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Categories: Desserts, American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Streeterville, Magnificent Mile, Near North SideChicago (Red)
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
"wowza. i love this place. ive eaten here twice and ordered the same thing - center cut filet with mashed potatoes and spinach with a nice…" read more »
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All you haters giving this bad reviews are obviously those people that find something terrible in everything that is good. This place is top of the line and hopefully these five stars will boost it up.
The food is absolutely delectable and ambiance is comforting. The free bread is very good and for an American cuisine place, I have absolutely no complaints.
Next up was the boneless buffalo tenders and let me tell you, I consider myself something of a wing connoisseur and these were some of the best I've ever had. A huge portion of chicken with a tangy sauce and blue cheese. Fantastic.
For dinner it was the shrimp scampi and it wasn't your typical dish, as the shrimp were on the side but the shrimp alone were awesome! The sauce that the angel hair pasta and shrimp lay in was a buttery-garlicy goodness that even being an Italian, really blew me away.
But what we all came for was the cheesecake, which, quoting Ron Burgundy, "is simply the best there is." Millions of flavors for every kind of person and occasion. If you've never had it, you're not living. It's one of the seven wonders of the worlds - the pyramids and cheesecake. If you go just for cheesecake, you're getting your money's worth. I've eaten cheesecake there, never dinner until this time and I now qualify the cheesecake factory as one of my top dining areas. Little pricey, but if you're efficient with what you order and don't stuff yourself like I chose to, you'll be alright. Well done indeed.
Yes, it's a chain, yes it's touristy.
If you gave this place 1 star you can suck a lemon. The foods decent, desserts amazing and there's something to satisfy everyone.
I'm sure if you've heard of cheesecake factory you know what to expect so I'll go ahead and say this is your average cheesecake factory.
The only thing missing is the cattle prod.
Maybe I should be glad this institution is here. Perhaps I should be grateful for the way the uninformed and main street American types flock to this watered down trough. It is possible this keeps me from watching people drop ice cubes in their white zin at my favorite haunts.
The menu reads like a glossary from a menu text book. Written by accountants and bean counters alike.
Something for everyone.
Everywhere you turn the "greatness" of the Cheesecake factory is shoved up your rear. If they laid claim to giant portions of mediocrity, they would be right on. The claims of "delicious", and "mouth watering", fall well short of their promise.
Enormous portions are what most people tell their friends about, this should be heeded as a warning. These are the same boasts people waddle away from Old Country Buffet muttering. The business plan is simple, give the customer a bunch of shiny things to distract them, over flow the plate with fries, lettuce and whatever the cheapest thing out there is, and when they realize how unsatisfied they are, stick a giant piece of sweet stuff out there, (which was most likely the only reason you agreed to have this meal), and guilt everyone into paying for this epic failure of gastronomy.
My daughter opted for the strawberry shortcake, her words were, "the cake is hard and dry".
As for the other foods, does it really matter, it all comes from the same feed lot.
Why do people wait an hour or more to eat here? That is the question.
My excuse was that I had signed up with a secret shopper organization, and was getting a $40 gift card for my trouble. I figured, I'm reviewing things anyway, might as well receive some remuneration, right?
One of the rules was I had to go for dinner at a particular time, and apparently 6:00 p.m. was when everyone in the world came downtown to hit the after-Christmas sales. I was not thrilled to wait an hour for a table, but rules are rules. The nice lady at the hostess desk informed me that the buzzer would not work outside the restaurant. She did not inform me that the upstairs cafe -- with its shorter menu and shorter wait -- was an option. I had to figure that out on my own.
The decor of this place is so bizarre -- the puffy tubelike ceiling made me think of intestines, and all the food moving through them. Ew. Our service was delightful and the food was not half bad. I really enjoyed my Cashew Chicken Salad, though I would venture to guess that about half the cashews were peanuts.
And the cheesecake? Meh. I prefer Eli's.
People, don't wait an hour for this place, especially if you have hungry, cranky little kids in tow. There are better places a stone's throw away. Food Life at Water Tower Place, for one.
