The Local 84 Cafe is the juice & salad/sandwich/quinoa bowl cafe inside of the Fitness Formula…read moreHealth club in Oak Park, on the third floor. I don't know if it is actually open to the public or just for members and guests at FFC. I've been coming here for years, but never realized it had its own Yelp page. Today, I am enjoying a post-swim 12-ounce "Energizer": Orange, cucumber, carrot, and apple juice. It is priced heartily at $6.60, tax included. It is prepared fresh, so be prepared for a short wait for the fresh juices and smoothies. There is also a grab-and-go cooler with many different energy drinks, bottled water, and flavored waters. I think $6.60 for a fresh juice and $7.85 for a fresh fruit smoothie is probably the going rate in this area. That price is too high for me to be a regular thing, but I enjoy one once a month.

I stopped by on a Monday and ordered a smoothie and a wrap. The smoothie came out in a reasonable…read moreamount of time, but it was missing ingredients. The food, however, took nearly 30 minutes--and every 10 minutes or so, someone came over to let me know yet another ingredient was unavailable. When the food finally arrived, it was lukewarm and the avocado was rubbery. I felt sick trying to eat it. To be clear, the staff members were incredibly kind and professional--it's not their fault that management can't keep basic ingredients in stock. I even thanked them for their effort and time. But the food itself was just not edible. They kindly brought over the blonde male manager to process a refund, and that's where things went downhill. He was extremely rude and dismissive. I remained polite, but he clearly didn't care about the experience or the quality of what was served. Honestly, he should've been embarrassed--there's no way he would have eaten what I was given. Overall, a horrible experience saved only by the professionalism of the frontline staff. Management, especially the manager I interacted with, was the real disappointment.

I always have a great time visiting Smoothie King in Oak Park. The place is consistently clean, and…read morethe staff offers excellent customer service. I really enjoy ordering the PB Swizzle. They are quick to prepare and serve the orders.

Lately the service has been very slow. There are teens working and talking too much. Last time I…read morewent, there was a teen girl talking the entire time with the teens behind the counter. They were talking and forgot about the blender. I had to ask if it was done. He seemed bothered but walked back to the blender and put the "smoothie " in the cup. To make matters worse, the smoothie looks like ice cream. There's nothing smooth about it. Teens should not be left alone. They need supervision. It's not their fault as they are kids.

Management is very unprofessional and lack transparency. It was a waste of time coming here…read more Communication skills are a 0 here. Very unpleased!

Highly recommend! Besides the yummy all natural (local and organic) juices and smoothies, just got…read morea membership at Club Pilates across the street so it is great for an after workout drink or smoothie. One of the owners was outside offering samples so I briefly met him and his wife - they seem really nice!! So far, I've tried the grape hydrate (yum!) and the golden girl (a carrot forward) drink - don't normally like carrot juices, but the blend is well done tastes pretty good which is high praise from me! I tried the soul kick which is very refreshing. The collagen acai bowl was excellent (I added a little extra almond butter and coconut flakes), and the smoothie special (it's cherry something) was very tasty. I'm a fan and will become a regular here. Can't wait to try more on their menu!

Visiting from out of town and wandered by. Had the Chorizo Hash, and it was amazing. A little…read morespicy, which I loved. The atmosphere is nice and light with booths, tables and counter seating. Service was fast, but they let me hang around and enjoy some coffee.

Came for breakfast while we were visiting out of town. Came around 12:30 on Saturday with my friend…read moreand only had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. Lots of options on the menu, including vegetarian and gluten free options. I went for the chilaquiles and my friend got the corn cake, both were gluten free. My dish was delicious, my friend enjoyed the corn cake, but the ham was just okay she said. Service was fine, very friendly but it took awhile for them to come to us, and also for me to get coffee refills.

Excited to see a dim sum restaurant opened in downtown Oak Park. Unfortunately, their dim sum is…read morenot very good. Honestly, you will be better off going to an Asian market like H-Mart and buying frozen dim sum and making it at home . . . or maybe that is exactly what they actually serve here. The dim sum here is very small in size and lack flavor. Sui mais are usually pork and shrimp wrapped dumplings. These were small and filled with mushy shrimp. The bean curd roll had no flavor and was smaller than a cannoli. What they serve is outrageous and an insult to anyone who has had "real" dim sum. The sticky rice actually had some flavor with minimal savory filling and was the only thing passable on the menu. If you are desperate in having dim sum, I guess Sweet Dim Sum would fit the bill. Definitely, lower your expectations though on the quality and quantity of their dim sum. Sorry, but if I ever go back, it would be just to order their signature drinks. They couldn't mess that up, could they?

