This is a great place. Everything is custom made, you don't have to go out of your way to avoid useless calories and fat, because they've designed the menu with this concept. It's not as expensive as I expected, especially when compared with Freshii and Pret a Manger, its area competitors. The smoothie options for choice of protein, dairy and vitamin are awesome. Great place for gluten free dieters to dine. Really good chili topped with yogurt, cheese and onions and chicken buffalo bowl. read more

It was a bit of a hike to the Sears Tower from work, but OMG was it worth it! This place is money if you're looking for a healthy alternative to that iced latte or a calorie-filled chicken caesar wrap. My absolute fave protein shake is the Michigan Ave-alanche--vanilla protein, choice of milk (almond, rice, skim, soy, or opt for water), choice of yogurt (nonfat, soy, or Greek), banana, granola, and almonds. Mmm. Runner up would have to be Wrigely Peeled--chocolate protein, choice of milk, all-natural peanut butter, and banana. One drink I would shy away from, just for authenticity's sake, is the Mag Mile Mocha. You can get a mocha anywhere (well, not with protein in it, but still, a boring choice when you consider all of the other delectable choices on the menu). This place also's got a hefty selection of salads, wraps, and breakfast foods. Everything's flavorful yet low in calories. And their desserts? Holy cow. Don't pass up the coconut protein brownie. Aside from the yum selection of food and drink, there's the great atmosphere. You know when you go into a place of business and everyone is in a bad mood--you can just tell that morale is low? Well, I'm thinking the complete opposite is the case with PB. The employees seem to like their jobs, and customer service is terrific. read more

This is a much needed, truly healthy, option in the loop! No fatty salad dressings and breaded chicken to tempt you from your well-intentioned plans of eating healthy. I prefer the build your own smoothies and breakfast bowl options, although the ones on the menu sound good too. I've had the chicken parm and chicken stir fry bowls for lunch. Both were really tasty and filled me up. Portions weren't huge like us Chicagoans are used to, but they are appropriate and satisfying. The staff and manager are really friendly too. Ladies... if you're going to heat up another boring lean cuisine for lunch please reconsider. The bowls here are healthier, lower in calorie content, and taste much better. And since this place caters to the health conscious crowd in the loop there is plenty of man candy to enjoy while waiting in line. read more

I was absolutely shocked and pleased that this business offered quinoa as one of their main dishes! I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast dish that included blueberries, almond slivers, and lightly sweetened quinoa. Also, although intelligentsia coffee is generally not my favorite, their coffee was fresh and hot. The option of adding in proteins from different sources (whey/soy/egg, for example) was a wonderful idea. I know that not all proteins are created equal -- there is some scientific argument that certain types are better for women as opposed to men, for example -- and it was great to see this be broken down into options! The convenient location (right across the street from the Sears Tower... and no, I will not call it the Willis Tower!) only added to my happiness with this culinary find. The cherry on top was the friendliness of the staff. Great customer service, especially to a first-timer. I will certainly be back and have already personally suggested it to two others who also work in the area. read more

I have been using Protein Bar to cater my office lunch meeting for about a year now. The constant review from all of my potential clients is "This food is amazing"! A great place that will get you out of your Panera, Corner Bakery rut. I will continue to be a customer!!! read more

This place is ok for breakfast, as there is no line usually. Once I've figured out that they use 4 pumps of agave in their breakfast bowls and started asking them for just one pump, I began to really enjoy having an Almond Berry Bowl for breakfast once in a while. Here's a formula for a perfect Almond Berry Bowl (perfect for me): Almond milk, extra almond milk, 1 pump of agave, both berries and bananas. Yum. Lunch is a different matter. If you'd like to spend 20 minutes in line, get a wrong order or not get your order at all (it being given away to someone else) - be their guest. I just do not understand why one would stand in that long long long long line, when Pret-a-Manger next door has none and their food is just as fresh. Ok, fine, quinoa must be the anser to that question. read more

