Meli Café & Juice Bar

Very Very good food!
Love the place looks awsome.
They have a lot of organic products, there juice bar is the bomb.
The homemade marmalade is delicious!
I will definelty be coming back.

Solid!

Upon arrival, there was a host who guided me and my guest to a seat. Immediate service and prompt preparation of the food. The juice selection can be a tad overwhelming, but it's always best to have more choices than not enough.

Many breakfast restaurants state that they have 'fresh-squeezed orange juice' these days, and it's merely some Dole mix than got from a store. Not this place! It's pure juice all the way around. If you don't go for the food, the juice is just as worthy.

I had the berry mixed french toast, which was really good, but the highlight was the whipped cream topping, which was unique to anything I've ever had before on french toast, and very addictive. The atmosphere is a plus also, which makes the experience worth dining in; very spacious, with nice bathrooms I may add.

I've struggled to find a new breakfast spot to feast from, and this restaurant has my attention. On a side note, they also have a pretty nice vegan menu to select from, for those who are interested about such food. I'll have to return to explore the rest of the menu, and it's worth bringing a few friends.

I don't live in the area, but Meli was recommended by a friend who does.  

I was warned the wait is long, but then again, most brunch places have long waits.  At 30 minutes, this wasn't bad.  The food was good, but didn't blow me away.  

Pluses:
-appealing juice bar list
-most delicious latte I've had in Chicago (incredibly creamy)
-plenty of options
-very friendly service
-cute space

Minuses:
-plenty of options (so hard to decide!  I prefer a menu that gives variety but doesn't boggle the mind)
-service was quite slow (it turned out ok since he was really nice and we weren't in a rush, but still)
-no liquor license, and they won't let you bring in your own to mix with the delicious juice!
-worst chicken & waffles ever (the "fried chicken" was basically two chicken tenders - no bueno)

Overall, it was fine, but did not wow.