So I met my bud for lunch on Election Day, and we decided to go to Rustle + Roux. It was well into the noon hour, so the place was quite crowded. We decided to line up at the same food station, though we would choose different selections. The line we were in seemed to move very slowly, even by typical downtown Chicago lunchtime standards. My bud was noticing that the cooks at our station were tossing out food that they were preparing. Was the pasta burnt? Was the pizza imperfectly shaped? Was the staff disorganized, or just a bunch of perfectionists? One pregnant woman who was waiting for her order may have been wondering which would arrive first, her food order or the birth of her child. I ordered the meatball sandwich, which was tasty when I had ordered it previously from here. My bud was interested in the tapas menu, which was puzzling to read. Would you get a bite of the three listed tapas selections? No, he was able to select only one so he went with the short rib, a hunk of saucy meat that came with potatoes and a half lemon. At least he received his order. After some shuffling around, one of the staff at the counter looked out at the crowd of people standing around and took a straw poll to see who had ordered a meatball sandwich. Three persons raised a hand (including myself). But the guy said there were only enough ingredients for two meatball sandwiches. So on this Election Day, I was voted out. No meatball sandwich for you. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. We stood in line and waited about fifteen minutes for our food (my friend was at first perplexed when his tapas box came out ahead of a would-be sandwich), but I did not even receive my order. What made it worse was that no one made an effort to apologize to me, or to ask if I wanted to make an alternate food selection. After realizing that I was the loser of this round of meatball sandwich musical chairs, I decided to vote with my feet - by walking out of Rustle + Roux to get my lunch elsewhere. I turned the tables on them and will vote R + R off my lunch list. There are far too many good lunch places to eat in downtown Chicago, so I sincerely doubt that I will be back here. What an interesting Election Day!
(1)
Michael D.
This is the best kept secret in the business district. I come here often because for the business district the prices are competitive. (except for the grill cheese sandwich which is stupidly priced, i don't know why.) It is cafeteria style so its no place to court business or a date. This place is for eating food. The pizza station will not disappoint. The restaurant services a building of 7,000 people so between 12:15 and 1:15, the place is packed. The breakfast menu is good. They do make fresh omelettes so keep an eye out for that. Again prices are competitive.
I work in the building and have only been here for lunch once. However, many colleagues eat here all the time and have nothing but good things to say. I have personally had the fish tacos. They were good. Hot, fresh, and made to order, which is a very nice change. I have also had the hash browns when a colleague brought them into work one day. Not too bad for cafeteria breakfast. Then just the other day a coworker brought in a bunch of little desserts. The cheesecake was Yum! I will definitely be going back to try something else new... I will keep you posted!
(4)
Stephen R.
solid lunch place pasta hot sandwiches good salad bar lots of fresh options and they mix it up with some ethnic food (indian, Mediterranean, ec..). Great place to stay inside and eat. Seating isnt great, kind of stark on the inside but overall good place to grab some lunch to go.
(3)
Brenda H.
I tried this place over a month ago and had the burger with fries. The burger looked good but it was overcooked and difficult to bite into. The fries tasted a bit odd to me, maybe it's due to the oil used. I grabbed a Snapple as my drink and only wished I had ordered something else. I am tempted to try other items but when you reach the registers, people will forget all manners and walk (run) ahead of you. I really don't feel like fighting for my place in line or rub shoulders with people who act like the wait is killing them. For that reason, I like to grab lunch elsewhere. Also, the taco line is so long.. and it's the place I'd most like to try. I only have a half hour to grab lunch, I think the line has exceeded that every time I've stopped by.
(3)
Kelly M.
Changed breakfast cooks and my order is only right maybe 50% of the time. If it is right the eggs are burnt. It's convenient because I work in the building but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat at this place.
(2)
Carrie E.
I've been here a few times since I work in the building next door. I love all the options because I can satisfy almost any food craving. The employees are nice too. Salad bar is great and not super expensive but I wish there were more salad dressing options. I like the variety of fruit cups and other snacks as well as about every beverage under the sun. The "create" station is nice, but can take a while. One week it was mac and cheese and I between waiting in line and it being made it took 10 minutes for just ok mac & cheese. However the grilled cheese at the deli counter is amazing. It has roasted tomatoes and they don't skimp out on cheese and toast it perfectly. Definitely recommend that. I've had the pear & prosciutto pizza which I didn't really like, but would definitely try another pizza from there.
