Soundings Café

If you step outside, the view is amazing but the food is overpriced & slow to serve with a limited menu. «Don’t expect anything and you won’t be disappointed lol.» Just remember how long the line was upon your arrival. Those are the two hundred people that will be hungry, along with you, at lunch time.
The one thing we did find that was semi affordable & that we all could share was the cheese plate. I have to admit that it was tasty to my palate since I never had goat cheese before but after waiting 20 minutes for service (with a growling stomach) perhaps a slice of cardboard with red sauce would have been 5 stars.
The Shedd is packed with families that walk around working up an appetite. Bring some food items /​snacks to «tide you over» (1860 version aka tie you over) and you will have a better more fulfilling experience not pressed by hunger.

We eat here every time we visit the Aquarium. The menu offers a lot of vegetarian options and the staff are really inviting. We love the view of the water too.
The prices aren’t too bad. We fed a family of five for $ 30 which is impressive. The food is very high quality. I’ve had the Mac and cheese and the Caesar salad. The soups are great too.
My husband loves their burgers and sandwiches. As annual members, we are happy there’s a quality dining establishment to visit.

We waited in line for 45 minutes, then 30 minutes to get our food. Once we had our food we waited another 10minutes for the server to bring our utensils by which time out food was cold. The only saving grace was a place to sit and a nice view of the lake.
Don’t bother ordering a pop. $ 3 for a flat soda the size of what used to be considered a small at Mcdonalds. Get plain water instead!

No one has been mean here; it’s a legit two (2) star-​place.
It’s located inside the Shedd Aquarium. Unfortunately, this is the only option for food if you didn’t bring your own snacks.
I’m not really here to bash how «bad» this café is, but the common sense will tell you that items are going to be marked up higher. Although the food that we had was fine (veggie wrap and Spanish/​pita croissant), if you want to save a few bucks, as I told you before, bring your own food and have a picnic by the whales. They have a plenty of seating in there.
If you don’t plan on purchasing any food item at this café, I’m assuming the view is free. They do have a spectacular view of the Lake Michigan.

Pizza is garbage! Coffee is cold. Stick to burrito bowl and bottled drinks which are severely overpriced!

If you’re looking to avoid the mad rush of the lunch crowd as we were, Soundings isn’t a bad plan. And something tells me the food court would have been overpriced *and* not tasted as good.
As it was, at 11:45 on a Sunday we had room to stretch our legs and then some, which I found a bit odd. I ordered the burger ($ 14) for myself, while my wife had a pork sandwich ($ 11-​ish) and we ordered the quesadilla for the kid.
Pro tip: if you come here, consider ordering from just the kids meal section if they’ll let you. The quesadilla, while dry, was huge and enough for two dinners for a 2-​year old. Only $ 5!
As it was, my wife liked the pork sandwich and I thought my burger OK. They didn’t ask me how I liked it cooked, and it came out medium-​well. The ingredients I thought were of great quality, but the seasoning was lacking. The fries were well seasoned, but essentially limp. Bacon was nice and crispy though!
So no, don’t expect a gourmet burger while you’re here. Service was very good overall, though; friendly and helpful. The views of the city from our window booth were great. Plus the restaurant was a good respite from all those other tourists out there!

The Staff R Nice. The View of the City Skyline and Lake whist U eat is remarkable. The Food, Well My sister wouldn’t eat there she said. I snuck away to get some soup, n a well it served its purpose I guess. Took them like 2 askings to get water.

We came here for a late lunch while visiting the museum. We had two young children who were hungry and cranky, so we needed a good rest. We chose the Soundings because the food seemed better than down in the food court. The view of the lake is gorgeous from here. In better weather you can even sit outside. We ordered first at the register and then you get a number and sit down. You have a dedicated wait person who brings out drinks (plus refills) and all of your food.
Our particular waitress was amazing. She was so very sweet and kept us fully stocked on drinks, silverwear and anything else we needed. She was very attentive and we made sure to tip her directly before we left. The food was all pretty good and fairly healthy. My boys both got a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat and a cup of applesauce and milk. My mother and I split a grilled deli sandwich with homemade chips and each got a cup of corn chowder. I felt the sandwich was good but the chowder was bland and not even salt and pepper helped. However, my mom loved the soup, so I guess I just like things a little more spiced up than some. Our waitress even offered to bring my mom another cup as it was getting close to the end of lunch and she said it was going to go to waste. So nice.
Overall this was probably the best museum dining experience we had in Chicago. The prices were reasonable, the dining room was large and not crowded with a beautiful view, food was good and service was excellent. It was actually good compared to most museums I have experienced nationwide (and even internationally).

