You're trapped on museum campus and you need to eat? You could do worse. You could do better, too. Most of the prepared for you fresh menu choices are big enough to share, so there's that. But honestly, on a nice day I'd rather eat outside at one of the park food stands.
If you're already out at Adler, it's not a bad option. And the view! OH THE VIEW! Even if you're not going to eat anything, go look out the windows to get one of the best views of Lake Michigan and the skyline.
I came to the Planetarium when they opened at 9:30am and was hungry for breakfast by 10:15am. Â I stopped off at Galileo's Cafe hoping for some good breakfast. Instead, I see a menu for lunch starting at 11am. Â They offer a "continental breakfast" but I had no idea what that meant because there were brownies, cookies, and muffins that looked like dessert food for lunch. Â I walked over to their refrigerated section where the had pudding, parfaits, and fruit cups. They also had cold sandwiches. Â So I opted for half a turkey sandwich and a cup of coffee. Prices here are definitely reasonable. I paid less than $5 for these two items.
The seating area is very nice. Very spacious and great views of the city. When I started eating my sandwich in this area, I find out my turkey sandwich was labeled incorrectly as it was a TUNA sandwich instead. Luckily I am not a picky eater and eat just about anything. But I cannot give a good rating to any place labeling their tuna sandwiches as turkey sandwiches! Â Not a place I would want to come back to for breakfast! My mistake!
Great place for a fast and decently priced meal. Â I had the greek salad (see photo) and it was definitely big enough to split. Â Also had a yummy in-house made chocolate chip brownie. Â The total with tax for the salad and brownie was $9.90. Â A pretty good deal for a museum cafe. Â
The view right immediately outside (somewhat visible inside if you have a good tabel) of the cafe is probably the best view of the city in Chicago.
Galileo's Cafe
I really enjoy the changes this place had had. I see there a re a lot of new faces in the kitchen, and there are new drinks in the cooler.
I got the Cesar salad, and the guys were asking me if i wanted any other ingredient added.... ohhhh .... so sweet... ok, i added some olives then.
The strawberry/lemon drink is very refreshing and you can eat the fruit at the end of your drink. I like the name that sandwiches have, galactic, hungry astronaut, etc, yogurts are very refreshing, with 2 types of fruit mix, just love it. The view is great from here, you can see the city, the boats, i didn't have to pay to get in, since i was only using the cafe, great little place, the only think is that they close early.
I took an out-of-town guest to show them the beautiful Chicago skyline and after freezing our buns off, what better to do? Go right next door to Galileo's! Of course the view from this cafe is absolutely stunning, but when it comes to food, I think they could have done a little better. Their paninis are okay, but they make the food as you order and of course Chicago gets a lot of tourists therefore there are huge lines and employees have to hurry up and kind of pile all the ingredients on top of each other and call it a panini. Salads are a little boring without any dressing really. And of course prices aren't that reasonable like at any other tourist attraction place. Maybe they have some other items that I would like, but oh well. I was just there to satisfy my hunger, not to enjoy an exceptional dinner in a chic restaurant or anything.
Review Source:Galileo's Cafe inside Adler Planetarium exceeded my expectations, at least what I had expected from a museum restaurant.
They offer an array of vegetarian fare such as the Garden Bagel and Sunrise Egg & Cheese Sandwich for breakfast (both under $4) and the Caprese and Mediterranean Paninis for lunch (both under $7). The food quality here is about the same as a bistro in the city, and the prices are pretty reasonable for a museum eatery. The cafe itself is spacious and modern, and the views of downtown Chicago can't be beat. It is always spectacular no matter the time or weather.
Note: The fountain soda, while only $1.49 for a large cup, is not refillable. Food and drinks are not allowed in the actual museum anyway.
Disclaimer: I am employed by the Adler Planetarium, which is where this cafe is located. However, you can visit the cafe without having to pay admission. Come in the front or (left) side doors and ask them to point you towards Galileo's.
They're open 9-10 with a limited breakfast selection, and 11-3:30 for lunch; however, they sometimes close early so be sure to get there by 3 pm.
This cafe has a million-dollar view of the city, whether you're there during the day to visit the museum, or at night for a private event. (You can get a preview of the view from the 'Sky Eye', Adler's webcam.) There are a number of free telescopes inside, along the windows facing the city... people really enjoy checking out the skyline through them.
Galileo's is run by Food for Thought catering, which operates about thirty venues throughout the city. There are always daily specials and new things to try out on a regular basis. It's newly renovated and cleaner and airier than similar cafes at the Field and Shedd. Also less busy.
Prices are decent but subject to the typical markup common to museums on the peninsula.
Least busy times: right at 11 when they open, or after 1-1:30 depending on the day/holiday/season.
Worst times to visit: weekends! It's always much busier then. It can also get kind of crowded when shows from the two theaters let out, especially right around noon. Holidays or other times when the kids are out of school can get completely insane. There are also some 'free days' (typically Mondays or Tuesdays) when crowds can get bad; you may want to call ahead to ask how busy it is.
Overall, it's good food in a comfortable setting with a view that can't be beat.
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