Wow! I just happened upon this place and I am in heaven. Their Vegan Original Bar-rito (quinoa, black bean, marinated tofu, cheese in a whole grain tortilla) was delicious! read more

AWFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE!! Do NOT waist your time here! I normally would never even waist my own to write a review but this was just rediculous. Let me start out by saying i LOVE protien bar. I really do- one of my favorite lunch spots and smoothie spots in the city. However, when I was treated like a random bum on the street instead of a valued customer by THE MANAGER- CHRIS tall white skinny manager with a tattoo down his arm and braces I'm pretty sure- I have made the decision to NEVER visit this establishment again. So here is what happened- I walk in to get a smoothie and pull out my completely full punch card. The cashier takes my ENTIRE order then says we cant except your punch card its the old one. I go old one? He goes yes we stopped honoring those last week. I go well it is completely full and there is no expiration date on it. He goes sorry nothing I can do. Naturally, I asked for the manager. When he came out he simply disregarded everything I was saying from the beginning and said nothing I can do. Well if you are the manager and you see that I am a frequent customer that has a completely full punch card and are visibly upset because the punch card HAS NO EXPIRATION DATE and THERE IS NO POSTING OR COMMUNICATION that they stopped accepting them last week, they should be required to honor it. All in all, Chris you are no manager that I would want working for me- you just lost a loyal customer over a smoothie! read more

I've always wanted a fast food place that was high in protein and very healthy. This place is it! Very good. I always get the Guac N Roll Buritto. It's really good. read more

I can't say enough good things about this place. Everyone there is so friendly. Anytime I go in they always remember me, and that's a great feeling. read more

Touring Chicago and a great healthy lunch! I'm vegetarian and ordered the southwest salad, sub the chicken for avocado. Delicious! read more

Protein Bar & Kitchen - Southwest Salad w/ Avocado No Chicken - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place is part of my morning ritual during the work week. The staff are always very friendly and attentive - Coco and Ashley are awesome. Just stopped in randomly this weekend and was happy to see the same quality of service and attentiveness. Even further, one of the workers, I believe his name was Kenyon, did a great job supporting a person with a disability. Treated with respect and the same warm, friendliness. read more

I am so thrilled the State and Lake location opened up! Have tried the hi-5 juice and love it (tastes just like the green juice from Blue Print Cleanse- yummy). Had the chicken parm bowl and it was amazing. Love that the calories are on the menu. read more

I eat at protein bar 3-4 times/week. Lucky for me I have another location closer to my office which cooks the food perfectly (merchandise mart). I just happened to return to the lake street location (that will never happen again) today after dropping off a deposit @ chase. The manager/owner should be ASHAMED allowing those kids to serve the food the way they do. This is by far the WORST protein bar in the City of Chicago. My spinach and pesto was a bowl of mush and sadly...this seems to be the standard at this location. It is exactly why i have not been to the lake street protein bar in almost 6 months (surprise surprise...nothing has changed). The chicken is always overcooked (the chicken is hard like a rock and disgusting) & they can't even get the quinoa right anymore. It was made with too much water. Considering these 2 items are primary ingredients in most of what they sell....do us all a favor and close the doors on this location till there is some sort of consistency other that overcooked food. (you seem to have that down pat) read more

Wish I had this in DC. Super healthy food, fair prices, good atmosphere and an extremely friendly staff. I'm hooked and will come back every time I'm in Chicago for work since my office is 3 blocks down from here. read more

The Protein Bar is the best place to grab a great meal in all of Chicago. Mashele is very friendly and helped me to make the right decision for my first time visiting. I was very impressed and because of her hospitality I definitely want to visit more often. Recommending this location to everyone! read more

I recently gave up meat and have been trying to find a lunch spot that offered great food options without messing up quality or taste. Well let's just say this place is the one. Their perfectly seasoned tofu mixed with quinoa and paired with a kombucha has been my go to lunch for little over a month now. read more

Great spot for a simple and healthy breakfast or lunch. I got the turkey bacon and egg breakfast bowl which was an easy gluten free meal in a causal, relaxing atmosphere. Would definitely recommend! read more

Healthy my a$$. 1780mg of sodium in one burrito? Please. Plus it was soggy and bitter. That's $8 and 15 minutes I'll never get back. Glad I tried it, though. Now I know to stay away. read more

I came here pretty hungry thinking the "bowls" would offer a substantial amount of food. I am a 100lb female and would need at least 2 bowls to feel satisfied, the portion of this was very disappointing for the price paid. I got the chicken pesto bowl and while it did taste good, it was nothing special. read more

Excellent food, even better staff! This place is a staple in my work week lunch routine!

