Cosi

Cosi can be a great study spot because of how affordable the food is and the variety of food they have.
I ordered the curry bowl here and I absolutely loved the flavor of the bowl. The bowl should have more veggies so I’m not only eating chicken and rice. The staff are really nice here and they’re helpful too.

Who rates chain places? Not me usually – I’d typically choose the a local joint. But Evanston is technically in the suburbs so I’m going with it: and this Cosi in downtown Evanston is one of my favorite work stops. Wi-​fi isn’t fast, but sufficient for basic tasks, and the $ 5 for bagel-​breakfast sandwich and refillable mug coffee is a deal.
Some have said this is a cheaper Panera, but I’d probably reverse it. As a chain, Cosi seems to me like a slight step up from mass-​market Panera. (To be honest, they’re pretty similar).
This Northwestern University location has noticeably friendly staff (who walk around and offer you refills or to clean your stuff), baked bread for sandwiches, large windows, and I think they’re underrated.

Despite being a chain store, I love Cosi! It is one of the closest food places near campus and it is relatively healthy option to have. Service is great and there is a Northwestern discount for 10% which is awesome. Wifi is stable making it a good study spot! You can usually get free samples of the flatbreads up front.
I recommend getting the taste two! I always go for soup and salad. My go-to’s are chicken noodle with the signature salad (which is heavenly btw) and the multigrain bread. I don’t like there sandwiches as much because they use the same flatbread to make the sandwiches.

Had a bad experience here last week. Ordered the tofu curry because it looked so good in the photo. But when it came there was hardly any sauce, the cauliflower was cold, and some of the tofu had gone bad. (Trust me, rank tofu has a really nasty taste.)
When I told the employee and cook about it, they said it was fine and ignored me.

Really good place :) I love going here bc the service is fast and the food is delicious, also they always give u some extra carrots or chips ur call here :) My favorite is the tomato basilic soup and I always get a sandwich w it. It’s very very delicious, I eat here every time I’m in the neighborhood :)

Not too happy with the changes at Cosi. They have raised all of their prices over the summer as well as implementing a new rule that you need to order at least $ 5 (breakfast) or $ 10 (lunch/​dinner) to get a Wildcard discount. Cosi used to be awesome for their affordable meals. This new rule defeats the whole purpose of the discount.
I used to come to Cosi all the time. I’m so disappointed. :(

2 slices of tomato, 2 leaves of basil and 3 slices of cucumber in an $ 8 veggie sandwich. For 50 cents more of ingredients you could have had a happy, loyal customer. Not good business. #fail

Coai is by far my favorite café for sandwiches and salads. They have a creative menu and they totally blow Panera out of the water! I cannot stop eating the bread, baked hot and fresh with a salty chewiness that can’t be rivaled by any other cafes.

Food actually sucks. Came to use a free $ 10 coupon so my $ 12 of food was actually $ 2. Waste of $ 2. Been here twice, both times I didn’t like it.

My first time in a Cosi and I would describe it as a poor mans Panera. Its good for a fast, cheap lunch. I had the special of the day. I don’t remember what it was called their signature tandoori chicken and other ingredients such as avocado on a bed of grains. I think it was 8.99. It was good. The quantity of chicken can best be described as a dollop. My lunch companions had the turkey chili. I wasn’t blown away by the flatbread which is supposed to be their signature item. Service was pleasant and fast even though it was lunchtime it was quick.

I don’t feel like Cosi gets enough credit. It’s one of the smaller sandwich chain shops, so they are not at every corner like Panera, which is maybe why people forget about them? But I’m not about all the bread and an avid calorie counter, making the food options at Cosi far superior than your 600 calorie cinnamon crunch bagel.
Not only is the food healthier, it’s far more creative. The new bowls incorporate quinoa and portabello mushrooms well and leave you feeling full. The salads are a staple and I appreciate that they offer a lighter version of their signature salad. Your going to spend at least $ 10, but where won’t you.
This location can be a nice study spot and the staff isn’t always accurate, but they are friendly and quick to fix their mistakes. Plus they tell you about the wildcard discount!
If you haven’t been in a while, give Cosi another shot

I am really starting to love Cosi! Also, I am beginning to prefer this place over Starbucks next door as a study spot. It’s much less crowded on any given day, and the tables are generally pretty clean. The iced coffee here is quite good, so are the pastries.
I usually get the pick two with soup and the turkey & brie sandwich (also comes with chips or carrot sticks!). With the 10% Wildcard discount, the total comes out to be less than $ 8 tax included. It’s a pretty affordable option for a satisfying lunch in Evanston; the warm soup will help your body shake off the winter cold.
A lot of the comments talk about the bad service, but I’ve never experienced this. There are times when the person taking my order has on a blank expression, but this is offset by the number of times I have encountered very energetic and friendly workers!
Does anyone else pronounce it co-​SEE since there is an accent over the i? And to distinguish it from Cozy? No? Just me? …

