I'm not a student but this is a cute place to take a coffee break if you're ever around the Uchicago campus. I came during a rush lunch hour and it was really busy, but the service was fast. I ordered a latte and a hazelnut beignet. It was very much just a stuffed donut and a little dry, but I enjoyed my latte a lot. The outside eating area is so nice, and on a beautiful fall day was a great place to relax and enjoy. read more

A great cafe to visit especially if you are right next door visiting the Frederick C. Robie House next door! I highly recommend the homemade chai, it is very cosy and spiced. Ample indoor and outdoor seating! Lines are long but it does move kind of quickly! Plenty of tables to work, sit, or rest. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Homemade Chai, Raspberry BeignetRaspberry - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped after the library closed for a coffee and a bite. Got the cortado and a turkey sandwich. The cortado was really smooth and had non-dairy options. The salad and dressing were great and the turkey sandwich was hearty but honestly a little plain. Overall good stop with a cute vibe and great space. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Cortado - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Now, why didn't anyone tell me about Plein Air? I was in the Hyde Park area with a friend for a walk when we were browsing the neighborhood for a place to have breakfast and we found Plein Air nestled on the University of Chicago campus. To my surprise this is now my new favorite breakfast spot! Plein Air does not take reservations it's a first come first served restaurant where you order your food at the counter and seat yourself. They value community and have plenty of seating inside for folks as well as a larger patio area if you prefer to eat our doors. Their space was open, airy and welcoming. The line can get pretty long but just a little patience because it's worth it and they try their hardest to get you serviced. The food was awesome! So awesome I offered several things from the menu because I couldn't pick just one thing! I ordered their egg breakfast which was served with eggs your way, protein choice, breakfast potatoes and toast, their yogurt and granola bowl, coffee and I absolutely could not forgive myself if I left without getting their raspberry beignet. Everything was delicious, fresh, light, and quality. I can see why it gets so busy! I cannot wait to get back because thay yogurt bowl has been calling my name since I last had it read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The experience at Plein Air is perfect for a college campus cafe. It's everything I'd expect but the food is great, and so are the coffee and tea drinks. read more

See all

First time in Hyde park and I loved it here! This space is so nice - lots of seating inside and out. They have a very large food menu and good looking pastries too! I liked the coffee a lot. The quiche was good! read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Quiche of the Day - tomato and scallion (?) - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Super cute cafe but it's always very crowded and the interior space is tight. Their breakfast, sandwiches, and bowls are really tasty! My favorites are the quesadillas and the jalapeño chicken bowl with butter rice. Drinks aren't as good but I am also not a coffee drinker so I have only tried their chai, lemonade, and matcha. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Jalapeno Chicken Bowl - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I waited in line with my family for over 30 minutes and when I went to order, they said the food was taking 30 minutes or longer. Why they didn't mention that while the staff was walking around through the line, I don't know. The food here is great, but if the line is long, I would suggest skipping ahead and asking about the wait for food since they don't have the courtesy to tell us. When I suggested they notify the people in line the guy just stayed quiet and gave the boomer stare read more

We were on a tight schedule and I was famished when we got to Plein Air. It borders the Frederick C Robie House, which was where we were going next. The inside was crowded and loud. We waited some time to get to the front of the queue to order. We ate outside, where there was plenty more seating. The food was good, but my eyes were bigger than my appetite. read more

The vegan sandwich was excellent and it was a good price. The staff were friendly. I love that you can sit outside. It gets crowded on Sundays. I will be back. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Vegan Chicken Baguette - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great patio vibes for an autumn afternoon. The line is long but moves fast. I had a matcha latte and a hazelnut beignet. The matcha latte was good! I was underwhelmed by the beignet; it was closer to a paczki and would have been better warmed. They also do not have wifi, so keep that in mind. That said, lots of seating and a unique indoor outdoor situation with nice greenery and the sun streaming in. read more

See all

Such a beautiful spot! Peaceful, charming, and so relaxing...a true hidden gem . Outside seating is blissful! read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Veggie Omelette - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had a perfect weather day to sit outside and enjoy a horchata and an omelette! Great service as well!

