CHOW

I used Chow for catering a bridal shower. Mary met with me and helped customize a wonderful brunch menu. I asked for a sandwich loaf (popular in the 60’s) and everyone raved about it. It had layers of tuna, chicken, and egg salad and was delicious. The vege tray and fruit tray were not only beautifully displayed but also were so delicious. Many of the guests asked who did the catering. Suzi helped serve and was outstanding!

Place has an absolutely wonderful assortment of options to choose from and very high quality food made with care. The prices are exceptionally fair considering for a place like this. They don’t seem to staff a lot of people and they get pretty busy so sometimes they might mix up an order if you’re not keeping an eye on it. However, anyone who has ever worked in the food business before would understand. Great place. Great food. Great prices.

Great sandwich spot. Boars head meats. Tasty sandwich ingredients. Customize hot or cold. Fresh and good quality. Delicious desserts. Really happy to have a place like this in Elmhurst.

Came here today for lunch with some coworkers… and I have to say the food was AMAZING. I would come back purely for that reason. However, my first impression of the staff was somewhat disappointing. They brought out the wrong sandwich, which I can understand might have been because I’m soft spoken and maybe there was a misunderstanding. Not a problem. They made me feel as though it was a hassle to make what I had actually ordered. I also felt like we were given a bit of a stink eye when my friend said «I feel like this place is too…» and the woman overheard, although what she was saying was «two soccer moms who knew they made delicious food and decided to open up a restaurant.» Again, I’d give it another shot because the food was that good, but if the service doesn’t improve next time I probably will not return.

Was getting off the metra near downtown Elmhurst and decided I should have q healthy fresh handmade sandwich lol! If you’re sick of eating jimmy johns or subway then you gotta try this local mom n pop store! I ordered the Turkey & Brie Sandwich with chips n fruit on the side. With my drink it did come out to $ 13 – 14 bucks but it was worth it. They also had delicious desserts right In front of me lol but that would’ve defeated the purpose of my «healthy» meal lol. Will definitely come back to this place!

I’ve only been here once, but I got a turkey/​brie sandwich & it was great! They made my sandwich super fast and were very kind at the counter. It was slightly on the pricier side for a simple sandwich, which is why I gave 4 stars. I will be back to buy some frozen meals which were half off through the end of this month-​September (2015).

Great food, HORRIBLE service. I worked as a cashier at Chow for about three months before quitting because I could not deal with my rude and aggressive coworkers. I would watch in horror as they snapped at customers, or ignored them altogether. While i cannot deny the high quality of the food, it does not justify the way in which Chow treated their clientele. Do not come here unless you enjoy being yelled at when you ask for a sandwich.

Not a fan. Have had issues with food there on multiple occasions. Tried it again for carryout for a meeting, and the quality was not improved at all.

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and immediately known you were going to like it? That was my experience today. There’s something about the décor and the friendliness of the staff that made me immediately feel comfortable. I really try not to «judge the book by the cover» but I was reluctant to try this restaurant. I honestly thought it was entirely carry-​out. Funny, but I waited until summer just in case I had to eat in the car … lol. I didn’t realize that they made fresh sandwiches and they had indoor seating. Not a lot mind you, but there are a few tables. Plus, I should have noticed the tables outside. I’m not a very observant person! In terms of sandwiches I ordered the turkey with havarti cheese on a baguette. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better turkey sandwich in town! It was also a great deal. I had the sandwich, some spicy chips, and a container of fruit for a little over $ 8. I can’t wait to go back!
As of this writing there are ninety-​six restaurants in Elmhurst. I plan on eating at, and reviewing, every one. Follow me on Unilocal

I love coming here during my lunch breaks on Saturdays. I attend Elmhurst College Graduate School. Located next to the Metra stop beside a few other great places to eat and drink. I have tried the gourmet sandwiches and they are phenomenal. Always fresh and healthy. High quality, natural, handmade food for any occasion, business or pleasure. There are a few tables to sit down and eat. Refrigerated salads and other prepared foods are in front of you while you order. Behind you there is a refrigerator filled with pretty cool drinks. While I’m eating I’ve seen people picking up catering orders of sandwiches and cupcakes. They also serve breakfast and the staff is very friendly. The menu changes daily.

Fyi: owner didnt appreciate feedback so my review got moved to the «do not recommend» section instead of responding! So i will repost! Went to wedding catered from here… none of the food was the stuff at the taste test. None of it tasted fresh either, like it had been made the day or two before and heated up. The lasagna was like eating a brick, dry, tasteless and insanely greasy. For the money she charged for the food and «service» it was ridiculous. She had a plated salad but was going to charge an extra 20 a head to serve the food over buffet? Also the «bar“if you want to call it that — couldn’t make a cosmo and told my husband they didn’t have big enough glasses to make a long island… again for the money this woman charged my loved one… she got away with murder in my opinion, had it been my wedding none of these shenanigans would have taken place! Beware if catering!