FYI -- they take reservations for groups between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m.
Huge portions of mediocre food. Why does that get people all lathered up?
This place always reminds me of the line in the Woody Allen movie 'Annie Hall':
"The food here is terrible." "Yeah, and such small portions".
What you will get here are NOT small portions, but what is the appeal of a huge plate of uninspired, mass-produced food?
Invariably, I get roped into coming here once or twice a year by friends or relatives visiting Chicago, or coworkers who think "it's such a great place for a group".
Sure, the menu is enormous, but there's still nothing I want to eat here. It takes me forever to find the least offensive thing on the menu. People I'm with will say "So many great things to pick from it's hard to narrow it down, huh?"
Umm, no. It's hard to narrow it down because there's literally nothing out of 15 menu pages that I want to pick at, hoping it will be decent. I usually end up with a salad of some kind. Even when I get the "lunch size", it's still enough to feed 3 people. And it's not like salad keeps all that well, so there's no point in taking home the leftovers.
Maybe I'm being too hard on this place. But it's expensive, crowded, and even their signature cheesecakes ain't all that great.
I'm done with the 'Factory'. I've been here at least 20 times since it opened and I've never liked it. But I've never gotten food poisoning from eating here either, so that's why it's getting 2 stars instead of 1.
From now on, if someone suggests going here, I'll just politely decline.
I say skip this place. Life's too short to have even one mediocre meal.
what the hell is this place supposed to resemble? a mushroom or a warped candle sandwich of some sort?
Do not come in here expecting a light meal... I highly recommend the Ahi Tempura appetizer (flash fried goodness!), zucchini sticks w/rance and for entrees the bistro shrimp pasta and sunrise fiesta breakfast burrito - the tomatillo avocado cream sauce is very tasty.
The burgers are also great... Leave room for cheesecake!
I expected slow service, average food, and overpriced drinks when I took my family here to eat at this "tourist-tastic place - I was right!
So why the 4-star review? There is a charm about this restaurant on how it handles tourists, ridiculous requests ("make my latte 105 degrees please" - the table behind us), and the apologetic wait-staff. It's very humorous watching the wait-staff handle these situations - they are very tolerent and should be rewarded for their patience.
I would recommend coming here for dessert during a restaurant crawl of some sorts. One cheesecake is enough for two people. Just order a cheese-cake and two coffee's and your set. Sit at the bar too - they have a nice bar menu just in case you don't want to wait.
I'm usually not up for the limited chain establishments in Chicago, but I've been walking past the place quite frequently for the past 5 years and I'm intrigued by the general look of the place so finally I decided to take a stab at Cheesecake.
My friend and I went on Wednesday night and the place was pretty busy, not to mention...it's HUGE. It was freezing outside and snowing heavily. They seated us at a nice table right by the window (which in my opinion is one of the only spots I would ever sit). The views are nice and with the snow falling it was nice and peaceful.
Our waiter was really friendly and he helped us narrow down some items on the menu. Did I mention that this menu has the most serious case of A.D.D that I've ever seen? They have Italian food, Asian, Mexican, American...possibly more..but I started losing patience. I've never seen so many random items at one place. I guess they have over 200 menu options. I would much rather go to a place that specializes in one type of cuisine (otherwise I wonder about quality control).
We ordered some Pot Stickers, Thai Lettuce Wraps and Roasted Stuffed Dates. I was impressed. The stuffed Dates were wrapped in Bacon and they had a great combination of sweet and salty taste. The Thai Lettuce Wraps is what I really enjoyed. The Peanut sauce is to die for and the chicken had a great marinade on it. All of the apps were pretty simple.
After the apps, we were stuffed, so I can't comment on the entrees or sandwiches but the Cheesecake is something I was personally looking forward to!
