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    Curt’s Cafe

    4.5 (15 reviews)
    Closed Closed

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    Kale/quinoa/sweet potato/egg-- nourishing af
    Angi T.

    Put this on your list of places to check out when you need to be nourished body and soul. This whole place feels like a warm,familiar hug. The vibes are welcoming and super chill. There's a counter with a few stools, some tables and chairs, or a couch and chairs to relax on. Got a hazelnut latter, which was amazing - not bitter, not overly sweet. I devoured the kale/sweet potato/quinoa bowl and freaking loved it. My partner enjoyed a breakfast burrito, which came with a side of fruit. Great service and ambiance. Will def stop by next time I'm in the area!.

    a plate of food on a table
    Linda R.

    Updating my review, which wasn't very flattering, from a year ago. They seem to have gotten it together and they are much improved. I'm writing this review 2 weeks after going so forgive me for not remembering exactly what it is that makes them better. I can tell you that I very much enjoyed my vegan lunch (see pic) & am thrilled that they have so many veggie and vegan options. I also liked the art work (for sale).

    Smart art made from paper lids.
    Angela S.

    What's not to love? Curt's is a non-profit cafe with a mission to help at-risk young adults get back on their feet. I've been to their Evanston location on Central, and it's nice to see another location pop up right in my home town. I don't know why I didn't stop in sooner, and I kind of regret it, because the place is really fantastic. From the moment I walked in, I felt like I was stepping into someone's home. The vibe was warm and cozy, super clean, and it made me want to stick around. Definitely made me regret I had to take my coffee and baked goods to go. Curt's is an excellent place to work or meet up with friends. They have tables galore. Some small tables, some long ones, and they also have an area that appears to be pretty kid friendly with toys and games. The lighting is perfect and nice and bright. I ordered a vanilla latte and took home an oatmeal almond cookie and a peach cream scone (I think that's what it was). Sure, the baked goods were end of day, but that's why they were also half off. And, I didn't mind at all. In fact they were delicious! My cookie was ginormous and loaded with almonds (it gave me a total sugar buzz). The scone was unique and incredibly flavorful. I'm not much of a scone person, but this may have changed my thinking. Regardless, I love that they take such pride in their baking that they don't want to charge full price for something that might not be out-of-the-oven fresh. They serve Uncommon Ground coffee. I'm not sure why, and I agree with Elaine M, but my vanilla latte was also a bit on the cooler side. They need to turn up the temperature of the water a bit. The coffee was a nice mild brew, and kind of reminded me of Hansa coffee, that I love so much. Great breakfast and sandwich menu here. They have a soup of the day, and I look forward to coming back for that. Curt's can expect me to see me again for sure. Take note: This location is a little off the beaten path, but street parking is plentiful.

    Avocado egg toast
    Elaine M.

    This is a place that just makes you feel good! You feel good about giving your business to them and it's super cozy! This is a good works business. Curt's mission is "to improve(s) outcomes for young adults living in at-risk situations through work and life skills training". How can you come here and not feel good about it? Curt's boasts a 3% recidivism rate with over 200 students graduating from their program. The place is really comfy with lots of seating options - cushioned chairs, couches, straight back chairs and tables and even a conference type table and chair set up. I came here for lunch with a co-worker. I ordered the tuna melt and a latte. The dish was very pretty with presentation value. I did think the bun the tuna on a bit bready and the cheese too lackluster. My latte was was cold. Not like iced. It was supposed to be hot but it was just north of room temperature. I got up a couple of times to try and get it heated but they were pretty busy. Next time I will ask that it be extra hot. I hear their avocado is really good. Might that a try next time. Already have a meeting scheduled there next week!

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    3 years ago

    Great food/Great cause!! I am a huge fan of the scones, the salads, and the BLT! They cater too!!

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    Review Highlights - Curt’s Cafe

    The Highland Park location of Curt's is upscale and charming at the same time.