Delish. I'm visiting Chicago and absolutely had to stop by this awesome concept restaurant. Super fast service. Buffalo Bowl is flavorful and filling, chicken chili hits the spot, and the Acai smoothie tames the sweet tooth. I'll be back! read more

This place is a must. Food is great and the customer service is excellent. I love eating lunch here. Highly recommended.

i was in Chicago over the weekend visiting my bf. we went to explore downtown I decided i wanted to try this place. we told the cashier that we had never been here before & we were wondering what was their most popular beverage she said the hi-5 so we decided to get 2 of those & then a young man that worked there as well stepped in & said "since its your first time here, it's on me" that was the nicest thing ever. didn't get his name but next time im in Chicago I will definitely stop by & I will highly recommended this place. thank you again! read more

I had never been to this place before but my first time was great. One of the employees Ashley M was great at helping me. She recommended the mexicali bowl bomb and it was very good! I will definitely be coming back more often. read more

We came across this place while Happy Hour hopping. We decided to make this our lunch run on the way to O'Hara on 9/10/16. But how could we grab our food and drive to O'Hare without missing a beat. I got it UberEATS - promo code: eats-mrii9. We used this code, they delivered it to our hotel as we checked out and we darted to the airport. I am definitely making this my go to spot on my next visit. read more

I absolutely love protein bar. I typically go to get a blended drink- millenium perk & wrigley peeled are my favorite. I can go as often as four times a week & never get tired of it. The State & Lake location is my fav even though when I need to get out ouf the office I'll walk over to the Washington & Wells location which is equally good. Today I tried the Spinach & Pesto bowl and I have a new favorite. Never ate quinoa before (& yes, I used to call it "kin-nowa" until my more wordly student worker put me on to the correct pronounciation), and I love it especially all the health benefits & low cals. My greedy eyes were worried that the bowl would be too small & I am about halfway thru. I will be taking the rest home for dinner - very filling. Thank you Protein Bar, the only thing that saddens me is the fact that I will probably only stay near close to a city that has one or two. Consider expanding to San Diego & I just might've found heaven on earth...:) read more

I'm a bit of a health freak, I'll admit. Super excited to try it for the first time. Very helpful, friendly staff that explained all of the health questions. Got the Millenial Perks shake w/ the loaded bar-rito. Pretty good food for healthy food at a decent price. Less than $15 for both, and it was very filling. definitely will return. :) read more

I went here just the other day for the first time and i loved it. It was delicious , the best part was the great customer service i received by the employee, i believe her name was Ashley M . . . i would definitely go back again , highly recommend this place read more

I love this place. The buffalo chicken salad it's the best. And the cashier is really gentle. His name is Ulises :)

I recommend, if this is your first time going, to get just a drink. The Avo-Matcha was really good. I got completely full just drinking that, and maybe a 1/4 of my salad (Classic Buffalo). I ordered online and that was a great call to make on my part because they were PACKED! Pick up time was 12:30 and it was ready by 12:23. I didnt realize that I was suppose to walk up and grab my food AFTER I SPEAK TO THE PERSON AT THE PICK UP WINDOW. I thought they would set it up on the counter with name on it. I asked the cashier and she said it was ready and that I would have to pick it up over by the pick up counter. She never said I had to speak with the gentleman. I feel like she could have said "Tell the gentleman you ordered online and you are picking it up." All-in-all they are a good place to eat but a bit pricy. If you order just the drink and have popcorn or a healthy snack like veggies or fruit it can be worth it. But I paid $17 for the salad and the drink. read more

Went in for the 1st time EVER last week and I had no idea what to order but Ashley M. gave me some suggestions and I LOVED them !!! She was very helpful if I ever go back I'm going to make sure to I go with her she was so sweet and patient with me. read more

Hands down my favorite "fast-food" restaurant. Healthy ingredients. Main ingredient for most dishes is quinoa. Quick service. Smooth operation even at lunch rush. Affordable. Customizable. Barritos, salads, smoothies and juices are all amazing. Highly recommended! read more

So delicious!! It was my first time here, visiting from Philadelphia (I hope they open one there!), and I got the Wrigley Peeled. It was smooth and creamy, just the right amount of peanut butter and chocolate flavor. Paris gave me amazing service and was so helpful when deciding what I wanted to get. Thank you so much Paris and Protein Bar!! Great customer service! read more

Great for the type of place it is. Wonderful, helpful staff, very clean environs, free wifi, reasonable price, delicious food and healthy too read more

I am very happy to have such great choices for a filling healthier lunch. I have lunch here at least once a week and they seem to be struggling a bit lately to keep their quality up. It was very annoying to pay extra for avocado and not find it in my salad and to have a burrito with pieces of super over-cooked chicken inside. Their salads are more pricey than other places but they are also very filling and delicious. It's definitely a good choice for breakfast or lunch. And their smoothies seem a bit extravagant price wise, but with their frequent diner card, you can get them free once in a while and that's a really terrific treat. Most of their staff is friendly and helpful, so when there's that dud who has no personality, doesn't step up and just drags along barely doing her job, she really stands out. read more