Delicious hot sandwich! Great for a quick bite or a light study sesh. Can get busy with lots of students but makes for a lively ambiance and there's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Sandwich - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I always look forward to my time at Plein Air. The pastries are great and the outdoor seating can be peaceful as long as you don't encounter bees. This cafe is usually bustling, but the table turnover is not too bad, and I've always been able to find a seat. For some reason, I always get great street parking outside, so I'll keep coming back. I like the variety of food options and people watching opportunities. read more

Food was good but really expensive. The cafe was very nice but did not have a variety of bakery treats. I'd recommend the drinks here. Also a great place to study for the college students. read more

Usually super crowded, which is why I have begun to avoid it. It's nice to sit outside during the warmer months, but of course that's a very small sliver of the year. There are ample vegan and vegetarian options, and I highly recommend the vegan tartine (possible to customize as a salad) and vegetarian quesadilla. The croissants and desserts are above average. Coffee/chai/hot chocolate are solid options, and there is a refrigerated section with bottled juices. Service is always exceptional, and the servers are almost always cheerful and polite. The cafe is connected to the seminary bookstore, which is fun for a quick browse. If you are not connected with the University of Chicago, Plein Air is like a window into the university and its architecture, situated right next to Frank Lloyd Wright's well-known Robie House. Most patrons are students, staff and faculty at the university. Overall, I recommend this spot if you are touring the university and need an atmospheric place to hang out. Importantly, however, menu options are limited in the summer months or during university breaks - check before you go! read more

Chicken poblano sandwich was delicious! The baguette was crunchy and flavorful, and the chicken was marinated in a delicious creamy sauce and paired nicely with the manchego. The side salad was also so refreshing with a vinaigrette dressing! A cute coffee shop with lots of outdoor seating! The service was a bit slow... but maybe because my sandwich had to be heated up? My friends who got cold sandwiches got their food very quickly. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Chicken Poblano Sandwich - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Light, healthy salad for lunch and iced tea in a shaded courtyard. They also offer breakfast options earlier in the day. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The sandwiches are a great deal here, and they are always busy with students craving lattes and other drinks. I recommend ordering ahead on the app if you are in a hurry, especially during lunchtime. read more

Happy my kids brought me here for breakfast. Lots of good options. Small space but clean and streamlined. Happy they had matcha lattes. Service was good and my kids' chorizo burritos were delicious. Only negative was the mushroom & Gruyère quiche - zero taste and was over cooked. So skip that. Will definitely have to try other items. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Gruyère & mushroom quiche - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Get busy place, so I don't recommend studying here. The coffee itself is delicious (when hot but that's a preference of mind). The pistachio bakery was a go to fav, and I will be ordering that again. I also came back during lunch time for a chicken soup. That was delicious as well. For the price and the amount they give, I'd say it's worth it. Plenty of seating inside and outside the restaurant as well. read more

See all

The food here is outstanding, and I loved that we could have a glass of wine. It was around the corner from the Robie house, so was a natural for lunch. Lines were long, but they went fast. Beware, as the name tells you, most of the seating is outdoors! read more

Ginger plum tea was bomb! It's right on the uchicago campus and seems like a pretty popular study spot so seats go pretty fast

Plein Air Cafe is a hot spot at the center of UChicago's campus. It's located in the same building as Seminary Co-op (great bookstore) and right next to the Frank Lloyd Wright house, which you can view from their patio! They have a fairly small indoor cafe and a large outdoor patio. If you go at rush hour (lunch) there will most likely be a line and it will be pretty crowded with students working inside. The line wasn't too bad, and I was still able to find a seat on their patio despite how busy it was. They have a full bar, lots of wines, beers, and lattes. Breakfast is served til noon on weekdays and lunch starts at 11 am. I got the goat cheese and roasted pepper sandwich, which came with a nice little side salad. I liked the flavors of the sandwich and appreciated that there were multiple vegetarian options. Great place to work remotely, as the patio has plenty of shade and there is a lot of seating! read more

See all

Cozy cafe on the UChicago campus - we managed to find seating even on a Saturday around 9:30 (it was packed!). Solid coffee and pastries - highly recommend the pistachio danish. Probably would not order the quiche again as it was a bit lacking in the flavor department. Beautiful space with tons of natural light. read more

