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Panera is great. Here’s why: Free wi-fi. I’ve never had a problem connecting and it’s usually a decent speed. Good sandwiches and salads. There’s enough variety to keep it interesting and they rotate seasonal specials pretty often. Plenty of tables. They even partition the space up with walls so you feel like you have some privacy. Free soda refills and easily accessible water. No more asking for water! Soothing elevator music. I’ve spent more hours working at Panera than I can count…in fact, I’m writing this review from Panera right now!

The decor at Karyn’s is very cute. It’s sort of like a semi-fancy cafe with tons of bamboo all over. It feels like the healthy and vegetarian place. The menu uses some promising words when describing the pseudo-meat so I was pretty excited to put it to the test by going for the Slab of Ribs. I have to say that I was definitely impressed – the texture was the closest to meat than any other fake meat I’ve had but still not quite meat. All the other dishes were pretty good, but the dessert was by far the best. The only issue I had was with our sorta flaky server. She was a bit slow and absent and forgot one of our drink orders. If I’m ever in the mood of vegetarian again, I’ll come back here in a heart beat, but I think I still stand by my vegetarian strategy of not ordering fake meat dishes….it’s less confusing for my stomach :)

Maggiano’s isn’t my first choice for quality italian, but when you want to have a group event and a LOT of food it’s hard to beat. All the locations are huge and this one is no exception. There’s a large dining room upstairs and one downstairs with some private rooms. Last time I was here, they were having a murder mystery in the room which was entertaining b/c there were fake gun shots while we were eating. For maximum food intake, you do the all you can eat option with your group and be sure to order seconds. By the end of the meal, you’ll have so many leftover bags you won’t know what to do with them all.

The restaurant definitely has a fun vibe to it and the waiters are super friendly. You’ve got to order the burgers. I got the “sloppy mary” which is a burger with chili on it. It could have used more chili and been sloppier but it was pretty good. Some of the other burgers I saw looked better, so if I came back I’d try something else. After you’re done you can sip your Intelligentsia coffee while using their free wifi to do some work.

i love the cheesecake factory! i find the menu novella amusing (who doesn’t like local ads in their menu?) and i’ve always been satisfied with my dishes. some of the better ones were the kobe beef burger, shrimp po boy, and rock shrimp pasta. the biggest annoyance is always the long wait and all the tourists at this location.

prime rib is good stuff. i used to get my fill from the house of prime rib in san francisco and was happy to find that there’s a lawry’s in chicago. the deal is pretty much the same – different cuts of prime rib (with complimentary additional helpings if you’re still hungry), served with tasty salad, bread pudding and mashed potatoes. the only downside is the atmosphere – it’s very old-feeling. all the old people eating there didn’t help. it wasn’t exactly a place you want to hang out at for a long time if you’re under 40. but, if you like prime rib, it’s definitely worth a trip.

Lou’s pizza is pretty good, but it’s not my favorite chicago deep dish (i like edwardo’s). I’m not a fan of Lou’s crust…it seems sort of dry or tasteless. It’s hard to describe, it just seems lacking. That being said, I wouldn’t turn it down :)

Being a curry house, the Curry house serves lots of curry. It also smells like curry and you shall too if you visit it. On the good side, it’s not as strong as Korean BBQ smell. I came on a Friday night thinking who goes to Curry House for their Friday night dinner – apparently a decent number of people. We had to wait about 20 min to get a table. That was ok thought since it took me even longer to decide which curry I was going to have. The cool thing is you can order any dish and add on all kinds of stuff…like katsu! So I got the deep friend shrimp curry plate with katsu on the side. Man that was a lot of food and I was very satisfied afterwards. The service is good, but they were a bit slow with the check.

Buca’s isn’t out of this world, but it’s good food for a pretty good price. The dishes cost a bit more but they’re all super sized for family style sharing so you most definitely always end up with appetizers. Things can be a bit salty sometimes, but I can live with that. They also have more individual sized options for the lunch crowd but I still enjoy getting the big portions and sharing…there’s somehting fun about getting a gigantic plate of pasta or meatballs the size of your fists.

This place is what Mexican should be. Not that overpriced stuff downtown. Cheap, greasy and tasty. It’s a family run restaurant that feels homey with all the family pictures around. The decor is very down to earth and make it feel authentic. The food is cheap. If you only have about $5, you’ll eat well, or you can go for some of the fancier dishes that can go up to the upper teens like the whole snapper. When you sit down you get some tasty and shiny chips and salsa, carrots and peppers, and a plate of beans and meat with a corn tortilla (no idea what it’s called). I had the nachos dias to start and the tamales ($5 for 4) plate for my entree. Man I was stuffed afterward and very satisfied. It’s definitely worth the drive in my book. You’ll make up the gas money in extra food and it’s byob.