Used to work at the Sears Tower (yeah, that's what it's called) across the street from Protein Bar. They have a variety of shakes that taste good and they are flexible enough with ingredients that you can strike the right balance of protein, nutrition (vitamins, supplements, etc.), and deliciousity. The staff here are always helpful and friendly and the prices are far from egregious - at times downright cheap! But the product is always good, and though I haven't eaten it, the food selection is wide and others in my office swear by it. Give it a try. Note - there is seating inside but as the name implies, it's set up as a shake/food 'bar' with high tables in an open seating area. Your call. read more

Awesomeee lunch place!!! I went for the first time yesterday and tried the Ivy bar-rito and it was delicious!! Really healthy with quinoa instead of rice, and really tasty! I'm from California so there's a lot of healthy lunch places there and not so many here. But I've finally found a fresh, healthy restaurant close to work. Plus, the staff was friendly so it was a great first overall experience. I am definitely going to add this place to my list of favorite lunch spots. I will definitely be back to try their bowls and some of their other wraps!! read more

Protein Bar is facilitating my New Year's lifestyle change with its variety of healthy and hearty deliciousness. I stopped in after the Chiberia city air froze off all exposed skin hoping to purchase some form of medicinal soul food. I opted for the vegetarian chili which may be one of my greatest life choices to date. Yum! They dalloped a glob of Greek yogurt atop the spicy animal friendly concoction with a smile, warming both my heart and my tummy. Not only is their food delicious, but their health conscious menu contains calorie and nutrition information as well. I can only imagine the visionary marketing rockstars that put this place together. Can't wait to come back to try something else! read more

Love the chili and very friendly service. Had a smoothie that was great.

If you want to stuff your tummy with protein while still feeling relatively healthy, the Protein Bar is the place to you. Their key ingredient is quinoa and their burritos are absolutely delectable. read more

I agree with everyone else's opinion on the quinoa chili! It's really delicious and very filling! I got a cup of it and ate it in line 3 min! Also the Hi 5 green juice was pretty tasty too. I went at noon and it was packed with the midday lunch rush, but the line moves pretty fast! The service was good. read more

Good place with lots of vegetarian options! Tried 2 smoothies with almond butter and both really good

I love the City of the Big Shoulders, but man oh man, this is a hard city to watch your calories. At lunch time, Al's Italian Beef, Lou Mitchell's, Epic Burger, and the like keep calling my name, trying to drag me down with their fat fingers. What makes it doubly hard is that the healthy food here does not taste great, at least the lunch places. Case in point: Protein Bar. The food is certainly healthy, most items are less than five hundred calories, have a lot of protein (for the brosephs who just finished chiseling their lats), and contain vegetables and quinoa. But the food tastes okay at best. The Southwest Salad is flavored with basically a cup of Cholula hot sauce, to drown out the blandness of chopped, boiled chicken breast and quinoa. Ditto anything buffalo, basically dousing chicken and quinoa with Frank's red hot. The other sauces they use are a pesto and an Asian sesame dressing. Nothing to write home about. And healthy food does not need to be drowned in sauce to taste good. My other city is San Francisco, and there are tons of salad places serving up healthy, delicious food. Here is a description of the Maui salad at Mixt Greens, a great salad place: butter lettuce, coriander-crusted seared ahi tuna, avocado, mango, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, mango citrus vinaigrette, topped with crushed macadamia nuts. Would you rather eat that or boiled chicken and quinoa covered in Cholula hot sauce? This is a rhetorical question. Also, the Maui salad is 360 calories. And it's not even their best salad! And the crazy thing is that there is definitely a market for healthy food here. The fact that there is a line at Protein Bar starting at 11:15 a.m. proves that. Someone just needs to open a lunch spot that serves food that is both healthy and tastes great. Maybe that should be Paul Kahan's next thing, the man knows how to make a tasty salad. read more

I was slightly disappointed. I do love the this is healthy food and it really kept me filled up for a long time but I expected more. My pesto bowl with tofu was warm...not hot...warm. I was wondering if this was a raw restaurant. I wish there was more "stuff" in the bowl. More veggies please! I'll give it another shot and have something else besides a bowl. read more

