Forage + Craft

So cute! Took a break from shopping and went in for a salad. The service was really good and the salad was great as well. The view is nice and the location is great especially if you love the mall. The food here is very limited, just bites and sandwiches so its not the best.

Grilled cheese sandwich is delicious and worth going back for only if their service improves. Literally, this place and Frontera Fresco across the way are neck and neck for slowest service EVER. It’s frustrating because I really want to eat here again, but I can’t deal with the wait. I even called ahead to order and first time it rang and rang with no answer, hung up called again and then was out on hold for THREE MINUTES before I just decided to walk over and place my order. They told me 10 min and it was 25 min. Ridiculous.

So this is a nice rooftop place but don’t be in a hurry because the service is sooo slooow! The drinks are over priced but tasty. the food is fine. Small bites to share are the way to go. Don’t come here if you are really hungry. The best part is that you can sit on the rooftop at the mall and feel like you are not at the mall! It is relaxing especially if you choose a sofa to relax on.

Go for the rooftop for a glass of wine. Hard to screw up a drink that comes out of a bottle. Do not be tricked into getting a dessert. Absolutely disgusting. Out of the 2 desserts my table got, neither of them were edible. The chocolate lava cake was more like a chocolate oil slick. A flat tasteless cake, swimming in a sea of oil. The sticky toffee pudding had such a fake chemical taste that none of us could swallow it. What should have been warm tasty goodness, was cold, hard and fake tasting.
We did have an appetizer that was just ok. The hummus tasted like something I could have made at home. Actually I have made it at home and mine was better.
The waitstaff looked like they rolled out of bed, threw on a hoodie and called it a day. Wrinkled and sloppy. I’m pretty sure our waitress and the hostess were still asleep. Dude wake up, iron your clothes and put on a smile. Pretty sure this place will be closed by Christmas. Will not be back.

The food is really good, however… We waited over an hour for our meals and then the fourth person in our party waited another 10. No apologies, no compensation… Nothing. They actually told our kids to stay in their seats which is hard to do for a 4 year old when waiting an hour plus. In addition they said the juice was made fresh at the restaurant and yet it was served in a peeled bottle. This was my second time there. Never again. The service is getting worse. Definitely don’t go if you have kids! Btw. First Unilocal ever.

A very refreshing place located in a run of a mill shoping mall (Old Orchard).
Looks and feels very California — an outdoor food/​drink/​meeting spot taking advantage of Chicago area’s many sunny days, while provides lot’s of shade with cleverly placed umbrellas.
You can have a regular table or you can nest yourself into charming coach areas.
Food and drinks served by really friendly staff — mainly college age young people.
Farily priced.
Surprisingly for a place in the mall, the menu is designed by a talented chef, with flare of various international dishes; light enough to correspond with the leasurely attitude of the place, but trully full of flavor
The secret you’d ask? I asked: they grow their own ingredience in the tiny dirt plot up on top of that roof. Way cute!
They also serve delicious natural juice blends produced locally by another business the place’s owner also runs.
And…
they are a full service bar on top of everything else!
I’m frankly fascinated by this initiative and I came back multiple times this summer.
Bad news — as an outdoor place — closed during long Chicago winter.

I would leave 0 stars if possible. Similar to other reviews, the design of the place is great especially on a perfect summer day. I stopped by to relax and have a glass of wine. Upon arriving, the hostess made it seem like we were bothering her and showed us to one of the many empty tables. After a short wait, the waiter came with water and took our order. It was just 2 glasses of wine. After 15 minutes of waiting in a nearly empty restaurant, we walked out. There was ample wait staff so there was no reason for the long wait. Very disappointing because it’s a great location and concept. I’m sure this place will be closed within the year if this type of service continues.

Best rooftop restaurant/​bar around!!! I have visited here 3 times within 2 weeks and every experience was wonderful!!! Great farm to table food and fabulous super comfy outdoor rustically hip atmosphere! Felt like I was out of town in some exotic place and I only live within a mile from the place. But hey all you on here who are given less than good reviews, give this place a chance. Ok so they just opened and are a little new at things but what they are trying to do and also what they are accomplishing is really great! Seasonal local food and everything seems to have some thought put into it. My complaint is that the menu is small and no real entrees yet tho they say they are soon to add entrees… can’t wait! Just a great place to sit, sip and nibble on thoughtfully prepared farm to table food and enjoy the most comfortable outdoor dining at either a traditional table or kick back on a super comfy outdoor sofa grouping. I LOVE iT!!1

This place has the potential to be great, regardless if it’s only seasonal. I see a lot of nitpickers on here complaining that the staff hasn’t been well trained, among other things… And while I’ve only worked at one restaurant in my life (I was 16 and it was my first job at Portillo’s), even I can understand that when a new restaurant emerges it’s probably more than likely going to be a little rough at first.
There is a new (and probably inexperienced) staff, new management, new practices, new food, new drinks, new everything essentially. It’s somewhat unfair to assume that it will be perfect right off the bat.
With that said, I was thoroughly impressed with the cocktails I selected. My boyfriend thought the burger was fantastic (even though he eats his red meat medium-​well, like a chump).
Yes, the service was a little slow and the rest of our appetizers and the chicken sandwich I ordered was dull and overpriced for what it was, but overall it was a great place to relax. I suggest coming here for the cocktails.