Ambiance: - when this place is busy, which is pretty much all the time ;) it gets loud inside from all the people speaking. I overheard people studying for their bio final, and thought I would never be able to study having to speak so loudly to get my partner to hear me. But.... The outside is where it's at! They have a beautiful outdoor area with tons of seating options. Today, I chose to sit at the communal long table with the planter in the middle. When it's nice out, I will always sit here. Staff: - the staff here are nice and go out of their way to help you. I asked one of the good runners a question that he didn't know the answer to, and I said that's okay, don't worry about it, I'll check when I go back inside. Little did I know, he found someone inside that came out and answered my question. Now that's "Disney quality" customer service! (When you don't know the answer to something, you find out for the customer) Food: I was craving soup, so I called ahead and asked what the soup of the day was. I was told chicken with rice. I asked the person on the phone if they liked it, to which they responded that they did. I then asked if I could order it for pickup over the phone and they said I'd have to use one of the online ordering systems because they don't do phone orders. Instead, I just walked over and ordered in person. Unfortunately, it fortunately (depending on how you look at it), coming in to order led me to spend more than I had intended- haha. I ordered the chicken and rice soup of the day ($5.95) as well as the Avocado and tomato salad ($11.95). The chicken soup was tasty. It had just the right amount of veggies and chicken to broth ratio. And it came with three small slices of baguette. The avocado and tomato salad is an arugula base (my favorite kind of green), and in addition to perfectly ripened avocados and tomatoes, has cotija cheese sprinkled on top and a cilantro dressing. The only let down was the cilantro dressing. I expected something vinegary and more cilantro flavored, but this was sweet. That was definitely not what I had in mind, but I know better now and will ask if the dressings are sweet or not in the future for other salads. Apart from the surprise sweetness, the arugula was wonderfully fresh, without any wilting! So, long story short, I would not get the salad again, unless I got a different dressing, but I would get the soup. And while I was seated, I saw several other things I want to try in the future... specifically their sandwiches. Those baguettes look so good! Also, the question I had asked was what came on the goat cheese sandwich because online said paprika and I was like it can't just be paprika and goat cheese. I think it was an autocorrect because the staff told me it's peppers! Hahaha. That is something I actually make at home all the time! Roasted red peppers, with goat cheese, and arugula on a baguette. So, that is something I will try in the future! read more

The ambiance at Plein air is amazing, especially in the summer. It can be tricky to get a spot inside because it gets so busy. Their salads are amazing. read more

Another of these pretty easy to miss places you have to work to find but worth an effort. It's hidden among the University of Chicago housing and offices. Plein Air Cafe is located specifically in a building next to the landmark Robie House. Good place to get some coffee plus healthy food. They have some vegan choices among these. Had a meeting with a few others and they chose to come here. It's good there were only a few of us because this place is pretty small. The place is also busy so it's super jammed almost all the time. Coffee is on the menu of course. They have a good selection of non dairy milks to add into these. I had a latte. It's $3.75 for a small. This was expensive but good though. As for the food items, these also were on the expensive side but certainly worth paying a little extra for. They have some good options for vegans. I had the Roasted Root Vegetables Tartine and was quite happy with it. It's about $11, which is the worst part. This comes on hard sourdough, and has avocados, kale, pepitas, pesto, and spinach. It was a pretty hearty lunch. This didn't look like much but looks are deceiving as the saying goes. Most of the others liked their stuff a lot. The one liked her omelette. Could come back if around here. It's open for breakfast and lunch. The hours are inconsistent because they often revolve around when school is in session. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Latte And Roasted Root Vegetables Tartine - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I found this little gem after my tour of the FLW museum. Order inside and take a seat. Felt righteous with my amazing salad after required Chicago must haves. Early summer the weather was perfect for sitting outside and relaxing a bit in the pretty grounds. read more

Updating my review as I came in again this past week. I ordered the chicken poblano sandwich, one of their only warm sandwich options, and wow! The baguette was perfectly toasted - crispy but still easy to bite into. I feel like usually the baguette is so hard I'm low key chomping down with all my life haha but not this time! The manchego cheese complemented the chicken poblano spread well. The salad also always adds a nice healthy touch. I will note I came in during a less busy hour as usually when I go the line is always almost through the door. I got my food quicker than usual today and not sure if the baguette quality had to do with a smaller crowd. Either way, as always, the staff were super friendly and patient. I will be coming again! read more

See all

The service is nice, the menu had a few good options, and there's a cold case for to-go drinks and wine. We got a bottle of prosecco and sat in the outdoor patio over the summer - you really can't beat that! The only con is that when you're standing in line to order, you prevent a lot of other patrons from moving around easily. It's just because the shop is a little small, but if there's anything to be improved on, that's it. read more

This place is usually crowded, but I love their coffee. Def some of the best I've had! They are a bit on the pricier end, but overall, ppl seem to enjoy it. Their French toast was good, but I didn't enjoy it because of the seasonal jam. If you like jam, you'll love the French toast but it was too sweet and sour for me so def not my thing! Overall, great vibes but I'll go for the coffee read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Pancakes - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This place has amazing beans and make a fantastic espresso shot, even when they are busy. Event the cold brew was great here. I spent all day on the campus and had to come here twice because of how good the coffee was. read more

