Great selection at the salad bar. Hot meal was amazing. Friendly service! Good espresso.

Love this place. Its cafeteria style but definitely higher-end of that genre. Fresh and fast food with a large variety and reasonable prices. Really glad we found this place given the massively overpriced breakfast and lunch places in the area. read more

Bad customer service. coffee was okay. cashier lady was rude for no reason definitely not coming back to this place far better places for coffee read more

Not at all bad for an office cafeteria that's open to the public. I think that is an important distinction, however. A food hall, as I understand it, has different vendors run by different people/companies. Here, it seems, everything is under one umbrella. Thus, I believe Forum 55 exists more as a place to get a quick lunch when one doesn't want to venture outside their office as opposed to an actual foodie destination hall, like Time Out Market, Sterling Food Hall, or similar. With that in mind, Forum 55 is a solid option for what it is. They have sandwiches, mexican, burgers, coffee, and a very respectable salad and hot bar. The variety is limited, but I feel as though it used to be bigger, and then COVID and a more hybrid workforce did its damage. I'd like to highlight the hot bar, because they have a different option every day along with some kind of carb/starch, and vegetable. so, for example: Mango lime chicken, cilantro rice, and garlic broccoli (I'm spitballing here, don't quote me). Is It restaurant quality? Maybe just shy... not terrible for stuff which is made en masse and then kept warm. Same thing with the sandwiches, not mind blowing but respectable for what they are. What keeps form 55 from being a four star establishment is the price. I might be able to forgive the less than fantabulous quality of the food, but it is priced at the level of a nice fast-casual restaurant as opposed to an office cafeteria. I think it is to do with amenity value: if you don't want to leave your office, you're going to have to pay a little bit more. Walk a few blocks, and you might get better food for similar or even lower prices. read more

The Loop food hall business has some new competition. Look out because Forum 55 was awesoem. There are 9 different stations to choose from and everything looks delicious. What's different about Forum 55 is that you order from a kiosk. You can walk around and scope out the different stations' menus or view them at the kiosk. When you are ready, you place your order and pay all from there. Or if you picked up a salad from the bar it can be weighed at the kiosk. Then you can enter your phone number and you will receive a text when your food is done or you can view the many TV screens around the hall that will let you know when your order is ready. Orders are picked up at the stations that the food is made from. There seems to be plenty of seating and the vibes are good. I ordered the "Buddha's Best Bowl" and "House Made Kimchi" from Bibimbap. Everything was super fresh and delicious. Happy Loop Lunching! read more

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I work in the same building as Forum 55 and I only come down here when it's too cold to go outside or when I need a quick cup of coffee. The place consists of several restaurants of different cuisines. You can find anything from Mexican, American, Japanese and what not. They also have a salad bar or - "Garden Bar" which is basically a buffet of veggies, soup and a few hot food options like fried chicken, salmon, rice, and cooked veggies. They have a mini market too where you can get coffee (regular and decaf only, no other flavors), tea, and quick snacks. The large or 16oz coffee is priced at 2.50$, which isn't too bad compared to what you pay at Starbucks or all other coffee shops around the loop. They also have pre-packaged cold cut sandwiches for about 5$ if you're looking for a quick and cheap lunch. There are several soft drinks or juice options to also choose from. The only way to order is through a kiosk and they do not accept cash, however, they accept Apple Pay. My company normally gives out 11$ lunch cards from this place and honestly if they didn't do that, I wouldn't really want to eat here for lunch. Don't get me wrong, this place gets packed during lunch and a lot of people even come down here from surrounding buildings, but it's never my first choice to eat here unless my company is paying for it or hell has frozen over outside. When I do eat here however, it's always from the salad bar. It's 0.56$/oz, but it can easily add up. I once ended up paying 15$ because I stacked it with lettuce thinking that it wouldn't weigh as much. It's not the best thing I've eaten, but it keeps me full for the rest of the day. The complaints about the manager are true. She's somewhat of a character. I haven't had any bad experiences with her, but my coworker got yelled at because she forgot to add the dressing to her salad while weighing it. I can understand why she can be like this. The place gets overwhelming packed, and I guess she needs to keep her eyes on everyone because there are no cashiers and she's just making sure no one is stealing from them. She also has to go around each restaurant and make sure they have everything they need or that the salad bar is refilled, so maybe cut her a break you guys, it's really a stressful position. Till next time! read more