The 4 stars is for the food. It was fresh and flavorful, and their bread really is something to talk about. Had a hint of salt that really brought out the flavor.
The service though… Could be improved. They weren’t rude, just very unhelpful. We had to wait on the cashier to finish looking down before we could order. And because the setup is unique (order at the counter then they bring you food), it would’ve helped to had more instructions rather than just silence from the employees.
But the food=great.

This is a wonderful establishment! Their drink and treat assortment is vast. The staff is truly awesome! This place has an excellent atmosphere. The turkey is delicious, augmented with the best honey mustard! The whole experience is great, this is so much more than a coffee place, the food is great, and they are so warm and inviting! Thank you to Alex, Juan and the entire crew, they really care and have great food and drinks!

I came here on a Friday night with a group of friends and ordered the adobe chicken lime chipotle salad and was SO disappointed by the dressing, because instead of the usual fresh-​tasting mildly spicy lime dressing they used, my salad was doused in SUPER spicy salsa instead, and I could only finish half of it. That was pretty upsetting. However, my friend wound up spilling her raspberry iced tea (which was actually pretty delicious) on the floor and the lady who helped clean up was super super nice and even made sure that none of our shoes were splashed on.

I used to love Cosi — I thought everything was delicious and fresh, and, well, the service was fine. I don’t ask for a lot, when it comes to service. I always have the Cosi Club, and I thought it was great.
The one thing that I hadn’t had, and which I was sad every Friday for missing, was their New England Clam Chowder. Well, I finally had it, and it was so disappointing. The flavor was fine — a little bland, a little watery, but fine. The thing is, there was tons and tons of grit in the soup. I don’t know what it was — sand, crunchy bits of shell, whatever. It was weird and gross and totally ruined my dinner.

Heard this place has great sandwiches and soups I’m in! Read that this location had bad service it wasn’t that bad although the they weren’t as friendly as I hoped! But I got the tandoori chicken sandwich and foi gras soup as a try 2. The sandwich was good expected more flavors but the soup was amazing! It also can with chips that were good as well! I tried the mojito lemonade which was very refreshing! Overall cosi is a overrated panera bread. The prices are high portions are small! Only positive is the variety in the menu! Just go to panera or corner bakery!

Previous visits in the Loop left me with low expectations, but this store was on the ball and the new pizza is delicious. The coffee is also awesome. Bring a foam bat and a smile to knock aside students and business folks so you can sit down. It is a busy place. Starbucks is similar and Unicorn Café also, so you might as well eat a solid meal here. Mom called and told me you looked thin.

WORST. SERVICE. EVER.
so my friend and i come in at around 3, since we had no lunch break right before, and the instant we come in, the person behind the counter completely ignored us. That’s right — not even a simple «hi» or «Just a second,» but complete and rather rude running around without acknowledging our presence.
So we decide what to order and wait. and wait. and wait even more. Finally, around 10 minutes later, he (the person behind the counter) impatiently told us to wait a bit more (no «thank you for waiting,» either), since «there’s no bread». Yet he didn’t even make an effort to accommodate us, and there were only 2 or 3 other customers. He’s running about behind the counter attending to various tasks, all the while still ignoring us. Yup — he wouldn’t even let us order non-​sandwiches in the meantime or offer us some sort of token for waiting.
After around the 15 minute mark, my friend and I decide to leave and go to Jimmy John’s across the street, where at least people are willing to take our orders first. So not much I can say about the apparently good food (there’s no cosi’s where i’m from in NorCal), other than this location has extremely rude and terrible service. Maybe Cosi’s needs to train its personnel in at least saying «Hi» within 5 minutes of people coming in when there’s no line at all. AKA, I don’t know what your name is behind the counter, but please learn some welcoming manners. That’s all I have to say.
I do look forwards to trying the food at this place some other time — maybe it would merit a better review if I can actually order my food.

I go to Cosi for the drink machine. I love the awesome selection.
Just a heads up. If you ask «would you like a fountain drink?». You should say, «In full disclosure we have only 3 of the 12 available products on the machine, but would you like a (discounted) drink anyway?». Just a suggestion.
The food other than that is only middle of the road — even for Cosi.
So many better options in downtown Evanston — so go forth and conquer.