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    Central Cafe - Chicken sandwich

    Central Cafe

    4.0(32 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    My favorite lunch spot in HP. Everything is really, really good. The smoothies, the sandwiches, the…read morepastries. They even make an awesome banana pudding that comes in a glass jelly jar. Knocked one star just becasue of the prices. I can't afford to eat here too often. BUt I'd like to!

    Central Cafe offers a limited drink selection as well as breakfast plates, crepes, waffles, salads,…read morebowls, and sandwiches. They also had some pastries behind a case, but they seemed a bit dried out and nothing out of the ordinary. We ordered: +a Cafe au Lait +a couple of Cafe Lattes with almond milk +a Pesto Caprese - a baguette with basil pestos mozzarella, and oven-dried tomatoes The drinks came in a generously-sized mug, but they were all weak. The sandwich could have been good, but it was not prepared nor heated properly, as it was cold on the inside but hard and chewy on the outside, making it difficult to eat. Besides the drinks/food being mediocre, the staff here is what makes this place really something - the individual who was at the front area, taking orders, has some type of an attitude issue. She forgot to give us a table number stand (and, other parties), picked and chose to deliver drinks and/food items to certain tables (and, became irritated and annoyed that some weren't picking up their items - she wasn't even calling out the orders and seemed to expect patrons to have ESP?), and spoke to individuals in a condescending way - pretty appalling . When she delivered our sandwich plate, she handed it over aggressively, almost having the items spill over. Like, what's wrong with you? Why are you putting it on others when you're unable to communicate, do, or handle your job properly? In addition, one of the staff's child was running around, screaming, and walking and jumping on the seats. Great that the place allows you to bring your kids to work, but come on. What's hilarious is that the cafe has a large signage hanging by the entrance area that states 'Kindness Matters' - it's obvious that this wall piece is strictly for decor and not at all believed in. The place itself has a handful of table with some outdoor availability for al fresco dining, and there seems to be a regular flow of foot traffic from the locals. Such a poor and a ridiculous experience. Some street parking and some spots in the rear of the building. +rude staff with attitude issues +watered down coffee +improperly prepared sandwiches +street and rear lot parking available

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    Central Cafe
    Central Cafe - French Omlette

    French Omlette

    Central Cafe

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    Max's Delicatessen & Restaurant

    Max's Delicatessen & Restaurant

    2.7(544 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    An Italian/Jewish Deli located in Highland Park on Skokie Blvd and Lake Cook Rd. Had the Turkey…read morePastrami with Muenster cheese and coleslaw rueben. Comes with Russian dressing on the side. The regular size is huge. We shared one and took one home. The pickle is pretty much a cucumber. We also got the key lime pie. Outstanding. Also got the New England Clam Chowder. Wonderful. The service is quick but getting the sandwiches takes a little time to put together. After we got it we understood why. I have had the pastrami on rye previously. Very good. It is a beautiful restaurant with seating but most order to go. A great deli experience.

    I was extremely disappointed in our experience at brunch today at Max's Deli. Not only was the…read moreservice poor, our waitress was indignant and the owner was completely out of line and yelled at my mom (who is 80 and goes there weekly) when she confronted him about the service. It was so classless and honestly he should be ashamed of himself. My family met there at 1:00pm, it was Sunday and they were busy. The waitress was stressed, understandably, but that doesn't excuse the rudeness that transpired. It took her 30 minutes to take our order; there's no reason for that. The kitchen was backed up, I get it, but when my mom confronted the owner at 2:05, and said we had been there for an hour, he called her a liar and yelled at her. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT!!! Instead of that he could have just said that he would check on it- he literally could have said or acted any other way than the way he did! We got our food shortly after and the waitress seemed to be a little nicer at this point. The owner came over to our table as we were finishing up and I told him that he had no right to speak to my mom that way and his behavior was totally inappropriate; and it was! He kind of chuckled and gave me the "thumbs up" as he walked away. I have never quite experienced anything like this before. It's one thing to have poor service, but to have an owner behave the way he did is something else completely. We will never go back there again! Obviously if I could give this 0 stars, I would!