Forum 55 - Salad from the salad bar - Food Court Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Forum 55 is a decent food hall in the loop. It has a wide variety of options (Mexican, burgers, sushi, sandwiches, ramen, BBQ and salad/hot food bar) and the food is always prepared quickly/is always fresh (when taking out from the salad/hot food bar) and the lady who O assume is the manager is always super friendly welcoming people and helping people on the kiosks. I'm a fan of the hot soup options and the salad bar which they call the "Community Garden". This is a good, solid option right next door to my office. I give it 3 stars because it's not as fancy as some of the other options around the Loop like Latinicity, Revival or Wells Street. read more

I like the food hall concept. This location doesn't have many restaurants, has a good location though. Went with a bowl of Ramen. It was pork and chicken based with miso broth. This bowl of Ramen did not spark joy. I'm used to Ramen being savory and creamy and this didn't meet that standard. Small portion of meat as well. read more

Forum 55 - Food Court Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Not quite ready for post-COVID primetime. Tried going here two weeks ago and most of what looks to be a solid food hall offering was mostly closed off. At the time, they were selling only a handful of tacos and burgers. All self-serve from the touchscreen ordering to drinks and small snacks to picking up one's order. My friend and I chose to head off to another hall instead. I see now they have closed again. read more

They're back! Forum55 closed down during the pandemic and just reopened a few weeks ago and although right now they have just a few offerings (Flame, Prelude and some marketplace choices) what they have is REALLY good! Highly recommend their breakfasts and their burgers. (Pro tip: Get the sweet potato tots) Great value and unexpectedly great food. read more

Good value. Usually more food than I can eat. Breakfast is especially a good deal, with good, hot omelets, skillets, sandwiches and the like. Lunch is a bit of a balancing act and is the only reason I don't give this five stars. If you go at 11:30, the wait for registers, cooking, and salad bar is minimal. However, at noon you will definitely be waiting for everything. They have that giant pizza oven in the back which could be making calzone and fresh pizza, but it is used for a weekly changing spot for other restaurants to do a pop-up. Come on, the lack of fresh pizza in the loop is distressing. Not deep dish, just good fresh pizza. Honestly, they are listening to the customers and making changes. I suspect it will get better. read more

This has become my go to lunch spot in the loop. It is located in the basement of 55 Monroe. There are plenty of options for different local pop ups, it is fast, and cheaper than other options like Revival. There is also a hot food/ salad bar (.56 cents per ounce) that has hot food options that can cater to whatever diet you are currently a part of. I've also become quite fond of the soup options. If you like options, good quality food that doesn't gouge you, quick and no hassle, lots of seating, and you like being given large water cups instead of Dixie cup garbage... this is a good place to be. read more

Forum 55 is an excellent lunchtime option for those working nearby. As someone who works just next door, I'm a little ashamed to admit that I haven't tried or even considered most of the food stations, which from what I understand includes BBQ, sandwiches, tacos, and Asian cuisine. I have tried ramen from the Asian station before, and it was "meh." Instead, I always B-line it straight for the salad bar. Admittedly, I generally go in with great intentions to create a salad loaded with greens and veggies. At least 50% of the time I catch sight of the hot food and never make it as far as the lettuce. Today I enjoyed saffron rice, tandoori cauliflower, chicken thighs, and pulled pork. Unfortunately I don't remember the seasoning on or style of the chicken and pork, but they were damn delicious. Other favorites include the chimichurri flank steak and the always-available buttermilk chicken tenders. The best is that since everything from the salad bar is universally priced based on weight, it's easy to try a little bit of everything and yet still keep the price down. Today my meal was just over $6 - for something better than I could make at home. Can't beat that! read more

Hands down the best, most delicious, healthy & cost effective food hall / food court in the loop. - They have an amazing salad bar called The Community Garden with hot food options & soups ($3.50 for a cup of soup). They serve breakfast options in the AM. They also have: - Prelude (best breakfast burrito around, served with fresh salsa & pico de gallo) - FLAME Grill (standard grilled options + delicious fries) - Friend's Sushi (includes Poke options) - Friends's Ramen - The Sandwich (tasty sandwiches) - Pork & Mindys - Taco Joint + rotating local options every week (Jamaican, Greek, Indian), which often influences some of what the prepare for the hot bar The Market portion of the food hall is open until 3PM - a few options are a bit overpriced, but great in a pinch. read more