The service here was amazing and the food was good as well. The prices are amazing for what they are offering. The menu is a bit small but I still enjoyed my meal quite a bit. It’s a nice change from all the other chain restaurants at old orchard.

Beautiful for a perfect summer day, but we waited 45 minutes for our food! Can’t comment on the food as we have still not been served and the place is only 25 percent full!
The chopped chicken salad is not a chopped salad but a pile of inedible red lettuce with slices of chicken etc… not very good — -does not come with a roll or bread, which of course canbe ordered. Also, if there is a breeze, hold on to your lettuce, napkin, etc.

Venue: Has a great design, ideal for old orchard, though it’s only seasonal. Music does not match venue.
Service: they are understaffed and not trained to a level most consumers expect, not trying to knock it but this will help this venue succeed if they change. We were not greeted at the table, after about 5min we decided to go to the bar, which I hate doing because I’m in the industry. The bar only had one bartender, which they need two on staff, one working well and the other working the bar, especially when their specialty cocktails are so detailed. The servers need sections not the host hoping they will tell the server which table is there. This will delay the 1,2,3 routine and create a bad experience from the start. Server is only dropping one drink off while the other is being made, that also creates a bad experience for guest as one drinks and the other waits, how about that cheers! Training needs to be put in place. Heard other guest say they are waiting for a table, about half of the tables are empty and they’re blaming it on the kitchen being behind. If that’s the case put reserve signs on tables and explain we have reservations coming in and it will be a wait but offer them to grab drinks at the bar, this will let the kitchen catch up.
Drinks: this is the second time coming here, first time no drink menu but was told It was in the making. this time they had it and we love it, lots of creative drinks but the menu is stapled due to it being two pages. That does not look good. Out of some products as bartender told server we can make that because we are out of a certain juice and the drink ingredients are misspelled. Guest complained on short pours for the drinks on the rocks as well as wine. Pour counts need to be implemented.
Food: we were offered their house made chip last time when our drinks arrived, which was a pleasant gesture. We did not get any chips this time and have not tried their food (kitchen time was to long as we heard other guest complain) so we can not share on that.
So here we go, this place would be amazing for a brunch place! Lots of juices for fun mimosas set ups, big money maker! Breakfast food would be a hit here, especially that they use their own fresh ingredients from the garden (which is up here – very pretty, adds character to the venue) as well as fresh juices from another location the owner owns (a juice bar).old orchard does not have a breakfast place unless you count Cheesecake Factory. Train your staff, hire the appropriate amount of staff, have a manager on duty all times, create a normal flow plan as every restaurant does. I hope only for success for this place! Change will be good, brunch, lunch, late night bites!
Need a developer give me a call!

Forage + Craft was incredibly disappointing, especially for their location and what it really could be. My visit was on Friday evening, 7÷31÷2015 at around 730pm. Party of 2.
1. Host was unwelcoming and didn’t offer seat suggestions. Additionally, host did not inform any server of our arrival forcing us to search for a server and wave them down after already standing for some time.
2. Incredibly short staffed.
3. Left over glasses and dishes were all over the place, including our table, and nobody picked them up until we asked them to.
4. Had to ask for things repeatedly — silverware (which wasn’t already placed on the table), glasses of water, refilling our water, the drink we ordered, napkins.
5. Food was… meh. I understand it’s not very well priced, but make better food.
6. Food was not fresh — the salad that accompanied my burger was old and what seemed to be pre-​made making it a bit soggy and soft.
7. Servers were extremely nice and polite (the only positive of the place) but inexperienced (not filling up water, incorrect order of drinks, lots of time between checkups.).
8. Music didn’t match ambience.
9. Drink menu’s were written on a piece of paper.
10. Even when I went to the bar to request silverware and napkins, bartender said they would get delivered… and they didn’t!
Such a poor use of space for what could be something really cool.

Did I go to a different restaurant then Jade, Peter and Gray et al? I had none of the problems other Unilocalers experienced. In fact I love this place… I mean love. My salad was one of the best I’ve ever had… quineo, chicken, kale etc (the usual suspects). Like other folks the allure of a rooftop at the mall brought me here. In short, I will go back… and defend their honor for as long as I live.

