Tempo Cafe

The Scene – The room is clean and bright, with a tile floor, oak accents and a subtle nautical theme (model ships hang here and there from the ceiling). Several comfy booths, about 30 tables and an expansive patio accommodate Tempo's round-the-clock crowd--tipsy Rush Street revelers and night owls in the early a.m. followed by coffee-drinking blue collar folk later on. – – The Food – It's hard to miss the tempting, wafting scent of Tempo's renowned omelets. These three-egg big boys are served over crispy fried potatoes right in the skillet with all the standard filling…

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Editor's Tips

Where to Sit:: Outdoor seating offers great Gold Coast people watching--but is only available until 10pm.
The Extras:: Be sure to check your table tent for unlisted specials like savory, scrumptious cream of potato soup.

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User Reviews (33)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“The ambiance of Tempo is somewhat charming, better than a Golden Nugget.” “they have great atmosphere, and on a cold winters day, nothing beats their food.”
food quality	80.32999992370605% positive	“The skillets are super and the homemade marmalade is delicious.” “All ingredients are fresh and prepared as served.” “open late; large variety of food.” “Don't be turned off by a bad review go and have some good food for a decent price.” “Expect to wait a while to eat, but the food was good.” “It's pretty standard diner food, but it's one of the few places o.” “Breakfast isn't bad, but the eggs are usually overcooked.” “The food at Tempo is so terrific that I can't wait for morning to come when I am in Chicago so that I can go there.” “had gone to study and enjoy a meal out with my girlfriend and the manager turned down the lights.” “This place combines value with quite a tasty breakfast.” “In summary, avoid tempo they have poor service, worse managers, bad food and malfunctioning unkempt restrooms.” “... bad food, NOT OK” “Cash only but that makes it a high paced service environment were no problems arise and your in & out with a great meal for reasonable prices.” “they have great atmosphere, and on a cold winters day, nothing beats their food.” “The food is actually good but i guess since other people had issues they thought they would let their anger out by blasting the food.” “Tempo has the most awesome breakfast food in the city, no matter what time of day!” “The fresh-squeezed orange juice was wonderful.” “GREAT SERVICE, GREAT FOOD and worth two breakfast visits in a city where food options are not limited; so that should tell you in a nutshell how good it was.” “My wife thought the food was pretty awful, too.” “tasteless food; doesn't take credit cards; This place is a diner, which means it has a wide selection of food & is open late; these are pretty much the only positives. The food unfortunately is NOT good. I had French Toast which was no more than bread coa”
menu variety	68.88999938964844% positive	“open late; large variety of food.” “tasteless food; doesn't take credit cards; This place is a diner, which means it has a wide selection of food & is open late; these are pretty much the only positives. The food unfortunately is NOT good. I had French Toast which was no more than bread coa” “GREAT SERVICE, GREAT FOOD and worth two breakfast visits in a city where food options are not limited; so that should tell you in a nutshell how good it was.”
overall	68.88999938964844% positive	“My friends and I had always considered Tempo to be a great place to eat after a great party, bad break up, or even an evening alone.” “tasteless food; doesn't take credit cards; This place is a diner, which means it has a wide selection of food & is open late; these are pretty much the only positives. The food unfortunately is NOT good. I had French Toast which was no more than bread coa” “The Tempo is a great place to go for breakfast and it is not as bad as everyone keeps saying.”
service	63.33000183105469% positive	“Cash only but that makes it a high paced service environment were no problems arise and your in & out with a great meal for reasonable prices.” “Great Breakfast, everyone else's excuse for bad service is unreliable” “In summary, avoid tempo they have poor service, worse managers, bad food and malfunctioning unkempt restrooms.” “The food is actually good but i guess since other people had issues they thought they would let their anger out by blasting the food.” “had gone to study and enjoy a meal out with my girlfriend and the manager turned down the lights.” “The breakfast fare is their strength and I would recommend this place if the service was more customer oriented.” “. . I had always assumed that my education, my status, my poised and calm demeanor would allow others to see that I and the people I associate with are reasonable people, and would in turn, treat me with respect and reason.” “tasteless food; doesn't take credit cards; This place is a diner, which means it has a wide selection of food & is open late; these are pretty much the only positives. The food unfortunately is NOT good. I had French Toast which was no more than bread coa”
value	100.0% positive	“GREAT SERVICE, GREAT FOOD and worth two breakfast visits in a city where food options are not limited; so that should tell you in a nutshell how good it was.” “It's a decent cheap place when you just need to re-fuel.” “Cash only but that makes it a high paced service environment were no problems arise and your in & out with a great meal for reasonable prices.” “This place combines value with quite a tasty breakfast.” “Don't be turned off by a bad review go and have some good food for a decent price.”

05/13/11

e-mail

by Kristya

I really need their e-mail!please help!

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02/16/11

Best Breakfast

by Tinaki

Tempo is awesome! The food isn't fine dinning or anything, but well worth the buck. The service though is second to none. Certainly the best service you will ever get at any diner, which what Tempo is. I would stay away during the weekend breakfast and lunch rush. The weekdays are so much more relaxing

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11/09/09

Good service. Good breakfast!

by CSMobileUser2

The food was well deserving of the recommendation we received. Knowing Tempo is open 24 hours made it easy to set a time to go. We got there and was sat in about 30 minutes. We ordered the Omelettes. My wife enjoyed the Turkey Omelette with swiss and added cheddar. I enjoyed the Cream Creese Omelette. We both substituted Turkey sausage. That did the trick. Freshly squeezed orange juice and a quick to fix staff make it easy for us to know where to come for a bite the next time we're in Chicago.

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01/15/09

It's a matter of dedication

by JonoLee

I moved into the neighborhood. On the day of the move, my wife went down for lunch and she brought me roast beef sandwich, which I discovered after the fact. The "roast beef sandwich" was completely covered with mashed potato. It's not even a small scoop of mashed potato, the sandwich was swimming in mashed potato. I will not touch any food prepared by someone who is so uncaring and undedicated to his/her work that the food is prepared in such a manner. My wife thought the food was pretty awful, too. Pathetic.

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09/28/08

No credit cards, Ok ... bad food, NOT OK

by njs29

PROS: open late; large variety of food. CONS: tasteless food; doesn't take credit cards; This place is a diner, which means it has a wide selection of food & is open late; these are pretty much the only positives. The food unfortunately is NOT good. I had French Toast which was no more than bread coated in a fried egg; check the food network recipe by Alton Brown for a true French Toast recipe. My wife had a veggie burger which has no seasoning just tastes like mashed up lima beans. The service is OK, but not horrible like some of the other reviews state. Just keep in mind that this place is used to serving drunk college kids after a night of clubbing so they don't always treat customers as you would want to be treated. Ambiance is like a typical diner. I will NOT be going back here ever again. ALTERNATE breakfast/brunch RECOMMENDATIONS: Yolk; The Bongo Room

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What People Are Saying About Tempo Cafe

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Editor's Tips

05/13/11

e-mail

by Kristya

02/16/11

Best Breakfast

by Tinaki

11/09/09

Good service. Good breakfast!

by CSMobileUser2

01/15/09

It's a matter of dedication

by JonoLee

09/28/08

No credit cards, Ok ... bad food, NOT OK

by njs29

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