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A' Cappella Bistro
Categories: Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Restaurants Italian Breakfast & Brunch, Italian [Edit]
1301 S Michigan(between 13th St & 14th St)
Chicago, IL 60605
Neighborhood: Near Southside
(312) 922-0600
- Nearest Transit:
-
Roosevelt (elevated) (Green Line, Orange Line)
Roosevelt (subway) (Red Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 9 pm
Sat 10 am - 9 pm
Sun 10 am - 7 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for A' Cappella Bistro
16 reviews in English
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Review from Comensal A.
Chicago, IL
2/12/2012
We dined here quite accidentally for the first time -- we had intended to go to Little Branch Café prior to a Dance Center performance, but found that it closes at 6pm on Saturday. A'Cappella was the closest alternative likely to be conversation-friendly, so we tried it.
I usually go out for dinner before a play or concert, and am not at all likely to go to a place like this, but it was OK. In fact, we enjoyed our meal -- it was a change of pace. And I spent half of what I would have otherwise spent. Our salads were fresh & tasty. My stuffed meatloaf was OK, as was my companion's whitefish. The veggies and potatoes were passable. At our server's suggestion, we tried the chocolate cake; it was tolerable.
A'Cappella is what it is -- an expanded diner, BYOB, serving comfort food (some from the freezer, to be sure) all through the day and evening. There were only three staffers on a Saturday night (two in the kitchen and one server) so things were a little slow, even with just a handful of diners. The place seemed clean, and our server was quite cordial. After dining there, I looked online and saw quite a few unfavorable reviews. It sounds like some people have had bad experiences there, but ours was OK and we were satisfied. -
Review from Paul L.
Chicago, IL
4/3/2012
YOU MUST READ THIS BEFORE DINING HERE!!!!
We stopped in on a Saturday night around 6:30. This was our first time eating there and we were really hoping it would be good because it was so close to our home. Well....
We ordered pizza because the sign on the door say "voted best pizza". Who voted??? The pizza was horrible. We ordered 4 different toppings on a "deep dish" style pizza. The toppings were few and far between and looked like they came from a can. The pizza itself was litterly like a super sized cracker sandwich with cheese. There was almost no sauce whatsoever on the enitre pizza. FAIL!!!
TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THEY RIPPED ME OFF FOR OVER $20. I paid with my debt card. When I looked at my account, they hit my account for over $24 more than what my receipt said. These crooks belong in jail!!
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND PASS THIS ONE BY!! JUST LOOK INSIDE THE WINDOW AND SEE AN EMPTY DINNING ROOM AND YOU'LL KNOW WHY! -
Review from Danielle B.
Evanston, IL
4/20/2012
We walked into this place by mistake and it was horrible. (It was windy and cold and we rushed into this place by accident when we were trying to goto the place next door.) The food was on the level of a midweek meal at someone's house who doesn't know how to cook. The burgers were dry and overcooked, the bun was burnt and the vegetables were microwaved. The chips were out of a bag...and the price was ridiculous. Never have I regretted spending money this much. The only reason we finished our meal was because I was absolutely ravenous--like blood sugar level was low. Otherwise, I would have sent it back and walked out not having spent a dime.
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Review from Trevor S.
Chicago, IL
12/7/2011
How can this place stay open? How does it pass CIty Inspections? How is it empty every day when I pass on my way to and from work? Every. Day. There has to be a shady operation here. Its been open for several years and has never had a positive review. I really would love an investigation into this "restaurant". Avoid by all means.
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Review from Kristine B.
Chicago, IL
7/23/2011
Ok, so we fell for the "voted best pizza" the first time, cute little bit of advertising. It was good, but not great. The place feels like you're eating in grandma's house, down to the plastic covering the table cloths and the fake flowers in vases on the tables. We liked our pizza and it was close so we decided to try this place again later.
