Fresh Choice Chicago

It is very hard to make healthy food taste good, bc usually it is very bland and unfortunately Fresh Choice fails. Fresh Choice is expensive, small portions, and a huge disappointment. To be honest, I am not sure how they are still around. Skip this one over, even if you are hungry.

Back in the day this location use to be a TCBY… Fresh Choice stands up to what once was. They have great smoothies and good grilled chicken sandwiches. The turkey chili had good flavor but salty as brine. One time I order a grilled Chicken sandwich it took soooo long I thought the had to kill the chicken out back. Service is usually great tho!

Alright, here’s a quick pro and cons list:
Pros:
— the food was, well… fresh.
— the strawberry/​banana smoothie was great
Cons:
— every single server is a complete brat. rude, bitchy, and disrespectful.
— for an $ 8 wrap, I expect more than a puny little wrap smaller than a hot dog bun. The fiancé’s wrap literally caused me to laugh out loud. It was so small, it looked like something you would get in a kid’s meal. If you were 7 years old.
Overall: not worth the $ 20 I spent for two wraps and a small smoothie. There’s many other better places on Wells.

Oh! I makes me just a little sad to see that Fresh Choice only has 3 stars. I NEVER visit 3 star Unilocal joints, but I won’t ever stop visiting Fresh Choice whenever I’m in the area. Their fresh fruit smoothies are so yummy! I adore the Waller’s Winner — it is incredibly refreshing. I have had several of their subs and have found them to be very fresh, quality ingredients, and loaded with flavor. They don’t skimp on ANY of the ingredients and they are so tasty baked.
Give ‘em another chance, folks. Their smoothies, soups and salads are what ya go for. Not their charm.

I live down the street, I come here quite often. The atmosphere leaves a little something to be desired and it can get crowded in there in a hurry but it sure beats going to Subway, Jimmy Johns, etc etc. The sandwiches are pretty tasty, nothing to rave about… great place to go for a quick bite to eat, and you can’t go wrong with a smoothie! I think they really excel at soup! The tomato basil cashew… ohhh shit it’s good!
In the summer they have a lot of great italian ice and ice cream flavors. It’s a little dangerous. I go here often because it’s convenient, but it’s nothing I’d go out of my way for. If you’re in Old Town looking for a quick stop and you don’t wanna spend a fortune it’s a great choice!

A friend and I stopped here for ice cream on a hot Sunday evening. The place was very busy, and they obviously could not handle the crowd. The people behind the counter were VERY rude, to the point where I will never go back there! There was no communication between staff, and they certainly had no idea about how to talk to customers.
Ice cream was fine.

Apple Pie Italian Ice?
I was a bit skeptical when I stolled in to Fresh Choice for dessert. The Apple Pie Italian Ice was actually very good! My wife had a frozen yogurt with strawberry topping. It was OK.
I did not have a chance to try any sandwiches, but they did not look like anything special from what I saw on other tables.
Atmosphere is a bit uncomfortable. It certainly has a dive feel, but not in a «I could chill here for the afternoon» kind of way.

I have been going here for years to get smoothies, and never really tried any of the food. The smoothies are really good, primarily because of the addition of yogurt to most of them. I’m really not sure how «healthy» they are, but that was never my concern anyway. Banana, strawberry banana, stawberry, and strawberry (or) banana chocolate are my favorite combos. Cant go wrong with those. I’ve had the tuna salad, and chicken salad sandwich and it was always bland. My last visit i decided to try again and go all out. The chicken salad alone is not very flavorful, but I added cheese, mayo tomatoes and honey dijon, and it was DELICIOUS. Although there is no «healthy» element anymore.
Over the years I have noticed the service decline. I dont kown if they are overwhelmed now, or hiring a different type of employee, but 7 times out of 10 the service is very slow with a couple of ordering mistakes. Often time Ive noticed orders being forgotten, even with using their «sticky note + name» system. At the end of the day, get a great smoothies, and maybe try the food. Its kind of expensive for what it is, but smoothie are worth it.