Love it!!! Big fan of Protein Bar! I had always wanted to try quinoa and the Vegan Bar-ito made it possible, for only 290 calories! It was so good that I've started making it at home for myself. Can't wait to try other items there like the Green City Vegan. Service is great, staff is super friendly and very helpful. I also tried the peanut butter cookies (no white flours used in their baked goods) and they were very tasty. Bonus- a second Protein Bar will open at the newly renovated FFC West Loop early 2011! I can't wait! The only downside is that some of their items on the menu aren't listed on the nutrition info like the Pier-nut Smoothie. Other than that can't wait to try other items. read more

I eat here often - it's my "I want to keep lunch under 500 calories and be full" option. I usually order the buffalo or southwest salad, although I've also had the BBQ, spinach and pesto, and black bean bowls, as well as the guac and roll, bbq bar-rito, ivy bar-rito, and superfood vegan salad (except with chicken). So, right, most of the menu... The salads, plus sometimes a couple of hard boiled eggs (which you can buy one the side) keep me full for the afternoon most of the time which is saying something. I think the Southwest Salad, Guac and Roll, Ivy Bar-rito, and Buffalo Salad are the best items - the tastiest, most filling, and the least likely to make you feel gypped financially. However, I had to give some props to the chia seed dressing on the superfood salad - it's excellent and one of these days I might try to figure out how to copy it. Oh, and speaking of financials, this is friggin' expensive - a salad runs $11 - it's a little silly, even when considering the quality of the ingredients. I could reproduce the salads for probably $2 - but they have a captive audience - namely corporate types who forgot their lunch (or would rather buy it) and want something high fiber, relatively low cal (depending on your order), organic, and tasty... Note that the brownies and cookies they have pack the same (or more) calories as a regular dessert - they're certainly not "light." I know they're not meant to be, they're meant to be full of protein and less sugar. Still, not worth it for my nutritional needs. The line at this location is often out the door, so try to get there before 12, or after 12:45. Also, it's FREEZING in there in the winter so bring a coat. read more

My biggest complaint about this place is the line. Waiting in line isn't so much the issue - it moved pretty quick - as it is the fact that there's no room in this place for a line. The line wraps around the interior two or three times and then goes out the door. You're literally standing shoulder to shoulder with people on all sides. It's difficult to get around people to leave and worse to try and actually sit and eat at one of the few tables. If it weren't for the line, I'd probably go five stars on this one. The line issue aside, I'm a really big fan of this place. The food is good. I love that there are tons of vegetarian and vegan options. I love that the food is actually healthy not just giving the perception of being health food while still packed with fat and calories. read more

There is really never a good reason for any of you...er....us who are overweight to eat anywhere else. The line may be long tom times, but the food is good, rely good and better for you than the garden variety fast food. Had the breakfast in a bowl the other day ... it's oatmeal ....but it is better than I make at home, good enough that I am thinking about regularly getting it to finally lose the weight I've been needing to lose for a decade ... oops....I digress. The smoothies are very good but the service is patient and informative, if you're not sure what you are doing, they will help. Loyalty card for freebies ...I am a fan. read more

We ordered from this place today for a lunch meeting after I suggested we try to find a place that was a little healthier than the pizza and sandwiches we normally go for. The food was delivered about 45 minutes prior to when it was supposed to be delivered, so because I ordered the Capone Bar-rito (chicken, marinara, parmesan, and quinoa), I had to eat it right away before it got cold and soggy. I have to say, based on the taste of the burrito, how much it filled me up, and how good it (supposedly) is for you based on the nutrition facts (available on their website), I was thoroughly impressed. I don't know if that big ol' burrito really only had 450 calories, but I guess because all it included was a bit of cooked chicken, some grated cheese, a bit of marinara, and a boat load of quinoa, it very well could have been that low in calories. Anyway, back to the taste. As I said, all I ordered was the Capone Bar-rito, and I really enjoyed it. This place would not be my #1 choice for fast food normally, but given my recent health kick, I would definitely return and try some of the other items. The one-star deduction is based on their inability to deliver food on time (I had to endure a boring meeting with nothing in front of me, while everyone else noshed on their salads or their cold wraps), and my sneaky suspicion that the food really may not be as good for you as they claim... nothing that tasty is! read more