Autant les musées américains proposent le plus souvent des restaurants/​cafés de bonne qualité, autant celui ci est très cher et sert de la nourriture minable. A éviter.

We went to the Shedd mid-​morning. We assumed any place to eat at the Shedd would not be very good and would offer low quality, prepared offsite, standard food. And, naturally over-priced.How surprised we were at the fare offered at Soundings Café.
First, there is a great view of the Lake and the option to eat outdoors. We were waited on for our drinks very quickly by a very polite lady. Throughout our meal, she continuously provided water and soda refills without us ever seeing a glass go empty.
My wife had a very good hamburger with excellent sweet potato fries. I had a chicken sandwich with avocado and a cup of the tomato basil soup. Both were very good. We had expected plastic utensils and paper napkins. Nice cloth napkins and real flatware.
The prices were very reasonable and the food came very quickly. As a former restaurant manager and owner, it was good to see this type of establishment run so well. Is it a 5 Star restaurant compared to normal establishments? No, not really. But, for being in a public museum, it is very much a 5 Star business!

Hands down exceeded expectations during a long day at the Shedd. For being in a museum, the price was actually very reasonable (9 – 12 bucks for a sandwich), and the serving sizes were great. It’s not quite a restaurant, not quite a café; but it works just great! The tables were very clean, the wait-​staff was very friendly, and even on a holiday weekend that was busy, it didn’t take too long to get food.
We’ve been to all the museums in town, and we get tired of having fast-​food that is really terrible for you and your taste-​buds. This place serves actual food! You even get a great view of the boats over the harbor.
We were also surprised by having cloth napkins!!! No paper for our dirty fingers.
The Shedd has done a great job improving the sustainability of their services over the last few years, and the Soundings Café was fantastic. I would definitely go there again.

This is a restaurant in the Shedd. The Shedd is a museum, meaning its resources, for the most part, get spent toward the fishies and outreach. I’m okay with that. So when I walk into the Soundings Café, I’m not expecting much. After all, it’s just there for our convenience, not because the people at the Shedd really like cooking food.
I’m going to say it: seeing all those fish made me really want seafood. Don’t tell me you saw that Japanese Spider Crab and didn’t think «with just a little lemon and butter you would be DELICIOUS!». I did. That’s exactly what I thought.
But, I digress. I was hungry and I wanted seafood. Much to my surprise, they have a sustainable seafood option! How cool! Tilapia with pasta and garlic sauce. It was pretty good, definitely exceeded expectations. The Tilapia was well seasoned and cooked just right.
The real standout though was their Southwestern Salad. Seriously, I could eat those all day long.
Either way, the meal is way better than the cold ham and cheese sammich I was expecting. I’d go back!

Eh. This place could definitely make their food better, especially if they get a lot of hungry people seeking a quick bite after wandering around the aquarium. I ordered a Turkey Club Wrap that came with potato chips. The portions were small but was enough for me. The wrap and chips were both way too soggy and they completely overloaded on salt. I’m not sure if I should’ve gotten something else because they managed to ruin a really simple meal. I’d say if you have time, go around Chicago and find somewhere else to eat. If you’re just looking for a quick bite, this place is sufficient in fulfilling your empty stomach even if you won’t be completely satisfied.

