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Artist's Cafe
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: The Loop
412 S. Michigan Avenue
(between Congress Pky & Congress Plaza Dr)
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 939-7855
412 S. Michigan Avenue
(between Congress Pky & Congress Plaza Dr)
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 939-7855
- Nearest Transit:
-
Library (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Pink)
Harrison (Red)
Adams/Wabash (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Green, Pink)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
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19 reviews for Artist's Cafe
Happened by here yesterday. Stopped in about 11:15am, was empty (weekday). Had the french toast, came out in about 7 minutes. It was yummy. The place is no frills, wait staff is a little slow, but food comes fast. Go only if you want diner food. Restrooms are a little scary in the hot dungeon basement. I will say that the cafe au lait I had was fantastic. The foam was excellent quality.
I will say- it's the cheapest sit down meal you'll get on Michigan Avenue prolly.
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The only thing this place has going for it is the location. Do not be tempted to just walk right in, even though it's a convenient stop on your sightseeing tour. I've had better food at WAFFLE HOUSE.
We stopped in for breakfast. It was among the worst meals I've ever had. The eggs in my cheese omelet were classically overcooked, which wasn't so bad, but the omelet was filled with some food-service version knockoff of Kraft cheese slices. Hours later, I can't get the taste of it out of my mouth. The hash browns were more like frozen, reheated potato mush that's been warmed over. The greek cofee ($3.50) was decent, but served in a tiny, tiny cup that was half-sludge. My partner's two eggs were fried into rubbery oblivion.
28 crazy overpriced bucks for the worst breakfast of my life, counting the meals I've had on airplanes and in school cafeterias. Our waiter was nice, but had a strange air about him that, in retrospect, we can probably best categorize as "pity."
To add insult to intestinal injury, they only take cash or AmEx. How can a place like this stay in business? Ignorant tourists like me. I should've Yelped!
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I thought the neon sign outside this place made it look kitschy and cute. I hoped for greasy diner food at the least.
The food was worse than a Lean Cuisine. My chicken nuggets were of lesser quality than McDonald's but cost over $6.
One of the worst restaurant's I have ever been to in Chicago.
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I just spent $27 on two sandwiches. I got the vesuvio chicken, it was so dry I could barely swallow it, the potatoes would of been alright if they weren't cold. Only go here if you want something cheap and easy like breakfast food. Almost $30 is way too much considering all of the options around there.
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Terrible.
Fortunately I didn't eat here, and definitely never would order anything besides the chips. I couldn't figure out if they were homemade, but they were very good (drizzled with oil and topped with cheese). The patio is nice enough for a warm day, but their one bottle of beer at at time on the table policy is quite odd. I also witnessed the worst made mojito I've ever seen (at least the waitress admitted that the bartender had no idea what he was doing when he made it)...
Met a friend and her friends here. Totally a hole in the wall!! I swear the menus were even dirty!
Have to agree with Peter M.
Cannot understand how they can survive in this high rent area!? Who eats there? Why would anyone???
Amazingly ghetto! From the waitress/owner/nosey woman who kept stopping by our table...and eating as she talked...no, probed to find out who we were and why we were in her icky place??
To the uber drab cafeteria food! The desserts were covered in plastic wrap and displayed in a case...just like those low priced cafeterias!? No lie.
Had a Kir Royale ...only drink that was not a cheap wine or beer?!
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I went to this place for dinner because it was right around the corner from the Auditorium Theater, where I was going to a show. Also, their website make the place seem FANTASTIC!
False advertising of the highest order. The decor is awful, the "art" looked like it was bought from Target, the food was mediocre and not worth the prices they charge, we considered sending the drinks back to see if the even put alcohol in them, and the service was nothing special.
What made this a full out one star review was when we were leaving. It got really crowded by the door and our waitress, who had just cleared our table and must have noticed the 18% cash tip, basically shoved us out of the way while we were trying to leave. As we attempted to pay at the counter, we had the unfortunate realization that they ONLY take American Express or cash.
No Visa. No Mastercard. No Discover. Just the one card that ends up charging businesses more for its use. And they were rude about it. Its not a well advertised fact as well.
Avoid like the plague.
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In one word: meh. Sandwiches, salads, burgers, etc. Cramped, slow service, kinda musty feeling. The food is decent and not too expensive but pretty bland and anemic looking. I'd rather go to Corner Bakery down the street.
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Ugh... Stay away. FAR away.
I don't see how this place can even deserve one star, much less 3, 4, and 5 stars that other people are giving it. Hell, I don't know how they stay in business!
The food and drinks (alcoholic and non) are all absolutely TERRIBLE.
What a waste of a Chicago Liquor License.
What a waste of time for all the poor people who walk by and decide to stop in because it looks interesting.
YUCK!
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i've always wanted to go here...and now that i did, i wish i hadn't .
food and service is not good.
and there was a hair in my salad. GROSS!
Ew....the only reason this place gets one star is for their mozzarella sticks. Bad service, bad food and no brunch past 12 - what is that?! Don't do it....
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Absolutely awful service and the food was equally as bad! I visited the Artist's Cafe with my boss and two coworkers who were visiting Chicago for our staff meeting. After enjoying the Art Institute, we walked down to the Artist's Cafe for dinner. We decided to sit outside and were anxiously awaiting a great meal. After ordering and before the food arrived the waitress delivered our bill and told us we needed to pay when the food arrived. I thought she was joking but sure enough when the food arrived she requested payment. Not wanting to make a scene my boss placed a credit card on top of the bill. Then we were informed the restaurant only took American Express or cash. So we had to divy up the bill and dig in our purses for cash while our meal was on the table and the waitress was standing over us mumbling something. Once the bill was settled we suffered through our meals which were about as bad as the service. I was embarrased to have suggested this place for our dinner meal and I would not recommend it to anyone! Stay away!
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Grab some calories after seeing an awesome movie at the Fine Arts Theater nextdoor, or hearing a great concert at the Auditorium Theatre around the corner, or wearing yourself out walking around fantastic Millennium Park. I've got to admit, it's nice to replace that fat I just lost with a milkshake after rocking out. A couple obligatory sandwiches, but it's mostly about the convenience.
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I was there today. The vegetarian omelet and potatoes were very good, the coffee was excellent, the service was very good and the price was reasonable. There were lots of students in there so the people watching was great!
Conveniently located right on Michigan Avenue, this is a good place to go for a break from shopping or after taking in a music or theater show. Unfortunately, I've never really been impressed here, as they seem to have a big ego about themselves and nothing to back it up. The food is decent, but the atmosphere and service are a bit lacking.
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OK-- what am I missing? There is very little that is connected with artists at this cafe... surely the former Harrington students and music students in the building next door can't afford to eat there and it is not very artfully designed (with the huge sign being the exception). The food is mediocre at best... keep walking...
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I don't know if any artists actually dine here, but many tourists come here. The food is ok but nothing I would be clamoring for. I had a gyros plate and it was decent enough. The outdoor cafe is popular, and benefits from a lack of competition from other restaurants in the immediate vicinity.
Nothing spectacular. Went for breakfast and had the french toast. They were very fluffy but really had no flavor to them. The restaurant was packed of tourists and students. The service was rather slow. Didnt like that. The bathroom downstairs also smelled horribly, like a cheap air freshner.
