Ordered the biscuit and gravy(no gravy I don't eat pork)with hash browns and eggs for takeout. The biscuit were horribly sweet. Taste and have the texture of sweet cornbread. I guess I was expecting an traditional buttermilk biscuit this was not it. The hash browns and eggs were okay but not for $15. They also only take Amex and Visa.
Rachel O.
I really love the Artist's Cafe. It's one of my favorite places to visit in Chicago - generally for breakfast before shopping at Artist and Craftsman Supply and the Art Institute. My family of four had breakfast Saturday morning before our walk through Grant and Millennium Parks and visiting the AIC. My son had the Alaska Pancakes - pancakes with vanilla ice cream (it's vacation, he's 18, don't judge) and my daughter the croissant french toast. Both looked amazing and were delicious. We had the Athenian omelet - super fresh and tasty - and I had one of their specials, the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries and ham. Really good and I generally hate pancakes but it sounded good (thin and lingonberries). Service was friendly, accommodating, and efficient. Brought extra lingonberry sauce and kept the coffee coming to power us through our day! Walked by later in the day, and saw lunch. Didn't go in but my daughter said, "next time! and can't she (diner) just pass over a fry! Yum!"
Jacqueline B.
It's odd to avoid a place but then hope it doesn't go away. I used to visit here when this place had a movie theater, or after a performance at the Auditorium. Now there's a concert hall in the building, check local listings. I was buying a painting from artist Anita Ivy Miller in the Fine Arts building (my 2nd one from her actually) and I arrived early so I grabbed some coffee to go. I left work early for the holiday and it was near empty at 3:15 in the afternoon. The coffee, listed as Intelligentsia, was good (maybe not $3 for a tall good) and the service was fine. They have the huge old fashioned cash register and nice view. When the weather warms I'll try the outdoor cafe.
Ilich R.
Great service and even better food, our waitress was really helpful, making excellent suggestions. My wife ordered the affogato coffe ("out of this world" according to her). I ordered the zorba omelette which did not disappoint either.
Jackson K.
In truth I'd give this place a 3.5 and in my mind the 2.5 stars is completely undeserved! Their service was slightly slow but it added to the vibe of a laid back cafe. The view of michigan Avenue was splendid and my gyro sandwich was pretty good. The classical music In the background helps you chill out and live in the moment. My wife's salad looked solid as well. Admittedly the payment experience can be a disaster. They use an ancient payment system, the cashier may take their sweet time punching your bill onto a calculator, charging your credit card takes over a minute, and the area where you pay is both high traffic and will get crowded due to the other aforementioned issues. The guy behind me got so flustered with the wait he threw down a wad of bills and said "don't worry about the change". He said it politely but I imagine he was pretty sour. Also be warned the mimosas are 12 bucks. If you're with an elderly individual that can't use the stairs, you have to take an elevator to the fifth floor, walk down two hallways, and punch in 312-311 into a password protected bathroom to relieve yourself. Still, the elevator ride is quite a trip. I won't spoil the surprise but check it out if you've got nothing better to do.
J M.
Apparently the Artist Cafe has an employee that really deliver some bad service this weekend and unfortunately it's a local radio personality. Not good at all I guess your place makes so much money customer service is lacking whom ever Gigi de chau is has problems with giving good customer service and an attitude well now all of Chicago heard about it this morning maybe you might want to see what the issue was and rectify the problem useless you really don't care I won't spend my money there either .
Shawna P.
I came in for a cup of soup and decaf coffee. The soup was lukewarm. The coffee was good but it came in a very small cup and I was never offered a refill. I overheard one of the workers (who was eating behind the counter) laughing that a person called in and asked for a reservation for four at 6:00 (it seems like they may not take reservations). He said he just said "okay" and hung up. He thought this was very funny.
Jeanne A.
Would give 0 stars if I could, was grabbing two To go black coffees (black) it costed almost $7. I'm on vacation so I'm feeling giving, I gave $2 tip. My boyfriend went to the bathroom and I waited for the coffee at a table nearby(it was completely empty inside and next to the bar) within 5 seconds of my boyfriend returning, an elderly woman asked us if we were ordering more cause we needed to move from the closed tables. It was weird and rude and I would urge you to go somewhere else. TLDR: paid a total of $9 for two black coffees and tip to be told to leave immediately
Mara M.
Went with colleagues - waiter refused to separate checks insistent it would be too difficult however seemed more like he wanted to force the required tip for a party of 6- orders were mistaken service took about 25 mins to get to us and was extremely poor - will never come here again and would NOT recommend
Jennifer D.
