This is a really solid neighborhood cafe with spunky atmosphere and friendly service. Â My guest and I both had the buffalo burger, which was juicy and cooked to perfection. Â In my opinion it's a little overpriced, but not enough so that I won't eat here again. Â However, be warned that their service, while super friendly, is on the slow side; Â I was here on a Friday afternoon, the restaurant was about a quarter full, and it still took about 30 minutes for our order, which wasn't that complicated. Â So if you're looking for a place to relax and have a nice, unhurried meal, Heartland is the place!
Review Source:The food here is decent. I find the protein here, both vegetarian and non-, is a bit on the salty side.
The service is adequate. Every now and then, it can a take a little bit more waving to get your waiter's attention when you need water.
So why do I come here, when there are so many food choices in this city to presumably waste time on something merely "decent"?
The atmosphere. I don't come here with the specific intention of filling up my calorie count in the tastiest way possible. This is one place where I come to talk to my friends in an environment that supports intellectual discourse, or if I'm in lone-wolf mode, where I come to do reading.
There are some X-factors to this place that makes your mind more accepting, compels you to want to seek out and understand difference. Might be the countercultural magazines you see on the shelves that you otherwise don't see anywhere else, might be the strange, occasionally demented conversations you hear nearby patrons having.
This place is less a restaurant, more a cultural institution.
I've lived in Chicago for almost 20yrs and have never ventured over to Heartland Cafe because, I always assumed it was a vegan/veg cafe and my better half is a meat and potatoes guy who would never agree to a meatless Sunday brunch. And it's a hike for us living in Irving Park. Recently, a friend of ours moved to the area and said it was great and that they do indeed, have meat as well as veggie options.
So we headed over today to meet our friend for brunch, surprisingly there was no wait. Seriously NO WAIT for brunch. On a Sunday. Hell yes. It was busy but not packed to the maximum.
The crowd was a great mix of hipsters, granolas, families and good north side folks. I almost felt like I was in Portland or something. It was great.
So the coffee was good. No I mean, REALLY good. I drank about 7 cups of it. Lol.
My omelette was amazing. Everything was so fresh and not greasy like from some other hip breakfast spots. Everyone's food looked great. As a matter of fact, I can't wait to go again and try something else!
Really, my only complaint was the service was a little on the slow side. Maybe they were understaffed for a weekend? I don't know.
I will definitely return and I definitely want to explore the area a little more.
I remember Heartland Cafe. I spent my 16th birthday there and my father let me try an ice cold Harp for the first time. I had the vegetarian chili, it was fantastic. I remember all the food being fresh and flavorful. What happened Heartland? You seem to be a shell of your former glory. The husband and I went there for dinner last night and were unhappy with our food. They seemed to be out of a lot of things and the food was really horrible. My husbands chili was dry, like it was several days old and there was almost no buffalo meat in it at all. He also ordered hot wings, which they were out of. The server offered a replacement of tenders. What he was served was pre made, pre shaped, pre breaded, frozen chicken pieces covered in buffalo sauce. Not something I would expect a healthy restaurant to serve. I had the trio of vegetarian sliders, which were ok as a start. However, please don't serve a dry black bean or mushroom burger on a plain bun with nothing to wet it up with! How about some fancy mayo or some sprouts and tomato? Something would be better than choking that down. Â Put a little creativity back into your menu. I was very saddened to see the condition of this landmark restaurant and even more saddened by the state of their culinary prowess. I really felt like I wanted to say something at the moment, but I hate to be "that customer". I know we payed way too much for the sub-par offering we got. Please Heartland, bring back the love.
Review Source:AMAZING FOOOOD. I can't get enough of it. I go this place about 2-3 times a week and love it every time. The service is hit or miss. Tonight, I had a great server but most of the time it's pretty slow and/or non-existent, and I'm not sure if the cook has a good system. The food makes up for it though  : ) After going here for the past few years, it seems like they are making an attempt to improve the service as well.
Review Source:I'm really, really torn on how many stars to give Heartland. Â
The boyfriend and I rolled ourselves out of bed last Saturday in search of eggs, pancakes, and all things delicious in the name of brunch. Â And sadly I think part of the reason I remain unimpressed with Heartland is that I was really unimpressed with the menu. Â Someone else mentioned the "hipster Cracker Barrel" vibe, and I will definitely give this place that.. but the menu felt really uninspired and boring. Â I wasn't expecting the hippest brunch in Rogers Park (although I admittedly don't know the neighborhood well enough to know what else is out there) but $9 for french toast and sausage? Â And not even good sausage? Â I don't know.
