Gallery Café : River West

Recently moved into the neighborhood, this cafe is the cutest concept considering there’s an art gallery right next door. All of the sandwiches are themed around famous artists, so far I’ve had the Monet & Basquiat & they’ve both been melt in your mouth delicious! I loved the subtle blend of cheese in the Monet as well as the delicious strawberry jam & turkey in the Basquiat. For coffee I’ve had the pumpkin spice & an iced house latte with lavender syrup. Both woke me up enough without having an overload of sweetness, which I appreciate in flavored coffees since I want to also taste the coffee. Staff have been very inviting & attentive, will definitely be coming back.

2 stars only because the food and coffee are good/fine (it won’t blow you away or anything but it’s good). Service is unbearably slow. We’ve given this place so many chances over the past 6 months but waiting for a simple toasted bagel with cream cheese and another drink order has us regularly waiting 30-45 minutes. Management/owners should take notice of how much their employees are hurting this business. This is the last time I’ll be eating here (after giving it a chance after a prior 3 month “break”)

I visited the Gallery Café for the Plant and Clothing Swap in River West and stayed for about 45 minutes. Overall, I’d rate the experience a solid 4/5. The Swap (4/5): This is such a creative and fun idea! I love that the swap is spread out over the 2–5 PM time period, making it easy to drop in. The concept is simple: bring something, and you can take something. Even if no one takes your item, you can leave it behind. Setting up is easy—you just hang up your items when you arrive and can browse without any pressure to socialize (unless you want to!). A thoughtful, community-oriented event that I’d definitely recommend. The Café (3/5): The café itself is small but cozy, with a nice ambiance. I tried two Vanilla Sour Cream donuts, which were beautifully made (pictured in the review). While they were delicious, the $9 price tag for two donuts felt a bit steep. Additionally, the oven was turned off when I arrived around 3:45 PM, so I wasn’t able to order one of their sandwiches, which was a bit disappointing. Customer Service (5/5): The staff here are wonderful! Both employees were incredibly friendly and helpful. They even offered great suggestions when I was deciding between donut flavors, which I really appreciated. Their warm attitude definitely elevated the experience.

Listen to the reviews about the slow service. We live around the corner and have given this spot many chances, but after today decided we will not be coming back. Whether you order a coffee or food you can expect to wait minimum of 30 minutes. We ordered bagels today with only one person ahead of us and waited 45 minutes. It’s rarely busy usually only a few others in there and each person is waiting for the food. There is no sense of urgency or concern from the staff regarding wait times. The food and drinks are fine, but it’s not worth the wait when you have other solid options nearby. I recommend Big Shoulders where it’s quick and the staff are friendly.

Awesome coffee shop in River West that also has fantastic breakfast sandwiches. On 8/28/24 I got the Spicy Bob Ross (pictured) and it was perfect. Great bagel and the giard gave it a good kick. Coffee was really good and the big windows in front made the whole room super sunny. Good place to work from, plenty of outlets. The barista was very friendly and helpful. I’m excited to return to try more of their menu.

This is by far the fanciest coffee shop in Chicago. I'm a pinky up coffee 🤓 nerd. They have the highest tech roaster on the market. A custom made lavazza, quarts countertop. The class is never ending. Take a tour of the building it's completely amazing on every floor especially the gallery cafe. Come here for Art and the art of coffee perfection alike. This is my new favorite coffee shoppe on the planet.

Calm, stylish café with a creative gallery vibe Great place to enjoy a coffee and slow down for a moment 🤓

Its time to write a review on this place ordered 20 ounce ice mocha 8 dollars later and just tastes like chocolate milk think he forgot the expresso part of the drink waiting 15 mins new staff low staff no hello no thank you. Last time I suggest anyone come spend there money here. Not trained well at all.

They make their drinks the old fashioned way so they taste amazing but you can't be in a hurry. It's worth the wait!

Drinks, bagels, and breakfast sandwiches were really good. It is a small place with a few tables, but there was enough room for our family of four. There were only two people working, so it did take almost 20 minutes for us to get our drinks and food. It didn't bother us because we weren't in a hurry. When we are back in town, we will visit again.

Great fruit smoothies! I love their mango and coconut smoothie. They also have a good amount of seating space and they have art for purchase. I keep meaning g to try their coffee, but I always go back to their smoothies.

TLDR: I visited the Gallery Café for the Plant and Clothing Swap in River West and stayed for about 45 minutes. I was only able to order a pastry since their oven was turned off, which was a great donut (a bit pricey) but disappointing experience. The customer service was phenomenal and both workers were very friendly. Overall, I'd rate the experience a solid 4/5 and would visit again if I'm in the neighborhood but would not go out of my way to visit. The Swap (4/5): This is such a creative and fun idea! I love that the swap is spread out over the 2-5 PM time period, making it easy to drop in. The concept is simple: bring something, and you can take something. Even if no one takes your item, you can leave it behind. Setting up is easy--you just hang up your items when you arrive and can browse without any pressure to socialize (unless you want to!). A thoughtful, community-oriented event that I'd definitely recommend. The Café (3/5): The café itself is small but cozy, with a nice ambiance. I tried two Vanilla Sour Cream donuts, which were beautifully made (pictured in the review). While they were delicious, the $9 price tag for two donuts felt a bit steep. Additionally, the oven was turned off when I arrived around 3:45 PM, so I wasn't able to order one of their sandwiches, which was a bit disappointing. Customer Service (5/5): The staff here are wonderful! Both employees were incredibly friendly and helpful. They even offered great suggestions when I was deciding between donut flavors, which I really appreciated. Their warm attitude definitely elevated the experience.

