hash browns were AWFUL and inedible.
My friend ordered a corned beef pastrami, he said it  was bland, greasy and undercooked (the fries.)
I suggest walking right past this place and choosing another restaurant in Chicago, it will easily beat this place.
We were staying at the Silversmith and ate here a couple times. 2 out of 3 were pricey but ok but then today we had to leave after waiting more than 35 minutes for our food. This made us late and created a problem in that we never got to eat breakfast. There are tears in the cushions of the booths. The music is fit for a doc's office and the prices are high.
Review Source:I've been here roughly five times and it got worse and worse. The place is huge and no one's ever really there - its a mystery this place still exists. The service is super slow. The food is hit or miss 100% of the time all the time. They give you like 7 fries. Then your bill comes and you wonder how you spent $20 on lunch.
Review Source:Went here for lunch. Â I've been working a couple blocks away from this place for years but only now got around to trying it. Â Now I know that I definitely wasn't missing anything.
This place is less like an authentic Jewish deli and more like a crappy diner. Â The place was completely empty at lunch time. Â Service was not great. Â Food was mediocre. Â I got the grilled cheese, which came with fries and cole slaw. Â The grilled cheese was okay but very heavy and greasy. Â Fries were just about inedible. Â This is just not quality deli food. Â I'd rather just go to Subway or something. Â definitely won't be back.
I just didn't have any luck today on my deli visits. I went to Ada's this morning in search of spinach kinsh, instead I saw something that looked like an enchlada in the counter. Oy, the place was drab and dead. The polite employee told me that they do not carry knishes anymore. I asked if they had kreplach soup, he said he had to check if it was ready. I politely excused myself.
The empty food counter, the empty restaurant, it has all seen better days. So that is when I ventured to the other part of the loop, to the other deli that was once located in Streetervillle, only to find more of the same disappointment.
Seems to me that Askanaz in the Gold Coast and Steve's in River North are the places to go. Ada's forgettaboutit!
For some reason I've been having constant corned beef cravings and have gone to some pretty regrettable lengths to get a sandwich. Â Corner Bakery? Â What was I thinking? Â Please shoot me. Â
The fries here were pretty damn good and the pickle was also a win. Â Pickles matter. Â I didn't bother with the cole slaw because, honestly, all the yelp reviews of it made me just unable to deal with the possible consequences of opening that little cup. Â It could have been a stink bomb waiting to go off. Â The sandwich, because that's what we're here for, was serviceable, but for the price, can't compare to Manny's or my beloved Moon's. Â The atmosphere in there is also a bit weird. Â
I'll probably come back in when I'm dying of corned beef-itis, but seriously, Moon's, call me.
Hello, deli, well, hello, deli
It's so nice to have you right here in the Looop
How 'bout some Ritz, deli?
Glass of Schiltz, deli?
Grill still glowin', patrons crowin'
Matzos . . . goin' strong
I feel the room swayin'
For the band's playin'
One of my old fav'rite foods from 'way back when
So, fix me an app, fellas
Find me an empty lap, fellas
deli'll never go away again
I'll come back here, but won't sit in the back dining room again. The service was painfully slow. Come on, people, it's lunch. I have stuff to do. I'm sadly not some Lady Who Lunches, if I was, I wouldn't be here  - I'd be at the Drake. I NEED SPEED.
Next time I come, I'll sit at the bar. Get some soup. Or maybe come by at the end of the day for that Schlitz. And some soup. I like that there's a place like this, 'cos I've always found delis to be comforting, and this is no exception.
What I had: I had a hard salami sandwich with BROWN mustard on RYE with a Dr. Bronner's Cream Soda. I wasn't that much of a fan, sadly, of the hard salami, it tasted like sawdust. And I am a devotee of a good salami sandwich. They had brown mustard on the table, so that cranks up the stars, I don't have to flag the waitress down for it.
BUT, they have every food I like, so I'll be back again. I'll just get the soft salami, maybe grilled!
Deli'll never go away again!
As diners go, Ada's is a solid "good".