Great salads! The variety of toppings are amazing, whether you like "garbage salads" (10 or more toppings) or are on the minimal topping side. I'm the latter. My favorite restaurant is Flame, as they have a vegan burger and the service is amazing, unlike another burger spot on State Street that fails epically. My lunch mate had a beef burger and he said it was delicious. So, if you want a great vegan or beef burger, Flame is your spot. read more

I tried this place once during the "soft open". I was mildly grossed out by the touch screen ordering system because the last thing I want to do is eat a burger (or tots, tacos, fries, etc.) after touching the same screen that 100 randos used that day. I might as well go lick a CTA pole. So I'm waiting for the inevitable mostly useless hand sanitizer dispenser to show up in December after folks start catching colds. Other touch screen problems: - I like to look at food before I order it, because maybe it's not great that day or something looks awesome. - There doesn't seem to be a way to customize things via kiosk. At least I can ask the folks over at Revival for no onions or bun on the side. - I tried to order a single taco as listed on their menu and the option wasn't there. No taco for me. Sads. I left with tots that came with an amazing dipping sauce, which is the only thing saving this from a one star rating. I tried to eat at this place a second time at least a few days later because I found out that you could order online and not touch that disgusting kiosk screen. loljk that site doesn't actually work and there's no "contact us" option to share that knowledge. I noticed today that the website has been changed to "web ordering coming soon!" So I guess I'll give this place a third try if they can get their online ordering system working. I kind of feel bad for all of the cashiers that lost their jobs with this "reconcepting". read more

This place was alright. I felt like the selection of the restaurants they had were subpar. I had "the hot mess" from the sandwich place and it wasn't delicious. The tomato and apple/sage butter tasted more like apple sauce that was slabbed onto the bread of the sandwich. It also didn't taste very good with the other ingredients. You have to do a self-order on their touch screens which was kind of inconvenient. One positive thing was I got a free drink for checking in through yelp which evened out the expensive sandwich I got for $9. The sandwich was "messy" and they stuffed it well with all the ingredients, but the taste wasn't that great. It was filling, but not delicious. I wouldn't come back here. I think I'll stick with Revival Food Hall since it has better selection and it has similar pricing. read more

Discovered a huge, dead fly in my salad - really really unsettling and disgusting. I am a frequent Forum-visitor and the cleanliness and sanitation of their kitchen is definitely being called into question. A once go-to on my lunch list, but never again. read more

Forum 55 - Fly in my salad - Food Court Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was about time that they redid the food court in 55 East Monroe. The old version had a lot of really unhealthy choices. The new reincarnation is miles beyond what was there! My favorite option is the salad bar which is pretty extensive with a variety of vegetables, cheeses, eggs, prepared items, two kinds of hummus and then things like fish of the day, smoked fish, charcuterie and, surprisingly, these really great panko breaded chicken tenders. It's like a little delightful addition to what can be a really healthy salad (and make me feel like I'm not going off the rails but I'm still enjoying a great lunch)! I'm a big fan of the Pork and Mindy's there. Their Bao to the Tots is (sinfully) delicious. I also had the Arnulfo sandwich at the Sandwich Shop and it was huge. I had that moment where you think halfway through like, "I could comfortably stop here and save this sandwich for tomorrow and I should do that..." and then you wait ten minutes and think, "That sandwich was so tasty. Maybe I'll just take a little nibble off that second half." and then you've just polished off the whole sandwich. So, that happened. I've had some tacos there and they were pretty good. The pork one was very good but the steak was so-so. I had an insanely spicy bibimbop bowl when they had a pop-up there and it wasn't all that great...that day wasn't a good choice. I've also had a breakfast egg, cheese, bacon sandwich on an English muffin and it was tasty - basically just like it was when it was Under 55. My main criticism is probably the a la carte area for breakfast is really lacking. It's a handful of doughnuts and a few muffins and bagels from who-knows-where, some lackluster yogurt, hard boiled eggs and fruit and then oatmeal. I don't think it would be too hard to have doughnuts from somewhere like do-rite that would be more of a draw than something that kind of looks like a 7-11 choice. read more

This is a really convenient spot but can get really busy during the lunch rush. I've experienced the quality of food to be questionable quite often, enough for me to write this re-review. Sometimes it's amazing but others it's something to toss. I might come back. read more

Terrible. This is the fattiest corned beef sandwich I have ever seen. The cuts of corned beef were mostly fat and not meat. Will not be eating at The Sandwich Shop at Forum 55 again. This is the amount of fat from this relatively small sandwich that is not cheap (Spent $11.15). read more