I thought Protein Bar was just shakes, so on cold Winter days I'd walk past but opted not to go in. It took a recent article in Time Out to get me in the doors and open my eyes to the fact that Protein Bar has a full menu. I repeat it's not just smoothies and such (shocking I know). I'd heard this place is a mad house at lunch, so I opted for breakfast instead. After an exceptionally tough workout this am my muscles needed some protein and the Pancake in a Bowl was perfect. I'm not sure why it's called that, since it's not a pancake (it's steel cut oatmeal) but whatever it is I enjoyed it and my appetite is sated. I love that I could select my choice of milk (whole milk, skim, soy or almond milk are shockingly all the same price) and got tons of fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries and a full banana) on top. Add Intelligensia coffee and this is my perfect breakfast on the go! read more

I've only been here once, but it's going to be a regular stop for me from now on. I came in on a whim, mostly because I was feeling "trendy" one morning on my walk to work downtown, and I was pleased. I got their signature smoothie which had espresso powder in it and I was a fan. The prices weren't awful and I felt it was a healthy alternative to other smoothie places or coffee. I'll update my review as I experience them some more, but for now, they were one of my best chain finds in Chicago so far. read more

Love the Protein Bar and love that they offer vegan items. The quality of the food is good, the speed of service is quick and friendly and though the lunch time line may seem daunting it moves pretty quickly. A bonus is that they use the Level Up payment system. read more

Amazing!! I love all the menu and the fact that it's a healthy restaurant that is fast and does not compromise the taste. The service is always fast even if there are a bunch of people in line and food always tastes great. I have tried all of the smoothies and all are GOOD!! My favorite ones are the red line and millenium perk! My go to bowl is always spinach and pesto. Can't ever go wrong with that. Overall I always go here whenever I want a quick fix that really fills me up although the calories are really small (630 cal for the super filling spinach and pesto) and 180-220 cal for the smoothies. read more

Protein Bar & Kitchen - Follow my instagram: @annastasiadominic for more food posts! - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What a great alternative to the usual fast food options in the loop. I love that Protein Bar is health food without resorting to the usual bunny food diet fare. I especially love the use of quinoa instead of rice for their bowls. I usually come here for lunch (I like their veggie black bean bowl or veggie chili bowl for a hot lunch) and grab a Kombucha tea and Chobani yogurt for my afternoon snack- two things I love and can't find nearly anywhere else. Healthy goodness! I'd like to see them expand their offerings to more veggie options and I always have to ask for a bag, but they're new, I expect they will evolve and continue to improve. For now, I like what I see, and I hope to see more locations pop up as well. read more

Listen. Protein Bar is my favorite lunch spot for healthy choices in the loop. I was running by here a month or so ago and thought it looked interesting and checked it out. Millennium Perk Smoothie puts Starbucks and Jamba Juice to shame. Chocolate-y and coffee. I definitely approve. Drake salad? Perfect amount of cheese, strawberries and everything else. (This is my favorite). Cran-BEARY-walnut salad? Wonderful! Dressing is good, good balance. yum. I don't understand how they prepare their chicken, but it is amazing. I need to learn to make chicken like that. And they sell this protein bakery cookies that are very good to. The owner/manager is super friendly and helpful. He's usually working the register. I do wish they were open on the weekends... read more