I get excited when restaurants have a nice list of coffee drinks (especially when it's collld out). I had the Cafe Mocha with the following Cheesecake selections: Lemon Rasberry Creme, Peppermint Bark and the Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple. Of course the Peanut Butter was my favorite...but they were all SO good. Bad news for those of us trying to stick to a healthy diet, but a little slice of heaven here and there wont kill me!
The overall ambience of the place wasn't bad either, but for the most part I try to stay away from the tourist-trap dining establishments on Michigan Ave during most times of the year.
If you're wondering what all that gold chrome all over the place is, I was wondering the same thing. I felt like I was inside a pie (the waiter told us it was supposed to be the inside of a Cheesecake) hmm..either way, cool place for a tourist-trap chain. I'll be back,
I've only eaten in the restaurant once, but ordered delivery twice(b/c I'm stupid I guess). The in restaurant was decent, nothing to go out of your way for-including walking down those stairs and then back up afterward lol. Delivery on the other hand was the worst delivery esp for how much i paid. Did i mention it was awful, I ordered two or three apps, on or two entrees and two desserts. I'm not big on cheesecake from here but they were good and gave me a sugar headache bc i couldn't stand the food and gorged on the cheesecake.
Touristy location and therefore packed out.
However, all for good reasons. (Except for the slightly elevated prices).
About 40 varieties of cheesecake are available and a varied mass of other savoury snacks and entrées.
The beetroot and goats cheese salad with pecans and apple was very light and flavourful. I also enjoyed the bacon wrapped dates and the key lime cheesecake.
Interesting and quirky decor- an abstract representation of what it might feel like to be sat inside of a cheesecake perhaps? Not sure, but I sort of liked it.
Luckily, you can avoid the crush and just order cheesecake to go in the foyer of the restaurant if you have a sugar craving while in the area.
Oh this place. First of all, there food has enough salt in it to last me 3 years. The dishes are massive and hide what could be a good flavor with a shit-ton of salt. One way to tell when things are fresh is to see how overly salty they are. The food, aside from the salt just isn't that good. I don't understand why people wait forever, end up paying close to $30 a person, when nothing about the cheesecake factory is even worth it. Yes, they do have good Cheesecake, but better can be found elsewhere. Seriously disappointing.
This is a good place to take out of town guest. For a born and breed Chicagoan, it's just another tourist trap. The food is mediocre at best, prices are expected to be high since it's downtown. The waitress we had screw up everyones order (twice), one of the darkest restaurants I've been to and it had no personality. I would only return if no other option was available.
They have the largest salads I have ever seen. The drinks are good, even if you prefer non- alcohol, but the best thing of all is the CHEESECAKE. The deserts are very fresh and the variety seems to be endless.The service is great and the prices aren't bad either. One meal with appetizers for one comes to about $40.
Pros: Great cheesecake. Great food (especially the avocado eggrolls and Thai lettuce wraps).
Cons: Horrible wait. Every time. To make things worse, there's no where to wait. You're stuck obstructing the path of those arriving, those leaving, and the servers. Very claustrophobic experience....but what else do you expect from a chain restaurant on the Magnificent Mile?
Worth visiting once per year. Enough said.
decent if you are with a party with totally different palates. Love this location, very whimsical and comfy inside. Food is always great, nothing super fancy, just good. Service is always piss poor...dunno what is is, they are all that way. I am always dressed nice with my Louis Vuitton and everything and I still get treated like a 15 year old looking to ditch her bill, so thats always a drawback of going here.
OH and I must mention the year I told them it was my boyfriends birthday and he said they would take care of it. Totally not looking for a free sundae, just something cute to acknowledge it for him. No, dumbass waitress came and asked if we wanted dessert and then brought the bill with nothing.....complained to manager and all he could produce was a dumbfounded look and an "oh uh Im sorry....", no I am sorry because we have since found better and now spend all of our money across the street at Frankie's Scallopine.
