Specialty’s Café & Bakery

I have been getting my morning latte here almost every weekday for as long as I have been at my job. The pastries are good, lunch is always tasty but the thing that sets this place apart is the staff. They are friendly, warm and make my morning brighter. I should have posted this review long ago but I didn’t want to many people crowding my morning spot. I won’t be downtown for work much after tomorrow so I thought I’d review now that it’s safe. Go here. Enjoy the food and the service. It’s my go to spot for lattes and lunch.

To update everyone, they no longer serve a sit-​down lunch :(
But, they still have coffee, teas, and pastries…
Yes, this is the most boring, factual review by me, but it took me awhile to get over that they don’t serve lunch anymore. In my grieving period, I am under acceptance with no emotions involved. Thus, no lunch equals an emotionless me.

Good food, but not worth the really high prices, and the service is horrific. After giving them REPEATED attempts to earn my business today was the last straw. After waiting 10 minutes for my $ 17.87 salad and (very) small soup, what was given to me was not the salad I ordered. In the process of remaking the salad they screwed up again by not making it to-​go. After another 10 minutes I finally get the right salad, but by this time the soup is cold and the bagger didn’t have the foresight to realize this and give me a hot soup. Everyone there is personable, but they are clearly incompetent when it comes to fulfilling orders. This was by no means the first screw-​up, but it will be the last for me.
If you don’t mind a $ 18 soup/​salad combo, and don’t mind quality control issues the food is good.

I normally get a salad. Actually I get the same Southwestern salad from Specialty’s. It’s appropriately priced for a loop lunch at $ 7.99 for a small. Don’t be fooled. I don’t think the small is small at all. I can only really eat a third of it at a time (it takes me 2 days to finish a Chipotle Burrito Bowl for measure). So if that’s their small, I can only imagine their large can feed the Jolly Green Giant.
Other Pros and Cons of Specialty’s:
Pro
1) Their cookies are absolutely rich and decadent in a good way. I sometimes refer to their chocolate chip cookie as a cheer me up cookie.
2) Their pick-​up service is really convenient. Order ahead and pick it up on the bookshelf. I’ve never had anyone steal it.
Con
1) The dressing that comes with the salad is too small. I always have to ask for an extra one. Apparently they think people need 3 tablespoons of dressing for a large tub of salad.
2) Sometimes I’ve had some old tasting cookies that weren’t even the day old section. This is a rarity but if I’m calling it the cheer me up cookie it better damn well cheer me up.
All in all I’m a fan of specialty’s and I’d love to meet the guy (or gal) that eats the large salad all to themselves.

They are HORRIBLE with orders!!! MORE THAN ONCE they have gotten my order WRONG. The last order I placed on-​line, I go to pick it up and I’m told they don’t have the bread. Well, that bread makes the sandwich so I canceled the order. THEY NEVER CREDITED MY ACCOUNT. I’ve tried to clear things up with the assistant manager to no avail. She’s very nice but I STILL HAVE NOT BEEN CREDITED. I’ve even been in touch with headquarters and they have not given me a credit. Too bad, the food is usually pretty good and I order for our office of 15 regularly and they will not get any of our orders…

I work in the building and frequent Specialty’s a lot– especially in the winter so I don’t have to venture out for lunch. I love the food and the place has great customer service. You can usually find a seat to sit as well if you choose to dine in.
This place would be 5 stars but the nutrition in a lot of the food is just plain bad. How about some lower calorie options so we don’t have to feel so guilty after eating a sandwich, yet still feel full? I usually get the cobb salad minus the bacon crumbles– those alone can add 200 calories plus.
Overall– a great lunch spot! I will continue to return.

Customer service is A+. The employees are always upbeat and ready to go. Try their Chinese chicken salad – definitely a twist with its slaw base and worth a mention. And you can order lunch items «to go» in the morning. Definitely a one stop «shop» for grabbing breakfast and lunch to go at the same time.

This company is VERY un-​user friendly. 1^st: they do not have phone numbers to the actual café’s, only to their office in CA. If you need to change anything, be prepared to pay for anything you need to change/​remove despite the fact that they have not even made the order yet.
As for attention to detail, don’t bother customizing anything as they never seem to quite get it right (ie: adding or deleting items other than the standard description) We initially liked the idea of people being able to select what they wanted individually, but have quickly learned that their TERRIBLE «customer service» is an example of what not to do. Never again.

Literally the worst chocolate chip cookie I have ever eaten. It was chewy on top but the bottom was a burnt coaster. I would have overlooked all of that if it had flavor. It was the blandest and most tasteless cookie imaginable. And the cherry on top…3 freakin dollars.

Enjoy a Sandwich, Soup, or Salad for lunch ($ 8-​$ 10, depending on your selection)! I’ve tried it all and have no complaints about the quality nor the quantity of the food here at Specialty’s. Feel free to dine in or take out. Either way, you should be a happy eater!
My most recent purchase was the Chinese Chicken Salad (Large) which held me over until dinner.

