American Girl Place

This is for the American Girl Store, not the restaurant. I'm giving this place 4 stars ONLY because my daughters (yep, daughter$, plural) had an amazing time and they love their dolls.
Minus 1 star......1 big, big star......for the sheer nickel and diming that goes on. Paying for the doll, their clothes, their V I O L I N.....ear piercings, purses, pajamas, braces, glasses....I half expected that we'd have to pay for their SMILE. (we did - it's $34).

The store itself is enormous, I don't know what I expected, but it was an impressive operation. Dads, start practicing your "glossed-over" look right now. There were so many men in zombie mode. So many....

I made the best of it by taking pics of the experience, and one thing that made it very, very tolerable: My wife was smart enough to use their personal-shopper service. The shopper was with us the entire time, walked us through all of the options, and cashed us out personally - no waiting in line for anything (that I can remember).

When we got the final bill, I literally LOL'ed.....whatever you do, keep track of what the item costs BEFORE your child has it in their hands (as with anything, actually).  Good luck, happy shopping, and please win the lotto before you go.  :-)

Giving 4 stars as an average between my rating for the store (5 stars) and rating for the restaurant (3 stars).  

The store is amazing.  Really an incredible concept, very well executed.  Definitely worth a stop for any family with a daughter interested in American Girl.  We make the trek every time we get to Chicago.

As for the restaurant, I have some mixed feelings here.  On one hand, the setting and experience does what it's supposed to do -- charming and fun.   On the other hand, the food is mediocre at best -- comparable to what you'd get in a museum cafe like at the Shedd Aquarium.  I feel like with a little more effort and focus, they could (should) improve the food dramatically, which would make the Dads and Moms enjoy the experience a lot more and feel better about the price tag -- after tip, about $115 for a family of four.

This review is for the restaurant.  My two little girls don't even like dolls, they are stuffed animal kids, but Mommy loves the comfort food they serve in the restaurant.  So every once in a while I announce with excitement that we are having dinner or tea at the American Girl store.  The restaurant is hidden away in the back of the top floor of the store, which is just smart marketing.  You must make reservations and all the children and parents wait in a crowd outside the closed doors of the restaurant.  For ten minutes or so you wait while the excitement builds...and finally, the bell rings...dinner is served!
After the seatings are announced, you are escorted into a dining room where someone dropped a femininity bomb that exploded pink everywhere.  You are escorted to your table and everyone is offered a seat, even the dolls.  Cuteness abounds.  If you are at dinner, you will order an entree, which are surprisingly decent, but the real fun is in the appetizers.  Warm cinnamon buns, and a tea tray of miniature sandwiches of "peanut" butter and jelly, pigs in a blanket, and scones.  All the food that I have outlawed from my diet because I want to be healthy, and I need to stay awake during the day which is awfully hard after a carb overload.  But, one must make sacrifices for the children.  Desert is just as cute, with a strawberry mousse covered in chocolate "dirt" with a plastic flower growing from it.  The flowers are yours to keep.
Finally, the beverages are great.  Milk for the girls, tea for the dolls and Mommy can have champagne.  
So far, my girls haven't asked for the dolls, so I will save that review for when we cross that bridge.