I've eaten here more than a few times by myself. Â The servers are always very friendly and talkative. Â One day, I ordered the matzo ball soup, just a cup, and when she brought the bill she told me "I only charged you $2 for the soup, it's such a simple dish!". Â Um, thank you!! Â
The food is exactly what you'd expect from a diner. Â I had the goulash once and it was really good, better than I'd expected actually. Â
I'm certain I'll be going back to Ada's. Â I just wish my office was a little closer so I could have lunch there in the winter. Â (Yes, I know I'm a big baby about the cold)
My pastrami on rye sandwich was fantastic. Â Hot, with swiss, made to order by friendly waiters and a pro cook.
I agree with some of the past posts on the cole slaw. Â It was funky and unedible. Â I took the lid off the cole slaw cup, and the smell just hit me. Â Ever leave fresh veggies in a tupperware container and forget about them for 3 weeks? Â Then you find them in the back of the fridge and make the mistake of opening it up? Â Yeah, like, that bad. Â Ooof! Â Had to quickly put the lid back on and toss it in the trash. Â Pickle was sad, small and limp. Â
I got it to go, because the interior of this place looks like a dim, dusty bowling alley on hard times. Â All they need to do is put a gumball machine and an arcade game in here to perfect the look they're going for. Â
If this place could improve their sides it would make up for the decor, but alas, if you can't even get the simple things right, I don't expect improvement in either category.
That sandwich though, that sandwich was good. Â Will probably go back and get sandwiches to go from time to time. Â I won't be getting the slaw though!
I just ate here twice on a five-day visit to Chicago and I should have eaten here every day.
The Corned-Beef Reuben (on "Dark Rye") that I ordered was nearly as good as sex.
The Club Sandwich on the other visit was also very good and was too much to eat so I had take half in a doggie bag.
This place reminds me of deli when I lived in New York. Definitely worth a visit.
I'm baffled by the 1-star reviews. I can't help but wonder if they are even eating in the same restaurant. Sure, the decor is unremarkable, but it's clean, and I found the staff to be sufficiently attentive.
Ada's "Famous" Deli is one drab, dreary eatery. Â The poorly-lit dining room in the back brings to mind a somewhat down-at-the-heels Denny's. Â A nondescript bar up front entices pedestrians with drink specials. Â It seems like the kind of place only a desperate tourist or business traveler would end up in. Â (Pulling up the restaurant up on Yelp, I'm actually surprised to find it reviewed so many times.) Â My own visit was dictated by the group-think and the limited lunch-hour time of out-of-town conferees. Â
The menu features mostly standard deli sandwiches, plus a few salads and Greek and other diner specials. Â Based on what I ordered (a "Manhattan," which is more or less a turkey reuben with cole slaw) and what everybody else at the table had, none of it seems very noteworthy. Â None of it was exactly horrible, either, but why bother with medicore food? Â For the most part, Ada's appears to feature bland stomach-filler and little else. Â
Service was pretty sluggish for this type of place. Â
I'm about 99.999999999999 percent certain you can do a lot better than Ada's in the Loop, even with limited time and in this relatively low price range.
I went into Ada's today with my mom who was visiting from out of town. Â We went into the bar for ONE drink. Â That is all we wanted. Â We sat down and after about 5 minutes, we were finally approached by the bartender. Â After ordering our drinks, we watched our server... bring food out to the neighboring table, get them sauces and refills on drinks, greet a table of 3 businessmen, and clean up glasses behind the bar. Â He then came up to us - still no drinks in hand - put his book on the table with a piece of paper and said, "What do you want?" Â I stared blankly at him and said, "Our drinks?" Â He said, "I will get those for you in 2 minutes. Â What do you want to eat?" Â We told him, once again, that we were just here for a couple drinks. Â He just turned around and walked away. Â
We then saw him walk back over to the businessmen, grab their drink orders and return behind the bar. Â He put together their drinks and walked to their table with them. Â My mom and I stood up at this point. Â We had been waiting for well over 15 minutes at that table with not even a drop of water in front of us. Â When he saw us stand, he ran over to us and said, "No, no. Â I wanted to tell you we are out of mint in the kitchen that is why I couldn't make your drink!" Â Seriously? Â It took you 15 minutes to find that out? Â We said we weren't interested and walked out of the restaurant. Â I will never return. Â As a bartender, I know what customer service is, and that was the opposite.
