Wicker Basket Cafe is exactly what this area needed. There are a ton of restaurants around here but there weren't any (non-Ukrainian) delis. This one fits the bill.
I had the turkey club and it was way better than some plain old turkey sandwich. They get fresh bread delivered everyday and you can put your sandwich on whatever type of bread you like (I had some great tomato focaccia).
They have a good selection of cheeses and other deli item (sausages, potato salads and pasta salads etc...). They also have some desserts and a coffee bar.
Highly recommend this place. Sandwiches are great and the employees are very friendly. This location has had business going in and out for month, go here often so this one sticks around!
I'm in the neighborhood and I love this place. You can make your own sandwich, grab a small salad or sweet and coffee or take something off the breakfast or lunch sandwich board and menu. The prices are right because I feel like I get a great sandwich for the same price I would pay for a crappy Jimmy John's sub down the street.
Ok- it takes a few minutes for them to make your food as noted by other posters. But, it's worth it if you want to avoid jimmy johns or subway. You could call ahead and have it waiting for you for pick-up if you are in a pinch. Â I am writing today to caution on the panini which was my first foray into a hot sandwich. I always get a cold sandwich and haven't been disappointed. But that all changed with my corned beef panini. Â The thing was gi-nourmous. I expected corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese and 1000 island all melted into one gooey sandwich mess as usual. It was all there. But it didn't work. The cheese wasn't melted, the sauerkraut cold and meat over-stuffed to capacity. A panini should be better and wicker basket gets such great and loyal customers and reviews that my expectations for this panini were higher. It won't deter me from visiting again, but I feel like it was a sloppy attempt at a hot sandwich. Maybe it was an off day on the service.
Agree with another poster that free Wi-Fi would be good even though we all have iphone 5s and 4G LTE service. If you are on a laptop and waiting for lunch, it would be helpful.  They have an outdoor cafe in the warm weather months and these days, that is simply  de-rigeur. It really is the cost of doing business.
I don't do much with the grocery part other than grab a drink- I concur with another poster- I don't get the deli- grocery concept because the offerings are too small to make it a destination stop for any missing kitchen items.
I do love being their neighbor, minus the panini.
Great neghborhood spot. Stop by whenever I can if I have a long trip using the CTA, by the time I get back I find myself stopping here again for their drink selection. I recommend trying their pastas and their sandwiches.
They know me by name now, staff is incredible and always cracking jokes with me. I am not up to date with latest juices and drinks so I always ask them to recommend one with my meal. Yeah yeah yeah, I know, they spoil me.
I recommend stopping by for a quick bite and give this place a shot, you will nto be disappointed. Service is quick if you are on the go. You can also kick back and relax with a latte.
I am so happy the Wicker Basket Cafe is my neighbor. It is a savoir whenever we have no food at home, be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Their sandwiches are awesome, and I love to build my own sandwich too, especially on the pretzel roll.
Quiche, croissants, pastries and bagel sandwiches are great for breakfast/brunch, and California sandwich great for lunch. For dinner, any of the salads, Â cold meat/cheese and baguettes are great! Also good coffee/expresso.
The service is a bit on the slower side but it's worth waiting. Very friendly/family atmosphere.
We love the food at Wicker Basket Cafe, and have been patient patrons since they opened their doors. However, the service still seems to be an issue; after well over a year (maybe two now?), they still can't seem to figure out how to take an order, how to run the cash register, or how not to misplace our food from counter to table. My boyfriend and I literally have some sort of minor issue every time we go here. Nothing is ever serious enough to prevent our monthly visits, but I really wish they'd get it worked out. I'd love to give them 4-5 stars and support a local business instead of the vile Jimmy Johns down the street.
Review Source:Mediocre service and NO WIFI?!?!? What kind of place, especially a cafe, does not have WIFI? I understand from a previous review that they did have WIFI at some point and put a time limit on it because they didn't like campers, but to get rid of it all together? This just sounds like plain bad business. Most people go to cafes to study/work....sounds like the owner doesn't like people sitting in the many chairs they have...
Also, I suggest getting your staff to be more helpful. I understand slicing deli meat is an extremely complex skill but when I stand at the counter for 5 minutes and not one of the 4 people behind the counter ( and one other customer in the store) ask if I need some help then perhaps it's time to teach them about service. Definitely will not be back!
