Well, to be honest, not sure if I would give this place a one star review. I am sure in the homeless kitchens they cook tastier meals and are more happy to serve their lice-ridden "customers".
We passed the place several times and it looked cool and artsy. There were quite a few patrons so as usual when in a strange town, I choose to eat at a place where there are a lot of people...the chances of food poisoning are fewer. I've been in similar places in other cities and while the food might not be the best, they offer a good and unique local experience.
So after passing this place a few times we decided to go in. It was somewhat empty since it was on a Sunday but enough patrons to inspire confidence. We ordered two espressos and got two ice waters. The espressos were the soggiest, nastiest espresso I've had in my life. It reminded me of a dingy place in Athens by the docks which served similar slosh but was called "Turkish coffee". Looking at the menu, it had a distinct Greek flavor so my guess is the owners are probably Greek and thus the nasty choice of sour coffee.
My wife ordered and "Al Capone" burger, I ordered a bacon burger. We wanted to each have a glass of wine, but sorry - no liquor license. At the same time there are over 50 bottles of booze hanging at the bar. At least have the mercy to pull them down, so people won't be tempted. I order bottled water since the glasses or water in them have a stink that could probably induce vomit from a skunk.
We get our food. Pretty ample portions. My wife cuts into her burger to discover a distinct bluish tinge to the burger. I guess Al couldn't give this one concrete shoes and decided to stick him in a burger...that's what it looked like, at least. I didn't even dare dig into mine. We bolted fast out of there.
For those that are on S. Michigan Ave. I'd suggest going up a few blocks north and visiting Cafe Baci - awesome espresso, fresh-made sandwiches and pizzas, top ingredients and a lot cleaner atmosphere. It doesn't have the decadent artist-fallen-on-hard-times look and feel (and taste) of the Artist's Cafe but  if you want to keep your stomach, it is a sensible choice.
Nightmare. Â Stopped in for breakfast. First we ordered Bloody Mary's. Â "No liquor license". Â Fine, O.J. and water. Â I had a long string floating in my water and MH had lipstick on his glass. Â Asked for a bottled coke. Â Out of bottled coke. Â Fine bottled water then. Â Then we tried to order. Waffles. Â "No waffles". Â OK, that's it! Â Check please. Â Tried to charge us for the lipstick O.J. Â No. Never again.
Review Source:Had breakfast here a few years ago during a conference - not memorable either way - it was just fine.
Stopped in again for an afternoon coffee on a recent visit. We ended up having three cups late in the day because the coffee was excellent. We also had some bakery items that I assume are brought in from somewhere else.
Waitress was attentive, coffee was great, cool ambiance.
Sounds like some people have had nightmare experiences here. We got lucky, I suppose. After getting caught in a freak snowstorm on our way to Chinatown, we ducked in here to grab lunch, as we couldn't hold out for Chinese fare any longer. The place was pretty empty, so no problems with the service.
The monte cristo was disappointing: meat and cheese on somewhat soggy pan-fried texas toast. My wife's salad tasted way better and more like a legitimate meal. Oh well, I chalked it up to karma for going with the gluttonous option.
Anyway, not the best, not the worst, but an alright experience for us. Oh, and their bathroom was incredibly clean and accessable without a code.
Breakfast - always very good on the many times we've been there.
Dinner on 12/26 - not a good experience. Service was lousy even though there were many wait staff. My salad was really good /interesting. Husband's Dalai Lama was uninspiring. When I asked for the dinner roll that was supposed to come with my salad, the waitress started yelling at the cook for making her look bad - although she was doing that to herself well before the roll issue.
Food/service-wise it really deserves a 1.....but I have to give them a star for the interest value of the building and the overall ambiance / vibe of the place. This is the kind of place I really *want* to love. Â It has that old-school diner feel. Â It holds onto its charm and "rough around the edges" aspects despite its location in the type of prime spot on Michigan Ave in which you would expect glossy, generic, cookie-cutter chain restaurant/coffee shop. Â Trouble is, the food and service are pathetic. Â My elementary school kids couldn't even muster enthusiasm for their chocolate chip cookies...which is saying something. Â They were hard as rocks. Â The coffee was blah. Â The pancakes are tough (with syrup in single-serve sealed tubs like I would expect to find at a gas station). Â Very disappointing. Â I adore this building downtown......old-fashioned, hand-operated elevators, gorgeous old marble and woodwork, charming staircases......I wish this cafe lived up to its potential!
