The Picnic Basket

Food is decent, although overpriced for what you get.
The menu is disorganized and overwhelming.
Hours are inconvenient.
Service is good and is clean.

This is how a perfect deli should operate. I’ve passed by here so many times, and I thought this place was take out only. I shouldn’t have waited!
The Picnic Basket offers:
1) Freshly roasted meats for custom sandwiches. Many other deli meat specials.
2) A dizzying array of breads and toppings for your sandwiches. I’ve enjoyed the special roasted turkey breast and the amazing barbecue chicken thigh served on grilled naan. They’re spectacular quality, and a great value. The toppings can make for a great veggie sandwich too!
3) At least 4 freshly made soups like chicken noodle, cream of pumpkin, tomato basil, lentil.
4) At least 12 freshly made salads, with healthy options like kale, quinoa, and cous cous, along with traditional slaws, pasta and potato salads.
5) A case of freshly made dessert bars like brownies, blondies, 7 layer bars, oatmeal raspberry bars, and more insane goodness!
They have daily specials and another deal which includes a half sandwich, soup or salad side, chips or nuts, and a drink for $ 8.80!
You can eat on premises or take out. Service is cafeteria style via a line where you direct and watch them assemble your personal masterpiece.
If you want deli food, this is as good as it gets around here!

Wasn’t sure where to have lunch. Chose here. Glad I did. Went with the New Yorker and a barley soup special. Reasonably priced too!

I’ve been going to The Picnic Basket for 20 years, and it never disappoints. My wife, daughter, and I stopped in on this very snowy Saturday. I enjoyed roast beef and cheddar on a croissant. I also had a side of Thai Salad … it was incredible!
The Picnic Basket offers only the freshest ingredients for hand-​crafted sandwiches, soups, and salads. My one complaint, is that it can get quite crowded at times; but the swift and friendly service mitigates your wait.
There are only two types of people in this world: Those that are fans of the Picnic Basket, and those that haven’t tried the Picnic Basket. Which one are you?

I LOVE this place. Whenever I visit my mom in Libertyville I always go here for the turkey croissant sandwiches, and when they have it the cream of broccoli soup. This place is affordable and AMAZING. It always tastes the same, no weird tasting days. If they had them in Oregon I would go everyday!
Five stars, and I recommend that everyone try’s this awesome place!

The Picnic Basket is delicious! If I lived closer I would eat here everyday!
I love their salads, especially the Kale Salad! We selected them as the caterer for our wedding on 4^th of July and everything was amazing.
We received lots of compliments on the food, especially that Kale salad!
I also later learned that a family member of mine had them cater hear wedding over 20 years ago AND another family member knows the owners very well! Its a small world but it goes to show you that they have been running a successful and well respected business for a long time!
I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a great lunch spot or a caterer!

Tip: There are usually some pre-​made salads in containers near the cash register. Very convenient for «grab and go» lunches and dinners.

WOW. Just wow. I am dumbstruck. I got a huge sandwich, salad, chips, and a drink for under 10 dollars. I can’t believe the prices. It’s insane! Black magic! I kind of stumbled as the cashier said, «Which drink do you want? Comes with the combo. Grab some chips too.» I was like… wai– wha– wha??? No extra charge? I thought I was just getting a sandwich and salad. Wow! I’m not familiar with any other place of comparable quality that has a deal that even comes close to theirs.
It gets even better, some places give you a soft drink with their combo. I don’t like soda so it’s never worthwhile for me to get a combo even though I would love to take advantage of the food deal. However, the Picnic Basket has COFFEE as one of their combo drinks. Hooray! 5 stars. Additionally, they have a variety of breads to choose from. They also serve wraps and desserts.
Don’t expect any fussy marketing or elaborate packaging. Just a sandwich (made right in front of you) wrapped in saran wrap and soups and salads in basic containers. Love it. If I were closer, I’d come all the time.
Icing on top: the service is stellar. Not only is everyone fast and friendly, but they gave me a larger salad because they ran out of the small sizes. How hospitable.

Tons of variety, freshly made and efficient!
Stopped in for lunch this week. I remember coming here years ago when I was a kid, probably 20 something years ago. I remember having the chicken salad. Today I ordered a super combo, which came with a sandwich, pickle, side (soup or gourmet salad) chips and a drink. With tax it was $ 9.01
I got the chicken salad on French roll. Not sure what the roll I saw was that looked fantastic but the bun I ended up with resembled a long burger bun. It was ok for what it was but I would have preferred the bun I thought was the French roll. Anyway, you pick your meat (think subway style) and any toppings you want. Next I had choice of the salads or soup, I went with a really yummy looking pasta salad.
So the chicken salad was interesting. Nothing like I remembered from when I was a kid but oh well. The thing that threw me off was that the chicken salad was sweet. Not like slightly sweet but actually significantly sweet. I’m not sure if that was just a fluke or it’s always like this now but I won’t ever get it again. I got plenty of toppings on it and the pickle cut the sugary taste so it was all good in the end. The thing that was amazing was the pasta salad I got as a side. Sooo good! I could easily just go get a bowl of that and be happy. It was pasta, black olives, feta, broccoli, red and green peppers, and spices and olive oil.
The place is super clean, and everyone was very polite. The line was a bit long and they move people through fast and efficiently. It was a nice day so I got mine to go and headed across the street to the picnic tables in Cook Park and enjoyed my lunch outside. Highly recommend doing this in the warm weather, it was just perfect.
Overall I think the quality was fantastic, service was nice, and certainly an excellent variety for anyone’s taste. 5 stars for everything but the chicken salad. Next time I’ll skip the chicken salad and go with something simple or the salads which I also recommend.

Phenomenal wraps!!! Can’t go wrong with anything on the menu! The bow tie pasta salad is out of this world.