Love, love, love the Protein Bar. As anyone who reads my reviews may know, I have a very restricted diet. Protein Bar offers many options for anyone who may have food allergies, dieting, or prefers healthier fast food fare. Yes, it is a bit pricey but it's worth it. I am a big fan of their black bean bowl with vegan cheese and a side of Greek Yogurt and the Original Protein Barr-ito. The Barr-ito is essentially the black bean bowl rolled up into a tortilla. I have tried a few of their blended drinks. They are quite refreshing and tasty. My favorite is the Fruit Loop'd made with bananas, blueberries, and choice of protein and milk. I usually opt for the soy protein and almond milk. This is my preferred location due to its close proximity to my school and work. I only wish that there was a Protein Bar near my house. Thanks again Protein Bar for providing gluten-free and vegan fast food options in downtown Chicago. read more

I've been here twice in an effort to try to eat somewhat clean/healthy during my Chicago sojourn. I've been pretty impressed so far. I had their black bean bowl for lunch and it was pretty darn good. I added chicken to it since I'm a little bit of a carnivore but the quinoa and beans made it filling and it was a good base. The cheese and salsa on top rounded things and I didn't miss having sour cream or yogurt on it, this was satisfying enough. At the time of this review, I just polished off a Chai Berry yogurt bowl - I wanted something healthier than what was on offer at my hotel for breakfast. I normally don't like Greek yogurt but somehow the granola, chia seeds, strawberries and agave syrup made it into something I can finish. This place really reminded me of the Bay Area(Oakland/San Francisco, CA for reference). It gets busy here during lunch hour. read more

I was not expecting a place specializing in quinoa bowls and quinoa burritos to be delicious, but Protein Bar surprised me with it's fantastic flavors. I have yet to try a barrito, but the buffalo quinoa bowl and chicken chili were both incredibly tasting and super filling. I can eat a lot, but I had the smallest chili with a small Fruit Loop'd smoothie (with egg protein) and was too full to finish the whole meal at once. I think that the egg protein in the smoothies has a slightly strange, grainy texture, but if you're not really sensitive to things like that, they're quite good. During lunchtime, this place gets really packed, but don't be deterred. The line to order moves quickly and you won't wait longer than 5-10 for your meal. If you want to eat out without putting unhealthy food in your body, Protein Bar is definitely the way to go! read more

Protein Bar, where have you been my whole life? I can't believe that I had delicious and satisfying beef chili today with only 200 calories. With this new option, eating healthy won't be nearly as difficult. I hope new locations pop up around the whole city. Can I also mention how great it is to see nutritional information on EVERY item on your menu, and that its not misleading? This is especially important for people who are trying to eat a low calorie, yet nutritious meal, which should be easy to do, but its not. read more

5 bucks for a bowl of oatmeal and half a banana is a little ridic in my opinion. Especially when I can get multiple pounds of oatmeal at Costco for $6.99. But I was in a hurry and needed a healthy breakfast...which is easy to do here since the calorie content, etc is posted on the menu which I LOVE. The menu screams healthy and even looks tasty for both b-fast and lunch so I'd like to check it out again. The service was sort of weird in that I was one of 2 customers in there and there were a good 6 people working but yet only 2 of them could take your order and then another dude rang you up. And the one that rang me up was the one that greeted me and then went to get someone else to make the oatmeal. Whatever it was still good oatmeal. read more

Love this place!! I can't wait for the other PBs to open. When I worked across the street in the Sears (ughh, okkk, Willis) Tower, I was a full-blown PB addict. I would go multiple times a week-- even twice in one day-- for a fix. For breakfast? One El of an Oatmeal (chocolate protein, mmm!) or breakfast bar-ritos with cholula. For lunch? Quinoa chili topped with cheese and greek yogurt, the Drake salad, or a bar-rito (the ivy and the buffalo are my faves). Ugh, writing this review is making me go through withdrawals! Everything at PB is so fresh. And healthy . And YUMMY. They post the nutritional info on the menus. The best part: I would actually be full for hours after eating here-- no small feat for me! read more