The food: great. I've had the pear and turkey panini. Sweet and salty and a pleasantly surprising crunch from the walnuts. I've also had the gooey monkey. Peanut butter, banana, blackberry preserves on cinnamon sugar challah. Perfectly grilled and gooey in the middle. Both sandwiches well priced and generous. The day that I had ordered these sanndwiches, I would have given the cafe 5 stars. Â It was a busy day and I think the staff forgot about my order. Â I realized the people in line after me were getting their orders first. Â Then someone ran to the kitchen to get my order. Â Luckily, my daughter was sleeping in her stroller and there wasn't this feeling of chaos in the cafe unlike my following experience... The gentleman at the register even opened the door for me and my clunky stroller.
I normally stop in for a decaf as I'm walking in the neighborhood with my daughter. Sometimes I'll stop at Letizia's bakery across the street but because it's hard to maneuver a stroller through their entryway, I opt to walk on the south end of the street to go to wicker basket. Â
So I walked in at lunch time, like I usually do. Â It was madness, but more than usual. Â It was warm in there with the windows open wide. Â The staff seemed frazzled. Â I ordered a decaf. Â Easy. Â Just pump the damn thing. Â But I waited off to the side and entertained my daughter who was getting too warm in her stroller. Â I looked anxiously at the woman at the register and she acknowledged me with the same nervous glance like, "should I get her coffee or take the rest of these orders?" She appologized. Â But continued to take the orders. Â What irked me was that their orders would NOT have been delayed in any way if she just pumped my coffee immediately because the staff was still busy fulfilling all the orders before mine. So my baby starts to fidget, squirm, whimper, then wail. Â Great! Â So I take her out of the car seat and calm her down. Â Then the woman pauses and finally fulfills my order. Â It took 1 minute to pump it but I waited 11 minutes. Â In one arm I carry my daughter, in the other my coffee, while pushing the stroller with my chest to get some sugar. I'm trying not to burn my daughter with the scalding hot coffee and console her at the same time. Â Ugh. Â Logistically a night mare. Â But I eventually have to fight her back into the car seat. Â And I'm the sweaty woman with the screaming kid with my head bowed walking quickly out of the restaurant. Â No one opened the door for me this time!
So I'm deducting 2 stars from my last experience. Boo
SO GLAD I live next to a good deli/sandwich/coffee shop like this one. Boar's Head meats and cheeses? Check. Good snack food? Check. Iced cookies designed to look  like Chicago sports mascots? HELL YES.
Everyone there is very chill and friendly, and when they put the table n' chairs out on the sidewalk, I could sit there all day. And this sandwich I'm about to eat looks HUGE and AMAZING. Wicker Basket love.
Had lunch here today and was very impressed with the freshness of all the ingredients. You can never go wrong with Boars Head meats and the selection of salads. $6.95 for a sammy with turkey, roast beef, and ham - yes please!
The owner was very helpful and accommodating to all of our needs. I will definitely be back
This place is so great! Â I am really picky about my deli meat and will pay extra for high quality meats. Â When we walked in and saw they made their sandwiches with Boar's Head, I knew this was going to be delish! Â Their sandwich selection had good variety but I'm a fan of the "make your own" style which they had too. Â All of the sides are homemade and was tasty (they let you sample as many as you like). Â Decent price point - my boyfriend and I ate for $20 including drinks and sides.
Review Source:This place is so stinkin cute. And I mean that in the best way possible. You walk in and it's a quaint little deli, offering sandwiches and salads for a great noontime meal. I went with the Power Panini - packed with protein, it was egg whites, roasted tomatos, turkey and spinach on nicely toasted multi-grain bread. Delicious and filling, without guilt. LOVE.
The staff were all incredibly friendly - love that too. Decent seating, and they even have some groceries if you're in need of a snack to take home. Great little spot off of Division/Damen.
Most people are very nice at Wicker Basket and I was committed to supporting the business despite its lack of atmosphere or charm. Â The food is ok. Â
What has sworn me off of supporting this business is the lack of manners or business sense of the woman who owns it. Â She told me she would need my table soon, even though I was not finished eating and then proceeded to tell me that there was a two hour limit on internet. Â I had been there less than an hour. Â Additionally, the tables around me which were "reserved" had signs that stated that they were needed at noon (it was 10:07). There were literally no other people in the place. Â When I informed her of that, she began to complain about people who spend 6-7 hours there. How this was relevant to me was unclear. Â Her general demeanor was rude and disrespectful. Â
I used to buy Intelligentsia coffee there and try to support the business. Â If they hope to keep loyal customers, it would be wise to have this woman avoid contact with patrons. Â I would also suggest removing internet service or using a time limit card like other sensible places. Â Ask any number of other cafes: Letizia's, Noble Tree, The Coffee Studio. Â These are all places where people are never rude to regular customers. Â That's a pretty bad business practice.