(3)
Carolyn R.
Just OK. It's in my office building and recently opened, replacing a less upscale but serviceable place our office used to call Upstairs Downstairs. That's not the actual name, but it was more of a description since it's one flight up from the lobby. While Rustle + Roux is very pretty, the menu items sound very good and the selection is large, but the execution leaves something to be desired. The traffic flow is a little odd, and it seems that there are not enough cashier stations. The "chefs" are nice, but don't see to know much about food and see to have little food service experience. One day I ordered a gnocchi dish with sausage, asparagus and leek sauce. The ratio of sauce to pasta was about 2:1. By the time I got back up to my desk the gnocchi had melted into puddles of cheesy potato, had completely lost any shape. It was tasty, a bit on the salty side, but resembled a sausage stew, not anything even close to pasta. Another day I ordered the meatball sandwich. Nothing to write home about. The meatballs themselves are better than the ones at Subway but not as good as the ones at Venice, which makes them better and cheaper plus they come with a side of salad there. It's in my building so I might go back for the salad bar.
(2)
Manny B.
Bummer, I loved the BBQ station so much I went back for it again. Guess what, they changed it to an Asian noodle station. Evidently, they are switching out this station weekly. Instead went to deli station for 12 ounces of carved smoked turkey breast. Excellent quality and great smoked flavor. I wanted BBQ. If I had made a special trip, from a long distance for the BBQ, I would not have been happy. I never saw or read anything about this weekly change station. Also, both times I went to BBQ station, it was the longest line. Oh well.
(3)
Crystal N.
My original review was based soley on the restaurant, but since I've now used them several times, I thought I should add a review regarding their catering, which is pretty damn great! The account manager Breana is effiecient and VERY helpful and her workers are always on point. I've ordered both their China and Italian buffets and my clients were happy each time. If you're looking to feed and keep your clients happy, I would definately give Rustle & Roux catering a try. Prices range from $15-$21 a person.
(4)
John M.
Rustle & Roux is still new, so we left our building and went over to the Franklin Place to try it out. It is on the 2nd floor (up the escalator) of the building. I think this place has potential and certainly some good elements. I feel that anyone going here is going to find something good that they like. So I will rate it high since I would go back and the food is good. There are several stations and one should be careful to get their utensils and napkins when they are handed their food at the station. Also, the folks behind the counter are inconsistent in communicating - some will ask you what you want, others are so busy cooking, they say nothing. So don't hesitate to ask them what to do and seek guidance from them. They are all nice, for sure. My group tried out the mercator and grill sections. Thos who had products from the grill were very happy with their meat and sides. I just wanted th pear and strawberry salad. I asked for it and was handed a premade container with the salad inside - it was small, but adequate. I saw several things I would like to try going forward, but they are close by so I will be back. This is one of those places you just have to try and see what you want. This is going to be very popular in the colder months since everything is inside. A great alternative for us who don't want to walk outside a great distance. Fabio from Top Chef is one of the leaders here and he was there cooking. As a foodie, it is just great to go to a place and see the chef in action that you are familiar with from the show.
(4)
Octavia B.
I've worked in the is building for about 3 years and was excited something new was coming to the area. Well that excitement wore off quickly. This place is overpriced, short staffed (or they are just lazy and slow) and the food it's that great and is definitely not hot. The few times I have gone here, I've spent half my lunch waiting on the food to come out. Don't get me wrong, the staff is very friendly but they are just so slow. And this is all the time, not just the lunch rush. Today I got the breakfast special frittata of roasted mushrooms, goat cheese, baby spinach - side of crimson grapes. Let's just say I'm glad it came with grapes because I would be starving. That this was nasty!! The eggs tasted old and worse than the grade school cafe breakfast. It was also burnt. Now I see why there was so much available this morning. The grapes on the other hand were great (but that could be because I was hungry). I've also had the burgers (buns always too hard) and fries (usually cold or burnt), pizza (pretty good) and the potato bar (great toppings). I haven't tried much else but my colleagues get sandwiches all the time but the wait it just too long. Unfortunately I'm stuck with this place, so I try to stick to the basics but stay away as much as possible. Too bad Chicago winters don't allow that too much. Guess I'll have to start bringing my own food. At least there will be no wait and I know I will like it.