Review Source:It was okay. I was kind of surprised that for a cafe there were limited drink items- couldn't even get a chai latte.
Price- pretty reasonable for cooked food but a little pricey for things like gelato.
Quality- not bad. Had the Thai chicken wrap and it wasn't bad- not anything super  amazing though.
Quantity- portions are decent size
Staff- very good. Warm greetings.
Atmosphere- good 90s music.
Overall it was okay. It's good to have another option in south loop but i would rather hit up different places.
I have been in here many times throughout the years but not for a decade until yesterday. I have had good memories in the past but those were more related to the people I was with.
All I wanted to get was a quick cocktail. The waiter was inept. The manager was loudly complaining how business is horrible and a waitress was agreeing and lamenting about her expenses. Perhaps they need to read some of these reviews and step it up?
What REALLY annoyed me was having to pay $15.00 for a vodka and diet coke.
I was stunned. I wanted to walk out but didn't.
Who are they kidding? This is not some fancy club, it's a crappy Greek diner.
Never going back.
If we hadn't been in a rush to find a cure for our hangovers and then head off to the airport, I would have checked Yelp and probably have skipped Artist's Cafe. Â The Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice tasted like it was made from frozen concentrate. Â The Vegetarian Omelette was not well mixed and had very sparse cheese.
Review Source:This is a great location for a restaurant how could this be done so wrong! Â My family and I decided to come here after running a 10k and were so excited to fill our stomaches. Â
Sitting down the wait was not long but being attended to, to even get water, took an eternity. Because the waitress had taken so long we were ready to have her take our orders but she had no sense of time and only came to serve us drinks. Â Needless to say, service was slow....very slow. Â
The food mediocre and overpriced. Â My food was about 10 dollars and consisted of 3 egg whites (tops!) 2 slices of toast, 5 slices of tomatoes (which were suppose to be mixed with the eggs) and a cup of watery cottage cheese. How appetizing? Â As I looked at everyone else's plates there seemed to be a trend in a lack of quality and quantity.
However, this was not the WORST part of the service. Â Our waitress was a person who seemed like she did not want to be there and had no sense of urgency. Â Besides our table, many people seemed very irate about the slow service and poor food. Even one customer approached her saying they were not being attended to and of course the waitress responded by naming a list of excuses and DID NOT EVEN APOLOGIZE for the delay. Â We were appauled!!
This was the first and LAST time I will be eating here. Â There are plenty of places around the area just a few blocks away. Â Even if there is a wait, you will probably be done eating at any other place than gonig here.
STAY AWAY!
The Artists's Cafe is a slap in the face to artists everywhere. It's a slap in the face to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for being open next to them.
From the outside it looked like a cute diner to get a quick bite so we walked in, got sat right away, and we waited....
and waited....
and waited....
Over 10 minutes before our waitress even acknowledged us. She kept telling us, I need to to say hi to them *points*, take their orders *points*, before I get to you.
Her tone made it seem like we were a burden to her, almost like she wanted us to leave because she couldn't handle another table. Â She had NO sense of urgency, was not apologetic about anything, and was as dull as the paintings on the walls.
I noticed the frustration from the tables around me experiencing the same thing.
Shame on the management for allowing only one waitress to handle a section she obviously could not keep up with. At least hire someone who has speed or has the ability to multitask as I noticed she did one thing at a time. Maybe even someone who looks like they want to be there.
1 french toast  covered with cheap packets of butter and syrup, and 3 overpriced omelettes came 40 minutes later. For 4 entrees, 3 waters, and one coffee (that never received a refill) the bill came out to $52. What a rip off. Let's just say the bill didn't even come until we had to stand up after being there over an hour.
Thank the lord I had cash on me because it's CASH or AMEX only? Ugh.
This place looks like it was once a funeral parlor covered will cheap "artwork" that  looks like it was bought at a garage sale. Poor tourists, they are probably the reason why this dump remains open.