Great place for consistent, reliable, and healthy lunches. I go for lunch and have never been disappointed. Highly recommend the Millennium Perk! read more

I would go here every day if I could. The "Ivy" is the best quinoa bowl (but the chili is good too) and the "Millennium Perk" is the best smoothie (the rest, you can taste the protein powder, for some reason). LOVE PROTEIN BAR! read more

It's ok, the service is quick. The drinks are definitely really good but the food itself didn't blow me away, quite standard tasting burritos and bowls. Healthy though and quick fix if you're passing by! Just not one to go out of your way for read more

Excellent customer service! This was my first time here and I ordered one of the smoothies and didn't really like it. I went up to order a new one and they gave it to me for free. The second one was much more suited to my taste and I really appreciated that they went out of their way to make sure I had a good experience. (FYI my husband really liked the other smoothie, it just wasn't for me) read more

A reasonably priced lunch spot that I would definitely have again! You feel healthy and satisfied after eating here. The staff is super kind and cheery. I got the buffalo chicken salad. Packed with quinoa and chicken, the salad fills you up fast! It was really spicy and could have used some more dressing or blue cheese but then again it is supposed to be a "healthy" spot! read more

Stay away for breakfast. Only person in line this morning and waited for 15 minutes. I ordered a coffee and "one el of an oatmeal" OATMEAL. Dude gave me quinoa with chocolate sauce on it and a room temp coffee. read more

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE UNLESS YOU HAVE TONS OF SPARE TIME!!!! I've been to Protein Bar a handful of times and have always thought the food itself was pretty good and I like that they provide the nutrition information right on the menu. Thus, 2 stars and that is it. BUT, the service is absolutely unbelievable. Once when I was there a few months ago, I ordered a smoothie and it took nearly 20 minutes for the mediocre drink to be ready (and no, it was not during the lunch rush, there was only a handful of other customers there). I though it was pretty ridiculous but I had no urgent plans for the rest of the day so although I was annoyed I waited patiently. I did not return to Protein Bar for months until yesterday. Giving them the benefit of doubt, I ordered a quinoa bowl and a snack size smoothie and it was ready with in a few minutes. While I was eating I overheard another customer get fed up with how long her order was taking (that's when I remembered how mad I was the last I was there!) But all in all my food was decent and my order was quick. So today when I wanted a snack and a pick me up before class, I decided to head to Protein Bar and ordered a smoothie and an iced coffee. I watched them make my smoothie and then waited for about 20 minutes for my coffee. Meanwhile, a gentleman waiting in front of me received the wrong order and I overheard one of the employees apologize and say they were training new employees. Finally, after I saw several employees check the ticket next to the smoothie but continue to do nothing about the rest of the order I asked what was going on The girl behind the counter knew exactly what my order was. That was when I got really fed up ... I mean really WTF were you doing this whole time if you knew i've been waiting for an iced coffee for nearly twenty minutes. I tried to be patient and wait but then she said "oh, its an iced coffee that is going to take a few minutues" right then I said no thanks just forget it. I was then running late for class so did not have time to wait longer, ask for a refund , or talk to a manager. I understand that they were training new employees but where in the world was the manager, he/she should have been expediting orders because obviously it is a frequently occurring problem. But nobody in there really seems to care that customers are unhappy and nobody seems to be picking up the pace behind the counter or even checking to see why somebody has been waiting for 20 minutes right in front of them! Since there food is healthy and pretty good, I might try one of Protein Bar's other locations but I will never go to this location again! But in the end I'm sure I will be better off going to Freshii or Native Foods for a healthy, delicious meal, with awesome customer service. read more

When PB first opened up, I was more than happy to join the quinoa train. Though not super cheap, it was a nice "healthy" option. My favorite was the Ivy Barrito (chicken). The service was friendly and they would offer you their punch card, whether you like it or not. Ahh ... the good old days of 2011. A couple of days ago, I found myself hungry and got the Southwest Salad. After I made my way back to office, and starting eating it, I realized that you could not pay me enough to eat that xxxx. Where was the sauce? I just paid 11 bucks for a bowl of lettuce and a smidgen of guac? The cheddar cheese probably had super powers. Why, you ask? Because it was invisible. Each subsequent bite felt like a punishment. I won't even mention that the service was mediocre and they made no mention of the punch card and gave me .99 cents in change without asking me if I had a penny. PB just got too big for its britches. read more

I've eaten at Protein Bar a few times over the years, and while the food has been decent, the portions have never quite been enough to be satisfying - which is unfortunate, given the prices aren't cheap. Today I went and ordered the chili - I paid $8 and got this small cup. I checked with them to make sure they gave me the large not the small. Nope. That was the large. Not worth it. I'm going back to Freshii from now on. read more

I really like Protein Bar food, but it's James who calls out and distributes the orders with such joy that brings me back. James makes the Protein Bar experience. He is nice, he is enthusiastic, he is knowledgeable and very focused on the client experience. read more