Whoever said that Ada's was 'cheap' must have grown up with the last name of "Rockefeller!" Â
Ada's is definitely not an inexpensive place for lunch and having combed the menu for a reasonably priced item, I was challenged to find something even remotely unique. Â I went in person to place my take-out order and was shocked when the cashier announced, "That will be $14.21." Â Whaaat? Â All that I ordered was a smoked turkey sandwich on wheat bread and a small fruit cup.
The sandwich was nothing more than I could have made at home with mediocre turkey lumped into the middle of two pieces of average, store bought bread. Â A wilted piece of lettuce and two slices of tomato rounded out this not "famous" deli sandwich. Â Add to that a half of a squirt of mustard and a sad little pickle spear and where I come from, that is not anything special.
Save your money. Â Treat youself to Subway, add the extra meat and enjoy your $5 lunch!
I ate here for lunch after coming into Chicago for the weekend. The menu is huge! They serve breakfast all day, but also serve sandwiches and dinner. I had the skirt steak sandwich. It was one of the largest pieces of steak I have seen served on a sandwich. I had a taste of someone's pastrami which made me rethink my choice, but the steak sandwich was tender and perfectly cooked.
We came back the next day for breakfast. It was good...a little expensive for breakfast food but worth it when you consider quality of the food and location of the place.
For the past 24 hours I've been slowly getting sick. I cough, my chest hurts, and all I wanted was some matzo ball soup. I called and ordered a large soup and 1/2 a corned beef sandwich. When I walked over there to pick up my order, it came to a whopping $15. REALLY? What exactly is in there that's worth $15?
Corned beef sandwich - two 1/2 slices of rye and corned beef. I got a tiny cup of coleslaw and a pickle spear.
Soup - 2 servings of small Matzo Ball soup and 2 rolls.
The 1/2 sandwich & soup price is over $10 and if you want a large soup, it'll be an extra $3. It's a bit ridiculous to pay this much for this amount of food. The quality isn't anything special, the sandwich is just meat and bread, and the soup is broth and 2 matzo balls. Again, nothing to rave about.
Ada's is simply a solid establishment. Â Rooted in bringing great sandwiches with disproportionately large potions of meat to the table. Â
Don't get me wrong - this place is no where near 2nd Ave Deli or Katz's in NYC but nonetheless; a late night little bar accompanied by more than decent sandwiches makes it one of my favorites at both 2 o'clock in the afternoon and 2 in the morning.
Either Ada's has really taken a turn for the worse in the last couple years or my memory is really shoddy. Â I remember really loving Ada's years ago when I worked in this part of the Loop, but today's experience was rather disappointing. Â
My Reuben was paltry and meager with very little corned beef and almost no sauerkraut. Â The corned beef is delicious but I was shocked at the portion size. Â My son gave the matzoh ball soup two thumbs up, but I found the broth to be a little wan and flavorless. Â My husband's pastrami sandwich was indeed tasty, but it wasn't the barely-wrap-your-mouth-around-it delight that I remember. Â
I'm glad they got rid of the container of pickles that sat out on the table from customer to customer without being changed, because that always skeeved me out. Â But it annoyed me that I had to ask for pickles with my sandwich instead of them coming standard. Â And what happened to the menu?
I find Ada's to be a bit pricey for standard deli fare, but for the Loop I guess it's OK.
I haven't been here for the food, but I'm sure I'll have to stop by sometime when it doesn't feel as if my ears, nose, and chin will fall off after being outside in the cold for just a few, short moments! I came here after a work holiday party & enjoyed my refreshing beer.
Rose D & I stopped by for a drink before parting ways after our holiday party held at Pizano's (mmmm, my favorite pizza ever!). It wasn't very crowded, but had a great mix of people. Young, old, gay, straight-my favorite kind of place! The bartender was extremely enthusiastic & attentive, which gives Ada's an extra star. The beers were relatively cheap for the loop & the people seemed very down to earth. The smell of buffalo wings was extremely intoxicating, but the belly full of pizza prevented me from indulging :(
I will definitely be back to try a corned-beef sandwich or some of their matzo ball soup, but until then, sweet Ada's, you remain a four star-er.
Hmmmmm, things change.
I've used this place many a time as a refuge from the cold when walking from the office at the river to the Palmer House. Â They served huge deli sandwiches, Honker's Ale on tap and a decent matzo ball soup. Â Would have given this place a 3.5 star if I hadn't returned this week (after a 2 year absence).
