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Jem Cafe

4 star rating
based on 7 reviews

Category: Restaurants  [Edit]

31 Forest Ave
(between East Ave & Kimbark Ave)
Riverside, IL 60546
(708) 447-2233
Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Attire:
Casual
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
Yes
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
Yes
Good for:
Lunch
Alcohol:
Beer & Wine Only

7 reviews for Jem Cafe

Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites'
Photo of Joe D.

 

6

32

Joe D.

Riverside, IL

4 star rating
12/2/2008

One of the few business' in Riverside that is actually worth going to! Although somewhat expensive, I would highly recommend it. The Cuban sandwich is to die for, although prob. not good for you! The ingredients are fresh and the staff is very friendly. My sister enjoys the Cran nutty salad and the Turkey cram.

They do also serve dinner and although I have only gone once, it is pretty good. The Sangria is especially tasty!

I would say average price would be $10-11 per person for lunch.

For dinner, with drinks, look to spend $25 a person.

You can jump off the train at the Riverside stop, and walk a block and a half and be there to meet your better half!

They have a nice outdoor seating area and the inside is pretty nice as well.

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Photo of Dan V.

 

0

1

Dan V.

Lyons, IL

5 star rating
12/3/2009

Jem cafe is a wonderful place for lunch as well as for a lovely dinner. It is truely the only place worth going to in Riverside. The menu caters to meat eaters as well as vegetarians which is wonderful!! The service is exceptional, everyone is so friendly and polite! Jem Cafe has a coziness that no other restaurant offers! I love going for dinner... the squash lasagna is unique and yummy plus there fish is perfect with corn salsa on top! I can't believe people say that it is in anyway expensive.. first the potions are so generous and secondly i know that certain people only a couple blocks away are way tooooo over priced! Over all Jem Cafe is a wonderful place to sit back, have no worries, because it is by far a winner!

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Photo of Beer H.

 

1

41

Beer H.

Brookfield, IL

4 star rating
11/3/2009

I really like going to Jem on a nice summer day for lunch.  When I think of this place I don't think of a dinner(for dinner I think Chew Chew).  I love the Cuban, and my wife likes the turkey sandwich.   It's a nice little place for those summer days.

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Photo of jackie w.

 

5

27

jackie w.

Riverside, IL

2 star rating
4/7/2008

This place is ok, although it was much cozier when it was named Blue Parrot Cafe and it was more of a cafe than another local overpriced food place with liquor added to the menu. It lost some of it's charm switching to this and also some of it's better menu items. I'd sooner trek the small distance out of Riverside and go somewhere else than this place.

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Photo of nan B.

Elite '09

2

35

nan B.

Northlake, IL

4 star rating
9/26/2007

Located in the former Blue Parrot, Jem cafe offers an interesting selection of entrees. Two that caught my eye were the butternut squash lasagna and the goat cheese crepes. I went with the butternut squash lasagna and boy was it good! The crab cakes were very good also.

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Photo of Kristin S.

 

0

10

Kristin S.

Western Springs, IL

3 star rating
2/7/2009

Definitely lacking in the dinner-time ambiance.  I could see it being a great lunch place.  The service was average.  Maybe I should have given this 4 stars but I ordered the butternut squash lasagna, only to have the waitress come back and tell me it was gone.  I ordered the burger and she said it would take 20 minutes (okay only 2 other tables in the restaurant).  The burger was pretty good.  I  must say the homemade potato chips were outstanding.  My husband had the Cuban sandwich and enjoyed it, but the bread was not real cuban sandwich bread (rather it was french loaf - the same bread they give you in the bread basket!)  I had a delicious chocolate/peanut butter cookieish bar for dessert.  They heated it up and drizzled dark chocolate over the top.  Yum.  It was good.  I would definitely go back for lunch.  Very affordable, this place has potential for being in the suburbs.

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Photo of annie r.

Elite '09

16

47

annie r.

Chicago, IL

5 star rating
8/6/2008

their cuban sandwich is worth the trip, plus the staff is really friendly.  and they serve intelligentsia coffee, which isnt very common out in the burbs.

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