The service was relatively friendly, but reeked of douchebag pretentiousness. Â Why a business with ~20 open tables would have a line going at the host stand was beyond me. Â The hostess really seemed to care very little about seating people. Â
Overall I would say the food was okay, but not really something I would come back for. Â The boyfriend seemed to enjoy his eggs and pancakes, but mentioned that they weren't as good as other places we've been. Â My french toast was dry, and the bananas I'd requested to be added were missing (but unsurprisingly not missing from the check). Â I'd have asked for them after I realized they were missing but by the time we saw our server again I was mostly finished and didn't see the point. Â
Overall I could see how maybe people would really love this place, but I feel it's somewhere that probably has let its reputation get the best of it and has decided to stop trying very hard. Â Which is a shame, because as a location and as a restaurant, this place has an amazing amount of potential.
Kind of late in writing this review - based on Jan. 9th visit - but I loved my dinner, and I have to give Heartland my recommendation. Â Mind you, my friend, who joined me, and I are neighbors and fans of Heartland, from almost the beginning, and we have experienced our ups and downs with them over the years, but we love and support them, and want to see them prosper and continue on with all their endeavors. Â I have been slowly trying different items from the new menu during their transition, and have been pleasantly surprised. Â Anyway, on to the meal I loved: Â veggie sliders, sweet potato fries, and veggie of the day: grilled brussel sprouts. Â Simple, but everything was delicious. Â You get three different sliders, and they all have great flavor. Â In the past, I would love something, go back, and be disappointed, but I recommended the sliders to my friends, who also liked them. Â Also highly recommend new cornbread - didn't want to see the old one go, but this one is better. Â Veggie stir-fry was excellent. Â So, I have high hopes for Heartland Cafe. Â Please keep up the good work.
Review Source:If you don't know it's here, you might never know. The hipster-Cracker Barrel vibe was fun and casual. I never knew an egg white omelet with tomatoes and spinach could have so much flavor, but mine was absolutely mouthwatering. The breakfast potatoes were typical and not at the same time. I detected a flavor I could not put my finger on, but whatever it was (paprika, garlic powder?) kept me going back for more. By the time the fresh batch of cornbread came out, I was stuffed and wrapped it to take home. My curiosity got the best of me, and the minute I got in, I dug in to try it. It was dense but crumbly and had the perfect balance of sweet and salty. The hot chocolate had a certain something special, too, and reminded me of Mexican hot chocolate. I'd go back to try some of their lunch options.
Review Source:We decided to go here for brunch on a whim one saturday. We'd recently moved to Rogers Park and friends kept telling us to check it out. I really wanted to like this place more than I did. And, there are definitely some good things about Heartland.
I only went for breakfast and I'd still consider going back for drinks. We walked in to discover a radio show broadcasting from the dining room. I thought it was cool. I could see myself becoming a regular audience member. However, the food just wasn't that great. I had a Chai milkshake, which was good, but not $6 good. I also had the eggs florentine. The poached eggs were quite overcooked and the hollandaise was too lemony. My husband had an omelet with chili and avocado and it was shockingly bland. His bloody mary was also kinda pricey but it was good.
The decor is rather eclectic. It kind of feels like you're in an episode of Portlandia in that most of the men and women in this place look like Fred Armisen in a wig. It has a sort of "vegan general store" feeling.
In short, I'd go back for drinks and maybe to listen to the radio show but not for anything else.
Do not go for dinner or lunch. That's the rule with the Heartland Cafe. Pretty much everything on their breakfast menu is awesome  (I love the homemade raspberry jam :) At night this place turns into a sort of 90s desperate girl singing over twangy guitar place--it is difficult to have a conversation and the food is just sad...l ordered a "grilled cheese" and in turn received two sweaty slabs of provolone on dry bread. Yuk.
Review Source:Things have been hit-or-miss for me at the Heartland Café over the years. Sometimes the place feels a little too grungy, or the food is ehh, or the service is slow. Other times it feels homey, the food is delicious, the staff is attentive and friendly. My latest visit was more on the "hit" side, possibly because the place wasn't very busy. Whatever -- I was happy.