Wow what a dining experience. (NOT IN A GOOD WAY). My friends and I went for brunch and  as soon as we walked in the wheels started coming off! It took FOREVER for the waitress to even acknowledge our presence and it wasn't busy!
When we got the menu things started to get even more interesting. The food is way overpriced for being diner food (Breakfast Menu) . 40 minutes later we finally received our food. ( A Omelette should take 10 minutes tops to make)
Food was average at best. While eating I observed other customers frustrations as well ,so much so that a customer stood from her seat to confront her waitress and ask why its taking so long.
So its time to ask for the check which started another ordeal. As we asked for the check our waitress in a not so friendly way said "Before I can get your check I have to take two other orders and I will calculate your check, I wish we had a computer system here." Â Really didn't need to here that last part. As I see our waitress take the orders we wait and to my amazement she takes about 10 Â minutes and finally comes back BUT not with our check but with the drink orders of the other tables.
As I see her seating at her table I assume she is calculating our tab, I take out my phone and quickly add up our bill and tell my party LETS GO! As we get up she FINALLY arrives with the check.
WHAT A HEADACHE! Really don't understand how this place is still open. Highly recommend any locals and especially tourists not to dine here, this is not the best Chicago has to offer.
I know that the food here is not that great. Â My review is more about the ambience of the place and great memories that I have of the place.
This is the perfect place to go after a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert at Orchestra Hall. Â Once the concert is over, you can take a quick right coming out of Orchestra Hall and be at the Artist's Cafe in just a couple of minutes. Â You duck in, order a quick hot chocolate (which is excellent), talk about the concert, and watch folks stroll up and down Michigan Avenue. Â If you're really lucky, it will be snowing and then it turns into a very romantic little spot.
I also don't understand the bad reviews. Â I actually came to eat here alone bc I was on a business trip. Â I came for brunch before my flight. Â The service was lovely and my veggie omelette was really good. Â At the end the cashier double checked that the total was correct (bc she thought for some reason I would be paying more) but I confirmed it was the correct total. Â I was just appreciative of the fact that she cared enough to correct the bill if it was wrong without my asking.
Review Source:Disclaimer: my food tasted fine. But I got a grilled cheese which should be impossible to screw up. The chips it came with were weird - they were the thick crispy kind and were supposed to be warm I think but half of them were rock hard and the other half were soggy from the grilled cheese.
My friends' fries all looked like the cheap frozen kind and the waitress kept making fun of one of my companions for ordering a plain burger.
Went here in 2008 and it was good but expensive. Â Was here on Sunday 5.27.2012 and it is more expensive and not good at all. Â Went there after Bike the Drive and there were four of us. Â I had to get us ice water and menus.
Waitress finally got to us after 20 minutes.  They were not that busy. We stayed because we could sit outside and watch our bikes. To start off  $10.00 for a mediocre Bloody Mary in a plastic cup.  I had a chicken Pita which is not on the online menu; I don't recall the name.  In the description it mentioned special potatoes and Greek seasoned chicken.  The potatoes were Ore Ida frozen wedges and the chicken was pre-cooked strips that were soggy and obviously frozen and microwaved.  It consisted of four strips of chicken and one pita.  This mess  was $11.00.  The place sucks and is a rip-off.  A lot of tourists go there and it is a disgrace that they represent Chicago to a lot of people.   I will never return
This place sucks. I have always walked past this place when i'm downtown and decided yesterday for the first time to stop by with my boyfriend.
At first sight this place is a nice cool looking spot.
1. The food is way to expensive
2. The mozzarella sticks were below par, and the sauce was runny, but you get 8 for $5-something, so it was kind of a deal.
3. I ordered the Philly steak, and they give me this huge actual steak sliced sub with onions and mushrooms and the whole sandwich was falling apart mostly. I had to ask for another plate just to eat half the thing. It was too much and not like a real Philly at all! IT WAS THE BLANDEST THING I HAVE EVER EATEN WHEN DINING OUT! My boyfriend had the 1st burger on the burger and sandwich menu. He said it was bland as well. The only reason why we ate our food was because we had to pay for it.
4. They only take American Express. WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF MIDDLE AGES PLACE IS THIS?!?
If you are a pasty old person, then yes you might appreciate the food as there is no salt and very bland food.