I have been here numerous times now to grab a sandwich or salad, even picked up some meat, cheese & crackers for a movie night after stopping at North Coast but never felt compelled to write an update until I finally stopped in for a quick bite at breakfast.
Their bacon egg and cheese on a croissant was amazing... Chock full of bacon, fluffy eggs, and ooey gooey melted cheddar on a butter croissant. For a fast hot bite on the way to the office this is hard to beat especially when washed down with a cup of there great coffee.
Hope you guys stick around for a long time.
It's nice to be surprised. Walking west of Damen on Division, I was in the mood for... something. What it was, I didn't know but it certainly wasn't anything I was coming across. Just when I was ready to throw in the towel (and throw a tantrum), I came across WBC. I'd never heard of it, but it looked promising -- from the outside. A quick check of my handy-dandy Yelp app and I saw that my hopes were supported by stars. Nice! I made my way inside and prepared for a nice lunch.
I received it. The atmosphere is what you might expected at a Wickrainian Park-Village cafe but with 50% less angry, disaffected hipsters. There was more than a touch of, dareIsayit, Bucktown at this cafe... but that suited me just fine. I perused the menu and looked at the salads in the display case and came upon a plan of attack. To sate my hunger, I'd get a sandwich with chips. To sate my sweeth tooth, I'd get a jumbo M&M cookie. To quench my thirst, I'd go with San Pellegrino Limonata. It might have been the perfect lunch.
I sat down at the table with my fizzy citrus soda and contemplated my cookie. Using all of my self-control, I determined to wait until after I'd eaten my meal to enjoy my dessert. A short while after, I was served my grilled chicken panini on a proper plate -- with silverware! Bucktown! My pressed sandwich was a gooey delight of chicken, provolone, black olives, arugula, and sun-dried tomato pesto. Each bite was extremely satisfying but not at all guilt-inducing. That was coming. Paired with chips and between sips of soda, I felt refreshed and ready to take on the rest of my day. Then, I tackled a cookie as large as an Olympian's discus and I was ready for a nap. But, that's how I (get fat) roll(s).
Amazing food!!! Super delicious. My favorite is the Turkey Club. Very reasonably priced considering the quality and portions. This is below my house and dangerously close because I crave it constantly. Although I usually just stop in for a sandwich, I recommended it for catering for my company and received many positive compliments on my suggestion- it sounded like everybody loved it! My sister was in town last week and got one of their breakfast paninis and said it was literally the best breakfast sandwich she has ever eaten.
 I typically call in my sandwich orders as I have found it can take a little long if you are just stoppping by and are in a hurry (10 mins or so). However, its worth the wait and I highly recommend this place.
The service was quick, friendly and talkative... knowledgeable about the breads they did and didn't have available and which ones would go best with the sandwich you're craving. Points for a delicious vegetarian sandwich (filling and healthy) and reasonable prices. Points off for wobbly tables, painfully slow wi-fi and awkward indoor seating arrangements. Outdoor seating was a nice option and the menu is robust for a cozy cafe.
Review Source:I have been back numerous times to buy food to take home - lunch meat, salads, etc (Boars Head smoked ham & smoked gouda). Â The potato salad tastes homemade. Â The cucumber salad is fresh and delicious, and I looooove their chicken salad. Â It's a little more than I would spend at Dominick's or Jewel, but there is no comparison in the quality of food. Â It takes discipline to keep from buying everything in the store.
Review Source:I have been to Wicker Basket six or seven times now, and each visit has been most enjoyable! From the friendly service to the delicious sandwiches prepared fresh, it has yet to disappoint.
The variety of pasta salads (my favorite is the mustard chicken pasta) are all very tasty and my favorite sandwich is a create your own on their tomato focaccia bread. I would recommend this cafe to anyone, and while the prices are a little high, it's definitely worth the extra buck.
Let me preface this by saying that I had been at Do Division all day...
I was looking for a quick bite that was healthier that what was being offered on the street. The place is comfortable and I was into that. I thought the food was a bit lackluster but I need to go back before I can say for sure what I think. There is an update on the way but for now I'm ok with it.
Three friends and a brand new baby wandered over to the Wicker Basket for nice casual lunch. Wicker Basket is great for lunch with a variety of sandwich items and an entire deli case of some pretty delicious looking sides (pasta salad, caprese salad, etc.). Two of us went with the Grilled Chicken Panini and and my other friend went for the MBT Panini. The sandwiches were priced pretty reasonable at about $6.95.
WB has some tables set up curbiside which make for a delighful lunch  and with enough room in between tables to fit a stroller. We were all pleased with our sandwiches and even started thinking about what we would order on our next visit.  WB also has a case for to-go items such as salads, sandwiches, a desserts. Good food and reasonable prices- a great lunch spot in the neighborhood!