TL;DR: y'all remember in Zootopia when the sloths ran the DMV? It was kind of like that, but with an actually toxic vibe. My husband and I had about 45 minutes to kill before a performance in the same building and thought it would be a good place for a glass of wine. It was not. I would say that the service was terrible, but it's more like the very concept of service completely eludes them. We sat at the counter in full view of the manager, bartender and 2 servers. 15 minutes in, a server finally, grudgingly and in salty tones took our order for 2 glasses of wine. The wine didn't seem to take that long in comparison, but the pours were minuscule; the upside being that the wine wasn't very good but it was annoying to pay full price for maybe a 3oz pour. Shortly after the bartender set the glasses down, we started scouting for a server, any server, for the bill, lest we be late for the performance. The manager and two servers moved at that sloth-like pace with disgruntled looks on their faces. They didn't merely ignore our hopeful looks and polite hand waves, their eyes slid over us with a distinct air of DGAF. In fairness to our server, there was no rhyme or reason to her territory. She seemed to be covering the entire front room, including the counter, as well as part of the side room. The only other server seemed to spend most of his time tallying up bills behind the counter, not actually serving people. Speaking of bills, they tallied then up on calculators and filled out the forms manually. Each one took f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I finally literally waved my full arm and said "bill" to our original server, which she eventually brought. The tax was overcharged but we didn't dispute it in the interest of GTFO of there. Naturally, the line at the till was several people deep and taking ages. We left our bill and cash next to the till on our way out. I would never go back here again. Even if management changed hands, it's probably like building your house on an ancient burial ground. Haunted for all time.
This place totally sucks. Waited over 20 just to order and 20 to get my food which it was terrible. Service is super turtle snail slow. Even got in a fight with my spouse. If this place represents Chicago CHICAGO SUCKS . Not fair but step up your service ARTISTS CAFE HIGHER DECENT SERVERS.
George S.
Far better restaurants up and down Michigan with a much broader menu. Service costed me a little more time than anticipated for a short brunch. Be prepared to only use one payment when coming in with a group of friends as the Bossy lady at the cash register is often too busy yelling at her employees to sort out your payments...are they her slaves or her fry cooks?
Shannon N.
Love the location of this diner, the sandwich selection, and the coffee drinks. They also have some nice breakfast options. I can specifically recommend the Capone burger, Byzantium, and Pierre's breakfast. I come here pretty often, and always find the service to be just fine.
Barbara B.
Nothing special , service slow and not friendly , food mediocre ....many better choices in Chicago
Yureni P.
This had great food and great service. Certainly will come back. Found this as a very american place, had a nice environment and the people are very responsive. I am surprised by the cute style. Because of it being cozy and house-like.
Ordered the biscuit and gravy(no gravy I don't eat pork)with hash browns and eggs for takeout. The biscuit were horribly sweet. Taste and have the texture of sweet cornbread. I guess I was expecting an traditional buttermilk biscuit this was not it. The hash browns and eggs were okay but not for $15. They also only take Amex and Visa.
I really love the Artist's Cafe. It's one of my favorite places to visit in Chicago - generally for breakfast before shopping at Artist and Craftsman Supply and the Art Institute. My family of four had breakfast Saturday morning before our walk through Grant and Millennium Parks and visiting the AIC. My son had the Alaska Pancakes - pancakes with vanilla ice cream (it's vacation, he's 18, don't judge) and my daughter the croissant french toast. Both looked amazing and were delicious. We had the Athenian omelet - super fresh and tasty - and I had one of their specials, the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries and ham. Really good and I generally hate pancakes but it sounded good (thin and lingonberries). Service was friendly, accommodating, and efficient. Brought extra lingonberry sauce and kept the coffee coming to power us through our day! Walked by later in the day, and saw lunch. Didn't go in but my daughter said, "next time! and can't she (diner) just pass over a fry! Yum!"
It's odd to avoid a place but then hope it doesn't go away. I used to visit here when this place had a movie theater, or after a performance at the Auditorium. Now there's a concert hall in the building, check local listings. I was buying a painting from artist Anita Ivy Miller in the Fine Arts building (my 2nd one from her actually) and I arrived early so I grabbed some coffee to go. I left work early for the holiday and it was near empty at 3:15 in the afternoon. The coffee, listed as Intelligentsia, was good (maybe not $3 for a tall good) and the service was fine. They have the huge old fashioned cash register and nice view. When the weather warms I'll try the outdoor cafe.
Great service and even better food, our waitress was really helpful, making excellent suggestions. My wife ordered the affogato coffe ("out of this world" according to her). I ordered the zorba omelette which did not disappoint either.