The menu is very different. Â It was pared down to almost a Tapas style. Â I'd bragged on this place to my British friend visiting on biz as a good spot to get a good Chicago deli sandwich. Â Yikes. Â It was right in the heart of dinner time, so I can't believe we had the wrong menu. Â Anyway, we got a poor plate of nachos for $7, the 312 (brewed by Goose Island) draft and went down the street to Miller's Pub for a real meal. Â
One exception, the service was quite good, and the place was crowded. Â It's a good place to get a drink.
I'd avoid, and it's sad, because now I'll have to find another place to duck into when it's -15 degrees in the Loop.
I don't think I've ever been to Ada's and not seen some celebrity there, usually in the form of funny man Jackie Mason. His picture is on the wall and he commands attention at the center table where the owners and the staff fawn over him. It's fun and funny but doesn't distract from the service.
The place can be pretty busy at the height of lunch and they corral you in and keep you behind stanchions and the hostess stand, but they move you through pretty quickly; remarkable, especially considering how busy it can get.
The pickle crock in the middle of the table can be a little disconcerting to me. I'm not sure everyone uses the tongs that are [usually] provided and being so "family friendly" I'm sure that plenty of preschoolers have gone ahead and  ... never mind.
I throw down old school at Ada's and always opt for their perfectly seasoned perfectly golden brown latke instead of fries, even when I'm having a burger, or an egg salad sandwich, or grilled cheese [with tomato], or roast beef, or the open face turkey. The latke are so good and don't pass on dressing it up with some sour cream. I could eat a platter of them.
Matzo ball soup comes with a matzo the size of your head and the chicken soup is just as good and soul-satisfying without being nearly as filling.
Ada's is unique in the loop. If you're within shouting distance you should give definitely give it a shot.
I was debating whether I should give Ada's three stars or four, but obviously decided to go with the latter. The main reason for this, however, is because the Loop is generally devoid of any sort of tasty meal, so when you do find a place that is pretty good, it gets an extra bump from the mere excitement.
I eat here all the time. I shouldn't, because it isn't cheap, but I do. The food is not spectacular by any means, but it is certainly above par. The main things that I like are that you can get booze here and that I never leave without feeling nice and full. I generally get the beef brisket, which when on is awesome but when not on is pretty gross. Usually the meat is really good, but I have gotten some bad cuts that were all fatty and chewy. The burgers are hefty and delicious, so one can always go for those as well.
I have not had the corned beef here yet. I know, I know. Get off my back. I will. I always say I am going to get it and then decide to opt for something else for whatever reason. Sometimes I also tell myself I am going to try and get into jazz fusion and never get around to it. It happens. (That was a lie. I'll never listen to jazz fusion. It's awful and kills an amazing genre, i.e. jazz, not fusion.)
I would recommend eating here if you have the time to actually sit down and enjoy a pretty decent meal. Places like this are rare in the Loop.
Oy! Â You are in the city, and you want a terrific Jewish deli? Â Head over to Ada's on Wabash and you won't be disappointed.
Probably the best chicken soup outside of what my grandmother used to make that I have ever had. Â Whenever I am feeling a little under the weather, this Jewish Penicillin makes me feel better in more ways than one. Â Try it with the Kreplach and you will not be disappointed. Â Big wow factor!
They also have wonderful sandwiches---my favorite is a toss up between the hot pastrami, hard salami, or corned beef.
Want a healthy salad? Â Their Spinach salad is just "to die for" and the warm bacon salad dressing---oy, is it good!
Desserts? Â Just one look at what is under the glass while you are waiting in line tells you to save some room.
This is a great place and their consistency is terrific! Â I enjoy every visit!
I get the craving for Ada's on cold and rainy days, despite the fact that the food is pretty average.
What wins me over to Ada's are the portions and their specials. Â Their daily specials are in the $8 range and are usually a large plate of food with mashed potatoes, a bowl of soup, and a basket of bread/bagels beforehand.
The service, at least in the bar area, is always great. Â And, due to the smoking ban, a lot more tolerable.
Being a gentile, I cannot speak to the authenticity, however, I feel that the food falls a little short on taste.
Still, if you're looking for an open-faced sandwich w/ some mashed potatoes for a good price, Ada's is a solid choice.