We had a generous mixed green salad that was exemplary in it freshness. Buffalo chili was the hit of the evening -- delicious and spiced just right. A special bean/meat stew that seemed to be a take on cassoulet was well-conceived, though too salty and overpriced. Our server was friendly. The vibe in the room was just right. Â It was nice to renew this old acquaintance!
The Heartland Cafe is an institution, which is why I consent to occasionally go there. Â It's a throwback in time. Â But the food---I have yet to have a meal I truly enjoy. Â
This week: Â eggs florentine. Â Eggs, fine. Â Muffin, fine. Â Hollandaise, okay. Â Spinach, yes. Â The copious amounts of cayenne pepper sprinkled on top---huh? Â Why cayenne on Florentine? Â Shouldn't that be an option, not a given?
The home fried potatoes were brown, dry chunks. Â I didn't understand the allure.
The coffee---what is it about that flavor? Â Strange. Â Not "my cuppa tea."
This breakfast seemed like it ought to be pretty straightforward. Â But no. Â It seemed to have been "Heartlandized" which I don't consider a compliment.
It's too bad. Â It's a funky place that needs to have something it can really point to as a strength other than having been a happening place in the past.
I said I'd never go back. It only took me 15 years to finally give up on the Heartland, but  I did last winter after my tofu scrabble was unbelievably oily and the coffee over burnt and somehow, cold. But then I received an email from the Red Line Tap that peeked my interest. I don't remember when I signed up for their listserv, I must have years ago. But why would I get an email now? That's when I did a little internet searching and found out there is a new partner mixing it up over at the Heartland Cafe. Since I'm a neighbor, I thought I'd give it another try.
I guess the best way to review the Heartland Cafe is from a before and now perspective.
Before, the wait staff was clueless, or too cool for school. They always seemed indifferent to your need to procure food and or drinks.
Now, we had the SWEETEST waitress, Mary. She was really attentive, told me my baby was cute and even explained what is going on with the menu, renovations etc.
Before, the menu was impossible, breakfast, lunch and dinner all jumbled together and noted by super small print time restrictions. Sort of like, thanks for advertizing what I could have been eating, thanks for pointing out I'm an idiot for arriving late or early.
Now, the menu is clear, clean and straight forward. And the the prices seem reasonable.
I was quick to assume the worst about the new Heartland when I ordered the Vegetarian Slider Trio and received 2 veggie burgers instead of the smokey mushroom option. Mary said that they had replaced the smokey mushroom with a mushroom based veggie burger because it was too intense for some yelpers. The chef treated us to the smokey veggie burger and it was delicious.
I think this new owner is really listening to the feedback of the neighborhood. Which is leaps and bounds more than the previous owner. So I believe the Heartland is making a come back and I will probably check them out again soon for their breakfast menu.... If the coffee is good, I'm sold.
One more thing. I think that the Heartland might be too sensitive to our yelp feedback. I noticed someone said their french fries were too salt. I like salt and I did notice that my fries were under/unsalted. (And of course replacing the mushroom burger with a mushroom based burger... madness)
Great place! Just moved into the neighborhood, and found out this place was nearby. Good vibe for everything from a drink with friends to a family dinner. I had a delicious BLT sandwich with some sweet potato fries. I had a really good crepe for desert. They have a good selection of beers. Will be back, want to try their breakfast menu and coffee. The decor is wacky and fun: for me, that's perfect!
Update tried their breakfast: pretty good egg hollendaise. Also had a wheat pancake with peaches. Good stuff.
I was here for an overwhelmingly liberal election night results watching party. Â It's not a typical experience here, but it was pleasant enough to make me a fan.
The restaurant was horrendously understaffed given that they were hosting a party, but the two waiters worked tirelessly to get to everyone. Â The menu here is big, boasts great variety, and is friendly to vegetarians and carnivores alike. Â I was also reasonably impressed by their beer selection. Â For being a small placed focused more on the food than the bar, they had a lot of nice microbrews and local bottles.
I would come back if I was in the area. Â It happens rarely enough, but Heartland made me feel welcome with this overwhelmingly positive experience.