Came here for an afernoon drink and snack so I didn’t get to try the entrees, but the burgers looked pretty big and tasty. It’s near Rush/Division and right on the corner so if you can get a window seat or sidewalk one (weather permitting), it’s a nice people watching.

Union Park has specials every day that making drinking and eating cheap and fun. It’s pretty spacey spot with booths, high tables, bar space and some normal tables, along with a nice patio when the weather is good. I’ve always liked how it’s not crowded like other downtown spots – maybe because it’s in the west loop and has more space. There’s even a nice parking lot if you drive (just don’t expect to drive back after a few drinks…). You can also take the blue line from Racine or find a cab. I’ve been here on a few different nights. The $1 sliders were surprisingly good, $2 sangria not bad either. $4 Chocolate martinis are really tasty. There’s usually something for everyone so it’s a nice crowd pleaser.

Get your taste buds ready and head over to Bin 36. If you’re ready for some taste exploration you gotta try the deluxe cheese flights and a few wine flights. The decor is a bit odd since it’s a pretty bright restaurant and feels like a wine shop when you walk in. The fancier dining area is a bit darker, but not much. It’s a good atmosphere for having fun with friends and not as much for a romantic date. The service was pretty good. Our server was very attentive, polite and extremely helpful in explaining things from cheese to wine to scotch and tawny ports. It’s easy to keep ordering and ordering but if you take your time like we did and have a nice leisurely 3 hour meal, it all feels worth it.

Awesome fancy and fast food. It’s basically a small shack that has 2 picnic tables outside. Everything comes in a takeout box so it’s great for grabbing food for a picnic. Pretty much everything I had there was good and the lunch prices seem more reasonable than dinner. I’d definitely go back next time I’m in the area.

Great crepes and coffee - Though it’s a bar and lounge by night, 611 serves some very tasty brunch crepes on the weekend. If there’s a wait in the dining room, you can also eat in the lounge area which has cushioned bench seating. I had the normal coffee and the french press and both were good. I’d probably be satisfied just getting the coffee, but if you’ve got others you can share the large french press. The crepes are

Ok burritos, cheap beer - The atmosphere here is definitely more of a bar than a restaurant which is great if you want to get some beers. They’ve got a pretty good deal on pitchers and a decent selection on tap. The burrito was just ok, but maybe I needed more beers first…

I came here while in a time crunch hoping that vietnamese would be pretty fast since pho is normally really quick, but I was disappointed how slow the service is. There was lag time waiting for the menus, getting someone to take our order, and then the food was much slower than it should have been. The food was ok on the whole but the meat in the pho I tried was definitely overcooked.

If you ever wondered where cabbies go to eat, then head on over to Baba Palace. At Baba you can dine with the same people that zoom you around town and cut you off while driving. If you decide to drive there’s actually a parking lot in the back and there’s even a security camera aimed on it that shows in the dining room so you can watch your car… The food seems like pretty standard Indian/Pakistani fare with normal dishes going for $5.50 and larges going for $9. Of course I ordered the large but I was unexpectedly full 1/2 way through the dish…weird. With the normal size you get a choice of naan or rice and with the large you get both. They also had samosas which they microwave for you when you order, but they tasted surprisingly good. The menu is on the wall and it’s broken down into “Daily Specials” which are served everyday and then specials for each day Mon-Sun. It looks like to get the good stuff you might want to pick which day you come on. It’s a very casual seat yourself restaurant and there’s even a pool table if you want to challenge a cabbie for a free ride home.

Mom and pop thai - If you’re looking for cheap and basic Thai, then you’ve found an option here. The restaurant is pretty no frills and it’s BYOB. There’s only a few tables so the service and food is pretty fast. The food isn’t spectacular, but it’s not too pricey either. It’s ok if you’ve got a Thai craving, but don’t care too much about having a mind-blowing experience. The saddest part was that they were out of Thai iced tea and coffee.

I love potbelly’s sandwiches and now they just opened one at Roosevelt and Wabash. It’s next to the new Sam’s Wine & Spirits, across from the gas station. Same good sandwiches as the rest of the chains, a decent amount of seating and there was even a guy singing and playing the guitar (not sure if that’s going to be normal). Good stuff.