(2)
Mia K.
I like this place overall but I wish their food wasn't so blend and tasted a little better. So far I can honestly say that the Baja Fish Tacos are very tasty, everything else is not.
(3)
Michelle B.
The rating is for the salad bar which is excellent ... good selection of proteins,roasred veggies, mixed greens. I love it!
(5)
Katherine H.
Tried the specialty indian station today and it was pretty awesome!
(4)
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Address :227 W Monroe St,2nd Fl
Chicago, IL, 60657
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Bill M.
So I met my bud for lunch on Election Day, and we decided to go to Rustle + Roux. It was well into the noon hour, so the place was quite crowded. We decided to line up at the same food station, though we would choose different selections. The line we were in seemed to move very slowly, even by typical downtown Chicago lunchtime standards. My bud was noticing that the cooks at our station were tossing out food that they were preparing. Was the pasta burnt? Was the pizza imperfectly shaped? Was the staff disorganized, or just a bunch of perfectionists? One pregnant woman who was waiting for her order may have been wondering which would arrive first, her food order or the birth of her child. I ordered the meatball sandwich, which was tasty when I had ordered it previously from here. My bud was interested in the tapas menu, which was puzzling to read. Would you get a bite of the three listed tapas selections? No, he was able to select only one so he went with the short rib, a hunk of saucy meat that came with potatoes and a half lemon. At least he received his order. After some shuffling around, one of the staff at the counter looked out at the crowd of people standing around and took a straw poll to see who had ordered a meatball sandwich. Three persons raised a hand (including myself). But the guy said there were only enough ingredients for two meatball sandwiches. So on this Election Day, I was voted out. No meatball sandwich for you. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. We stood in line and waited about fifteen minutes for our food (my friend was at first perplexed when his tapas box came out ahead of a would-be sandwich), but I did not even receive my order. What made it worse was that no one made an effort to apologize to me, or to ask if I wanted to make an alternate food selection. After realizing that I was the loser of this round of meatball sandwich musical chairs, I decided to vote with my feet - by walking out of Rustle + Roux to get my lunch elsewhere. I turned the tables on them and will vote R + R off my lunch list. There are far too many good lunch places to eat in downtown Chicago, so I sincerely doubt that I will be back here. What an interesting Election Day!
(1)Michael D.
This is the best kept secret in the business district. I come here often because for the business district the prices are competitive. (except for the grill cheese sandwich which is stupidly priced, i don't know why.) It is cafeteria style so its no place to court business or a date. This place is for eating food. The pizza station will not disappoint. The restaurant services a building of 7,000 people so between 12:15 and 1:15, the place is packed. The breakfast menu is good. They do make fresh omelettes so keep an eye out for that. Again prices are competitive.
(4)Mark B.
A handful of co-workers and I came here for lunch and had an enjoyable meal. Décor: The building it is located in is VERY nice - the lobby is incredibly impressive with lots and lots of stone/marble. The actual place where you order food and eat is pretty nice as well. It is certainly a bit more basic, but that isn't a terrible thing. It's just right down to business. There are several different options (sandwiches, tacos, salads, etc.) so if you come with a group then everyone should be able to find something they like. There are also a ton of tables able to handle groups big or small. Bathroom: I did not use it while we were there. Staff: The food prep people are very nice and the cashiers are quick to ring up your food. All around friendly staff. Food: Like I said, there are plenty of options to choose from, but I went with a Shrimp Club Sandwich and homemade chips. It was very tasty and they gave you a lot of chips (my favorite, of course). Additionally, they have large cups for free water, huge bonus! Value: The food is moderately priced and you can get away with spending at or just above/below $10 for lunch. This is a solid place that seems to be a go-to for my co-workers (which is cool by me). I know I'll be back in the future as this is already basically in the usually rotation.