I'm not crazy, really, I'm not. It is just that I require restaurants to follow one simple rule when I'm at lunch -- get me in and out fast. Oh, the anxiety I get at 12:50 p.m. is overwhelming. Why do these restaurants torture me so?
You see, I may seem a bit crazy, but I'm not really, my time disorder is a result of this serial micro-manager I work for. If I'm not at my desk at 1 p.m. she calls my phone, leaves me a nasty message and brings up my tardiness at staff meetings and at review time. It's madness!! I'm not a bad person if I'm late, am I?
Anyway, when the clock strikes high noon, every tick of time is hammered on my brain like some bad psycho nightmare. I NEED to be at my desk by 1 o'clock!!!
So today at noon I threw on my coat, got to the elevators quickly but there was NO elevator. I could feel my heart starting to race. A lady I know from another department approached and my conversation with her temporarily calmed my nerves. The elevator finally came but she didn't exit on the ground floor and kept talking. Doesn't she know I NEED to be back at my desk by 1 o'clock!!! Talk to me later... please!!!
Once outside I tried to walk briskly but it was soooo cold. I mean my face felt like putty, my body shivered, I couldn't feel my feet... but I pressed on, on to the bank because I had to deposit some checks.
After hitting every stoplight, the bank line was long. Nobody cared that I had to be back at my desk by 1 o'clock. I left the bank and wandered around for a place to eat. I saw Ada's and remembered I had eaten there several times in the past during grad school.
I was seated at 12:30. I overheard the waitress tell another table that it was her first day on the job. My heart sank, I knew there would be a message waiting for me when I returned from lunch. Scorn and ridicule would soon follow.
The waitress apologized for being a tremendous dingbat, took my order and I waited. The ticks were pounding. There was cigarette smoke in the room even though cancer sticks are outlawed in Chicago restaurants. People stared. I stared. The food didn't come. At 12:40 p.m. I told dingbat to wrap the simple sandwich I ordered but never received. She apologized for causing me to stain my pants and said she would bring me the sandwich to go.
Utter panic set in at 12:50 when she did not return with my sandwich. I stared at my cell phone thinking maybe there was someone I could call who could help me get my simple sandwich so I could be on my way. No one came to mind.
I couldn't wait any longer and got up, threw on my coat, went to the hostess counter and pleaded for a sandwich.
There I found light, sweet mist and everything good. The hostess asked a sandwich-maker fella located across from her stand to make me a sandwich. He made me a sandwich in 30 seconds after I told her the world would end in one minute.
I pulled a twenty from my wallet to pay. She waved her arm and ordered me to go. Tick, tick, free, tick, tick, lunch. Nice.
I stuffed the sandwich under my arm and headed out into the cold. I don't even remember the walk back to the office. I may have ran, possibly flew, I know I didn't swim.
I was back at my desk at 1:03 p.m. NO MESSAGE!! YES!!! How did the serial micro-manager miss it? She is slipping. Ha!
I closed my office door and ate my sandwich. It was still warm. It was very good. It was FREE!! I am safe. Can't chance Ada's again and I now have corned beef stuck in my teeth with no floss. Why isn't there any floss?
Ada's has always been on the top of my list for places to grab a sammich downtown. They have great, authentic, jewish deli food with some seriously healthy portions*.
*note, by healthy, what I actually mean is enough roast beef to clog every artery in your body.
Health aside, its a great diner to grab a roast beef sandwich, a hot bowl of matzo ball soup, a lox platter, some latkes, or all of the above. Service, in my experience, is nothing stellar, but has also never been what I would consider bad; its pretty much on par with most diners.
Food? Â Great deli fare. Â I was very pleased with my pastrami and cabbage soup. Â Loved the pickles on the table and all the choices.
Our waiter was pleasant as well, though we did have to wait a while for the check and he looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for my fries a few minutes after he brought out the sandwiches - he had forgotten that they come *with*, whoops!
Here is why I'm taking away two stars - the C U Next Tuesday of a hostess. Â One of them was very pleasant, but the haughty looking blond was anything but. Â I walked up to the host stand/cashier to get some change but they were engaged in conversation, so I did the polite thing and waited. Â She turned to me and in the most impatient, condescending tone I've ever heard, she asked "Um, can I help you with something?" Â She saw that I needed change for a twenty and she became very huffy. Â I'm sorry, I thought that as the cashier, that was your JOB. Â I seem to encounter a lot of people who seem put out by doing their JOB.
