Symphony’s Cafe

I’ve been here before with my family for dinner and it was very good. Today we’re trying breakfast!!! Yay!!! MY beautiful wife surprised me on my birthday!!!
Breakfast was wonderful I really like this establishment.

I wanted a nicer, more upscale place for my husband’s birthday breakfast, and remembering that Symphony’s serves breakfast, I thought he’d enjoy it.
I made a reservation, but really didn’t need to. They are not crazy busy for breakfast during the week. We were one of 3 or 4 tables, which really helped the service. They have a nice selection of breakfast foods, and our meals were prepared perfectly. (I added pics of both entrees.)
The ambiance at Symphony’s is always nice, and on this cold Thursday morning, we enjoyed coffee and a leisurely meal at one of our favorite cafes in the Evanston area. I made a good choice!

Excellent food, both quality and taste, not to mention size of portions. Nice service and elegant atmosphere.

Wow… lunch was so overpriced and mediocre, that I had to write it up. Large portions of grade C food. Lunch was $ 50 for 2 burgers, one simple omelet and a tuna melt. The ambience is weird, too. Service was just ok. How do they stay in business? We won’t be going back!

My boyfriend and I found them on Groupon and decided to give them a try. We went for brunch on a Sunday around 2pm and it was empty. I ordered a mimosa and the Greek & Feta omelette. The omelette was served scrambled. My boyfriend ordered the skirt steak scramble. His eggs were served cold. Our server was happy to warm it for him, no problem.
The food was ok. The presentation could use some work, maybe a different cook?
The décor in the restaurant is warm and inviting, and the staff is friendly too. Can’t say we’ll be back any time soon for brunch. Maybe their dinner menu is better.

I’ve had lunch many times at Symphony over the years so my wife and I decided to have dinner here tonight. We did not see a waiter for 15 minutes. Finally our order was taken. 15 minutes later, the calamari arrived, My wife was unimpressed with the grilled calamari as she thought it tasted fishy. I happened to like it. Then we waited another 15 minutes for our salads to arrive. We both felt that the salad was OK. Then, we waited 25 minutes for our entrees to arrive. We both ordered the stuffed rolled Chicken breast (Goat cheese, Spinach, etc…). My wife’s portion had less than a table spoon of stuffing which was a huge negative for her. Mine had a little more to it but not much. I thought it wasn’t bad, in fact I liked it.
Before receiving each course, we let our waiter know that the service was very slow. He explained that since the restaurant wasn’t that busy, the cooks were not in their usual «groove». I was a bit taken back by that comment. So I got up and asked the waiter at the front counter to have the manager come over. Well, she must have been hang’in with the cooks because she never showed up. I had to go up a second time to obtain my audience with said manager. She was not very apologetic to our concerns and was a tad defensive.
I doubt that we’ll visit again. The service deserves ZERO stars and the food about 2 stars. Therefore, I split the difference and give Symphony ONE star. They should be happy that I gave it the ONE.

We really like the food but if you have a coupon don’t leave it at home or you are SOL. Actually you can go to the really cool spice store next door and they will print it off for you so you can «present» it properly to Symphonys. Haha

I have only experienced Symphony’s for breakfast, never for dinner, I will begin there. Service at this little joint is pretty hit or miss unless you have Olga or Misha as your servers… they are on point. I have been going to breakfas there ALMOST every Saturday morning for the past year and half, mostly because it became a Saturday morning tradition with my oldest daughter and grand daughter. Let’s begin with the fact that we always have to get our own high chair for the baby, because even though it is evident when we walk in that we have a toddler with us, and ask for one… they NEVER get it. Never is NOT an exaggeration. The food is good but slightly pricey for the fact that it is simply diner food and nothing extraordinary. The Feta cheese & spinach omellete is my favorite and seems to be something not easily messed up. Otherwise I would say the Eggs Benedict are my favorite but after trying to have that a dozen times and the eggs came out overcooked I gave up. Last Saturday We waited an hour for our food, no apology, very dissapointing. The server that made this place feel classy, inviting and super was definately Olga, she is on maternety leave… not sure if she is coming back. But she made the experience quaint, fast welcoming. she saw us walk in and new us by name, got our drink orders without asking, and sevice was always FAST…15−20 from the moment we walked in. She was an incredible asset to this business. Sinse whe has been gone from August I have been wondering why on earth cant this place find servers who care about doing their job in a quality matter and who is cooking back there?