I think they're trying, but the dishes very much lack quality. Is it fair to rate this place…read moreagainst Chinatown? No, but Chinatown isn't that far of a drive, so it is disappointing that this Oak Park alternative wouldn't qualify as decent. When we walked in, there was a case of Mille crepe cakes, which looked homemade but didn't look very appetizing as they looked like pancakes stacked on and filled with whipped cream. We opted to try bubble teas and some savory dim sum. The cost of the soup dumplings was so astronomical that I could not justify purchasing four dumplings for $13.50. Also considering you can get a giant bag from Costco for that same price and it probably tastes better. The shrimp and chives cakes were honestly the best and they were just okay. The rice crepes were so bad. You can tell they were previously frozen and put into the microwave because it was falling apart. The shrimp was colorless. The veggie one we got was inedible; we sent it back. They wanted to make it right and gave us complementary mochi donuts. It was a nice gesture that we appreciated. We still ended up going to Katy's across the street because we did not feel like we had a sufficient dinner. There are no sauces here. If you ask, they'll give you the tiniest amount of sauce. There are also no chopsticks. Unless things really turn around, I'm inclined to save my money here and make the short trip to Chinatown.

Had the pleasure of finally taking my friends to Fare during Oak Park's Thursday Night Out! Our…read moreticket included a kids meal and the staff were so generous and friendly! I personally had the Smokey Chicken, sweet potato, mac and cheese, and green goddess slaw. My friend had the turkey meatballs, cornbread, peaches & tomatoes, and chickpea, feta & pepper side. We really adored how everything was cooked in Dutch ovens you'd find in your own kitchen at home. Visually, the meatballs don't wow you, but they are cooked so well and absolutely flavorful! I think that had to be my favorite. We also all sat around discussing how we could attempt to make their cornbread recipe at home. I felt as if it was such a great addition to Oak Park and plan to return again soon!

My husband and I recently bought a house in Berwyn, which means we've been on a mission to…read moreestablish our new go-to takeout spots. This is a responsibility I take very seriously. FARE has quickly secured a spot on that list. The first time I ordered the Smoky Chicken Plate, I was at the house by myself waiting for the furnace to be replaced. What started as a simple "let's get the furnace serviced and cleaned" appointment quickly turned into the HVAC technician politely suggesting that continuing to run the furnace would not be a good idea. At that point I looked around at the mountain of moving boxes currently filling the house and decided I didn't need to start collecting them from the trees and neighboring yards too. When the food arrived, I took one look at it and thought, "Damn, this looks good!!!" and immediately texted my husband about it. I followed that with another message explaining that it wasn't just looks, it actually tasted great too. The chicken was indeed smoky, the harissa potatoes were sweet, and I especially liked the Green Goddess slaw and mac & cheese. We've ordered three times now. The last order was missing the spicy red pepper sauce, which is actually a great on a few things on the plate. The mini cornbread muffin is as described in the screenshot and still somehow disappears faster than seems scientifically possible. Needless to say, when my husband tried it later, he also liked it. In hindsight, at least I wouldn't have had to take the empties out in phases.

Been looking for some fresh, healthy smoothies and found a new treasure!…read more The owner DeShawn (sp?) was super friendly and helpful. He let us sample some delicious honey chicken (might not be the right name) oh, and some insanely delicious caramel cake In a cup that my daughter rated 11 out of 10. Daughter and hubby loved their smoothies; I had an awesome salmon salad that would have cost $30+ at most sit-down restaurants. Looking forward to return visits since it's near my kiddo's orthodontist. Wish they were closer to DT OP, but we will be back. Hidden Gem!!

I follow the owner on IG and the sandwiches look so tasty!!! I've been dying to check them out for…read morea few months. Due to Covid and his hours/days fluctuating I hadn't been able to get by here. But I finally made it! I came in early when he 1st opened so there wasn't a line or a wait. I ordered 2 sandwiches a corn beef and then an Italian turkey sandwich, made like an Italian beef sandwich. I was starving & devoured the Italian sandwich in the car. It was pretty good. I also ordered 2 deserts a red velvet cheesecake cup with a Caramel Louisiana cake crunch cup. They were just ok. So the loss of the star was for the price. $40 for 2 sandwiches and 2 deserts is pricey. And they weren't large sandwiches. That would deter me from patronizing them frequently. The owner was very pleasant while I was there and I can appreciate that!!!

I stopped by because I was around the area and my cousins recommended this cafe and I'm so glad…read morethey did! I had a Pistachio Latte for myself and a Ferrero Latte for my husband. I took a sip of his and loved his more! I spilled his on accident while I was getting out of my car but I loved it so much that I convinced him to go back and get one for him and myself, that's how good it was! It's a little pricey but worth it! The cafe is so cute, spacious and cozy! I wish I lived closer because I'd definitely be there everyday!

My first time coming here to Fantasia Cafe. I saw this on one of my social media pages and wanted…read moreto come and check this place out. They have a variety of options in coffee, specialty latte, frappes, and pastries. I was disappointed that the lavender latte is only served in the spring. I ordered the 16 oz Cookie Butter Latte for $7.00. Quite expensive. It wasn't bad, I just wish the flavor of the latte was more flavorful and more syrup was added. The young lady behind the counter was friendly and patient with me. I was undecided on what to order when I walked inside. I love the little cute flower station by the wall. Build your beauty. You can purchase flower arrangements for a reasonable price and for your self love day.