After hearing great things about the small deli, my friends and I decided to try out the place and the menu definitely looked great.
The Sandwiches then came out, and they were just, eh. Honestly we would go back to have some more sandwiches, but not the biggest fan of the sandwiches for the price.
I have gone in here several times for lunch and have had excellent meals each time. They have a wide selection of side dishes and salads (for example, a variety pasta salads and vegetables) and they make sandwiches while you wait. Â This is a deli-style place with limited seating, but their food is highly portable and will be great for picnics when the weather is better.
Review Source:I think I found my new favorite quick and healthy lunch spot! Stopped in here today and ordered a side salad and some quinoa salad. The side salad was $2.99 (dirt cheap for Wicker Park), so I was expecting just some dinky greens. Was I pleasantly surprised! I wasn't paying attention to see who made my salad, but it tasted so incredibly fresh that I'm almost positive they chopped everything up right there! The salad was nothing fancy, but I just wanted something simple and fresh. Not only was it incredibly fresh, it was also a healthy portion that filled up a large dinner plate. The quinoa salad was near perfection, and I felt full, healthy, and happy (that my wallet was still fat) after my lunch. They definitely don't skimp on quality or portion size here.
I'm a picky vegetarian, and I can say I can walk into this café and not worry about perusing for 15 minutes before settling for something I didn't really have a taste for in the first place. They also have variety of coffee, cheese, and lots of meat options for the meat lovers. They carry Boars Head, which I hear is excellent deli meat. The café itself is very clean and kinda cute too! I wish I knew of this place before today. Can't wait to go back for lunch!
I am seriously probably Wicker Basket's best customer. I'm there practically every day. They should name a sandwich after me.
The husband-and-wife owners are sweet as pie. Terri, the wife, is an amazing chef and has incorporated many of their family recipes into the menu. There's sandwiches, salads, pasta salads, fresh-baked bread for sale, casseroles, side dishes, desserts, and grocery items like cheese & crackers, chips, pasta sauce and a few little trinkets like candles, dog treats, etc. I've never had anything I didn't like from there, and trust me, I've been there a lot.
The only downside is that sometimes the offerings are inconsistent (not their fault, but due to the season). You can go there and have an amazing muffin (for example, the pumpkin spice muffin) only to get attached to if and then one day it's gone! So enjoy whatever you see there while you can!
This place is an excellent addition to the neighborhood and we're so happy to have them!
Wicker Basket is my nearby go-to cafe. Â The staff is so very friendly and you can almost always find the owners there working right beside them behind the counter. Â I love their prepared foods that you can just pick up off the shelves for a quick lunch on the way to work. Â Their brunch is quick, easy, and tasty. Â Their paninis and other sandwiches are very good as well. Â
The cafe as has a limited amount of general grocery items (milk, yogurt, hummus, fruits/veggies) that serves as a quick in and out stop for essentials. Oh and free Wifi! Definitely a great neighborhood spot!
Most of the food is good. Their tuna pasta salad is very delicious, and all of the sandwiches I've tried have been great. The salads are usually okay, but sometimes aren't very fresh... maybe they were premade the day before. The atmosphere is friendly, but the service is very slow. The first time I went it took 4 people to make my 1 sandwich and still took forever. Today I ordered a latte to go and the guy took care of everyone else behind me in line before finally making it. He did apologize for the wait, but it would have made more sense to just make it and then go to the next 5 people in line.
Over all I love being able to drop by there and get yummy pasta salads, and sandwiches, and with some better management it could be 5 stars!
What a cozy little place to be on a snowy Christmas Eve in desolate Wicker Park!
So much is artfully crammed into the space it's amazing. On one side you have a refrigerated section with juices, salads and sandwiches to go. Next tot that is cool gift items and indulgent food stuff. Against the back wall is the order counter to purchase fresh made breakfast and lunch items. Totally cool staff too. I got free cookies with my cheap, but good, coffee. They have a coffee bar with seasonal drinks. Along the right side is a deli counter where you can pick up meats or pasta salad to go; even fresh fruits and veggies.
I had a bacon egg and cheese croissant. A side of fresh fruit would have been nice but I suppose I could have bought an Ala carte piece. It's not on the menu but they can squeeze fresh orange juice for you if you ask.
I would have to say that this place is a 3.5, but since that is not an option, I gave them a 4. My bf and I came here for a quick bite to eat. The cafe is a lot bigger than I expected. They have a lot of room to sit in the back area and it's very quiet.