Writing a review for this place is kind of like writing a review for a $6 hotdog at a ballpark: If you like the overall experience, you'll probably like the food and it'll be worth it. If you're just after a good dog though, you might be better served looking elsewhere. The Cheesecake Factory is right on Michigan Ave; big-time downtown Chicago location. And not only is it there, it belongs there. Anyways, it took a year of convincing for me to believe this place served more than cheesecake. It also took more than a year to go through the diner menu once I got there: it's huge.
First, we got a couple of drinks that were 10 bucks apiece. It was fun to be indulgent but what came out really wasn't that great (or strong). Next, we ordered the lettuce wraps (bib lettuce, grilled chicken, carrots, noodles, cucumbers, bean sprouts, ECT) from the app menu. They were my favorite part of the meal (really, just one of the three 1oz dipping sauces was my favorite part of the meal). For my entrée, I got a combination of shrimp scampi and "Steak Diane," which was peppercorn encrusted steak w/ mushrooms. My GF got a pizza. Both entrees were unimpressive and left me thinking about what I'd do to change them. Regrettably, I don't really like cheesecake too much. I tried (and shyly liked) both of our cheesecake deserts. I hear from LOTS of people the have "the best" but I'm not one to say either way.
I'm not an "anti-chain" person but, somehow, this place falls into the negative mold. There's just something about the taste of the food... kind of a salty, unsatisfying background that's always there. Still, the food certainly isn't as bad as a Bennigan's or something like that so it didn't send me away screaming. The service was fine. What was painful were the prices. Way, way too much for the value of food. And that's the bottom line.
I really like going down to Michigan Ave. in the heart of downtown Chicago. I love the bustle and perpetual motion of it all. The Cheesecake Factory is a fun, indulgent spot that belongs right there in the mix. If you have guests coming in from out of town who want to experience Chicago by shopping downtown, peering out of tall skyscrapers, and eating somewhere fun afterwards, I think that they would really enjoy the Cheesecake Factory. But the fact is that, somewhere else, you could be getting better food for 1/2 the price and incredible food for the same price.
If it was only their star cheesecake being rated, it would be a solid 4 of not 4.5 stars, but the rest of it just doesn't stack up. I find this place hard to rate because it varies so much. I've had some experiences better than others.
I do love their cheesecake and will pay the $6-7 for it. I normally always get the Strawberry because it's classic, but this time I ventured out of my comfort zone and got the White Chocolate Blueberry. Amazing!
Somehow when people visit, they always want to come here since no one has been. If it is going to be a chain, I'd prefer this one over others. We went for a late lunch is to avoid all the tourists (at 1:45 it was still busy but no wait).
Their service (2 stars)... is medicore. This past time it was okay, but the waiter seemed rushed to get us out. When you want to enjoy lunch and good company, the last thing you want to be is rushed . There isn't enough staff for the volumne that they get there.
The food was decent. I had the BBQ Chicken salad which was pretty tasty although it could have been more favorful. The dressing was good but the greens were too plain for what you pay for. I did not like that some of the lettuce did not seem as fresh (NOT GOOD). My friend ordered the pasta carbonara and really enjoyed it. Had the food not been on the pricey side, I'd probably get 3, but for that, the stuff should be more than decent. I should no better though since it is on Michigan Ave.
Overall, I would definitely go back for their cheesecake. Most likely, I'd eat elsewhere and get it to go.
So, when you think of cheesecake factory do you get visions of oompa loompas running around with some weird dude in a hat making all sorts of cheesecake?
OK, me neither. So we're on the same page.
Everyone knows what the cheesecake factory is and yet some of us still go (don't judge me). I have a friend who had never been and i'm sure going was on her "must do before I die list" so we went.
The cheesecake is quite good and they have tons of different ones (snickers, ahem). BUT the food is absolutely terrible. The one in schaumburg had better food and that isn't saying much. I ordered pasta and it was undercooked and crunchy, the sauce was watered down and it was flavorless and gross. I immediately asked to order something else and the staff was very nice and accommodating (read: I don't think they spit in my food).
My new order was a turkey burger and while it wasn't gross it just wasn't much of anything: turkey and buns...no WOW unless tomato and sad looking lettuce is their idea of wow.