My bf and I went on a museum binge (Shedd, Field, and Art Institute on the same day) and came here for sustenance. We thought it was really weird that they served fish in the café of an aquarium, so we both opted for non-​seafood items.
I chose the lemongrass chicken wrap and he ordered the tarragon chicken salad sandwich, and we shared our orders. I thought my wrap was terrible and really small, as if I ordered it off the kids menu or something. The sandwich was okay, although the chicken dressing was super bland. I’m not sure if we just ordered the wrong thing or if the bad food is a consistent pattern, but I wouldn’t opt to come here again.

The workers made the place! I hope they are paid well as I didn’t see other people leaving tips. Our table did. They hustle & bring your food quickly.
2 of us split the turkey wrap with homemade chips. The 3^rd had the chicken & spinach panini. Everything was very tasty. Reasonable prices for the location. I had a nice Sierra Nevada in a cold glass & my friend had her fave Blue Moon.
Great views from the windows. Would be nicer to sit outside but they don’t let you do that at this restaurant.

If you’re at the Shedd Aquarium, this is the place to eat. The food wasn’t to die for, but it was good. Given the location, service, other limited options in the area and the quality of the food for the money… this place is the best you’ll get at the Shedd (hence the 5 stars).
We were all pretty hungry and the other food options in the area were more fast food cafeteria style, the Bubble Net food court and the Deep Ocean Café… both of which were too close to the smells of the water animals.
Soundings is a sit down restaurant, we had a short wait of about 10 minutes for our buzzer to tell us there was room for a table of 6. We ordered with the cashier, they gave us a number to place on our table and then we entered the dining room to find a clean open table.
The wait staff and bus staff that work that dining room, worked hard. Our waiter was really great, very friendly and kept my Dad caffeinated with a full cup of coffee… and we’re all thankful for that. A caffeine addict is not fun to be around when they are going through withdrawal.
I went with the Salmon salad, which was their special salad of the day. The salmon was a little over cooked, so I wish I would have gone with something else. But everyone else’s entrees were very tasty. The hubby went with a chicken panini, which was amazingly good. The siblings went with the pulled pork on a pretzel roll, but the roll was soggy from soaking up the meat juices so they couldn’t eat it like a sandwich. Same with my Dad’s beef sandwich.
Then there was the dessert, flour-​less chocolate lava cake. Thank goodness we ordered two because one of them was literally inhaled by a little Blondie. I take it, it was so insanely good she just didn’t want to share it. I guess that’s what happens when you’re the youngest… you have to eat extra fast or you may not eat at all.

Went to Soundings for lunch as we had just done the Aquarium and with baby in tow, we needed a place for all of us to sit and regroup… and feed the child. Soundings is located inside the Shedd Aquarium (in case you had not figured that out by now) and it actually just hit the spot. For a restaurant that has you at its mercy (like most all museum/​tourist attractions do) Soundings is pretty alright.
How’s that sound as an endorsement?
I mean, La Bernardin it ain’t. But what is? (well, ok, Le Bernardin is…) But it’s also not a taco vendor selling you burritos with meats of dubious origin. You order and pay as you walk in, seat yourself and wait for the servers to appear with your drinks and then about 5 minutes later, your food. I wonder why they even wait that long. It is clearly prepared well in advance, the wraps probably sliced to order, paninis pressed, salads tossed… you get the idea.
So for all of this, we actually had great service, a really polite server (who cruised our table two or three times, when considering how busy it was that was impressive), and the food was ok. Ok, not great, but better than it had to be and better than I expected it to be. It was also a timely break from touring the Aquarium (which was great, btw)
Anyway, if you are touring the museum, don’t be afraid to stop in, it is a pleasant cafeteria experience.

Soundings is one of the eateries in the Shedd Aquarium. It’s sort of like a Corner Bakery concept, so you order food off the menu, pay up, then find a table and plant your order number on a metal post. We did not wait too long for our food to come out. I ate a chicken Florentine panini, which was good but not great (Johnny T’s Bavarian panini sounds way better!). You get your choice of side orders, so I had a side salad with vinaigrette dressing, and my friend had fruit cup with the chicken salad sandwich. You can also eat outdoors on a patio with a spectacular lakefront view, but unless you wish to relive Tippi Hedren’s experience with seagulls attacking you, it is better to eat indoors or in the covered outdoor patio space.