Somehow Mary makes kale salad taste not just edible but delicious. I love the sandwiches and other creations.

Catered sandwiches and macaroons for daughters wedding. We sampled macaroons before hand and day of wedding they were nothing like we sampledpaid a lot of money for mediocre quality.

Love this place! Excellent sandwiches. Try the Salsalito turkey on a pretzel roll or take some of their horsey bacon dip to go. Great chicken salad as well.

A year ago, Mary at Chow catered our wedding at the Wilder Mansion and we loved it at the time. But we decided to wait until our first anniversary to see if we still thought so highly of her work, or if it was just afterglow of the wedding day.
Well, here we are, and we still love the service we got!
It was a fantastic experience from planning through execution. Mary was a tremendous help in picking out a good selection of food for our budget. We feel like we got more food for our money because the food was so good and our guests were all satisfied with their meals. The food was fresh and the offerings were unique and interesting, which was perfect for a wedding dinner.
As for planning, Mary was helpful in contributing feedback about timing of cutting the cake, when to put out appetizers, etc. She followed through on every detail and it took so much stress off of our shoulders. In addition, because she was so familiar with the location, it helped the event run smoothly.
One year later we are thankful to have come across Chow, both for the quality and selection of food, and also for Mary and her involvement in our big day. Thank you for making our wedding a success and for being so easy to work with throughout the process!
We highly recommend Chow for wedding catering in and around Elmhurst!
Jon and Erin

The best part of my day just started when I realized I forgot my gym clothes in the other car and decided that having a sandwich for lunch at CHOW was more fun than lifting weights on my lunch hour. Especially if the latter activity would have to be done in my street clothes.
I walked in and was greeted by everyone who worked in the shop as if they knew me. The teenage girl behind the counter offered me a free cookie and didn’t even balk at my aversion to chocolate — instead they just smiled and offered me a peanut butter one instead! Maybe THAT was the best part of my day. I know it certainly wasn’t sitting in that two-​hour meeting where we discussed things that had already been decided. #pointless
«We love redheads!» the other lady said.
Maybe THAT was the best part of my day. Too many good things were happening all at once. I needed to sit down.
I ordered the daily special, which today consisted of a baguette with tempura fried chicken, homemade barbecue sauce and homemade coleslaw. Homemade deliciousness is more like it. You heard me right. TEMPURA FRIED CHICKEN. That definitely had to have been the best part of my day.
As I was eating I texted the below picture to my wife and told her what it was.
«Whoa» was her response.
Whoa indeed. This was worthy of a Joey Lawrence-​level «whoa.»
And then I went back for two more of those sandwiches so we could have ‘em for dinner.

I’ve been a customer of Chow ever since I moved to Elmhurst. I live right around the corner. This is my first review for them. I love the food in the case. The kale salad is the best I like most of their soups, and they are more than willing to let you sample. I wish that was the case for their pastries. So many times I have bought something there i.e. muffins, cakes, cookies, and they were just terrible. They do really well with the peanut butter cookies & lemon bars but any other thing is hit or miss. Would have given them 3 stars but the hot foods, soups, and friendly warranted an extra star.

The food is pretty good. I’ve been there a couple of times and the sandwiches were enjoyable, but not knock your socks off.
However, the service leaves something to be desired. After finishing lunch outside, I went inside and emptied my basket and handed it to the cashier. Holding up my glass bottle, I then asked if they recycle. She responded «obviously not.» I’m not sure why it is so «obvious,» especially since on another occasion the cashier indicated that they did and took my glass bottle. Then the cashier felt compelled to add that I should feel free to take the bottle home with me to recycle it there. Although I didn’t take her up on her offer, I will feel free not to go back to Chow. I really think a simple «sorry, we don’t recycle» would have sufficed.

This is a chi-​chi food place, and the food quality is good, but not sublime. They have an interesting selection of sides at $ 8/​lb, as well as frozen entrees and wine. Sandwich list is huge, with a couple of vegetarian selections. The two breakfast sandwiches (eggs plus various options) are available with or without meat.
I ordered a breakfast sandwich, a cup of squash soup and a single serving of the farmer’s market salad. The salad was a little oily but fairly good. The first taste of the soup was incredibly salty and I realized tasting it that I didn’t know if it was vegetarian or not (it tasted of chicken). The server didn’t know as the chef had left for the day, so she gave me a refund. (Soup is confirmed gluten free; apparently vegetarian is less trendy.) Honestly, I wouldn’t have finished it if she’d confirmed it was something I could eat. The sandwich was good, though it might have benefited from some pepper.

I love their raw kale salad and everything here is so fresh. Also very friendly and a lot of gluten free food. For people who don’t eat it. Awesome!