Simply Shae Soul Cafe
"During the pandemic, a friend sent me a list of restaurants to try. Simply Shae was on the list. Because I lived north of downtown Chicago, I rarely got to Hyde Park, let alone to the South Suburbs. Now that I live in the South Suburbs, I had no excuse. Simply Shae is a small walkup, so having a sit-down meal is not an option. Food is cooked to order, not reheated, which means there will be a wait. And if there is a long line before you get there, the wait is that longer. My experience with the cashier was one of quality service. She kept repeating my order -- I ordered three meals -- to make sure she had exactly what I ordered. The stuffed catfish with dressing and yams were outstanding. The shrimp alfredo for the stuffing was just right, not overboard. The yams were Grandma perfect. And the dressing had a hint of sage, not an abundance of it. The fried catfish with spaghetti and greens took me back to Mississippi. The spaghetti was more savory than sweet, which scores high points. The greens were flavored nicely without being too much. The stuffed salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and greens were what I had for lunch later in the week. Talk about some good eating. The portions are large. Some restaurants skimp on side dishes. Not at Simply Shae. Another thing I liked was that the side cornbread is more savory than sweet. They will get my dollars, for true. But they'll get my business before the crowd starts coming."
Café Logan
"This is probably one of the best cafes on campus, so thanks to UChicago for adding a much needed coffee and food venue! And, in case you need it, this place also serves wine and beer, so what could be better than a little wine while doing a little work? Yup, not much can make work better!This cafe has pre-made and made to order sandwiches and soups and some salads, and everything always looks pretty fresh too. So definitely a good option for the food desert that is UChicago if you don't have a meal plan like the students do. This place recycles also which I know sounds lame to write in a review, but I've actually noticed how hard it can be to recycle on campus, so hooray for saving the planet too. They make all of the usual coffee drinks and have some other fun bottled drinks as well, so lots of options here. Then the ambiance is also just so nice and fresh feeling. There are high top tables, couches, regular tables, and the space is so big here, so lots of room to choose from and the free UChicago wireless is there also, so you should be good to go! Definitely a good addition to the area, so very glad it is there! It is not the cheapest cafe in the world, but with not much else around, they can sort of charge whatever they want. I think the food looks better than the latte I had, but still very happy it is around!"