Outstanding higher quality food presented in a very comfortable setting. Always love their wonderful fish dishes paired with tasty side dishes. This is why you want to go out and eat in a great restaurant. The mouse chocolate cakes was moist and yummy. Even the steak hamburger and fries were perfect.

Went there for a brunch on Labor Day, thought the service quality was much to be desired. The following occurred meals came out at different times, table wasn’t set up when sat down, had to ask multiple times to remind server to bring us certain items requested, etc.
Food was adequate, but poorly plated. It seemed like they just threw it on the plate without any thought. Not itching to go back to this place.

Pleasant atmosphere and friendly service in this breakfast/​lunch café. The menu has a wide selection of the standard breakfast fare with the addition of some breakfast crepes. The Nutella crepes and the Monte Cristo crepes were hardy portions and my dining partners were satisfied with both flavor and presentation. Sadly, my over easy eggs were over cooked and missing the all important runny yolk. (I judge a breakfast place heavily on their skill in properly cooking eggs) and my hash brown and french toast arrived only mildly warm. This may have been due to the size of our party (6)my order was the last to be served. My guess is and that the sides waited on the plate while the other orders were prepared and then my eggs were cooked at the end. Overall an inexpensive, casual, spot for a good basic breakfast. (Sorry, we were on a tight timeline or I would have sent the eggs back and given the cook a second chance) Since there is no ½ star, I’ve given the 3^rd star more for my dining partners’ experiences.

There were 7 of us and we made reservation! Awesome benefit for a large party. Sophia (?) was our server and was truly superlative! Knew and recalled accommodations and requests. Food –Skillets were large and savory. We all took bags home. Great variety and ambiance is pleasurable with some nice art work on display.
Can hardly wait till we get there again! Next time we visit Chicago from the east will find us there for brunch!

Service is spectacular! It’s the highlight of the place. Décor is good but the food isn’t as creative as you would expect from such an interesting joint.
Had the gypsy skillet and it was good, hearty but not original. Hash browns with eggs, ham, mushrooms and three cheeses. One that was like a sliced American fake cheese. Solid breakfast but I wanted something more and different.
No complaints just not 4star awesome. Except for the service. 5 stars for the service.

My brother and I came to Chicago to visit our dad for the weekend and we came here for Saturday breakfast/​lunch. At first glance, the menu looked pretty good, not overwhelming and somewhat reasonably priced.
However, the kitchen managed to mess up a good chunk of our orders. I ordered a crêpe with Strawberry and Nutella, which ended up coming out with extra blueberries and chocolate chips. Not a terrible mistake, but still a mistake.
My dad ordered the Gypsy skillet with multigrain toast and sunny side up eggs. When the food came out, he was given rye toast and clearly over easy eggs. The waitress was kind enough to take the skillet back, and when the skillet came back, the eggs were still over easy. He also had a heated discussion about the difference between rye and multigrain bread, and the waitress spoke to the manager, which we could overhear. The correct bread eventually came out
My brother ordered the Gypsy skillet as well with over easy eggs, and although the eggs were fifty percent correct. One egg was over cooked, cooked over hard.
The waitress was kind and responsive to the errors, but the mistakes seemingly made by the kitchen cannot be overlooked. On the positive side, the green tea I had was a really flavorful, floral jasmine.

I’ve been here so many times and shame, shame, shame on me for keeping my rating at 3 stars. My favorite is the steak skillet, Pavlov’s dog — I can relate with you as I’m starting to salivate — just thinking of the succulent pieces of steak, the cheddar cheese and hash browns, veggies, two over easy eggs with raisin toast, butter and jelly. There you have it!!! Four stars!!! Make sure to ask for some Tabasco for a little Louisiana flavor.

