Cafe 251

I've eaten at Cafe 251 many times. Recently came here again for lunch with colleagues. Very pleasant experience as always. Customer service is amazing. The cafe had ran out of quite a few soups at that time, but great experience overall. I ordered a potato and cup of chili. Both were delicious and were of great portions. I will continue to give Cafe 251 my patronage and recommend to others.

5 stars.Solid breakfast spot.Cunningham does everything well and this quick service concept is no exception.

The food was delicious I had a Italian beef with the sandwich dip . My girl loves it she said she wouldn't mind coming back she was so excited when she saw it cooked in front of her and she telling all of our family about it

This place is tucked away in an office building on New York Street. The staff here is very friendly. They even know the regulars by name. They have a wide election of food from soups to subs to salads to wraps. They also have some sides available such as chips, broccoli salad, and yogurt. There is ample street parking if you drive here, but most people come here from nearby office buildings.

Very much enjoy this cafeteria-esque selection process. I go in and head straight for the wraps section and customize my wrap! So far I've tried the chicken bacon ranch wrap and the buffalo chicken wrap. Both were very filling and exactly what I wanted and nothing else. The staff had no problem omitting or adding certain items. The portion sizes were generous.Also, I tried their cookies and they bless my soul every time I eat one. They are like the Chic-Fil-A cookies - the chocolate chip, for example, is perfectly sandwich in between the cookie and if it's warm is just lets you know exactly what dreams are made of!Things to know:1. Get there before noon otherwise there will be a line. It moves quickly, but still early is best. 2. Get the chocolate chip cookie and put a little heat on it (no more that 5 seconds) and enjoy the greatness. Or in my case just let it sit next to your wrap and it will warm itself up.

I was downtown and decided to check out this unique Cunningham Dining Group cafe. Located inside the high rise at 251 N Illinois St, there is a parking garage under the building, but unfortunately there is not a discount or validation option available. So, you are either limited to street parking (metered) or walking from some other lot you may favor. (I parked in Circle Centre Mall and walked over here.)So, most of the customers are folks who are already downtown and are within easy walking distance. A lot of the customers get their orders to go. However, there are more tables than I expected available for those who may want to dine in like I did.The line for placing your order (sorry, no wait staff here) starts on the east side where you grab a tray, napkins, and use the plastic ware dispensers. There is a conveniently placed menu on the wall. The line is laid out with "stations" for salads, sandwiches, soups, and for me, ordering a Ham and Cheddar Quesadilla. At that area, I was able to select the items I wanted to add to the basic ham and cheese. After adding things like tomatoes, pico de gallo, and onions, I asked for recommendations from my server and he suggested trying the black bean salsa (great choice!) He folded the oversize shell in half and took it to the grill, telling me that he would bring it out as soon as it was heated. I grabbed a fruit cup as a side order and was told I could help myself to a sour cream cup and a salsa cup before paying. They have a self serve beverage counter near the west entrance to the cafe.Note: Although this is a Cunningham restaurant, the computer system is not compatible with the Cunningham points system. But never fear! If you show your dining card, you get a 10% discount on your order! That works for me!After a five to ten minute wait, the server who was making my quesadilla brought it out (he had given me a heads up when it was about 2 minutes out.) When he delivered the plate, I asked how he kept track of orders since they didn't ask for names or have numbers on the receipts. He said he had to learn to pay attention to customers when they came through so that he could recognize them. That could be challenging, but seemed to work.Finally, the food was really good! The giant quesadilla shell was cut into four manageable pieces. I added the sour cream and salsa to mine, so I used the plastics to eat, but could have picked the pieces up by hand since they held together well.The quality was what you would expect from the Cunningham group. Fresh ingredients, clean restaurant in front and behind the service lines, and friendly service. If you are downtown for lunch, check out this place for a nice change of pace!Review #438

I didn't know this place existed until I started working in the building... and I LOVE it! They have 10-12 soups per day, all homemade, and I've yet to order one that hasn't been delicious. I usually get the soup/salad/soft drink combo which comes to about $10. Not a bad deal for high quality food. OH! And, if you ever splurge on a chocolate chip cookie? It's one of the best I've had... the middle is little less cooked than the edges and tastes like chewy, cookie dough-y goodness.While I almost always get the same delicious items, I have to say my favorite part is the staff. They are the friendliest, most welcoming, gracious people I've encountered at a place where you order at the counter, i.e. not a sit-down restaurant. Kudos to management for fostering such a wonderful, positive environment. I always leave with a smile on my face because interacting with everyone there makes me happy. :)Whenever I don't have a business meeting taking up my lunch spot, I will continue patronizing this hidden gem.

I usually enjoy the salads here but quality seems to be declining while price increases. Today I paid $15 for a small salad that was inedible due to the obscene amount of dressing. I guess make sure you watch how much they're adding if ordering it tossed.

Not your typical Cunningham quality. (Nor do they accept Cunningham gift cards - which is interesting.) The food quality is cafeteria and the price is WAY too high. I got a half chicken salad sandwich and chicken noodle soup cup. Neither we're good. The bread on the sandwich was sooo thick and dry it was hard to eat. The chicken salad itself was pretty tasteless. The chicken noodle soup was the saltiest soup I've ever hadWe also got a full club sandwich and another cup of soup. Again, sandwich was not good and soup was too salty. All in all we paid almost $35 for a deli sandwich, half sandwich, 2 cups of soup and a drink. I will never go back.

This place has the best salads and everything is fresh and made to order. The staff is extremely friendly and will remember you if you frequent this restaurant. It's kind of a fast casual restaurant where you can eat in or get food to go. They have daily specials and really good soups too! Only open during the day fyi.