If you can order the cheesecake to-go then please do. The food is really not worth it and there are better places within spitting distance of this place. Seriously.
I haven't been to Cheesecake Factory in a while. I wanted to try the red velvet cheesecake it did not disapoint at all, it was really really good. I also took home the white chocolate macadamia nut cheesecake with caramel it was good too. My friend ordered the fried macaroni&cheese it was good.
Minus 1 star for the service. Our waitress was not so good. I don't know what's up with customer service nowdays oh well it varies. I guess I expect to much, but I use to work at a restaurant and I have always been nice to customers and I've always got compliments and big tips so I know how to treat people. Anyways the cheesecake was super good.
The cheesecake factory was very good. I know, I know, many of the reviewers on Yelp have a repulsion towards corporate chains. Sometimes, I feel the same way. But good food is good food.
Located in downtown Chicago, it is an easily accessible and affordable place to grab lunch or dinner. Yes, it is touristy, if that also includes suburbanites. But the service is always great and I have yet to be let down by anything I have eaten.
The avocado egg rolls are outstanding!
I could do without the decor. And, I don't like cheesecake. But besides that, the Cheesecake factory has solid food at reasonable prices for downtown Chicago.
If I could rate it 0 stars I would! We were there for OVER 2 hours to get 5 pieces of cheesecake and 2 cokes. The service was AWFUL! Cheesecake was great as usual. Next time we'll get take out.
Just an FYI... we have bad service at this location everytime. Shame on me for going back!
I'm not a fan of chain restaurants, and when you live in a city like this why you would choose to go here is beyond me. However, if you have lived here your entire life as my sister and I have, it's acceptable once in a blue moon to partake in a guilty pleasure.
For my sister's birthday she chose to come here. Why? She thinks it looks cool inside and she wanted to go to the signature lounge afterward. Yeah she is totally a tourist in her own town. At least in terms of chain restaurants, this is probably in the top three. Huge portions for a great price, quality food, and they don't mess up the order. Plus I really do love their white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.
The place is HUGE, a lot bigger than it looks from the outside, so honestly the wait is never all that bad. If you're looking for something that's honestly reasonably priced and are one of those people who likes reliability, come here.
Is it bad to love a chain restaurant? Because I love this place. And it's occasionally fun to be a little touristy.
The food is consistently good (at every location I've been to). The portions are huge so I usually have leftovers for lunch the next day. And, the cheesecake is awesome.
I have liked some menu items better than others, and I usually order one of the same handful of entrees. But it's great for a group or picky eaters because there is such huge variety on the menu.
And though the wait is long, we can usually grab a table in the bar area pretty quickly.
They have earned one more star from me because yesterday, my girl's parents came into town and one of the things on their agenda was the Cheesecake Factory. We got there around 5PM and for the second time out of all the times I have been there, there was hardly anyone there (I know to just show up during the week instead of the weekend).
We all got cheesecake and my choice was my all time favorite, The Key Lime Cheesecake and it was great as usual! We all had martinis. The three of them got Cosmos and even though it wasn't on the menu, I got a French Martini (love those). One of the best French Martinis I have ever tasted in my life (true story!). My girl and her parents have never tasted a french martini, so I let them taste mine and the next round were all french (They are hooked now!)
Service was awesome and for the first time ever I used the bathroom in this place and it was really nice actually. Good times, good company, good drinks and good cheesecake! Well deserved extra star Cheesecake Factory!
I have come here for dates off and on for the past nine years. Whenever I would bring a girl home… Read more »
This place is in the basement, and they don't try to cover up that fact. If you absolutely must, come here for desert and a drink only.
But, if you're going to be all touristy, it seems stupid to eat here with the Signature Room/Lounge just above.
Ok. I KNOW it's a chain. And, it's on The Mile. In the Hancock.
Everyone knows the drill: Big menu, Big portions, Big bill.
I know $38 for lunch is wrong; but it's like heroin.
