Blue Kale Cafe & Lounge — Restaurant in Niles Township

This place is an anomaly. The staff were very kind and helpful, but I've never had food that looked so good taste so bland. I had ordered the turkey BLT at $15 and it was enormous which was a plus and minus. There was no way to cut the sandwich in half (the butter knife wasn't sharp enough to cut the bacon) making it almost impossible to approach and it was 70% lettuce with a single slice of turkey. The sandwich also came with whole grain mustard, but there wasn't enough on it to taste it.

Aside from the food, the interior doesn't have any wall decor and none of the seats are cushioned so you can hear everyone else's conversations around you but not the person sitting across the table from you. Echo chamber aside, we ended up leaving right after our food came out because all we could hear was the sounds of children's programming coming from the back and the loud conversations of other patrons from the front.

I really hope the food improves and they're able to dampen the ambient sounds of the dining room because until that happens, I don't see us coming back...

Atelier Kale is one of my new favorite hot spots that provides healthy breakfast options and smoothies made out of real fruits. The atmosphere was amazing with black and white interior with some cute plants. Friendly service and great location in Skokie downtown area. Below are what I ordered and my thoughts on them.

Garlic Mushroom Omelette: 5 stars. Omelette had cheese inside and I could definitely taste the garlic flavor. Rich with mushrooms. Came with two slices of bread, housemade strawberries jam ($1 to add extra), and a house salad.

Smoked Salmon Avocado: 5 stars. Ingredients were all fresh. Dills sprinkled on top. Capers weren’t overpowering. Their white cream cheese sauce had a great balance of savory and sweet.

Green Milk: 5 stars. Not too sweet and feels refreshing. Very smooth and light with a hint of matcha in it.

Overall, I will definitely...

Three stars because I ordered from this place yesterday via DoorDash pick up. I get there and they say they can’t find my order. After a couple of minutes of talking amongst themselves and me showing them my phone, they find me. I waited an extra ten minutes for my food. The food IS good but an avocado toast with smoked salmon is $27. It is NOT worth that money, and I got the tiniest side of smoked salmon. Honestly, I was disappointed by the ordeal and the price. It’s just way too expensive for what you get. The folks who work there are nice, but likely won’t be back due to the price and up charge for the smallest portion of smoked salmon I’ve ever seen. It’s too bad. :( they gave me a free coffee while I waited, I appreciate the sentiment but doesn’t make up for the...