S. and I spent a very pleasant late evening here on the rooftop a couple weeks ago, with very few other customers. An electrical storm lit the sky as we ate a bit and drank outside beneath a very large umbrella, and our server was quite pleasant, truly a delight in fact, if unhurried. The appetizers, wine and bourbon were just fine. They were out of a couple menu items and some wines. Food and drink were slow to arrive. We were happy though as we were in no hurry. All went well. They exceeded expectations for a rooftop restaurant in Old Orchard. We spoke often after of our lovely evening and our desire to return.
7.31.2015 we thought we’d try for a repeat and perhaps an even better time. When we arrived, there were at least nine tables visibly available. I reported for our reservation to the young, female maitre d’ who said they were running 30 to 45 minutes behind, and that she had just been told not to seat anyone. I repeated what she had said, told her we’d wait in the bar and was told we could not get a drink. Many stools were available at the bar. Incredulous, I asked, «So, you’re saying we should leave? We can’t sit anywhere and wait?» and she said «Yes.» I was aghast, and actually shouted a bit at her (something I’ve never done with a front line person in a retail situation) then requested a manager. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Unbusinesslike, inappropriate. .. words fail. When we went into and sat at the bar, the very harried acting manager, a woman who at that moment was an acting bartender, stepped over and said they were very short staffed and were again, running 30 to 40 minutes behind. We understood this, both having worked in restaurants. When told the other little girl had said we should leave as she had been told not to seat anyone, Acting Manager said that she had been mistaken, though we did need to wait. No apology. She was behind the bar, I was in front of her, and she did not even offer to make us drinks while we waited, let alone comp a round. The other girl had run off by that time. We then sat at an empty patio sofa and no one even offered waters or acknowledged us as we consulted Unilocal for a good place nearby.
We soon left for Ten Mile House, 1700 Central Street in Evanston, an absolutely wonderful restaurant with charming, intelligent, well trained and efficient staff, skilled and personable chef and management, and delightful, extremely comfortable eating areas in their dining room, bar, and outside at tables on Central street. There we had a marvelous evening. We’re going back in about 30 minutes for Sunday brunch.
Of course, we likely will never return to Forage + Craft, though again, we enjoyed our first visit. We advise you all to simply let this one go also until you see evidence they have figured out how to run their restaurant. They may close for being unable to accomplish this, unless perhaps the owner finds a good, hands-​on manager who knows how to train restaurant staff and who perhaps hires based on ability. One can only hope. It could be a great place.
All our best,
Peter O. and S.

Very slow service! We sat at our table for 20 – 30 min, until we decided that we must be invisible and asked for someone to take out order. Wait staff could show a bit more enthusiasm.

I love the burger! Perfectly seasoned tender and juicy. And the grilled cheese is super yummy. Ordered both and shared with a friend. Both the toffee cake and the pound cake are fantastic desserts. The fresh juices are tasty and light. Perfect atmosphere for a relaxing summer afternoon or evening out.

The signature cocktails on their website are not available because they don’t have the ingredients. They didn’t have soda. They don’t have a blender.
Nice atmosphere, but the cocktails are extremely weak. So go with a beer or wine.
The food to share was fine. We had everything. Don’t bother with the watermelon.
People are nice, but their inexperience shows.
Not sure I’ll go back, unless I hear that they’ve cleaned up their act.

«We just paid to sit up here on the rooftop!»
Anyways my girl friends and I wanted to try this place out because it seems fresh, healthy, and new to the Old Orchard dining scene.
What drew me in was the great juice bar menu.
We all ordered a juice and had either salads or hummus/​falafel plates.
The juice was served in a unopened Plastic bottle and next to it was a glass with no ice. Seriously, if I am going to pay $ 6 – 7 for juice and it is from a separate juice bar menu; it should at least be tastefully presented! I also thought their juice was fresh squeezed but apparently not. They could have
presented it in a tall glass with ice and fresh fruit/​veggie garnish. But no, you will basically get warm juice from a bottle.
The salads and hummus/​falafel plates are good and nicely presented.
There was also a ice problem. It seems we had to ask for ice in a cup 4 times for our warm juices. It was about 85 – 88 degrees outside, so if you are outside dining I have no idea why they do not ice all the drinks.
Would I go again? Maybe… but I will bring my ice bucket with me lol!

I wish I could give this place 0 stars.
We were seated and it took about 10 minutes for the server to even come talk to us (the restaurant was pretty empty). Didn’t even bring us water. Finally when he returned to take our order I asked him what one of the plates was like and he couldn’t even do that. Finally we places our order. About 30 minutes went by and my girlfriends burger arrived. She was polite enough to wait for me to get my food, 10 minutes went by and nothing. We started picking at her chips which were disgustingly soggy, I was ready to send them back. As an act of desperate starvation I was about to take a bite of her burger but before I put the bun on top I noticed a long hair on the top of it. At that point I went to the server to let him know. He was just sitting at the bar, still no sign of my food might I add. He did nothing, no apology, no offer of a replacement didn’t even get off of his chair to acknowledge it.
Bad experience, wouldn’t go back if you paid me