Me and a friend were out in the city and we agreed that if I chose the movie, he would chose the restaurant to have dinner at. Being that we're in a city of culinary delights, I don't understand why he wanted to go to The Cheesecake Factory. It was close to the hotel. Thats why.
Two words: TOURIST. TRAP.
Brace yourself for the sounds of screaming children and waiters and chefs on the brink of insanity. The roasted vegetable goat cheese pizza I ordered was excellent, but my friend found his fettucini alfredo undercooked. The head chef came out and gladly re-did his order and put it on the house. Still my friend found the alfredo not to his liking, but this is my review, not his. Not the first restaurant I'd pick, but they treated him well and I enjoyed my pizza. Good enough for a once in a while indulgence.
Screw this place. On a Friday or Saturday, be prepared to wait up to 90 minutes for a table. The portions are TOO massive and the menu is TOO big. TOO bad the food sucks. There's no balance or delicacy. It's all obscenely fatty, cheesy, salty, greasy, and dense and just walking into the place makes me feel gross. I get the impression that the patrons at Cheesecake Factory are out-of-towners and families who think this place is upscale dining and want to say they ate dinner at the Hancock building. It's a shame they fall for this place because there are so many great restaurants to experience in Chicago that are less expensive and much less of a hassle. For all intents and purposes, Cheesecake Factory is little more than a pricier and glitzier Applebee's. They should put Cheesecake Factory on the list "Stuff White People Like."
Is the cheesecake good? Yea, it's tasty... but better cheesecake can be bought--or even made from scratch with minimal effort.
By far the best part of going to Cheesecake Factory is getting a double-take from the server when instead of asking for the Bang-bang Chicken and Shrimp you specify the "Gang-bang" Chicken and Shrimp and repeating it in such a manner as many times as possible.
I am from Chicago so why the hell did I eat at this suburbanite and tourist spot? I was so hungry while walking past it and felt like dessert so we went here. I got hungry when we sat down so I ordered soup.
It was busy at lunch-the prices were high but the portions were huge. If you order something you have to split it between 2-4 people, seriously. I would never ever dine here again.
I never made it to dessert, because I was so full from my soup. It is also very corporate here. I like mom and pop restaurants. This place feels like a car dealership. The only people from Chicago in there are the people who work there. And I agree with the reviewer below, why in the hell would anyone visit Chicago and dine here? Dumb asses.
The Cheesecake Factory is, well, it's The Cheesecake Factory. The food is reliably okay, anywhere in the country. I do, however, love their new small plates menu. Thus our epic begins.
The first time I visited this location, they didn't even give us a copy of the small plates menu. They just gave us the regular one. Since we were all tired and hungry, this led to a lot of whining and being pissy because we thought we'd come out for no reason. The server didn't do anything to remedy that, either. After finally settling on some regular food to order, we were told that the artichokes in the kitchen were no good and so I would have to order something else. Shouldn't the servers be told that before the dinner rush? Anyway, my food finally came and it wasn't great but it was passable. My companion spilled her drink and a manager who came to check on us told her he'd be right back to clean it up for us but never returned so she sat with a lap and table full of ice water for her whole meal. At the end of the meal we spoke to another manager who then discounted the enter meal save for the cost of drinks and we were pretty much satisfied with the kind and professional way he handled the situation.
Last week we returned and 'lo and behold, the small plates menu had been added to the main menu, avoiding any future confusion. Thank you, Cheesecake Factory! We ordered our meal and in the process of bringing things out, our server dropped both of my roommates' items. The food, when it came out, was tasty and I enjoyed it all (stuffed mushrooms, beet salad, garlic knots, a perfect assortment). Then the server got kind of creepy and starting trying to talk to us about the death of John Coltrane and asking my barely 20 year old roommate about her interests (he was closer to late 30s/early 40s) in a way that made us uncomfortable.
So, I guess it's up in the air. Food can be awesome or terrible, service can rock or blow. Who knows?