Since I have now opened a biz across the street, I have been to Heartland almost every day this week. Moving boxes makes a team hungry and we all go there to relax and unwind.
Each time we have something different and it's always fantastic. The chicken salad is great and so is the BLT. But the PORK BACON? Heaven!
I believe there are new owners (the last 4-5 months) and trying to get it back to it's glory days.
I am very excited to be Heartland's newest business neighbor and glad I have a new place for lunch/dinner and after work beer.
Maybe one day, they will have the resources to give it a little facelift. But other than that, the food is solid and service has been pretty good.
So I went to this place and I thought it was okay. The food selection was alright (does everything have to include black beans). The place is a little to hippy for me. I got fish tacos which were pretty good but how can you screw up fish tacos.
Staff was really nice and got the food quick.
It was pretty decent but for living on the south side, I don't think I will be making a trek up there anytime soon.
Judging by the place, I am glad there was no music there last night.
That being said tacos were very good and so were the mashed potatoes.
They do have meat options for those that want meat. Â But it is a vegetarian/vegan place with a nice little menu. And it looks like they do music, poetry or spoken words.
Like many others, I used to be a regular back in the day.  But our visits became rare because the service is totally inept.  Tried it again this week and couldn't believe what we saw.  It was Tuesday night, pretty slow with only a few other tables of customers.  Asked the server how she was and she tells us she was getting over a really bad cold or flu and was pushing fluids, so she was able to make it through the day.  I want her to handle my food?  My wife asked if there was gluten free bread for a sandwich and was told that the whole wheat bread was gluten free. The entree was up on the counter before the cook ladled out the chili appetizer.  These were ignored by the server who then  went to take the order for a table of 10.  About ten minutes later, she brought the chili. We gave up and left.  Never again.
Review Source:Am disappointed as this used to be a regular dining favorite out of convenience.
Couldn't believe that when they brought out an order that was similiar to what we ordered and gave it to us, I proceeded to cut it in half for a child and was told it was not our order. Â They proceeded to take the order from our table and took it directly to another table for that patron to eat. Â This after they saw that I had cut the quesadilla in half. Â
The food quality just isn't what it used to be and I'd rather go elsewhere.
I had gotten a drink from Heartland's stand at Loyola Beach on the last day of the season, and thought I'd give the main restaurant a shot. The place looks like it was lifted out of some college town out west. Imagine if Cracker Barrel, Whole Foods, and Berkeley, California and you'll get close to what Heartland is like (and I mean that in the best way possible). The shop at the front of the short had your usual  assortment of organic/trendy products, but the Buffalo Bar looked promising for a nice relaxing drink...however, since it was 11am on a Sunday, I opted for breakfast in the main dining area. Decor is defiantly Haymarket meets UC Boulder (again, not a problem for me, but I know some may be put off) Staff was really nice. Got the breakfast combo: Pancake, 2 eggs, and choice of (non)meat. I also opted for a side of wheat toast with coffee and OJ. All was served fast and delicious, and the place was very chill.
The only reason I couldn't give Heartland a 5 was that I ordered a pecan pancake and they forgot the pecans. The waiter realized the mistake just as he sat the food on the table and whisked it back to get fixed. It seemed like he had to haggle with the chef, and he came back with pecans sprinkled over the top of the pancake. While I'm not picky, and this worked for me, It still kills the fifth star just on principle. I'm hoping to go again and change my score soon.
So I went back. Â I really want to like this place! Â Second time around the food was better. Â The same hostess seemed a little less annoyed, in fact I think it's just her dry humor. Â The waiter we had was kind of hot.
But we still had to wait a long time for service ... The prices still seem a little high for what you get. Â It was so so.
I spent a lot of time at the beloved heartland when I was in my 20's, so I'm really saddened to give it this review. It's not the same place anymore. The shell is still there - the decor, the vibe, but the food and service have gone too far down that slippery slope. I can handle a spaced out server or ten, but they seem to have gotten way worse - nobody is supervising these folks anymore, or saying anything about customer service to them. But the worst thing is the food. Â
I took my mom there the other day because she wanted a salad. We found the salad menu so diminished (really? this joint used to be vegetarian?) that there was only one meal sized option, the Heartland Cafe salad. It showed up with rotten lettuce and less than fresh veggies. The chicken in it was fresh, and my mom, being a good sport, ate that and picked the bad stuff out of the bowl. I had a vegan black bean burger, which was an unseasoned handful and a half of black beans mashed into a burger shape - completely uninspiring. Â Barely edible with the provided ketchup-in-a-steel-cup.
