10/12/09

The RUDEST restaurant experience I have every had

by G brinknahan

I was running the Chicago Marathon yesterday. I was walking down Michigan Avenue and I stopped in the Artists' Restaurant for a quick cup of coffee. I purchased the coffee and then asked where the bathrooms were...the woman said only paying customers can use the washroom. I looked at her and said I just bought a cup of coffee. She said the washrooms can only be used if you are ordering food and sitting at a table or the counter. I said okay, I will have blueberry muffin and sat down at the counter. The waitor brought me the muffin and the woman disappeared. I walked downstairs to use the washroom and she had put sticky notes on the doors saying they were "out of order." A waitress was waiting downstairs and smiled at me as she told me I would have to get ticket from my waitor and use the washroom on the 10th floor of the adjacent office building. Needless to say, I left the coffee and muffin but had to pay the $5. I couldn't believe the rudeness of the that middle age, pudgy woman wearing glasses and the young short waitress with brown hair laughing at me. I found it very interesting that they were going to reap the benefit of the marathon yet were so rude to a participant. There were very few people dining there at the time and no other runners.

I have eaten in this restaurant before and was not impressed by the food. I thought it would be an interesting place based on the location and name.

I was wrong.

I learned my lesson and I hope I can help other people from making the same mistake. There are many other restaurants to choose from...this one should definitely be skipped.

• Pros: location
• Cons: rudest employees - lack of customer service

03/10/09

Best Breakfast

by CSMobileUser2

I had breakfast at this restaurant and it was fantastic. The hashbrowns and coffee were great. Much more reasonable then hotel we were staying at. The service was fast.

03/06/09

Great food and great prices

by CSMobileUser

Turkey club was great and fries were delicious. Service was fast. Definately a great place between classes and they give student discounts

07/07/08

WORST RESTAURANT I'VE EVER BEEN! ~ Accross from Grant Park~

by raqCITY

Yes!.. I had lived in Chicago for 20 years and I've NEVER had the WORST GYROS and HOT DOG I'VE EVER HAD!.. They served OVERPRICED GYROS with 5 pcs of potatoe wedges FOR $9.75 + TAX... hot dog with the THINEST fries you'll ever have in you life for $6.75 + TAX . I went at this so called Artists' Cafe / George Mitchel's Artists' Snack Shop: artists-cafecom on Jul. 3rd. to have a good time but it turned out to be the worst day to start my July 4rth weekend... It was my first time being in the city on a July 4rth weekend. My husband, brother, sister-n-law, and I wanted to hang outside to dine and watch the fireworks..instead, they said there was a waiting list. What they really failed to say is "it 's first come first serve"... Which was B.S. We wanted to order food to go instead.. but the restaurant REFUSED to do take out..REFUSED?? WHO in the right mind does that??? NOW, since..most of us were hungry we decided to take a quick bite to eat...The key word is QUICK!!..Unfortunately.. our mindless, RUDE, waitress did NOT get the point ..

We've placed our order and my brother chose not to eat because he was NOT hungry at all.. So..we got our food..started eating and all of the sudden the waiter starts telling my brother that he has to order a minimum of $3.00 meal. Well what a freakin' rude gesture to say to someone when the people he is with are almost done with their meal... THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE?? But a nice MARKETING..(not) .. I HATED THIS RESTAURANT SO MUCH .. I just wanted to leave and get the HELL OUT OF THERE... To make matters worst.. when it came down to paying time..THEY ONLY TOOK AMERICAN EXPRESS..(AMEX)..who freakin' has that card?? THIS PLACE just gets worser and worser... Now, IF you ever ran into this place..I WOULD DEFINETELY THINK IT THROUGH..Wait until you walk another block or two.. I would've enjoyed McDonalds over their food.. Because of this place I missed the fireworks and I had the worst night to start my July 4rth weekend..I HATED IT

• Pros: The LOCATION ~ THAT IS THE ONLY THING!!
• Cons: FOOD, SERVICE, MANAGEMENT, DIRTY FLOOR, SEATS, TABLES, OLD 5TH FLOOR RESTROOMS, DRINKS, and EVERYTHING ELSE inside it.

08/14/07

One of the worst experiences at a restaurant. I've had better at stand up counters.

by clairebear872

All my friend and I wanted (we are both Chicago natives) was to do two things: enjoy the weather at a cefe we've seen but never been to, and have something to drink (after all it is a cafe). We saw on the menu that the minimum was $3.00 per person. So, he ordered a 2.95 iced tea, and I ordered a cup of hot tea at 1.95, planning to get another.

The waitress we had was awful. If you ever get her, I recommend switching tables. She is middle aged and pudgy with glasses. First she sat us at a table with wet chairs (the airconditioners above were raining on us). Then we switched. Halfway through our teas, she says, "What can I get you to eat." We say, "We arent eating." Then she freaks out for the first time - saying that she was automatically going to charge me 3.00. So I said, wait, I want another tea. And she doesn't understand and is like I don't make the rules blah blah. Then she gets it and comes back with tea, and slams it on the table causing the water to splash on my hand and burn me. Then, she's hustling us out of there, telling us we can't pay with credit card (we knew that) "For such a tiny meal). And I'm like, "we aren't paying with credit card". NOW SHE FREAKS OUT, "I'm not giving you attitude, I'm just doing my job and you are supposed to eat here." And I'm like "there is no sign that says we HAVE to eat here." She then storms off. For a place that is crowded and expensive, it was not worth the strife. Needless to say, she was given no tip.

06/11/05

Great Outdoor Cafe

by btsourapas

I had a cheddar burger and it was out of this world. We went back the next day for breakfast and it was excellent. Loved the food and character of the Fine Arts Building. We also enjoyed a great cappuchino sitting outside and gazing at the people as they worked their way around local attractions.

A little spot for breakfast or lunch, right across the street from Grant Park.

by Contributor

In Short
Located in the historic Fine Arts Building, this cafe draws a mix of students from the nearby Art Institute and tourists visiting Grant Park. The Mediterranean menu features salads, pasta and vegetarian plates. Bargain breakfasts are a specialty: The Taylor Street offers scrambled eggs topped with mozzarella and marinara sauce, while the Athenian features an omelette with tomatoes and feta cheese, along with hash browns, kalamata olives and pita bread.

06/30/04

Hit and Miss

by brian_ax

I ate there three times in three days.

First night, I had a reuben sandwich. Delicious! This simple sandwich is easy to goof up, but they did it right. Excellent sauce, not too greasy, perfect. Fries were nothing special.

For dessert...the super chocolate cake. Excellent!

Great service that night and the second night. The second night I had a malt. It was runny, and came in a glass--I expect shakes/malts in a glass with the remainder in the metal mixing container. Not a lot of variety, either.

Third time was breakfast. DO NOT go there for breakfast. Lousy service, lousy food. Omelette was burned, dry, and I had to pay extra for cheese!! Service was slow and inefficient.

• Pros: Some good food, Can be good service, Great atmosphere
• Cons: , Hit and miss, Food can be pricey