We stopped by Plein Air for brunch on our final day in Chicago before heading to the airport. It's super convenient to the University of Chicago, so the vibe is very young and airy. There's plentiful outdoor seating and the inside of the restaurant is beautiful - lots of bright, clean whites and modern furnishings. They were very busy when we got there, with no signs of letting up. You get in line to place your order at the counter. We arrived at around 11:20 and didn't get up to place our order until 11:55. It was a pretty slow moving line. The specific time only stands out because they serve breakfast items until 12. That's what I wanted to eat. Mercifully, even though we cut it super close, the employee agreed to put in my breakfast order. Unfortunately, they were out of breakfast potatoes and they asked if they could substitute with a salad. That really wasn't what I wanted at all, but not much to be done about it, so I accepted. We all placed our orders to go. To-go orders are shouted out through a window into the outdoor dining area. We tried our best to sit and enjoy our drinks while we waited, but they had a serious influx of yellow jackets that day that simply would not leave us alone, so that dampened things some. My two friends' orders came out a lot quicker than mine, perhaps because they ordered from the lunch menu, but eventually we got it and walked onto the U Chicago campus to escape the yellow jackets. My food was alright. I ordered the two egg plate, with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast with jam and breakfast potatoes (which were substituted with a side salad). The eggs were beautiful and overall decent but cooked a little hard for my preference - I prefer runnier scrambled eggs. I didn't like my salad because it was mostly arugula and I just straight up don't like arugula. The bread for the toast and jam was nice and crusty, but the jam (I'm guessing blackberry?) wasn't sweet at all. I was really hoping for some fresh, sweet, preserve-type jam, but this wasn't it. The bacon was definitely the best thing; very crispy, as is my preference, with a great balance of saltiness and subtle sweetness. Awesome bacon! Plein Air is a beautiful place to study and they have an attractive menu with lots of tasty sounding options. If I lived here, I would consider trying it again, just maybe ordering something different to see if I liked that a bit more. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Two 2 Eggs Any Style Breakfast with sourdough toast and bacon - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was delicious with portions to fill you up. Ambiance is basic university chic. What I didn't like was the unfriendly cashier which could have been solved with a smile and a thank you. The food runners were outstanding. Getting a second cup of coffee can be problematic if there is a long line of guests ordering food and drinks. Would I go back, for sure. read more

Plein Air Cafe is a hidden gem on U Chicago's campus. A friend and I stopped in for breakfast while we were in the area and it is clearly a popular place! We arrived just before the breakfast rush, and I'm glad we did because the line quickly went out the door. Plein Air has a variety of pastries and breakfast items, although the menu is small and only available near the register, so it is difficult to know what you want before you order. I think this had a slight impact on the efficiency of the ordering process. The cashier was nice and handed me my croissant immediately. My friend's breakfast sandwich and our drinks, all delicious, took about 25 minutes longer to come out. Seating is limited, as it is a small space, but there is a really nice patio outside. They do ask that you do not take a seat until you have placed your order - makes sense as you will need to stand inside at the counter to hear your name called to pick up your drinks. The food and drink were good, the employees were pleasant, and the bathrooms were clean. Overall, I would visit again, but would come much earlier when it wasn't as crowded to reduce my wait time. read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Almond Croissant and Looseleaf Tea - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I have come here in the past for coffee or a pastry and I've always enjoyed it but hadn't reviewed. Also it's usually so crowded that there isn't a place to sit. Today I came for lunch with my brother who was in town and we both tried baguette sandwiches. We got the goat cheese & sweet pepper and the prosciutto & manchego baguettes and switched halves so we could try them both. They were both really tasty, with more elevated flavors that I've seen on sandwiches more expensive than $9.50. I enjoyed both but if I had to recommend one I would say the goat cheese and sweet pepper- it was just a really unique flavor and nice blend of creamy, salty, and sweet. The baguette was crispy but not hard and the meal as a whole was filling but not too heavy. We were able to sit inside and enjoy lunch; it's a lively, warm vibe so you can eat, chat, read or do work. I can't believe I've been missing out on the lunch food here for so long! Definitely will be back soon! read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Proscuitto Baguette and Goat Cheese Baguette - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a hidden gem which is tucked away on the U Chicago campus in one of the school buildings. Both of the items that I ordered were delicious, the Mocha drink and the almond croissant. I was especially surprised at how good the almond croissant was, it had powered sugar on top and inside there was an almond buttery spread which was fantastic. This place seems to be always busy so it can be hard to find a seat. Also, the indoor seats are packed together super tightly so you may be almost elbow to elbow with the person next to you. However, they do have a spacious outdoor seating section which I will definitely be utilizing when the weather gets warmer! read more

Plein Air Cafe & Eatery - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Lines can be a little long, but you can order ahead of time, the food is tasty and wholesome.