When we complained to the waitress about the salad and showed her the rotten lettuce, she just stood there like a kid getting yelled at. She did apologize, but in a tone that said she was humoring nasty customers. My mom said it wasn't her fault, and she was able to eat the chicken.. We were billed for the chicken topping but not the salad part. Seriously? I revisited the lettuce issue with the hostess/manager(?) when we paid, as an FYI - someone should know so they can toss the bad lettuce before customers get sick. Â More sulky teenager humoring bad customers. I literally saw the hostess decide we were cranks and go to her "zen place" in her head, and then she treated us to a sugary "well, i hope it doesn't affect the rest of your day." Â
I'm really sad that the new ownership seems to be taking this place straight downhill. The sticky tables, the rotting food, the diminished menu.. Man, I think this place will just have to remain a fond memory.
Met up with friends here this past weekend.  Ordered french toast, asked for powdered sugar  from the waitress and she said she'd go check if they had some.  She didn't arrive back to our table till a lot later and she didn't even give me a reply.  I asked for more syrup too and she did a disappearing act until everyone was all ready to pack up.  My french toast was dry with burnt crusts and the berries looked like they came out of a thawed out frozen bag.  On the contrary, the guy behind the counter and the woman who greeted me were gracious and attentive when I first arrived.  The atmosphere is laidback  however, poor service and a lack of congeniality from the waitress  does not offset the surroundings.
Review Source:We go here all the time, especially for early dinner. My husband is IN LOVE with the sweet potato fries. Â I am a vegitarian, but he loves hambergers. So, this is a good place for both of us! Â And they have awesome live music, too.
You feel like part of a little family here. The only thing I would complain about, is their service is slow, especially when you are used to the fast and busy restaurants downtown.
Heartland Cafe has the feeling of a community fixture, a salon of sorts. Our waitress was really attractive in her own careful way, and she was very welcoming.
I've only tried the breakfast food, and it was pretty good. I'd be intrigued to see the different aspects of this place as it seems to be everything.....cafe, bar, restaurant, venue, revolutionary meeting ground etc...
A+ restaurant to bring your righteous vegetarian friends too!
I really miss the Heartland Cafe. I used to live about a block away, and would go all the time, but then I moved 2,000 miles away and haven't been back since. Le Sigh.
If you are looking for a place to scarf down some chow in 15 minutes or less, then I suggest you move along; this place is not known for its speedy service. But that's also part of the fun. Heartland Cafe is the place to go to get some fresh air and linger over your meal. To get away from the chaos of the day. To just enjoy good company without the stress of being tossed aside in favor of the next group with a wallet.
The food may not be michelin quality, but it has a very homey, made with love kind of feel. There are plenty of options for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.
There is a lot of really neat history to Heartland that most restaurants nowadays lack. When you support them, you are helping to ensure that they can continue to call Rogers Park home for years to come.
It's been a couple years since I visited Heartland Cafe, and it's been maybe 25 (yikes!!) years since I first visited. I found some things have changed, and others haven't.
Stepping into the small store at the west end of the building is like a trip to the 1970's. I think the magazines are current, but so much of this place is like it was way back in the day. The founders of Heartland Cafe had a mission as much as they had a desire to feed people healthy, unadulterated food. Seeing all the leftie, environmental and do-it-yourselfer magazines, bumper stickers, buttons and more felt like I entered a time warp. It's great to see that, in this area at least, Heartland is still true to its original mission and has resisted the universal urge to sell out and do what's popular, instead of what's deemed "right" by those who thinks the Kardashians are what's best about America.
One thing that should be updated, and has not yet been, is the toilet. It's small and dark. Oh everything worked alright, and it wasn't dirty or anything, it was just . . . you know, restroom facilities have gotten a whole lot better since 1978. I don't think any fans of Heartland would complain if this toilet facilities got a modernizing overhaul.
On to the food. . . well, at one time, Heartland believed "sugar is poison" and was resolutely vegetarian, and the menu reflected that. In this, Heartland has updated itself and now serves sweets, flesh foods, and even (gasp!) alcohol. That was probably a wise decision. Without that, Heartland Cafe would probably, today, be a condo building or a CVS drugstore. I prefer keeping Heartland.