That hits the spot. One Bavarian Panini, waffle fries, Sprite and big pickle (no comments) later, and I am a new man. Who knew that you could get such good food at the Shedd? And, it’s really good. My Bavarian Panini consisted of black forest ham, caramelized onions and gruyère cheese on pressed panini bread. They don’t skimp on fillings here. My sandwich was packed to the edges with meat, cheese and veggies. Because I wanted some extra crunch, I cut up my sizable pickle and placed it in the halves. It was quite the nice addition and my belly was satisfied. The waffle fries were numerous, lightly salty and a terrific way to finish a quick meal on the go. No longer hungry, I can get back to the task of transforming fantasea into reality.
On a day like today, it’s best for everyone that I’m not stumbling around weak and hungry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m hungry.

Over the vast wasteland of the Internet you can’t see it but I’m giving Soundings Restaurant the finger right now, from my couch. It’s rare that I declare somewhere the «worst (fill-​in-​the-​blank) ever» but for Soundings I have to declare it the worst service I’ve ever had, ever like eternally stretching across all time and space. I left no tip. NO TIP. I otherwise tip generously, even at times where my wife thinks it foolish. But for the waitstaff of Soundings I couldn’t find it in myself to leave anything, it was that bad.
We arrived at a bad time, I guess. Lunchtime on a Saturday. In tow were our two kids but almost every other table there had kids of some age or another, so I felt comfortable having our kids in what was otherwise a sit-​down type establishment. Our wait in line was pretty quick, altho the host tended to walk off to check on various staff instead of standing and taking names. But it’s busy, I understand these things, so I was just happy that we got to the front, told him we were two adults and one high-​chair and were off to a table instantly. Now he confirmed the whole high-​chair thing with me so imagine my surprise when I was left standing for five minutes waiting for someone to bring one by. I ended up asking a staff member if I could go grab one from recently vacated table and was told, «sure» in passing as that staffer rushed on to do something else. So I did. And we sat. And we waited.
We waited, as aforementioned, and finally after about ten minutes we asked a different passing staffer if we could order. She asked if we wanted our server and I replied that I didn’t know we had one, but yes we would. She walked away and a couple minutes later our server arrived for the first time, took our order and walked away. He returned with our drinks, which was promising, so we sat, fed my son some snacks and waited for our food. And waited.
We waited, as aforementioned, and finally after about twenty minutes we asked a different passing staffer what the hold-​up was. He informed me our server was «bringing it over right now» so we left it at that. And we waited. Finally five more minutes passed and most of our food was brought over. Most, but not all. So still we waited for our full meal to be delivered. Another five minutes and we were there. Not once were we offered refills on our drinks or any apologies offered for the delays. Just a lot of waiting.
So Matt, you’re asking, surely all this waiting was well worth it! Your meal must have been delicious, nay sumptuous and satisfying. But eh, it really wasn’t. I had ordered a steak sandwich and it was marginally good, mostly sloppy and fatty. My wife had a simple burger which they managed to leave an ingredient off of and my son had their fish nuggets which he took one bite of and abandoned to consume more crackers and grapes.
You don’t pretend to have an uppish-​scale sit down restaurant and staff it with folks that don’t care about customer service. You just don’t. I don’t care if you can’t find good candidates, I don’t care if it’s in a museum and I especially don’t care that it’s a busy day. Stop by the table and ask how things are, address my concerns with something more than a grunted syllable and for fuck’s sake, give a shit about your job. I saw none of this at Soundings and as members of the Shedd Aquarium, I’m just angry my money goes towards supporting service this bad.

Soundings Restaurant is located inside the John G. Shedd Aquarium. We stopped here for lunch. I highly recommend it over the cafeteria/​food court downstairs. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with grilled peppers, bacon and cheese. It came with french fries. It was good and inexpensive ($ 9) considering the views, décor and service. The views here are fabulous. You have a beautiful view of the city and Lake Michigan. It was a nice and romantic. The servers are wonderful — very attentive and helpful. Definitely a must if you plan on eating at the museum. There are not many restaurant/​eating options nearby, so it really is special.