Le Pain Quotidien – Gold Coast

Best thing in winter? Chicken soup! And where’s best chicken soup in town? Right here! Even better, you can have it with an avocado tartine and a petite kale salad… followed by a fresh mint tea. Give me winter anytime at PQ.

Cute&swanky lil French breakfast/​lunch café. They have a relaxing ambiance, beautiful natural lighting, and super clean. We got a table in under 1min with highly attentive service throughout our meal. The 3 Bean Chilli Soup and the Chicken Melt (both off the special menu) were fresh and savory. The Lentil Radish salad was a bit bland for my taste, but super healthy for those sticking to a strict diet. My only complaint is the narrow passage way to the dining area bottlenecks. It seems especially hard to get in/​out of the dining area while servers are attempting to enter orders and get to the kitchen.
Side note — I loved the little heater in the bathroom! It’s necessary for any ‘luxury’ spot restroom to have adequate heating in the bathroom.

This location is one block from the Four Seasons hotel where we were staying for the weekend. Walked to Le Pain in single digit temps and when we entered, it was warm indie even though we were seated by a window: a nice start. The place is small and the tables are cramped next to each other.
We had omelets. I chose the Avocado and tomato omelet and I added mushrooms. The avocados were not ripe (actually crunchy).
We like Le Pain but the service is mostly above average, not excellent. This applies to all Le Pain locations we visited… but we still like the food so we come back.

We had breakfast here on our last day in Chicago, as this place was a few doors down from our hotel. We ordered a chorizo omelette and a toasted croissant with butter! Both were amazing! The croissant was fresh and flaky… just devine! The omelette was very tasty and large enough to share! I wish we would have discovered this place on our first day in town!

Absolutely amazing spot for breakfast or lunch! I have gone three times this week and have gotten a different dish each time, it never ceases to be a great meal. From tartines to salads to soup and avocado toast, there is a choice for every palate. I will say, my favorite item has been the prosciutto and ricotta tartine. It is equipped with figs, pear, honey, arugula and sprinkled with freshly cracked black pepper. Incredible dish and I will be definitely be going to this restaurant more!
The only thing I will say is skip the lattes. The price adds up quickly and it could end up being a more expensive breakfast than planned. Otherwise, the food is very reasonable.

Cute place, but service wasn’t great & although my avocado toast was good, the bread was way too hard. I was afraid I was going to break a tooth! Also, a bit pricey. I may try breakfast at the one on Wells sometime though.

Being a California native, I was looking for a place that serves avocado toast. It was perfect! I ordered the avocado toast a few weeks ago and now I keep going back to get breakfast here. The food is amazing.
I love the bread selection and all the different types of pastries.

Convenient and quiet place to sit and work for an afternoon. There is always plenty of space, unlike starbucks next door. The service is friendly and quick.
The food is on the pricey side but pretty good. Their avocado toast is very good and I also like their spiced cider. Then they have the usual croissants and pastries of a french café. There’s not a wide selection of foods, so it’s more of a café than a restaurant. But it’s a nice place to come, chill and nibble for a bit.

Ive had much better experiences at other locations. I’ve been here twice now and although the atmosphere and service has been great, the food is over priced and disappointing. The kale caesar had a delicious vegan dressing but the salad wasn’t even tossed in dressing. It was tough un-​massaged kale with a pile of dressing on top for close to $ 14? The second time I had the frittata which tasted like it had been made days ago, really bland, and a side salad that tasted literally like bitter greens no dressing. You don’t need to know a lot about cooking to know they are just not putting in the effort here. Despite the place being almost empty, the food took a super long time. Not worth it.

Let me first say that I love Le Pain Quotidien. It has a good choice of healthy food and amazing pastries.
However, we were quite disappointed with this location. We waited for the waitress to take our order for 40 minutes. Then we waited for another 30 – 40 minutes for our meal to arrive.
It was so bad that my (pregnant) wife had to ask for a glass of juice to keep her sugar level intact so she doesn’t pass out in public.
The service was sloppy and the management just stood there doing nothing while one single and relatively inexperienced waitress tried to serve the two large sections of the restaurant.
I understand they probably were understaffed that day, but I am surprised that no one lifted a finger to help that young lady who was clearly under a lot of stress.
Goes to show how bad management can screw up an otherwise good business…

I love this brunch spot in Gold Coast. I’m really surprise at the low review for this place because I have an amazing experience here. I spent a rainy Friday morning hiding out at this cute and airy café to get my breakfast brain food in and some work done. I love working here. It’s better than any nearby coffee shop. They have wi-​fi, spacious tables, good lighting, great menu choices, and happy smiley waiters.
Yes, the service is excellent here. Katie was my server and she took such great care of my table the whole time — I felt so spoiled!
The food is healthy and hearty. I had the smoked salmon platter and it was really good. They have a fully stacked bakery of vegan, organic baked goods. The baked goods a bit pricey though. A chocolate chip is $ 4! Wow! Their teas are delicious. Both house coffee and teas are served in super cute ceramic cups.
This is definitely one of my favorite Chicago happy finds. Check it out if you’re looking for a breakfast or lunch spot in the area.

A little disorganized, lacking the coziness of LA or New York locations. Got served cappuccinos in paper cups

Waste of good real estate.
I went there because i wanted to try their pistachio tart. It was OK. Not much to write home about.
Ham & cheese croissant was grossly saggy.
Lentil was fine.
Quinoa was blah.
Chia seed pudding was average to a bit better than average.
Coffee. I like the use of small bowls but felt was a bit warmer than room temperature.
Service: attentive and profesional. I am sorry I forgot the name of the nice lady who served our table.
Bill for two around $ 50 was certainly not worth it (my sweetest loveliest friend paid for it and saved me from the agony of paying for something I disliked so much).

This is the perfect spot for a casual lunch! Several healthy options. I had the link special including avocado toast, chilled gazpacho soup and salad. So fresh and yummy! The coffee is super potent as well.
I enjoyed the side walk seating with my pup. Great place to people watch. There are plants and flowers all along the sitting area, perfectly situated under the trees.
Inside is rustic with wood tables and floors. There’s a massive community table perfect for large groups or for sitting solo with strangers.
The service is efficient, friendly, and unrushed.

3? THREE? 3 stars?
I’m in utter shock!
Here’s my love story!
(we we, yes yes… alll day)
Met my friend in the Gold Coast for her lunch break. All she kept saying «this cute place this, this cute place that… French this, french that… and then she says tea» «hmmmm…Fine, lets go!» I agreed.
Walked in, the feel was so comforting and cute, very French like. A bunch of organic teas, organic sandwiches, organic everything. I think I even heard the entire build out was organic. Whatever, you get the point. A healthy place ! As I look to my left when i walked in… There was this thing, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was called the FRENCH DONUT. Filled with custard, this was perfection. We sat Ordered a tea & not your ordinary tea… the arrival of this tea is sooooo cute. (Order one to find out. kidding pictures below) All I want to do was speak French. The tea, the donut the food. Everything was spectacular.
Don’t read the bad reviews… I don’t lie. That French donut changed my life. It was then, I realized how quickly my problems disappeared. Nothin else mattered. Just me and that donut. If I’m wrong. Let me know and I will buy you that donut again, because you will be wrong
We we we we we we we all day!
Xoxo…Your madam,
Koko

Cute place and good location, but a bit overpriced. The food was tasty and fresh but $ 15 is a tad pricey for a basic omelette with undressed lettuce as a side.