Tip: check-​in to receive free Intelligentsia coffee w/​pastry purchase
Another Tip: keep coffee cup for discounted refills
Final Tip: it’s a «Café & Bakery», but skip the Café part and head towards Bakery. Cookies are hefty and handcrafted.

Standard Loop (or West Loop in this case) fast casual lunch spot. Salads, sandwiches, and soups which are all tasty but moderately over priced. Was going to give them three stars but give them an extra for the online pickup ordering system and also their friendly and accurate staff — since I’m a picky eater I always customize my orders and they always get it right. We make a great team.

The service is great, the people who work here are helpful and funny and personable. You can tell there must be good management.
I have now had 2 different meals here and had the same staff experience. Now, the food…
The Big BLT. DE-​effing-​Licious! Great bread, great quality bacon (a LOT of bacon) and real tasty everything else.
Today I couldn’t decide between the spinach/​strawberry salad and the spinach/​bacon salad… so they allowed me to «combine» them. I got a small (which was MORE than enough food) spinach and bacon salad, and added strawberries and goat cheese to it. PHENOMENAL! The poppyseed dressing was lovely, the berries were big and juicy, the veggies were great. I have now sent 3 of my coworkers over there to get this salad for themselves.
Well done.

Most unfriendly ladies at the café. Coffee was good but the workers were snobby. I may try it again but would advise the owner to get some new workers at the café.

The cookies here are huge, but that’s all the praise I can give to them. They’re hard, and I like my cookies soft. I enjoyed eating the white chocolate pieces on the cookie platter more than I enjoyed the cookies or the brownies.
Oh, but whatever they have that’s called «Better than a Bagel» is REALLY better than a bagel.

Excellent value for $$. Good quality and portion. Sandwich price is between $ 6-​$ 10. Friendly and informative staff.
Intelligensia Coffee — one of the few places in the area to get Hand Crafted Single Origin (aka Chemex style) cup of coffee for $ 4. A low fat treat without carbs.
The Mega Blonde Barista is knowledgeable and informative.

I’d already been working downtown for a few months when I finally decide to try this place. I would pass on my way home, but usually not my way in.
A few standouts from my visits:
cheese quiche: fresh, tasty blend of 3 cheeses with just the right hint of scallions – reasonable for $ 2.59
egg bacon cheddar sandwich– on super fresh bread, makes all the difference– $ 4.99
choc chip cappuccino scone– bit too much sugar on top– at $ 2.29 priced well for its size but will try another flavor next time as it was a bit dry
They serve Intelligensia coffee, if you are into that, I’m not — so can’t review the coffee.

Big corporate feel.
Big corporate sandwiches.
Big corporate poppyseed bread.
Big corporate cranberry scone.
Independent boy coffee from Intelligentsia.
Big corporate price tag for a quick time lunch.
And then back to the evil commie Gulag to finish out the day digging ditches.
The only thing I don’t like about Specialty’s is the name. What corporate wizard came up with that one?

Peanut Butter ‘N Stuff sandwich. It will change your life. Every bite tastes like dessert. I just came in from NYC and devoured this on back to back days.
Toss in a side order of tomato lentil soup, and for $ 10 you’ve got a deliciously filling lunch.
The iPad ordering system makes it easy. You can even set up an account, order from your office, show up and they’ll have your bag ready for you.

Caution: do not visit the nutritional information on their website regarding the calorie count of their delicious cookies. Just don’t do it. Just get a cookie (or cookies) and work hard to burn it (them) off later. Or, skip a meal and just have the cookie (s) instead. Let’s be honest. You know you want it (them). They don’t sell boxes with the baking mix for the cookies if they weren’t good, would they?
Anyway, I had one of those day where I just wanted to eat away my bad feelings. And, nothing sounded more comforting than a big ass semi-​sweet chocolate chunk cookie from Specialty’s. The café is super close to Union Station so I figured I could grab one and still make my train home.
So, I popped right in and there was no line. I was able to get in and get out super fast. The employees who helped me were super friendly. When I got to the train, I immediately broke off a piece of the outer edge of the cookie. The semi-​sweet chocolate melted in my mouth and for a split second, I felt a lot better about the day.
Needless to say, the calorie count will limit my trips to either really good or really bad days.
If you are in the mood for something sweet and need a pick me up, go to Specialty’s for your fix!

Awesome. I had the hot Big BLT sandwich. It was done just right, bacon nice and crispy just as I like it and the price was just right $ 5.99.
I also could not help myself and had the White Chocolate Macadamia — $ 2.29. Which was Heavenly!
Beautiful café right by the financial district. Friendly staff and super fast service. Can’t wait to go back!