(4)Tavi J.
I may have to update this review after I try more selections, but for now it was just okay. There actually use to be another cafeteria here before Rustle and Roux open. We use to just call it the AT&T Cafeteria. Anyways...I was excited to see all the different food stations and I spotted Chef Fabio Viviani :) I was having a really hard time deciding. My friend and I decided that when in doubt go with Pizza. I wish we would have went with something else though :( We went to the Mercato station and I ordered the Oven Roasted Wild Mushroom pizza and my friend ordered the Pulled Pork pizza. It was about a 10 minute wait. He really enjoyed the avocado and the pulled pork on the pizza. As for mine I enjoyed the mushrooms, but the rest of the pizza I felt tasted rather bland. We both enjoyed the pizza crust though that was cooked in the wood oven. I have on my hit list to go back and get the Mercadito taco's. I have been to Mercadito several times, so if they taste exactly the same as the restaurant I will be a frequent visitor. Since today was their grand opening they were giving out free samples. I thought the mac and cheese was pretty good as well as the quinoa salad. As for the décor/ambience I would say it's a nice place to go to with co workers. Lots of seating and open space. There was a violinist there...not sure how long there going to keep that up, but overall decent looking space.
(3)Brooke A.
I work in the building and have only been here for lunch once. However, many colleagues eat here all the time and have nothing but good things to say. I have personally had the fish tacos. They were good. Hot, fresh, and made to order, which is a very nice change. I have also had the hash browns when a colleague brought them into work one day. Not too bad for cafeteria breakfast. Then just the other day a coworker brought in a bunch of little desserts. The cheesecake was Yum! I will definitely be going back to try something else new... I will keep you posted!
(4)Stephen R.
solid lunch place pasta hot sandwiches good salad bar lots of fresh options and they mix it up with some ethnic food (indian, Mediterranean, ec..). Great place to stay inside and eat. Seating isnt great, kind of stark on the inside but overall good place to grab some lunch to go.
(3)Brenda H.
I tried this place over a month ago and had the burger with fries. The burger looked good but it was overcooked and difficult to bite into. The fries tasted a bit odd to me, maybe it's due to the oil used. I grabbed a Snapple as my drink and only wished I had ordered something else. I am tempted to try other items but when you reach the registers, people will forget all manners and walk (run) ahead of you. I really don't feel like fighting for my place in line or rub shoulders with people who act like the wait is killing them. For that reason, I like to grab lunch elsewhere. Also, the taco line is so long.. and it's the place I'd most like to try. I only have a half hour to grab lunch, I think the line has exceeded that every time I've stopped by.
(3)Kelly M.
Changed breakfast cooks and my order is only right maybe 50% of the time. If it is right the eggs are burnt. It's convenient because I work in the building but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat at this place.
(2)Carrie E.
I've been here a few times since I work in the building next door. I love all the options because I can satisfy almost any food craving. The employees are nice too. Salad bar is great and not super expensive but I wish there were more salad dressing options. I like the variety of fruit cups and other snacks as well as about every beverage under the sun. The "create" station is nice, but can take a while. One week it was mac and cheese and I between waiting in line and it being made it took 10 minutes for just ok mac & cheese. However the grilled cheese at the deli counter is amazing. It has roasted tomatoes and they don't skimp out on cheese and toast it perfectly. Definitely recommend that. I've had the pear & prosciutto pizza which I didn't really like, but would definitely try another pizza from there.
(3)Carolyn R.
Just OK. It's in my office building and recently opened, replacing a less upscale but serviceable place our office used to call Upstairs Downstairs. That's not the actual name, but it was more of a description since it's one flight up from the lobby. While Rustle + Roux is very pretty, the menu items sound very good and the selection is large, but the execution leaves something to be desired. The traffic flow is a little odd, and it seems that there are not enough cashier stations. The "chefs" are nice, but don't see to know much about food and see to have little food service experience. One day I ordered a gnocchi dish with sausage, asparagus and leek sauce. The ratio of sauce to pasta was about 2:1. By the time I got back up to my desk the gnocchi had melted into puddles of cheesy potato, had completely lost any shape. It was tasty, a bit on the salty side, but resembled a sausage stew, not anything even close to pasta. Another day I ordered the meatball sandwich. Nothing to write home about. The meatballs themselves are better than the ones at Subway but not as good as the ones at Venice, which makes them better and cheaper plus they come with a side of salad there. It's in my building so I might go back for the salad bar.
