The Artist's Cafe

Here's a classic Diner that has retained all the glory of the past. It's neon lights outside light up the outdoor patio, with a long counter and small booths wrapped around. The register and pies greet you walking in, and the old details of brass and leather are everywhere. more

I had a perfectly satisfactory gyros; lots of meat and a pile of Greek seasoned roasted potato slices. My wife had some kind of a steak salad he she was quite satisfied and said it was fresh and tasty. more

What! this place is great. the cooks wear paper hats and they have pourable mustard on every table. the sign out front can't be beat. try the irish coffee. more

The food was great and so was the ambiance. We went there twice for breakfast while visiting Chicago! It was so much more reasonable then the breakfast at the hotel we stayed at. The service was very good. more

The milkshakes are real they have great breakfasts. They are very child friendly. My daughter always looks forward to the spinache pie. The outdoor cafe is fantastic. more

I remember going to this restaurant for milkshakes when I was a kid and that was over 40 years ago when I took piano lessons in the Fine Arts Building. Now whenever we take our kids to the Art Institute, Auditorium for the Christmas show, the symphany or the Bears game we always go to this restaurant. This restaurant is still owned by the same people, something you do not see in the suburb I live in-only chain restaurants exists. more

My husband, daughter, and I were visiting Chicago last week and happened upon this place. We found the atmosphere to be cozy and laid back and the food was excellent. Both my daughter and I got the New York omlette which was filled with corned beef and cream cheese and came with a bagel and hash browns. It was fantastic! I'd definately recommend this place to anyone who wants a relaxing, excellent breakfast. more

This is such a good restaurant to go to especially since it's located on Michigan Avenue near alot of Chicago's attractions (the Art Institute, Millennium Park, etc). Good diner for breakfast. more

I ate at this place for 3 evenings running whilst on a visit to Chicago from UK. I found it good value for money, the staff really friendly. Nice to sit outside and watch the world or be cosy inside. Anyway, I enjoyed it and was happy. more

Great food and ambiance: I had breakfast at this place and the omelet was great and so were the hashbrowns. The dinning room is really neat. It has 2 story ceiling with tables next to the windows on Michigan Ave.. They were really nice to my kids, the food was great and so was the people watching. more

Did not know until time to pay that they only accept American Express credit cards and also I was counting the change to give to her and the lady at the counter told me to give her whatever I have. Food was not that good for the prices and customer service was horrible. I do NOT recommend this place to anyone Pros: nothing Cons: only AmEx more

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. Pros: location Cons: rudest employees - lack of customer service more

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. more

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

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 .. 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. more

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. more

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. more

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 more