We ordered the turkey and pear panini and the hawaiian sandwich. All their meats are boar's head, which is a plus. When the sandwiches came out, it was a pretty decent size. The bread both sandwiches were very good. I really don't have any complaints about the sandwiches. The sides we ordered included the tuna pasta and the tomato and mozzerlla salad. Both were decent, but I'd like to try some of their other sides, like the twice baked potato, mac n cheese, and other pastas.
They have a large selection of sandwiches to pick from too. I'm hoping to go there again and try their antipasto sandwich, ultimate grilled cheese, meatball sub, and their rueben panini.
I only wish that they would be open later. They close at 6pm on Fridays and I think 8pm on weekdays. Not sure about their weekend hours.
I live really close to the Wicker Basket Cafe, so I'm biased, too. I wanted to like this place more, but its closed too early.
The sandwich is actually pretty great. I had the turkey pear panini with a small iced coffee.
I don't get the grocery store thing.
They have free wi-fi.
I'd probably come here again, maybe on the weekends.
Biased, shmiased. So I live within a 10 second walk from this place but I would only eat anywhere 5-8 times a week if I was in love with it. This place was built because the owners wanted to recreate the healthy aisle of a grocery store in a small sandwich place restaurant and they have succeeded.
Their sandwiches and pasta salads are absolutely amazing! They use Boars Head meat and have the best flavors (including cracked pepper mill turkey). And the breads...oh the breads. They have the usuals plus pretzel bread and focaccia. Fresh avocados are cut in front of you if you want it in your sandwich or you can come here instead of going to the grocery store for $.50-$1 each.
The service is phenomenal and the outdoor seating is perfect. Although I have only had breakfast there a couple times, my wife eats there all the time. I am pretty sure she can eat the quiche everyday.
From the rest of my reviews, you can see how much I like Pot Belly and Jimmy Johns. There is a JJs about 6 doors down that I used to go to all the time. The extra $1 it costs to get a sandwich here is totally worth it.
I love this place! For a year I've been craving some pear chicken thing I heard about on the far side of town but have been too lazy to get to it. Now I can have an amazing pear turkey panini and not leave my neighborhood. It tastes like thanksgiving heaven. Great bread. Great coffee, Â The californian was really good too. The sandwiches are filling. Yes, a pickle too would always be fantastic but you can't have everything. Everything tastes so fresh - Â the greek salad is full of perfect olives and crisp greens and there's no skimping on the feta either. I am so happy have this place join the neighborhood. Also, the service is excellent. Really nice people.
Review Source:Finally was able to check out Wicker Basket Cafe since they opened one month ago. Â I was a client around here and finally a area where there is so many good choices to grab food. Â I'm usually in areas where good healthy food is rare as a dodo bird.
Was greeted by a nice clean decor. Â Well kept, great choices for sandwiches, even so far as to be able to make your own. Â I had the Californian and all the ingredients worked well enough that I didn't feel the sandwich tried to smother me (like Jimmy John does)... okay, so I'm a cookie monster when it comes to cookies, but sometimes, I have nightmares about subs coming to attack me (well, not really, but I just thought of the scary ad, some would say cute, where the sandwich has eyes and speaks by moving the bread to simulate the mouth).
Anyways, the store is a concept that is taking off, with many neighborhoods with their own grocery and deli's. Â A glorified tribute to the past where dinky shops had enough groceries that you need right away with a deli. Â Of all the ones I visited (not that many - Southport, Damen and Al's), Al's in Evanston had the authentic feel with the modern deli preferences.
Wicker Basket is great for what it is. Â You look at the decor and don't question its authenticity, until you see the that everything is for sale, and start to wonder into how you could see yourself at world market. Â Pretty unsatisfying in that regard. Â If their walls were fabricated, they would have a price tag.
But they redeem themselves in the deli. Â The sandwiches are great and the food in the display cases looks fresh and of course good. Â I'll be in the area all this week, so Wicker Basket will be a stop one or two more times. Â
:-)
Very excited there's a new deli/grocery in the hood! My wife and I stopped in opening weekend for a sandwich and a salad which were delish, and the prices seem reasonable. The service was on the slow side, but they're brand-new and presumably not operating up to full capacity yet.
They also had baked goods, lots of great looking prepared foods, flowers, and deli meats/cheeses for sale. We would have bought some of the deli meats had they been organic/naturally raised/local, but they looked more like standard grocery store fare, which we try to avoid.
I hope they get some free WiFi in there. There was absolutely no AT&T service, and no open WiFi, which would make it difficult to sit down there with a coffee and enjoy the mobile device.
Overall this place seems like it'll be a great addition to the hood. I'm looking forward to seeing how they progress, and hope that they thrive.
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