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    Max's Delicatessen & Restaurant
    Max's Delicatessen & Restaurant - Home made cookies!

    Home made cookies!

    Max's Delicatessen & Restaurant - Store front on Skokie Blvd

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    Store front on Skokie Blvd

    Basu - sunny side beef

    Basu

    4.6(240 reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$

    Love the wings and sandwiches The bowls are good but not…read morehuge servings Will absolutely eat there again

    When we went to Vietnam for a 5-day side trip back in March, 2025, we were fortunate to have tasted…read moresome very good Vietnamese food, including a Michelin-starred dinner and a Michelin Gourmand lunch. Some of my very memorable foods include every bowl of beef pho that was offered to us. The beef was tender and flavorful, the pho (rice noodles) was thin and smooth. Tonight, we were having takeout from one of our favorite eateries, Basu, again. Since the first bowl of beef pho that did not totally meet our expectations, we had been ordering chicken pho from them. Their grilled chicken has always been smooth and cooked nicely. Their sweet soy glazed chicken wings are finger-licking good. We like their ground pork egg rolls with crunchy skin as well. This time I wanted to give their beef pho another chance, and see how it would compare to those that I had in Vietnam, and hope that they have made some improvement over two and a half years. Well, it is still the same. The beef was not tender, although not too chewy, it was kind of rough. The pho was not as smooth as I would like it to be. The broth still tasted good and not too salty, though. The chicken pho and egg roll were still good. (We remove the side bag of raw bean sprouts, lime, and basil from the order, as we don't eat them). It is a still a solid 4-star. Next time I will switch back to chicken pho again. I am still glad that we have this Vietnamese eatery close by!

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    Basu - Dining area (1 occupied table not pictured).

    Dining area (1 occupied table not pictured).

    Basu - Belly classic

    Belly classic

    Basu - Sunnyside beef and veggiecado

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    Sunnyside beef and veggiecado

    Goodstuff Eats - Ribs

    Goodstuff Eats

    4.9(10 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    I cannot believe this place was empty. Perfectly smoked bbq rib tips on sweet potatoes with slaw…read moreand a roll at midnight?! In wicker park no less?! I thought I was hallucinating after riding around the city in my underwear for 4 hours but one of the super chill workers invited me in when he saw me perusing the menu sign and man oh man am I glad he did. I got it to go but it smelled so good as I was walking back to my car that I started snacking on the sidewalk. Hopefully it was just a little slow and more people frequent this place because amazing late night bbq needs to be an always option.

    Located in the Cracked Restaurant!…read more After hearing the owner Gustaf explain how much love he puts into his ribs, I had little choice but to give them a try. He had a fresh rack coming off the smoker which I found shocking considering it was almost 11PM!!! I spend a lot of time down in Texas and have had a lot of really good BBQ over the years. These ribs are easily ranked among the top ribs I've ever eaten. They have a beautiful dry rub, and are so juicy and tender, you don't need any sauce. The smoke line is perfect. I usually prefer my ribs with a sauce, but these honestly don't need a drop. The staff is warm and friendly, and there's a tremendous sense of pride they put into their food. If you're anywhere near Wicker Park I highly recommend you give them a try. I can't wait to go back and try that brisket.

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    Goodstuff Eats - We Beasty. Annie B, take a peak

    We Beasty. Annie B, take a peak

    Goodstuff Eats - Hatch maple, smoked salmon. All natural ingredients, no infusions only applications.

    Hatch maple, smoked salmon. All natural ingredients, no infusions only applications.

    Goodstuff Eats - Dry rubbed ribs, with smoked sweet potatoes

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    Dry rubbed ribs, with smoked sweet potatoes

    Curt’s Cafe - cafes - Updated May 2026

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