You can't get much better than this for a healthy lunch in the loop. (I would say your other best bet is Pret) There's a reason the lines get long from 11:45-1:30--this place has delicious and nutritious food that is a really great alternative to the typical sandwich place or Roti and Chipotle. They have nutrition facts for every item on the menu, many options for meat eaters, Gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian people. They also sell really great healthy drinks and snacks as well (like POM, coconut water, and food should taste good snacks). The chili, chili, ivy and capone bar-ritoes are my favorites. Everything is very fresh and tasty. However, I am not a fan of the shakes I have had. They are very health drink/ protein powder tasting to me, and I still prefer Jamba Juice's all fruit smoothies. read more

So you want a delicious smoothie drink, but don't want to slurp down as many calories as are in a McDonald's large fry? Protein Bar is here to save you (and me). I mostly come here for the blended drinks, which are delicious pick me ups in the mid afternoon when you need a little more energy but are afraid of drinking coffee at that time. I haven't had any I've disliked yet with most of the combinations I've tried being really creative (like the PBJ drink they have). Price and health wise, this place is on par with Freshii, so it's a bit more of an expensive option for lunch and certainly not something I could afford to do every day. However, I find the couple of food items I've had from here, particularly the vegetarian chili, to be far more filling and fresh tasting than Freshii. So if you're looking for a healthy, fresh, and calorie-conscious meal in the Loop, this is as good as it gets. read more

Healty and delicious! The Protein Bar is my current fave lunch spot. I'm not a vegetarian, but I am easily skeeved out by meat. it doesn't say it on their menu, but you can swap out whatever protein is in your wrap or bowl of choice for tofu. read more

One of the best lunches downtown. Had a vegetarian chili and quinoa bar-rito with vegan cheese (kudos for having that), and it was nothing but deilicious. My three other friends was equally impressed and we all agreed that we will start eating more here. They also do deliver, not only catering. read more

Welcome to the age of urban healthy! I heard good things about this place so I thought I'd check it out to see if it's worth all the hype. First things first, I arrived at around 12:30 pm- First Mistake. The line was out the door and while it moves decently fast, I think there's room for improvement. Enter restaurant. Very sleek and modern decor, definitely gives the impression of clean and healthy. Alright- I'm buying into it... Let's get down to the good stuff: the menu. You can decide between a Bar-ritto (a healthy wrap) or a quinoa bowl. They also have salads too. I'm not going to lie- I'm a little skeptical on the calorie count. Everything below 500 calories?! Even with a tortilla? I mean, if it's really true- hallelujah. I ordered the chicken chilli quinoa bowl (330 calories) and I was pretty impressed. I would say it's a little strange but that just may be my order. Overall, It filled me up and the ingredients seemed true to form. The place was packed and generally I saw smiles (also could be that it was a sunny Friday afternoon). I like the health benefits and am looking forward to trying some new menu items. 3 stars until I find something I love. read more

Lunch spot option if you work near the Sears(refuse to call it the willis)Tower. Good place for health nuts, or regular people trying to be healthy for one day. Food is tasty but small portions unless you get a barito. If you get one of their bowls, you better be a 90lbs women or eat like one because you will still be starving otherwise. If you have a normal apetite, I would recommend their chicken chili barito....still not the size of chipotle buritos, but will fill you up and probably better for you. they have salads and smoothies too, but haven't tried them out yet. read more

My roommate has been raving about this place for the last six months, she has been eating here twice a day, everyday, and finally, I got in on the magic that is protein bar. It took me awhile to decide what to order, huge variety, but i decided on the southwest salad - and it was DELICIOUS. the perfect blend of Cholula, chicken and lettuce with a great variety of veg. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that they sell Kombucha, which will put a smile on my face any day. The portions are big enough to work as two meals, but with calorie counts so low, that's really irrelevant. I'm already looking forward to going back - the only minus is the unavoidable loop lunch hour rush. read more

Shout out to Nick and Jesse! Nick has great recommendations for which protein to pick in my steel cut oats and Jesse was full of positive energy. Delicious food and drinks. read more

Protein Bar & Kitchen - One El of an Oatmeal and the Fruit d'loop - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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