Had the smoothies in the summer — yum. Other than that, the sandwiches are just OK. Cream of Chicken with lemon and rice soup — also «just OK.» It was kind of bland and not very creamy.
Service is slow, which is not good when I’m staaarrrrrrvvvving.
I didn’t enjoy my dining in experience. Something about the layout of the place. Overall, I just don’t like the vibe there. Can’t put my finger on it…
For deli sandwiches, I’ll stick with Jimmy John’s on North Ave.

When you’re running all over the northside, preparing for a big azz par-​tay, you forget to eat. You = me. And, when I forget to eat, I get woozy, bitchy, forgetful, whiny, sleepy, and pass-​out-​y (in that order). Since I wasn’t scheduled to pass out for another 13 hours, I needed to stay up. What to do? I’ll tell you what — you get delivered food from superwoman of all superwomen, Colleen C.
At the point of time which I started to eat my turkey sub, I was so hungry, wildebeest jerky would have sounded good (and, I would have eaten it). Not that I know the taste of the forbidden fruit jerky, but this was so so much better. The bread was toasted, crispy and flavorful. I hate when bread just takes up space. You’re a component of the sandwich, bread! Do something! This bread worked like the rent was due. Yum. The sub fillings were pretty awesome as well. It was warm and every bite had pickles! I love pickles on sandwiches (especially turkey) and this sandwich was chock (so, that’s how you spell that) full of pickles. Yum. As I devoured the sandwich, I noticed that the turkey itself was plentiful, juicy and sliced in such a way that it didn’t slide off the bread as you bit down on it. Yum. Going back to the juicy thing… usually white meat is sorta dry; not so, this one. Whichever bird gave this up was the pick of the, um, turkey pen? I dunno. It tasted good.
It tasted so good, in fact, I didn’t realize until the very end that there was (horror of horrors) mayonnaise on the sub. Eh, whatevs. I was hungry. This hit the spot and then some. I’d definitely come back.

Fresh choices make me happy… especially when I’m running around like a crazy woman on the day of a big event! And, a healthy option is a good choice as I was looking for energy but had no time for a food coma.
Enter Colleen C with a big brown bag of Fresh Choice salad and sandwiches to the rescue. Oven-​baked turkey subs for Johnny T and me, and a salad for the lovely Colleen. The sandwich was well-​portioned with real, fresh, non-​processed turkey… just like your mama roasts for Thanksgiving. Next time I’ll try one of their signature smoothies!
Fresh Choice, you hit the spot… and kept me satiated for 13 more hours ’til my head hit the pillow!

Fresh Choice had so much going for it; I used to order from them twice a week, but I’ve finally gotten fed up with their terrible service and rude staff.
About every other time I order from Fresh Choice, they make a glaring omission to my order, forgetting one item or screwing up another. But I continued to order from this restaurant because it’s one of the few places that has healthy options for delivery. Every time I called them on messing up my order, they promised to write my name down on a list, along with the forgotten item, and send it to me free the next time. You think they kept track of their errors with this grade-​A system? Not a chance.
They also provide incorrect information to GrubHub (the wrong amount for a minimum order), then unilaterally cancel your order without telling you because they’re not satisfied with the amount of food you’ve ordered. GrubHub is so annoyed with this that they’ve taken Fresh Choice off their website for the time being. They cancelled my order today, and when I called the woman was so unbelievably rude I let her know I would leave a review and warn other people about how terrible their service is.
If you want fresh sandwiches, try Ashkenaz Deli on the Gold Coast. If you want a healthy option, try Flat Top Grill just down North Ave. If you want juice bar options, order from Aladdin’s. Just don’t waste your time and money on Fresh Choice.