To start with the good... the ordering was easy and efficient. You can order from several places and pay only once. Now the bad, and there is a lot. The food is hit and miss; mostly miss. The food quality of several (Friendly Ramen, Sandwich Shop) of the spots is bad and the orders wrong. At the Sandwich Shop we ordered three items. All three were wrong and included items that were never listed in the description. Plus, the bread quality was horrible. The ramen ordered was not at all good. I eat ramen regularly, including on trips to Japan. This was something unrecognizable and certainly not worth having. What a disappointment! Unless you work in this building and need something quick and easy, stay away! read more

I don't write many reviews, but this place deserves one. I love it! I loved the salad bar! It was so fresh and reasonably priced! I even got to meet one of the managers, Jillian. She was so friendly and personable. Most food halls, no one seems to care or even stop and ask how you're doing. She genuinely seemed happy which made me happy and really made the rest of my day better. I will definitely be back! I want to try all the places. Thanks! read more

So far a very good option for lunch in the loop. I've been to most of the restaurants featured inside the food hall and was very pleased with all of them. The salad bar is impressive and outstanding. I had the pleasure of having a conversation with the chef about sourcing their fresh produce and preparing their sauces and smoked meats in-house. The array of fresh vegetables and the buttermilk ranch are divine. Very attentive service as well. read more

Salad and Hot food bar are AMAZING!!! Ingredients are fresh and more often than not they have healthy options like grilled salmon and roasted veggies. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the food vendors, I know this is the loop but the prices are CRAZY!!!!! a sandwich for $11 with no chips? $13 for a veggie ramen? $6 for a single empanada?? LOL! I dont think so! read more

I was really hoping for another fantastic food hall like Revival, but the selections here are not as interesting. They are less expensive though. The best thing about this place is the salad/food bar which has a nice variety. read more

Great lunch spot in the building. The management was very helpful. Good options and easy ordering system. Would recommend to anyone working in the loop. read more

Good food, but pricey for the portion size. It's in a lower level so you feel like you're in a basement. Others from work and I thought prices should be 15% lower. We won't be coming back. Ordering through a kiosk is ok, but it would be good to see samples of the food you're ordering. read more

I have been eating here for years since it is located in my building, but I haven't reviewed it since it was remodeled and with the new concept of Forum 55. This place is AMAZING! I usually eat here every day because I am terrible at meal prep and it is right in my building. The salad bar is fabulous. I am not just talking about a great salad bar, but a gourmet "hotel brunch buffet" quality salad bar. For instance, they have had heirloom tomatoes, home made rosemary hummus, every cheese on this planet, and full sized, in-house smoked salmon. Great variety. I just finished my first meal from the Mexican vendor there and it was the best Mexican I could imagine. I got shrimp and fish tacos with rice & beans and chips & guacamole. It was all fantastic, and they make guac how I like it- chunky. I would absolutely recommend this place for breakfast and lunch, either by yourself or with friends! read more

Probably the worst ramen in the city. No green vegetables in my spicy veggie and the noodles were spaghetti!

Updated review - much improved service. Along with their unique food offerings, I'd say check this place out now - management has turned the customer services around, and it's a pleasant place to visit. read more

The variety of food is good, it's easy to order, and my husband and I have been happy with our food choices on both visits. The burrito from Broken English is very good as are the sandwiches. On this visit, we were before the lunch rush and the worker at Pork&Mindy let us try all their meats while we were waiting for our meals. We will have to try them next time! read more

The assistant general manager is really bad! Her name is Jillian Kingsbury. She totally destroyed our Friday girls meet up lunch. I was going to meet five of my friends for Friday meets up lunch over there since all of us working around this area. Under the cold weather, I was just craving the soup from another nearby restaraunt. I was the only one brought my own food there and waiting for my friend ordering their food. Then suddenly she came over said, I cannot eat outside food with my friends over there. I have been to this place for about 5 years since I started to work around here. Sometime my friends will bring their own lunch. But we would still order food over there. Also, there is not a single sign in the eating area saying you cannot eat here with your own food. I just feel so disappointed with her attitude and her way to kick us out from the eating area. I asked her if I can talk to her manager. But she said she is the only manager. There is no one I can complain about this situation. Hope yelp is a good platform can let somebody heard our voice. Hope no one will run into our situation again. There are so many good restaurants around this area now. Before this problem has been resolved. we probably won't go back! read more