I’ve been patronizing Symphony’s Café since August 2013, soon after hubby and I moved to Chicago. Although this place has received mixed reviews from people’s who judged from all sorts of standard; holistically, it’s a great restaurant to have a nice gourmet meal with your friend (s) or your significant other.
Yes, they do seem to have the groupon or the restaurant certificate deals circulating around, but don’t you always want to save when it comes to food?
We always come in with either a groupon or a restaurant certificate. I have to be honest. The food isn’t, out of this world, awesome. Nevertheless, with the ambiance, cleanliness, service, and taste of food, it’s a quality restaurant on a Central St. in Evanston. There’s not much I can complain about.
In the past, I’ve tried their dinner specials, such as the tuna salad with wasabi and salmon Wellington. I highly recommend the salmon Wellington. From what I remembered, it was a very comforting dish. The portion was generous. It was delicious, and like some others mentioned, exquisite.
I had the skirt steak Dijon tonight, and I asked my steak to be cooked medium. It was good, but not fantastic. I would probably stick with my salmon Wellington from now on.
They have a few vegetarian options. Hubby had the symphony’s rotolo. He enjoyed it, but I must have a completely different taste bud in comparison to my hubby’s. I thought the sauce with sundry tomatoes was a bit sweet.
I believe all entrees come with a choice of soup or salad. They also offer complementary bread unless you decline.
I’m not trying to advocate for Symphony’s, but I realized that many Unilocalers’ reviews were slightly unfair to it. To be explicit, Symphony’s Café doesn’t share the same grade as Gejas’s Café on Armitage, but this is definitely NOT a place similar to Danny’s or The Baker’s Square. In other words, it has its own «niche» in the restaurant business. Perhaps we have been fortunate that we never had any negative experience on service or food. I sincerely want to give a shout-​out to Symphony’s Café for what it represents.
Traveling to Evanston isn’t always convenient for both of us, yet Symphony’s is always on top of our list of restaurants and will try to make a point coming here.

I have to bump this joint up a star after my dinner last weekend. Long story short – the spaghetti and meatballs was tremendous. Pasta is a very, very rare order for me in a restaurant, and I probably have never ordered spaghetti and meatballs in my entire life. But there was something about that night that made it sound so appealing, so I pulled the trigger; and boy, did I hit a home run. Or rather, they did. The meatballs were really good, but it was the sauce that blew me away. I don’t know how they are making their marinara, but I cannot recall ever tasting better.
My only complaint is that there was too much sauce and not enough pasta, which is no complaint at all, really, since it meant taking home the leftovers and eating it again a few days later.
So Symphony’s may have converted me into a spaghetti-​and-​meatballs guy – but only at Symphony’s.

Damn this place frustrates me. It’s right by my house, has excellent ambiance, and the service has, in my experience, always been fine. But the food doesn’t stack up. Every time I’m here, something, based on the menu description, sounds really good. And then it is either not very good or just okay.
The salads and soups that accompany entrees are generally fine. They whip up decent mashed potatoes. But Symphony’s can’t sear a steak. They overcook pork chops. Vegetable sides are unappetizing. Flavor profiles of dishes are generally off, especially pasta dishes, and in particular seafood pasta dishes. Whoever is responsible for conjuring up their recipes isn’t very good at it. And their desserts are sometimes clearly old.
I would really love for Symphony’s to get a handle on their issues, because I want this place to be good. Definitely not worth the money at full price. Borderline with one of their 20% off mailer coupons or a Groupon.

Two stars, why? Bc their food is delicious… when they actually bring it. We order from here all the time and the service gets worse every time. This was the last straw.
They usually forget a coffee or a cake but this time, they forgot half of our order (the whole office ordered, only half got their food)
We waited almost 2 hours for lunch after ordering. When we realized the food was missing (we also had no utensils) I called, and I was told they are super busy today so they will refund for the food they didn’t bring. Not bring us the food we were missing…
Don’t bother ordering from here if you’re looking to eat your food today… It my never show up.

I am not sure why it took me so long to discover Symphony’s, but they are an Evanston gem. The food is fresh and done right. Their lunch menu has both breakfast and lunch items. The omelets are huge and packed with ingredients. My personal favorite is their Reuben. It is almost like a grilled cheese with corned beef packed into the middle. It’s outstanding! I usually get a side of cottage cheese instead of their fries, but the fries are to die for! There is always a bus boy walking around making sure your water/​soda is full.
If you need a solid lunch spot on the north end of Evanston then this is a great choice!