This will be my last time at this mediocre food stop. A place like this wouldn't last anywhere else in Chicago, because these mom and pop restaurants would kick the artist cafe's ass when it comes to good food.
Surprised to see all of these bad reviews, we had a wonderful experience! Â Went for lunch, no wait, and we DID see the sign on they way in stating it was cash or amex only.
Service was great, food was even better. Â Four cheese grilled cheese with homemade chips with Parmesan. Â The chips were spectacular. Â Husband got a Reuben with fries, both good. Â The hot dog was huge and delicious, nice crisp skin that snaps when you bite into it, served with fries. Â Fettuccine Alfredo was also delicious, large serving with nice fresh garlic bread.
Be sure to visit the bathroom, fun and artistic. Â Will be back for sure!
First time back in many years. Looks the same, but the food isn't.
Pro's: Great location with outdoor seating in one of Chicago's most beautiful older buildings.
Cons: Everything but the building. And yes, they don't take anything but AMEX or Cash and NO I did not see the signs because they were on the door which was open.
What they need to do is TELL YOU THAT THEY DO NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING BUT CASH OR AMEX as soon as you walk in. Don't ASSUME everyone reads the signs because they don't! I reiterated this to the cashier/manager.
I did not have my AMEX card with me and I didn't feel like paying $3 more for an ATM fee for an already WAY OVERPRICED $13.26 Hamburger that was on something they called Foccacia bread -
The ONLY reason I am giving them 2 stars and not 1 is because the cashier allowed to to go next door to get my cash from B of A who do not charge me an ATM fee.......yet.
Will I go back? Doubtful
If an establishment is going to charge high prices because they are paying high rent, they better serve some damn good grub!
On the day of the Chicago Marathon , this city was packed. Fortunately, coming here there wasn't a wait to be seated. I ordered the Reuben and a Mimosa both were yummy! And they poured a generous amount of champagne with a drop of orange juice, just the way I like it! Â
PS they only take American Express or cash, so be careful!
There is nothing in this world that will get me to return to Artist's Cafe. Â I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on with 2 stars, because I ate there during Lollapalooza and they were extremely overwhelmed. Â The place was jammed, mostly with Lolla goers looking for a hangover cure.
We were seated before the breakfast menu time ended, but by the time we were greeted and given menus, we were told we could no longer get breakfast. Â This really put me out, because I wanted something breakfasty and eggy and delicious. Â Instead, I ended up with some crappy chicken nuggets. Â My friend wanted a grilled cheese, and the one on the menu was chock full of like, 5 cheeses, plus bacon and tomato. Â When she asked that they leave off one specific type of cheese, you'd have thought she shot the waitresses dog.
All in all, terrible service, food, meh. Â Take a pass... maybe next year the food vendors at Lolla will have the "brunch dog" from Franks & Dawgs... wait until you get inside and have one of those instead.
Here's the thing. I've been coming here (on the patio with the express menu) before Bears games for a few years now. Not every game, but often enough that I thought the consistency was pretty solid. Not a 5 star rating by any means, but certainly not a debate as to whether I should give them 1 star or 2.
I went with the 2 stars, because my poached eggs were poached pretty perfectly. and the debate was because the service was seriously THAT bad. No joke. We sat down. The really nice busser told us where to go and brought us water and menus. Honestly though, I think he had a woody for the server in our section because he pointed everyone to that section, as the rest of the sections cleared out quickly without refilling.
So our server (a young looking, short girl with long dark hair-Man I wish I knew her name...) was slammed. I get that. But, any good server knows to ASK for help. Ask a manager. Ask a co-worker. Ask the busser. Because we sat there. and waited. And waited. She told us she'd be right with us. And we waited some more. Â Then she passes by again and helps another table. And we waited.
So she finally gets to us 10 minutes after we've sat down. We order drinks and our meal...5 minutes later I had to request our drinks again. Yeah I'll be right back. We see her return several times to refill other people's 2nd cups of coffee before we even got our first. Â
The food was good. Eggs were cooked right. English muffin probably could have been toasted a little more. Hash browns were adequately crispy. Juice and coffee were decent.
The server continued to take her sweet time all the way through the bill pay. Overall, this was some of the worst service I've ever experienced in my life (second only to a breakfast disaster at the Peoria Bennigan's).
