Plein Air Cafe - Chicago, Illinois

Deniz N.

I normally don’t like to write/give bad reviews, but my experience today really hit the nail on the coffin.

1. There is no wifi here, unless you have a hotspot or are affiliated with UChicago and can access the school internet.

2. I ordered the tuna salad sandwich. You can see in the picture that there is a big chunk of bread missing on one of the sides. How do you miss that and think it’s acceptable to serve? The tuna salad itself was not flavorful and had a very fishy taste.

3. I originally asked for soup, to which I was told that they were out of soup for the day. Okay, no problem. But TELL ME WHY the couple that sits next to me (who came in & ordered way after I did) has soup brought out to them. I immediately looked over to the person at the register to see if it was someone different and if there was a misunderstanding or miscommunication — it was the same person who had taken my order.

I really want to give the benefit of the doubt on this situation, but I just can’t wrap my mind around it.

4. I had an iced vanilla latte in the morning, it was average — nothing impressive.
In the afternoon I had an iced oat strawberry matcha, which was delicious!

5. Bakery items are not bad. The hazelnut beignet was tasty, regular croissant was flaky and made well. The macarons tasted like they had been out for a while.

Overall, it’s a very busy environment which is expected since it’s one of the few coffeeshops nearby and it’s on campus. They have outdoor seating which is nice in warm weather. They do not accept cash. Prices are on the higher end & not ideal.

I do not recommend this place if there are other options. But, if there are no other options nearby, I would not oppose anyone in going here.

Michael D.

Very cozy spot, complete with outdoor patio and walk up window. Coffee and food were very solid. Menu has a good variety of options and service was quick.

The cafe connects directly to the book shop when it's open. There's a decent amount of space indoors, but I can see it getting very crowded with folks studying at peak times.

Raed A.

I had a great experience here - I came to this place twice; last week had a really good breakfast. I like their food, coffee, and service. It gets so crowded from 11::00 to 13:00, and it's really hard to find a table. I like their outdoor seating, where you can set and chat conveniently. You should try their almond croissant and apple danish; taste really good.

Kris J.

Recommended by the nearby museum staff member, my colleagues and I stood in a long line to order lunch. It was a little rough to be sure we found the right menu. The ones online are a little different from what's there. But, arguably, it could be that they are picking fresh ingredients. The pastries, when arriving at the order window, looked great. But, by then, I determined to get something listed on the menu. I had the meatloaf terrine. It was hearty and delicious and I can understand for Chicago's weather, why it is a staple. Plein Air is excellent and U Chicago is lucky to have Plein Air on campus.

Katherine S.

I went there when I was visiting a friend, and it was such a delicious stop for lunch. The price is a bit more than I would typically pay, but the quality made it worth it. The service is friendly and efficient and even though there was a line when I came here, it moved quickly. The outdoor seating was a nice ambience. I saw several people working on laptops when I was there. It was quite busy when I went on a weekday in the summer.

Kristel R.

Order yourself a hot beverage with a hazelnut beignet, then find a bench across the street to sit and enjoy the beautiful campus scenery as you eat and drink. Once you’re finished, checkout The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (free entry).

Chris B.

Premium cold brew is 10/10, best cold brew ever. The weekend morning line was long, but went pretty quickly. I loved the vibe of the interior making it feel like I stepped foot into Paris. The outdoor courtyard is just as pretty and relaxing. Brunch was great with plenty of vegetarian options.

Nena C.

Ambiance:
- when this place is busy, which is pretty much all the time 😉 it gets loud inside from all the people speaking. I overheard people studying for their bio final, and thought I would never be able to study having to speak so loudly to get my partner to hear me. But…. The outside is where it’s at! They have a beautiful outdoor area with tons of seating options. Today, I chose to sit at the communal long table with the planter in the middle. When it’s nice out, I will always sit here.

Staff:
- the staff here are nice and go out of their way to help you. I asked one of the good runners a question that he didn’t know the answer to, and I said that’s okay, don’t worry about it, I’ll check when I go back inside. Little did I know, he found someone inside that came out and answered my question. Now that’s “Disney quality” customer service! (When you don’t know the answer to something, you find out for the customer)

Food:
I was craving soup, so I called ahead and asked what the soup of the day was. I was told chicken with rice. I asked the person on the phone if they liked it, to which they responded that they did. I then asked if I could order it for pickup over the phone and they said I’d have to use one of the online ordering systems because they don’t do phone orders. Instead, I just walked over and ordered in person. Unfortunately, it fortunately (depending on how you look at it), coming in to order led me to spend more than I had intended- haha.
I ordered the chicken and rice soup of the day ($5.95) as well as the Avocado and tomato salad ($11.95).

The chicken soup was tasty. It had just the right amount of veggies and chicken to broth ratio. And it came with three small slices of baguette.

The avocado and tomato salad is an arugula base (my favorite kind of green), and in addition to perfectly ripened avocados and tomatoes, has cotija cheese sprinkled on top and a cilantro dressing. The only let down was the cilantro dressing. I expected something vinegary and more cilantro flavored, but this was sweet. That was definitely not what I had in mind, but I know better now and will ask if the dressings are sweet or not in the future for other salads. Apart from the surprise sweetness, the arugula was wonderfully fresh, without any wilting!

So, long story short, I would not get the salad again, unless I got a different dressing, but I would get the soup. And while I was seated, I saw several other things I want to try in the future… specifically their sandwiches. Those baguettes look so good!

Also, the question I had asked was what came on the goat cheese sandwich because online said paprika and I was like it can’t just be paprika and goat cheese. I think it was an autocorrect because the staff told me it’s peppers! Hahaha. That is something I actually make at home all the time! Roasted red peppers, with goat cheese, and arugula on a baguette. So, that is something I will try in the future!