In truth I'd give this place a 3.5 and in my mind the 2.5 stars is completely undeserved! Their service was slightly slow but it added to the vibe of a laid back cafe. The view of michigan Avenue was splendid and my gyro sandwich was pretty good. The classical music In the background helps you chill out and live in the moment. My wife's salad looked solid as well. Admittedly the payment experience can be a disaster. They use an ancient payment system, the cashier may take their sweet time punching your bill onto a calculator, charging your credit card takes over a minute, and the area where you pay is both high traffic and will get crowded due to the other aforementioned issues. The guy behind me got so flustered with the wait he threw down a wad of bills and said "don't worry about the change". He said it politely but I imagine he was pretty sour. Also be warned the mimosas are 12 bucks. If you're with an elderly individual that can't use the stairs, you have to take an elevator to the fifth floor, walk down two hallways, and punch in 312-311 into a password protected bathroom to relieve yourself. Still, the elevator ride is quite a trip. I won't spoil the surprise but check it out if you've got nothing better to do.
Apparently the Artist Cafe has an employee that really deliver some bad service this weekend and unfortunately it's a local radio personality. Not good at all I guess your place makes so much money customer service is lacking whom ever Gigi de chau is has problems with giving good customer service and an attitude well now all of Chicago heard about it this morning maybe you might want to see what the issue was and rectify the problem useless you really don't care I won't spend my money there either .
I came in for a cup of soup and decaf coffee. The soup was lukewarm. The coffee was good but it came in a very small cup and I was never offered a refill. I overheard one of the workers (who was eating behind the counter) laughing that a person called in and asked for a reservation for four at 6:00 (it seems like they may not take reservations). He said he just said "okay" and hung up. He thought this was very funny.
Would give 0 stars if I could, was grabbing two To go black coffees (black) it costed almost $7. I'm on vacation so I'm feeling giving, I gave $2 tip. My boyfriend went to the bathroom and I waited for the coffee at a table nearby(it was completely empty inside and next to the bar) within 5 seconds of my boyfriend returning, an elderly woman asked us if we were ordering more cause we needed to move from the closed tables. It was weird and rude and I would urge you to go somewhere else. TLDR: paid a total of $9 for two black coffees and tip to be told to leave immediately
Went with colleagues - waiter refused to separate checks insistent it would be too difficult however seemed more like he wanted to force the required tip for a party of 6- orders were mistaken service took about 25 mins to get to us and was extremely poor - will never come here again and would NOT recommend
TL;DR: y'all remember in Zootopia when the sloths ran the DMV? It was kind of like that, but with an actually toxic vibe. My husband and I had about 45 minutes to kill before a performance in the same building and thought it would be a good place for a glass of wine. It was not. I would say that the service was terrible, but it's more like the very concept of service completely eludes them. We sat at the counter in full view of the manager, bartender and 2 servers. 15 minutes in, a server finally, grudgingly and in salty tones took our order for 2 glasses of wine. The wine didn't seem to take that long in comparison, but the pours were minuscule; the upside being that the wine wasn't very good but it was annoying to pay full price for maybe a 3oz pour. Shortly after the bartender set the glasses down, we started scouting for a server, any server, for the bill, lest we be late for the performance. The manager and two servers moved at that sloth-like pace with disgruntled looks on their faces. They didn't merely ignore our hopeful looks and polite hand waves, their eyes slid over us with a distinct air of DGAF. In fairness to our server, there was no rhyme or reason to her territory. She seemed to be covering the entire front room, including the counter, as well as part of the side room. The only other server seemed to spend most of his time tallying up bills behind the counter, not actually serving people. Speaking of bills, they tallied then up on calculators and filled out the forms manually. Each one took f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I finally literally waved my full arm and said "bill" to our original server, which she eventually brought. The tax was overcharged but we didn't dispute it in the interest of GTFO of there. Naturally, the line at the till was several people deep and taking ages. We left our bill and cash next to the till on our way out. I would never go back here again. Even if management changed hands, it's probably like building your house on an ancient burial ground. Haunted for all time.
Restaurantji Recommends
This place totally sucks. Waited over 20 just to order and 20 to get my food which it was terrible. Service is super turtle snail slow. Even got in a fight with my spouse. If this place represents Chicago CHICAGO SUCKS . Not fair but step up your service ARTISTS CAFE HIGHER DECENT SERVERS.
Far better restaurants up and down Michigan with a much broader menu. Service costed me a little more time than anticipated for a short brunch. Be prepared to only use one payment when coming in with a group of friends as the Bossy lady at the cash register is often too busy yelling at her employees to sort out your payments...are they her slaves or her fry cooks?
Love the location of this diner, the sandwich selection, and the coffee drinks. They also have some nice breakfast options. I can specifically recommend the Capone burger, Byzantium, and Pierre's breakfast. I come here pretty often, and always find the service to be just fine.
Nothing special , service slow and not friendly , food mediocre ....many better choices in Chicago
This had great food and great service. Certainly will come back. Found this as a very american place, had a nice environment and the people are very responsive. I am surprised by the cute style. Because of it being cozy and house-like.