Gallery cafe is my favorite spot for a breakfast bagel sandwich in wicker park! I always get the spicy Bob Ross and it never disappoints. The pickled jalapeno gives a nice acidity that balances nicely with the bacon and cheese. I recommend ordering online since it takes some time to prepare. Their honey lavender latte is also really delicious. There are seats both indoors and outdoors. It's a dog friendly environment. The staff is friendly and have a new stamp card system (after 10 orders get a free drink).

Decided to drop in on the way home, Sunday morning, going out of our way, as reviews seemed pretty decent. Ordered 2 simple bagels and 2 coffees. Took a ridiculously long time (20 mins+) and bagels were average at best, and one included incorrect toppings.

We walked to Gallery Cafe in River West and it was the perfect Sunday Morning cafe! I ordered The Monet which was pesto, eggs and provolone on a croissant, and it was delicious. The selection of coffee, cold brews and teas looks incredible and all very reasonably priced. There was a good amount of seating, with outlets and natural sunlight. I am excited to come back and try out more food and drinks!

The spicy bob ross had great flavor - $10 total for the sandwich but the coffee is at such a great price and tons of options. Fun to watch lots of dogs coming in and out of apartment lobby it's in.

Great little spot! Brightly lit and not too crowded. I got the Mona Lisa breakfast sandwich and it was exactly what I expected, would definitely come back to try more breakfast sandwiches. It was also cool because the barista told me you can pretty much mix and match whatever you want in terms of sandwiches, coffee, and smoothies. I also got a hazelnut latte and my friend got one of the fun seasonal latte flavors and both were good. I also did a diy strawberry pineapple smoothie with mango juice; it was fine but not the best (but maybe I picked a bad flavor combo).

Used to live by the wicker park location and loved it, now live by this location and wanted to try it out! Very different vibe but loved my time here. Same delicious food, and my latte was delicious. Thanks to all the windows and an early spring day it was so filled with natural light-- lovely place go get some work done in a quiet spot. And so many dogs popped in! Staff were very friendly and efficient :) excited to be able to come back on another neighborhood walk

Great coffee and awesome food but even more important, the staff there is awesome. Highly recommended as a nice local spot

Decent bagel sandwiches, but if you're looking to enjoy the milk of human kindness, find another cafe. The girls behind the counter are about the least friendly people I've me since I encountered some Russian dudes who couldn't find an open liquor store. You know the kind of person who graduated with a double major in theater and gender studies, and who resent the idea that they need to work at all, because grrrr CaPitALisM. Yeah that's the vibe here.

Great vibes and amazing sandwiches! We found this last minute and would highly recommend

The honey lavender latte was really good here. I ordered online and when I got there they had no record of my order and told me it would be 30 minutes to make my sandwich lol. Other than that the Mona Lisa was pretty good apple butter was a unique twist.

Place is fine overall, and they make a solid sandwhich. However the wait times are ridiculous. This is more directed at upper management. If you can't afford to staff more than 1 poor barista getting bombarded with drink and food orders, it might be time to narrow down your operations and focus on 1 location.

Great cafe! In the bottom floor of an apartment building with lots of windows, so it's pretty bright. The area doesn't get a ton of foot traffic, so it's never too crowded. The mona lisa breakfast sandwich was surprisingly good, and breakfast can be custom-made to order. The hazelnut latte was also flavorful and not overly sweet.

This is a dog friendly coffee shop (dog treats inside) that also has yummy sandwiches. I typically get the spicy Bob Ross or a bagel with cream cheese or the coffee drinks. It's convenient for a quick bite and very tasty!

Excellent breakfast sandwiches and exceptional speciality lattes. The spicy Bob Ross was also very good even though it was much spicier than a normal sandwich. I will be back.

Went in to try this place for the first time. Had a lovely conversation with Chris and Dawson. The Mona Lisa was a really tasty sandwich, loved the focaccia bread, and the latte was perfect! Great vibes.

The local art on the wall draws you into this second location of Gallery Cafe, right on Milwaukee Ave. I love the concept of combining coffee with affordable art, which brings more energy into the space and showcases Chicago artists. The coffee is decent, and there are fun signature lattes named after different celebrities. They also have some food options, which I haven't tried, but seem quite standard, like sandwiches and such. I got the Coco Chana Mocha and it wasn't too impressive but a solid latte forsure.

Great flavored lattes and the spicy bob ross breakfast sandwich was really yummy! Will be back to try more lattes and sandwiches. The ambience is really nice too with a print gallery wall and a floral garland ceiling installation. There is only one person behind the counter so it will take some time to get in and get out but it is worth it!

The service was good. I had a French roll with grilled chicken, arugula , cheese and chipotle mayo. It was good but it had a strange texture to it. I'd want to go again just to try out the smoothies.