Heartland has plenty of indoor seating, but on a pleasant Sunday evening that threatened rain, we chose to sit outside. There is outside seating under a roof, but still open to the elements; and completely exposed outdoor seating. With some dark clouds threatening, we thought it expedient to stay under the roof. And when it started to rain 20 minutes later, we stayed nice and dry, but enjoyed the freshened breeze.
No trouble with service at all. We got menus, waters and silverware quickly. The server took our drink order within 5 minutes of sitting down (we no sooner got to our table than my friend decided to find the washroom, so 5 minutes worked out fine). The server brought our tea and coffee, asked if we were ready. We needed a couple more minutes. About 3 minutes later, he was back, and we ordered Duke's Tostada (me) and the Avocado and Bean Stuffed Quesadilla (friend). Both arrived quickly, and were delicious, hot and just the right amount. It's really great that there are so many vegetarian selections, that I don't have to have a salad or an omelet. And there are selections for carnivores, too, so everybody can be happy.
We were going to a memorial directly after dinner, so we did not have any alcohol, and we were too full to have dessert.
We had a good experience, and I would definitely return. Especially in the summer, when I can enjoy the outdoors without worrying about scurrying for cover if there's rain.
Eek exactly. Â
It took 20 minutes before the server took our order. Â It took another 20 minutes before they food arrived. Â I ordered turkey burger and it was dry and tasteless (I swear I make *much* better turkey burger ~ so they might want to consider replacing their chef). Â It took 15 minutes before our check brought out. Â All in all, we spent the whole hour in Heartland Cafe, with 55 minutes of wait and 5 minutes of munching our dinner. Â (Yep, we eat super fast and no-talking during munching). Â The one star is for the patio they had open on one nice early evening during Chicago' spring.
Lovely little location that I've been walking to for about six years now. Â If I'd written this review 5 years ago, it might have gotten 4 stars... but things are not great now.
The menu is overpriced and has become increasingly limited, within nothing on it that really blows you away. Â Even the items that the servers always talk about are not good: I've ordered the sweet potato fries probably 10 times and they've always been partly-burned and partly-soggy; the cornbread is actually dry and I've never finished it. Â They do have some things that are very good, though. Â The tuna plate and quesadilla are nice. Â My husband likes the buffalo chili. Â I don't want it to sound like the food is bad, just underwhelming.
The biggest problem is the service. Â They've cut back on open hours and staff to save money, I assume, and it shows. Â You can sit around at your table for an hour without seeing your server unless you flag down someone, and that's really inexcusable.
If they focused on the food and less on the political and social stuff it would probably be a better restaurant. Â I realize that community involvement is part of what makes Heartland what it is, but the restaurant is suffering.
The location is very adorable. There's a patio, an inside dining room, a bar, and a store.
We only had drinks there, but enjoyed what we had. The banana and peaches & cream smoothie tasted more like health drinks, but still good. The chocolate smoothie was definitely tasty. All the food we saw around us did look appetizing.
There's an incredibly relaxed vibe about the place.
Sigh. Â I WANT to like Heartland, I really do. Â It has such a cool, artsy vibe and I love their inclusion of buffalo.
We were going pretty regularly for a while because it's close to my boyfriend's house. Â And then I finally realized it -
I am underwhelmed by Heartland. Â
There is nothing inherently bad about it, there's just nothing that wows me. Â And, maybe it's just me, but I feel like a place like this should have at least one or two things that are just REALLY good. Â And they don't. Â Every dish I order I find myself thinking "this could really use some [fill in the blank here]."
Eh.
Went to the Heartland Cafe for a reading for my favorite magazine, The Sun. I hadn't been in a couple years because my previous experiences had been so bad. I was sad to see nothing has really changed. After sitting down and waiting for about a half hour to even be acknowledged by anyone from the restaurant, our waitress came over and said: "Sorry I didn't come by, I was busy talking to some friends." Yikes. We put in drink orders and appetizer orders. Apps came about 25 minutes later, drinks we had to ask for again after that. Entrees the restaurant seemed to have less of a problem getting out of the kitchen.