Well, once she saw I also needed change for a hundred (and yes, I know that can be inconvenient) she got really p.o.'d and said "I don't have change like that!" Â Then the pleasant hostess interjected that she could do it, but all in 20's. Â And where did she pull out the money from? Â The same drawer after the witch walked away. Â I should also note that the snarky hostess must also be preparing for an Olympic Eye Rolling event, because she seemed to be doing it often and well. Â Maybe that's what they keep her on the pay roll for...
Anyway, I'll probably stick to carry out from now on because I feel like my service experience here has permanently tainted my views on dining in.
So, the hostess decided to play waitress and take our order. Â I myself ordered bagel, Lox & Cream Cheese with latkes on the side. Â She asked what kind of cheese I wanted and had no clue as to what latkes were. Â My order came back as a tuna salad on a bagel.
I went with Tobia C. who got turkey pastrami on dark rye, and was served  roasted turkey.  We ended up getting everything to go because everything took so long to order and then fix.
This is one of my favorite spots downtown to grab some grub. Â I have had their sandwiches before but 95% of the time I go her I get breakfast. Â I am rather boring as I always order eggs over easy, bacon, and hash browns. Â The hash browns are my favorites as they are the shredded potatoes and cook them to a nice dark brown color and they are nice and crispy. Â Add a cup of chicken soup and I am a happy camper.
The service here can be hit or miss sometimes in the same meal by the same server. Â I just can seem to put a finger on it. Â I have never had exceptional service and I never had a god awful experience either. Â The place is not much for decor but they serve up a good meal at a decent price.
So you would think that at 7:30am on a Saturday, when the stools are sitll upside down on the tables and you are the only 3 people in a restaurant, that you would benefit from an especially attentive server?
Wrong.
We came to Ada's before joining the Yelp team at Chicago Cares and were all fairly disappointed. Inexplicably slow, and the food ended up lukewarm at best. I had their specialty, the Hoppel Poppel. Fun to say. And it would have tasted good. It really would have. Seriously.
I came here with a friend over the winter and they completely changed the dinner menu! Â Instead of having a million options, they cut it into a regular menu with only a couple of choices. Â VERY DISAPPOINTED!
So it's basically like a normal dinner now, you can't have the 1/2 soup, 1/2 sandwich or anything like that anymore. Â Boo, very sad.
I still love their matza ball soup and their pickles. Â But I will never come back here for dinner!
Big place, but sometimes there is a wait if you go during prime hours.
Breakfast:
I usually only get their breakfast items for an early lunch when I am a little hung-over during the work week. Â You just can't go wrong with eggs over easy hash browns and toast.
Lunch:
Yeah for their matzah ball soup! Â Delicious! Â Their menu is so big sometimes it is difficult to choose. Â I like their julienne salad too, but it is huge!
I went here for lunch on a weekday and ordered half a turkey sandwich and chicken noodle soup. Â The sandwich was satisfactory (nothing special), but I could not eat more than a couple spoonfuls of soup. Â The broth was extremely salty and the noodles were extremely soft, like they had been sitting in the broth overnight or something.
Normally I am a fan of pickles at the table at a deli, but here they put slices in an ice bucket type of container, floating in juices. Â When we sat down we didn't know what it was, as it was covered with a plate. Â It was not appetizing at all.
I greatly prefer The Bagel in the Lakeview neighborhood for a good deli chicken noodle soup and fresh pickle spears at the table.
As a life-long fan of the reuben sandwich, I can't tell you how many times I've been surprised and disappointed when it's served open face. Open face does not a sandwich make. In any event, I just had the most wonderful lunch at Ada's beneath the Wabash Avenue el in the Loop.
Matzoh ball soup in chicken broth -- and not much trace of chicken -- along with the table pickles started the meal. The coffee is wonderful, not overly hot, but flavorful and thick. And the sandwich -- while open face -- was excellent: fresh corned beef, melted Swiss, and that special sauce that makes you wonder whether it's Thousand Islands dressing. Another neat bit: They serve chocolate (and other) phosphates. When was the last time you had a phosphate?
The men's restroom stall sports some creative graffiti. In addition to the usual discourse on infidelity, race relations, and politics, there's an extremely impressive sketch of a face. Who's the mystery artist?
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