The second time we ate there we ordered the salad and a pizza. After bringing it to our table the waiter asked if we wanted dressing. We said yes, and we got a dish of vinegar and NO oil. I wouldn't recommend eating a salad with only balsamic poured on it. I ordered iced tea, and they brought it out in a tupperware container (channeling grandma again) and it was way too strong, I had to water it down with my glass of water. There was no warning that it would be unsweetened tea either. They're also not too big on cleaning their tables. I moved the tray that was in the middle of the table to make room for the salad and there were rust spots on the plastic. The silverware is wrapped in napkins and closed with masking tape, and you have to tear the napkins to get to your fork and knife. Its in a good location, but with the meager quality of food, interesting service staff, and the restaurants lack of cleanliness I don't forsee it staying open very long. -
Review from West Side Tommy B.
Chicago, IL
8/8/2010
My wife and I walked up there today for the buffet breakfast. Decent enough; scrambled eggs; bacon, sausage,pancakes, french toast and made to order omelets. Also various cold cuts, cheeses, muffins bagels, fruit and such. The salami they put out was some of the best salami I ever had; I wonder if they got it nextdoor at Panazzo's.
They were out of fried potatos at the buffet which was a disappointment; the cook said they'd be a 10 minute wait but you don't go to a buffet to wait.
The sausages were OK but kind of bland; I like them spicier. And my wife said the fruit wasn't fresh but I don't eat fruit for breakfast anyway. But all in all it was a good breakfast and a good deal; one plateful is a sawbuck and as many platefuls as you want $14. So with coffee and a couple of bucks for the busser we got out for 24 bucks; not bad. We'll return.
You should'a seen these cheap bastards that piled the food on their plate in a huge mound just because they didn't want to pay the extra four bucks. Such people should be horsewhipped. -
Review from Harry T.
Medford, NJ
11/15/2011
Absolutely awful! Sauce on three of four meals not even edible. "Ran out of salad" when we were there at 7PM. Also had to wait forever for the bad food despite the fact that we were the only people there! Stay away.
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Review from Sharon N.
Chicago, IL
6/2/2010
A'Cappella was the neighborhood mystery restaurant. For over two years it tantalized passersby by looking as if it were about to open. Tables complete with tablecloths, chairs perfetly placed--it looked as if any minute someone would turn on the lights and unlock the door. Two years is a very long time to stand so still.
I should really give this brand new restaurant 4 stars within its own category, but Yelp doesn't rank restaurants within categories. The category I'd place it in is something unusual in a loop restaurant:: relatively cheap comfort food. For less than $12 you can have a full old fashioned meal of stuffed meat loaf, pot roast in port wine, herbed pork chops, beef cabob, various pastas, and more. The price of the entree includes soup or salad plus two sides (mashed potatoes, corn, brocolli in cheese sauce, etc). Lunch sandwiches are also cheap, and one of the choices is bologna!! You can't even get bologna at Subway!
The food is decent. Compared with Gioco, the next street over, it's mediocre. However, whereas dinner for two at A'Cappella will cost about $25 + tax & tip, at Gioco a similar meal will be more than double. and that's not counting the drinks! A'Cappella is BYOB, which is a huge savings for even moderate drinkers. So, within the category of cheap, decent diners I'll give A'Cappella 4 stars. It all depends on what you're looking for.
Oh....the decor is very pleasant. Lots of (fake but pretty) flowers and hanging baskets, colorful tablecloths. Service is also pleasant and good, though they haven't quite decided how many waitstaff they'll need, largely because business is sporadic so far. One night we visited and there were only a couple of other tables, and everything came very quickly. The next time the restaurant was 3/4 full but there was still only one waitress. Both of those visits were on a Wednesday, so attendance is still sporadic enough to make adequate staffing difficult to predict.
P.S. . A Jewel is half a block away, so stopping for a bottle of wine is extremely easy. -
Review from Nick S.
Chicago, IL
6/12/2011
We were really hoping that A'Capella would become one of the mainstays in our restaurant rounds in the South Loop but we were severely disappointed. The restaurant was completely empty but it took 15 minutes for them to greet our table. The food was dried out and the meatloaf I got was worse than tv dinner quality. The staff was also extremely unfriendly almost like us eating there was an inconvenience to them. A couple tried to come in and they were yelled at that the restaurant was closed and turned away. I would never come back again and judging from the constantly empty dining room, I guess no one else will either.