They were busy tonight, I get that, but the thing is, the food isn't even very good. Under seasoned bean burger, overly greasy sweet potato fries, nachos heavy on lettuce(wha?). The hummus and pita were the only salvageable parts of the meal, along with the cane sugar organic soft drinks.
I don't have the history with Heartland some others do, so unless there is some other reason to go there like there was tonight, I will never step foot in the place again. There are just too many other options in Rogers Park now that are so much better.
While I'm totally behind Heartland Cafe's philosophy of local and organic, I left with a "meh" feeling.
When you walk in there's the general store which has fair trade coffee, organic foodstuffs, magazines, toys, lip balm. Â It was nice to browse while waiting for our table. Â Beyond the edible products, there was a lot of "hippy" stuff like ponchos, crocheted scarves, fabric bags, etc. Â A flag hanging on the wall said, "We The People SAY NO To The Bush Agenda." Â It doesn't matter if I agree or not with this stance, but the Heartland Cafe seems to not care about alienating some people who could be eating at their restaurant. Â Also, Bush was definitely no longer the president, so I'm not sure what the point was.
It wasn't too long before my group of 8 people was seated. Â Almost half of my group was vegetarian, so they definitely appreciated not having to order just a salad. Â They have vegetarian options like veggie chili, stir-fried vegetables, tostadas and even a vegan burger. Â I, however, am a meat eater, so I had chicken tacos. Â They were okay but nothing too special. Â There are some decent beers on tap like Fat Tire, Harp and Domaine Dupage. Â The bottled beers include the usuals like Miller Lite, Heineken and Amstel Light, but they also have Left Hand Milk Stout, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Krankshaft, etc. Â So the beer menu isn't too bad.
There was live music, which was enjoyable but sometimes too loud. I could hardly hear someone sitting two seats down from me. Â The service was spotty. Â When our food was being served, one of the workers knocked over my beer, sort of looked at it and walked away. Â Really? I had to ask our waiter for a new beer, but I feel like I shouldn't have had to ask. Â
Overall the Heartland Cafe was pretty unimpressive. Â If you're looking for an environmentally-friendly restaurant, Uncommon Ground is probably a better choice.
Been going there for years now. Â Went from being one of my favorite spots to a place I go when in a pinch. Â What has happened? Â Service used to be great and the food was awesome. Â My last couple visits had both bad service and mediocre meals. Â Who serves bad cream from coffee and then looks at you funny when you show them floaties in your cup? Â C'mon. Â And why is the guy at the register so dang rude? Â The first time I thought it was a fluke. Â The last two times since made it a pattern.
Truth be told folks, this Heartland is in bad decline.
Dear Heartland Cafe,
I want to like you. Â I have tried several times to like you. Â Although I do realize the majority of the times I have visited has been because my mother forced me to go, I still try and come in with an open mind and a clean slate. Â
I appreciate your intended laid back and natural vibe but sometimes that can translate into lazy and nonexistent servers. Â I like your choice of beers. Â But as previously mentioned when the server doesn't come around for me to order said beers it makes it difficult to actually enjoy drinking them. Â I don't enjoy reading beers on a list as much as tasting them. Â There weren't many people dining when I was there last on a Saturday night. Â What was the issue that required our server to disappear and then very rarely reappear?
Everything I've ever ordered at your restaurant has been boring and bland. Â I did have a friend on the last trip order the buffalo philly and said that was good but that was one out of 6 people that liked their meal. Â I don't think that's a very good statistic for your food.
It's impossible to find parking. Â Only during our last visit were we informed that you had a shared parking lot at Morse and Ashland (shared with a church?). Â That was after circling the blocks for at least 35 minutes and then walking half a mile to get to the restaurant. Â Why don't you have any signage informing your customers of this?
The store in front is cute and has some fun and quirky items to browse and perhaps purchase but I don't think it alone can carry all of the dead weight. Â I'm convinced that my mother (and most fans of Heartland Cafe) are actually more in love with the idea of you rather than who you actually are. Â If I had a choice I probably would not be back.
Best of luck,
Shannon S.
There was a time in the past that I enjoyed this restaurant, but it has gone down the tubes. Â This last visit was the final straw. Â They changed the menu, the slowest service I've ever experienced in Chicago (and that's saying a lot), and they where out of almost everything on the menu. Â
All in all, a disappointing mess.
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