First, they only accept cash and AMEX. Â At least 3 tables in this restaurant seemed to miss the huge signs on the doors when you walked in stating this fact, and complained about not being able to use their Visa. Â I'm really not sure how blind you could be missing the clear signs.
The 3 stars are for the food. Â I had the vegetarian omelet, made with egg whites, no toast, and hashbrowns. Â My attempt at being healthy with the egg whites was pretty pointless, considering it was cooked in a fair amount of butter, but the eggs were tasty. Â I wanted the hashbrowns to be a bit more crispy.
2 stars for service. Â I came in, by myself, on a Thursday morning. Â Three other women, all sitting alone, came in after me. Â They had their drinks and food before anyone came around to take my order. Â I almost got up and left, but I was starving and just didn't want to walk around for another 20 minutes to get food. Â Thankfully, the food came out quickly. Â My waitress spilled Diet Coke all over my feet and table when she slammed it down after I asked for another. Â I am not sure why, but its her choice to have the job, not mine. Â Don't take it out on me.
i was hoping that this would be a fun little diner with some cool history. Â Nah. Â The outdoor seating is very nice, with a great view of Grant Park. Â Definitely a spot for some coffee and a muffin on a sunshiny morning.
Came here during Lollapalooza 2010. We thought we would avoid over priced festival food and eat at a nice table. 4 sandwiches and 4 drinks added up to over $100 and the food was grade A terrible. I didn't even finish my meal. I know we should have been looking at prices, but it was a diner type place so we didn't really think twice.
The kicker was soon to come. Â After we expressed surprise at our bill, I gave my credit card and went to the bathroom. I heard our server talking sh*t about our table and was mortified. Other women in the bathroom were also in hysterics about how terrible the place was. I wonder if they even read this Yelp page!? Their business is based on tricking people walking on Michigan Avenue into eating there and then charging them up the bum!
I want to give this place -3 stars for sucking at life and then getting haughty about it. I will never return.
Kind of surprised by the low rating on Yelp. We visited the Artist's Cafe for breakfast on a Saturday morning and had a nice experience. Wait staff was attentive and the food was adequate. I had the American Breakfast which was a fried egg on top of a huge slice of ham on top of two pancakes on top of a plate of hash browns. Let me help you visualize that.
fried egg
slab of ham
2 pancakes
plate of hash browns
Needless to say I skipped lunch. The cafe is in a great location right on Michigan avenue across from the park. The fact that they only take American Express or cash is a big drawback.
This place was NOT good at all. Â
The staff talked negatively about other customers sitting on the patio (they were taking too long to look at the menu), and did not seem to care who heard them. Â
I was so turned off by their attitudes, I did not want to order a big meal...so I went with a frappe, which was not good at all.
They need to make some changes ....
Want.Diet.Coke.Refill. Thankyouverymuch.
We stopped by Artists Cafe to have a lunch without the hub-bub of the other Michigan Avenue eateries. The place was dead, and so was the service.
I had the grilled cheese, which was good (couple different types of cheese, basil, tomato on wheat) and a Diet Coke. So basically, a classic Kate W. meal.
The waitress offered to refill my DC, but then sat down to her own Coke and grilled cheese and never brought me mine. This might not be quite the sin for most people as it is for me, but I love Diet Coke and I was going to drink as many as possible in our time there.
I noticed that the only other customer had to wave someone down to both order his food and to get any silverware.
When it came time to leave I asked for a box, and all of the staff seemed a little confused by this and tried to pawn this duty off to each other. It's a to-go box. You're a restaurant. This ain't rocket science.
I'm still sore over that Diet Coke.
The only thing this place has going for it is the location. Do not be tempted to just walk right in, even though it's a convenient stop on your sightseeing tour. I've had better food at WAFFLE HOUSE.
We stopped in for breakfast. It was among the worst meals I've ever had. The eggs in my cheese omelet were classically overcooked, which wasn't so bad, but the omelet was filled with some food-service version knockoff of Kraft cheese slices. Hours later, I can't get the taste of it out of my mouth. The hash browns were more like frozen, reheated potato mush that's been warmed over. The greek cofee ($3.50) was decent, but served in a tiny, tiny cup that was half-sludge. My partner's two eggs were fried into rubbery oblivion.