Just had lunch here, never knew it existed. Fantastic sandwich! I had the oven baked roast beef and cheese. It was amazing. Service was fantastic and the place was clean. Only 4 stars cause it was pretty warm in there! I think they had the heat on 80 despite that fact it is 60 degrees outside…
I will definitely be back though

The name really does say it all. Everything is fresh. It can be pretty pricey if you order a sandwich, smoothie and soup. But if you just go for a smoothie, it’s a nice treat.
I’ve had the chicken breast sandwich. It was a bit on the dry side but that’s where the «fresh» healthy choice comes in. I wish I would have asked for something to liven it up like a bit of mayo or oil/​vinegar, etc.
If you go with a friend, I would recommend each person getting a smoothie and splitting a sandwich. I think they are quite filling in combination.
I tried some of my friend’s chili. It was pretty tasty! But when is chili ever not tasty? Maybe I shouldn’t ask that question.
If you are tired of McBurgers and greasy fries, give Fresh Choice a whirl. It’s nice to eat there when it’s warm out as they have a few tables outside. Hopefully summer will be here soon.
The parking around there is not so easy. Meter parking. I think the parking lot near there is for other restaurants, but I’m not too sure. There are also plenty of other things to check out in the Old Towne area including the aquarium and the Fudge Pot.

I love coming here exclusively for the chocolate/​banana milkshake. It’s thick, not too sweet, and you can tell there are real bananas in it. 16oz is like 3.50ish, which is quite a lot considering a 16 oz smoothie. So I just come here once in a while.
The toasted subs are not bad at all. Reminiscent of Potbelly’s but not the same 100%.
It’s a pretty small place so definitely not good for large groups.

Came here on a Tuesday night after a long day of work to grab dinner.
Had the chicken sandwich: really good, juicy chicken with tons of veggies on a wheat loaf. Yum.
The berry smoothie was AMAZING. I literally wanted to move into this thing. So great and really satisfying. Smooth, creamy, ya-​hhhhhum.
Place is a tad pricey but I will for sure be back to try the other options. The turkey chili looked great as did the salads.
Quick friendly service.
Must try.

My coworkers and I are in love with Fresh Choice. We don’t even work in Old Town but we make the trip! They have so much to choose from and everything is pretty darn healthy! They have the best sandwiches — served toasted. All the ingredients are fresh too which is always appreciated. Their bean-​less turkey chili is to die for… in fact all their soups are wonderful.
I almost forgot about their smoothies! They are amazing and they have a lot to choose from. They are really light and you can actually order a size small — unlike Jubilee Juice. You must try one — especially on a hot summer day!
I do agree with Bruce W… the staff is a bit unusual — they aren’t really rude, but they aren’t friendly either. I’m always nervous to make up my mind, not as intense as the soup Nazi but still intimidating…

A really good place for lunch!
I had the broccoli soup, and a toasted turkey sandwich. Everything was excellent!
They have a bunch of fresh fruit smoothies and things like that as well. I’m definitely interested in going back to try them sometime, but this time I was here for lunch. My coworkers have been telling me to go for a very long time, and I’m so glad I finally did.
All of their food looks great, I can’t wait to go for another sandwich sometime, or try some other soup. And definitely, for a smoothie. A great lunch place. Stop in.

The place is a little… «off.» First off, the place smells a little funky walking in, as it is usually really stuffy and hot. I’ve been in a commercial kitchen before, and something is not right here! The girls are not friendly at all (after being here more than a few times), and I’m a little skeeved out they’re walking around in their short shorts and flip flops. I’ve seen plenty of people (including myself) send food back because its cold, or they have received the wrong item.
The reason I go back is because I’m addicted to a few things, such as their all-​fruit smoothies and the avocado sandwich. Mmm! Otherwise, the food is a bit expensive for what one gets. Such as the chicken breast sandwich, they give you shredded lettuce and onions, chicken chunks, and one tomato for 5+ dollars. Sweet? Lame?
+Avocado sandwich + king smoothie FTW

Does one glance at Cold Stone Creamery (across Wells Street) send your metabolism into freak out mode?
Fresh Choice to the rescue! They have a fairly stellar selection of fresh smoothies and juices that won’t send you into diabetic shock. Lots of fruit, lots of health.
I’m also a big fan of their turkey chili, but I usually just stop in for a smoothie and some patio people watching. Good stuff.
I mean, ya know. When I ACTUALLY have the willpower to turn down a Cold Stone Concrete masher upper with oreos, chocolate fudge brownies and cake ice cream. Ya know, those times. Then I get the smoothies.
;)