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Review from Billy B.
Chicago, IL
7/5/2010
What can I say, I wanted to like A'Cappella. We live across the street and have waited for literally years for this place to finally open it's doors. We went on the first weekend it was open, so maybe they've improved. But from my one experience, from beginning to end, I found myself shaking my head at their un-professionalism.
We were 2 of 6 diners at the restaurant, and we were consistently ignored. We had to get the attention of one of three waiters for every single need, from asking where to sit down, to getting water and utensils, to ordering. I think one of the waiters had his family there because he was sitting at their table talking to them at every chance he got. This was at our expense. I felt like I was interrupting him when I had to get his attention for our check.
We ordered the buffet. The eggs and sausage were dry and the juice was warm. I think they bought their bread and desserts at Jewel. It was seriously bad. The granola was the only thing I went back for.
I heard another diner, who did not get the buffet, order eggs benedict off the menu. The waitress proceeded to walk over to the buffet, scoop up some eggs benedict and some fruit, stick it on a plate, and walk it over to the customer, who looked dumbfounded. My wife and I could not believe what we just saw.
I doubt this place will last long. I think word has gotten around because seldom do I see more than a couple people inside. Again, this place is new and maybe they just need to work out the kinks. But unless you hear otherwise, consider yourselves warned. -
Review from Nick M.
Chicago, IL
9/1/2010
I couldn't recommend anyone spend their hard-earned money here. You can't get anything here that you couldn't make at home (better).
-
Review from Kyle W.
Chicago, IL
1/12/2011
Service:
Went on a Tuesday night during a snowstorm. I guess the owners don't usually expect much of a crowd on weeknights because this night they were understaffed. There was one server for about 5 tables. Which in any normal restaurant wouldn't be a problem but for this server it was. Many customers came in and had to wait a long time before server even acknowledged they were there. So for service this place would get a 1/5.
Food:
My guest and I both ordered the soup of the day, cream of spinach, which was actually quite good. For my entree I ordered their whitefish talapia. It was decent and my girl ordered Grilled chicken. The chicken was so dry and burnt she couldnt eat it. Because of this I give 2/5 for quality of food.
Price:
The server took off the chicken because it was so badly cooked and brought her the same fish as I ordered and didn't charge us for that and only charged for one entree. So it ended up being really cheap. So I can't really comment on price because I am not sure what one normally could expect to pay.
Atmosphere:
Its a BYOB which is nice and we brought a bottle of wine to go with our dinner. Also it is quite small and cozy.
3/5 -
Review from Stacey H.
Chicago, IL
6/30/2011
While I have to agree about the service of this place, their pizza is really good. Don't believe the "voted best pizza" sign in their windows (read the fine print!) but it's a solid pizza for those of us that want somewhere close to pick it up from!
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Review from Daisyville C.
Chicago, IL
3/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Yelp won't let me submit this comment w/o at least 1 star, but I give it ZERO stars. Seriously? C'mon! A Capella has no business being a restaurant! This place is the saddest and most pathetic place I've ever eaten in my whole life. Wow, how do they stay in business!?! DO NOT GO THERE, PLEASE. They need to get their act together from the service to the food to the decor. They have a goldmine on their hands with a great location in the South Loop, but they are wasting it away. I can't even talk about the food...it's that BAD! Get a Swanson's Hungryman Jack or Lean Cuisine instead and you'll have a better meal for much less. If you don't believe me try it for yourself and I guarantee you won't go back....I'm never going back, unless they completely overhaul their menu including the chef/cook and for that matter how about the owner too. They should be ashamed of themselves!
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Review from David S.
Chicago, IL
8/17/2010
Cheap but very mediocre food.
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Review from Jon H.
Chicago, IL
9/26/2010
I went here for breakfast...I got eggs and french toast and was completely satisfied. Nothing too fancy just good food. The atmosphere was comfortable and we were able to kick back a bit as opposed to other south loop breakfast joints that push you out the door as soon as you finish. The service was friendly and attentive. My only complaint was the fruit but no big deal. I definitely recommend checking this place out for breakfast I'm sure I will be just as satisfied for lunch and dinner.