28 crazy overpriced bucks for the worst breakfast of my life, counting the meals I've had on airplanes and in school cafeterias. Our waiter was nice, but had a strange air about him that, in retrospect, we can probably best categorize as "pity."
To add insult to intestinal injury, they only take cash or AmEx. How can a place like this stay in business? Ignorant tourists like me. I should've Yelped!
So, hanging out downtown, and thoughts turn to lunch.
7*: "Hey, do you want to go to that sorta dingy cafe just down the street?" (from Roosevelt University)
Me: "Um, zee Cafe of the Non Starving Artists? Â That cafe may be dingy, but it's PRICEY!"
7*: "Noo, really?! It's not that bad."
Me: "Hmm, okay, as you wish."
We go, and peruse menu. Note prices - $10.95 for a Reuben! $14 for pasta entrees! $6.95 for glasses of wine! I know that the whole "starving artist" trip is somewhat of a myth, but mon dieu! And at these prices, you need to get over the "cash only" pretension - you need plastic to eat here.
7*: "Oh. Now I remember. My boss always buys lunch here."
Me: "Yep." Annnnnnnd, scene. We exit.
Happened by here yesterday. Stopped in about 11:15am, was empty (weekday). Had the french toast, came out in about 7 minutes. It was yummy. The place is no frills, wait staff is a little slow, but food comes fast. Go only if you want diner food. Restrooms are a little scary in the hot dungeon basement. I will say that the cafe au lait I had was fantastic. The foam was excellent quality.
I will say- it's the cheapest sit down meal you'll get on Michigan Avenue prolly.
Don't be fooled by the pretty sign... this place is a DUMP! I just moved next-door to Artists', and I was anxious to give it a spin... so I did, and was completely let down. The food was less than mediocre, which is fine for a diner, but the waitress was super bitchy. No refill on my coffee, and that sealed the deal.
The only thing good about this place is the outdoor seating, but it's not worth it. Avoid...
Thanks to a steady stream of tourist victims pouring down Michigan Avenue, this place doesn't have to try or care to stay in business. Â It does neither.
The outdoor seating is nice, but this is some of the worst food I've had in Chicago. Â I ordered the souvlaki once, and not only was it the toughest cut of meat I've had outside the developing world, it was bland and overcooked. Â The Dalai Llama (vegetable curry) sounds promising but is equally bland. Â I also get the sense that the poor waitstaff is deathly afraid of new customers, who might just add to the list of complaints. Â You can walk in and stand next to the "please wait to be seated" sign and they'll all look at you and not say anything.
I tried this place today and am pleased to say that I've found a new lunch spot to enjoy in the south loop. Â
Ok, the server was a bit strange, but the food was good, the selection was good and everything came out fast. Â I was with a group of 6 people and we ordered and had our meal in front of us in about 10 minutes. Â Perfect for lunch!
I ordered a Greek salad that was fresh and huge. Â The grilled cheese and homemade chips that my friend had looked delicious, as did everyone elses meal -- I'll definitely be a regular at Artists.
O.K. Â let me start this review by saying I can't stand restaurants that tell me where I can't sit, especially when it is empty. Â This is one of those places, so after walking into an empty restaurant and was told I can't sit in a booth they sort of got off on the wrong foot. Â Considering that it was about 10.30 on a Saturday morning and whatever breakfast rush they may have gotten was clearly gone and the lunch rush was at least an hour away I don't understand their adamancy that booths were only for 3 or more. Â I digress.
We wanted to check this place out because the other Lou Mitchell's on Harrison is excellent. Â I don't think they are related at all, at least I hope not, event though the very old neon sign out front says "Lou Mitchell's Artist Cafe"
This place sucks. Â It is a total tourist trap and I suspect that is the only way they stay in business. Â I can't imagine that they would get significant repeat business unless you are jonesing for breakfast and don't want to wait for the Yolk, just down the street. Â
My coffee was lukewarm and clearly not fresh. Â About three sips into my water my ladyfriend let me know that there was lipstick on the glass that clearly was not my shade. Â Very, Very gross. Â That is as far as we got.
Left $2 for the coffee and walked out. Â Will never go back.
Sorry
RrL