(2)Manny B.
Bummer, I loved the BBQ station so much I went back for it again. Guess what, they changed it to an Asian noodle station. Evidently, they are switching out this station weekly. Instead went to deli station for 12 ounces of carved smoked turkey breast. Excellent quality and great smoked flavor. I wanted BBQ. If I had made a special trip, from a long distance for the BBQ, I would not have been happy. I never saw or read anything about this weekly change station. Also, both times I went to BBQ station, it was the longest line. Oh well.
(3)Crystal N.
My original review was based soley on the restaurant, but since I've now used them several times, I thought I should add a review regarding their catering, which is pretty damn great! The account manager Breana is effiecient and VERY helpful and her workers are always on point. I've ordered both their China and Italian buffets and my clients were happy each time. If you're looking to feed and keep your clients happy, I would definately give Rustle & Roux catering a try. Prices range from $15-$21 a person.
(4)John M.
Rustle & Roux is still new, so we left our building and went over to the Franklin Place to try it out. It is on the 2nd floor (up the escalator) of the building. I think this place has potential and certainly some good elements. I feel that anyone going here is going to find something good that they like. So I will rate it high since I would go back and the food is good. There are several stations and one should be careful to get their utensils and napkins when they are handed their food at the station. Also, the folks behind the counter are inconsistent in communicating - some will ask you what you want, others are so busy cooking, they say nothing. So don't hesitate to ask them what to do and seek guidance from them. They are all nice, for sure. My group tried out the mercator and grill sections. Thos who had products from the grill were very happy with their meat and sides. I just wanted th pear and strawberry salad. I asked for it and was handed a premade container with the salad inside - it was small, but adequate. I saw several things I would like to try going forward, but they are close by so I will be back. This is one of those places you just have to try and see what you want. This is going to be very popular in the colder months since everything is inside. A great alternative for us who don't want to walk outside a great distance. Fabio from Top Chef is one of the leaders here and he was there cooking. As a foodie, it is just great to go to a place and see the chef in action that you are familiar with from the show.
(4)Octavia B.
I've worked in the is building for about 3 years and was excited something new was coming to the area. Well that excitement wore off quickly. This place is overpriced, short staffed (or they are just lazy and slow) and the food it's that great and is definitely not hot. The few times I have gone here, I've spent half my lunch waiting on the food to come out. Don't get me wrong, the staff is very friendly but they are just so slow. And this is all the time, not just the lunch rush. Today I got the breakfast special frittata of roasted mushrooms, goat cheese, baby spinach - side of crimson grapes. Let's just say I'm glad it came with grapes because I would be starving. That this was nasty!! The eggs tasted old and worse than the grade school cafe breakfast. It was also burnt. Now I see why there was so much available this morning. The grapes on the other hand were great (but that could be because I was hungry). I've also had the burgers (buns always too hard) and fries (usually cold or burnt), pizza (pretty good) and the potato bar (great toppings). I haven't tried much else but my colleagues get sandwiches all the time but the wait it just too long. Unfortunately I'm stuck with this place, so I try to stick to the basics but stay away as much as possible. Too bad Chicago winters don't allow that too much. Guess I'll have to start bringing my own food. At least there will be no wait and I know I will like it.
(2)Mia K.
I like this place overall but I wish their food wasn't so blend and tasted a little better. So far I can honestly say that the Baja Fish Tacos are very tasty, everything else is not.
(3)Michelle B.
The rating is for the salad bar which is excellent ... good selection of proteins,roasred veggies, mixed greens. I love it!
(5)Katherine H.
Tried the specialty indian station today and it was pretty awesome!
(4)