The interior design of this place is interesting. I'm never sure exactly what in. It looks like the inside of a pie to me. Anyways I'm giving this place 4 stars for super customer service, cheesecake and the size of the dishes!!!!
The last two times that I've been here were got the same waitress and she was awesome! I asked questions and was modifying my drinks and she never had an issue with it. She was just super friendly. You rock MISSY!!!
Normally I just come for cheesecake and drinks. The first time I came I checked out the Caesar salad. I only ordered half and when it got to the table I almost flipped out. It was huge!! It looked like a full salad to me but it wasn't. Great! The taste was OK. Needed more croutons. The dressing was a little on the light side.
Now to the cheesecake...ITS SO YUMMY!! I'm committing a sin just thinking about enjoying a slice of Oreo cheesecake with a side of vanilla ice cream...mmmm. The cheesecake is always good here and I've never been disappointed. I always have to get vanilla ice cream on the side because the cheesecake a just a little to rich for me to handle without some cool and creamy.
Great place for dessert!! Awesome service and everyone who checks this place out needs to try the Oreo cheesecake!!!! YUM!!!
OMFG I HATE CHAIN RESTAURANTS!!!! DIEEEEE!!!!!!
Wait, was I just being one of the all too many food snobs that apparently frequent Chicago restaurants?? Sorry about that. I'll get out of character and into the real review here.
(Psssst: Non-chain restaurants often have really awful food too. But don't tell the foodies that. Their heads may explode.)
Anyways, this Cheesecake Factory location is much like any other location I've been to with one notable exception: The weird-ass fairy tale type decor. I don't even know what they're going for here, but if I took a hit of acid before I came here, it's safe to say my heart would have exploded. I'd explain it, but I don't even know how to..it's just really odd.
That said, the food was the usual...which is pretty good. My pasta was slightly undercooked, which was a bummer, but it still tasted decent so I'm not going to raise a huge stink about it. The bread was its usual painfully average self.
I'll tell you the one thing I dislike about this restaurant though: the bench seating which places you all too close to the people next to you. As far as I have seen, every location does it this way, and I'm not sure why. I get that it's probably big in Europe to have less personal space, but here in America we're people that really like to have a large radius around us. And I really don't care to hear all of the business of the people on both sides of me. Thankfully, this time the people next to us weren't obnoxious but it has happened before at the location here in Nashville. It'll drive you up a wall if you let it.
The other thing is that the food is pretty overpriced for what you get. My fetticine alfredo was 15 bucks for instance. I could get that cheaper at the Olive Garden or Maggiano's for cheaper and it certainly wouldn't be any worse. And hell, at the Olive Garden, at least I get warm bread and salad.
If you haven't tried the lettuce wraps yet, it's a must for next time! I love those things! I have tried various entrees and I have liked them all. This is one of those restaurants you go to when you're hungry and you know no matter what you pick from the menu, it's gonna be good. They serve all types if ethnic foods so there's a great selection. It seems as if there's as many desserts as there are entrees! No matter what kind of food or dessert you're craving, this place will most likely have it!
Customer service was spot on. Seated right away. Drink orders were taken almost immediately, food was served in a quick fashion.
As for the food a freind insisted I get the Chicken Madiera. Wow, it was so good i could of had another plate! My other friend ordered it with extra extra sauce which i found to be unnecessary!
If you hit on the waiters do not be suprised if they take you up on the offer only to end up at their house learning they are Impotent.
Learned a few things here, Love their Chicken, Service is great and don't hit on the servers, they might just be impotent!
Tourist Trap (maybe) (ok yes it is)
but seriously! The cheesecake is amazing!
kick off your meal with a piece of the cheesecake because by the time you eat you will have no room left for one of these delicious creations...
I eat at Cheese cake factories all over the country but my favorite one is right here in Chicago! I just love it! the service is always lightening quick regardless of how crowded they are! My new favorite dish is the crusted ahi tuna I get it almost every time I go, it is probably not all that healthy, I tell my self it is! and it is so darn good! before this I was always getting the thai lettuce wraps, I am sure they are still great just have not hitched my wagon to that post in quite some time...
