Food: Pret a Manger... lunch, yes! Breakfast, no.

Location: Clark and Monroe + other locations

Order: Steel cut oats and a 12oz skim latte ($5) + various lunches (usually <$15)

Service: Great!

I’ve never had bad service at this kind of fancy lunch spot. Someone always greets you when you enter, whether the place is empty or there’s a huge crowd and they’re attempting to replenish the fresh sandwiches and hot soups. They’re really into service with a smile, even when they’re asking you if you need a bag. Great service.

Flavour Experience: Some mediocre, some awesome!

Breakfast - I’ll start with the bad – my breakfast trial this morning has been a complete failure. Steel cut oats are a big deal and are offered for breakfast at most places in the Loop, so I’ve tried a few. Pret is one of my go-to places for lunch and dinner, but I would never get breakfast from there again! First of all, you pick up the container from the “hot” section of the store, and then ask for the toppings at the register. I wasn’t clear if I only got to pick one kind of topping, or if I could have them all. I could have asked, but the guy was already mumbling and I didn’t want to prolong our conversation. I picked the granola topping, which didn’t even cover the top of my oatmeal. I needed more! This was quite disappointing compared to my usual oats from The Corner Bakery which are loaded with walnuts, almonds, currents and a side of brown sugar. Also, Freshii makes a superior apple cinnamon breakfast oat tub which is chock full of green apples and cinnamon – I’ve had these twice this week! Now I know – Pret’s good for everything except breakfast. The latte was fine, but not as rich and frothy as the one at The Corner Bakery.

Steel cut oats + small latte

Lunch – Pret has a rotating soup menu, so I’ve tried a few of them…favourites include Chicken Noodle and Butternut Squash & Apple. I tried the Mexican Chicken & Cheddar today and didn’t like it at all. Next! There are a few seasonal sandwiches, but for the most part there is a standard selection of freshly made (Made today, gone today). My favourite part about Pret sandwiches is the “Slim” version (half sandwich), so you can mix and match to make a whole. Favourite sandwiches include: Chipotle Chicken, Bacon & Avocado or the California Club. Don't have the holiday ones with the "nut roast stuffing", that stuff sounds good in theory, but is actually not good at all. The stuffing bits had a strange texture which actually made the sandwich inedible for me.

chipotle chicken, bacon and avocado + butternut squash and apple soup

I should also note that Pret makes the best Chicago Style popcorn I’ve ever had: Sharp Cheddar and Caramel, of course. In my opinion, it’s better than Garrett’s. Omg! Another must have is the chocolate chunk cookie. I used to love the Little Cup of Goodness yogurt pot, which was plain greek yogurt, with shredded green apple, cinnamon and granola until I realized it was 300 calories. Delicious, but I probably won’t get it again unless it’s my entire breakfast.

Likely to Return: Yes, regularly for lunch…never for breakfast!

Food: Roly Poly

In the spirit of keeping up with my travels, it’s becoming rather cumbersome to review all the new places I’m trying. I’m going to try and write “express” reviews that mention the highlights and failures of my experiences in CHI town! They will likely be inconsistent (which I hate), but will hit on the key points and allow me to keep up…

Location: LaSalle and Monroe

Order: Hot rolled chipotle chicken sandwich + small seafood bisque for <$10

Delicious!

Service: Good

A friendly chef was ready to take my order before I’d even placed it or paid for it. I guess he was trying to be efficient. The credit terminal was failing, so it was several minutes and a long line of people behind me before my order was actually paid for. The friendly chef continued to take orders from the kitchen window. I heard someone submit a Groupon, and get their lunch for $1.50, which made me envious and realize that I should sign up for Chicago rather than the Toronto mailing list. Side note – I just found a groupon that will provide me with 3 lunch combos for $17.25. Excellent.

Flavour Experience: Good

Overall, I was happy with this place – the lobster bisque was surprisingly rich and full of flavour. It was a bit heavy on the cream and a bit more sweetness (think cornbread!) than I was expecting. I would still recommend it. The rolled sandwich, which is a wrap, took longer to prepare than I would have liked, but the end result was fresh and delicious. I asked for a side of salsa as an alternative to the ranch that originally went with the chipotle wrap; I only had a few bites dipped in salsa, but the wrap didn’t need it!

Likely to Return: Yes!

I will soon have a Groupon for 3 more visits!

Food: BenjYehuda

Location: LaSalle and Monroe

Visited: November 13, 2013

Service: Helpful, good suggestions
This place has an assembly line ordering system similar to that of Subway. This seems to be a common trend among Middle Eastern eateries, so no surprises here. Service was quick and efficient and the server spoke coherently (always a positive for me!) It was my first visit, so the guy there nice enough to explain my options. When I was unsure about whether or not I wanted any red cabbage salad, he encouraged me to try it, saying “it’s good!”. I like that.

Atmosphere: Dark and modern
For a quick lunch, I don’t care about the ambience that much. In fact, I prefer a quiet locale, although that doesn’t exactly scream great reviews. There were a number of tables and stools available, and since it wasn’t jammed like Starbucks, I was more inclined to sit down. While I was sitting at a booth, I noticed a few pedestrians walk up and try to open the door, but then they walked away. I almost did the same thing, since the wind was blowing so hard that it seemed like the entrance was actually locked. That’s probably not great for new business.

Order: Chicken Laffa
A grilled flatbread filled with my choice of toppings. I included hummus, Jerusalem salad (cucumber), corn salad, mediterranean pickles, tomato, cabbage sauce, tahini and hot sauce.

chicken laffa unwrapped

Prices: Medium
I opted for a middle of the road order – it was $8.30 with tax. Other options would have been falafel (less) or steak (more) on a pita or in a box format. In my opinion, this is an average lunch price, and would be willing to pay for it again.

Deliciousness: Good
I had high hopes, as I selected this place based on Yelp reviews. I’ve had my share of shawarma and other Mediterranean options, and at first bite, I would have raved about the flavours and how they exceeded my expectations. By the end of the wrap, I was wondering whether my enthusiasm was actually the result of waiting until 2pm to have lunch. The toppings were actually lacking the punch I’ve come to expect from pickled turnips and cabbage; the good news is that I didn’t receive a sodium overload, which is common at American establishments.

Overall rating: Average
If I was at home, an $8 lunch would be on the low-to-medium side since it’s more of a fast food meal. The laffa was comparable to other fast food meals in size and equivalent in value to the average shawarma joint. I would return to BenjYehuda, because the food was solid in flavour and satisfying. The downside for me was that it wasn’t anything I haven’t had before – just another acceptable shawarma in my books. Overall it was a tasty lunch, however not good enough for me to rush back within the next week.