My two favorite Cheese cakes are the lemon raspberry and the Godiva Chocolate...but I must say I just tried the Original for the first time on tuesday, wow it was amazing! velvety, creamy, rich and not too sweet... something tells me I will be back to that original cheesecake again many times over!
I made my first visit here on a Tuesday night in the middle of a blizzard. we figured that there would not be much of a wait and not be all that busy. When we got there, we were seated right away but when we left, the place was packed.
I have never had the opportunity to visit this place before even though I have lived here my entire life. Now that I have visited it, I most likely won't make this place a destination for me but I won't boycott the place.
The decor here is some of the cheesiest that I have ever seen. (No pun intended. Cheesy is the only word that comes to mind when thinking about this place. I think we were in a bad spot because it was really dark by our table.. It was dark enough where I was having difficulty reading the menu. When I went to the restroom, I noticed that the entire place did not seem that dark.
Our waitress, Kristina, did an EXCELLENT job. She was very knowledgeable about the menu and very friendly and sociable. Everyone we came into contact with was very friendly also.
The food did not really impress me as i thought it would. we started out with the fried Mac-n-cheese. Which was good but really didn't wow me. For my main meal, I had The Romano crusted chicken with pasta. Once again, it was good but it just did not wow me. I was pleased with the portion size that I received. They did not cut corners on the portions.
Now it is time for the cheesecake. I was looking forward to the dessert because obviously, this place is known for the cheesecake. I had the key lime cheesecake and it was delicious. Overall, I would not wait in line to go here, but it was a solid experience.
Come for the cheesecake and tripy mushrom decor
Eye candy AND good eats!
This place has anything you could dream up on the menu for lunch or dinner or brunch. The drinks are crazy exciting. The portions are huge. Unless you're having steak or lobster, everything is $10-$15. AND THEN there is the cheesecake!! Like 30 different flavors.
Indoor seating outdoor seating. Our waiter was four star in his manners, ease, friendliness, and attentiveness. Even tough it's very busy (you will wait 15-10 minutes), they encourage you to take your time, enjoy yourself, and stay as long as you like.
Living in Chicago aka "land of many options", I'm not a huge fan of chain restaurants. The few times I've been here have been 1) for work (I used to work in the Hancock), 2) because an out-of-town visitor insisted on coming here, and 3) when a friend has a craving for their cheesecake.
Last night a friend had a craving for their food. This is something I just don't understand because of all the wonderful restaurants we have in this great city! But anyway...
We started out with the avocado eggrolls. Strange, but tasty. I ordered the meatloaf while my friend ordered a salad. The portions are GI-NORMOUS!!! Good grief... I forgot about that! No wonder we have an obesity epidemic in this country.
The meatloaf was OK... Not the best I've ever had. When I saw the plate, I knew it was too much. The portion was too big, sauce was overflowing on everything, and once I tasted it, there was too much salt. We also ordered dessert - the tiramisu. Holy whipped cream! There was a small slice of tiramisu with FIVE huge dollops of whipped cream on top and on the sides. Yuck... Too much whipped cream. Ummm... Are you noticing a theme here? Yes, TOO MUCH.
The service was friendly and fast, which was nice. I'll give them that. Our server even went the extra mile to get the tirimisu from the main kitchen since they didn't serve it in the cafe section (on the 1st floor) where we were sitting. Bonus points to him!
The decor is very much like Alice in Wonderland. I recommend laying off the hallucinogenics before coming here.
Parking in the area is terrible, so you have to pay a high fee to park in their garage. It's something you can't avoid unless you have access to public transportation (http://www.transitchic...).
Overall, my experience here was OK. Will go back? Only if you make me. In the meantime, I will continue my practice of avoiding chain restaurants as long as I live in this town!
$25 Prix Fix Wednesdays!
Neighborhood: Wicker Park
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Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: American (New)
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Category: Restaurants
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