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Chicagoist wants to like Su Van’s Cafe and Bakeshop on Lincoln. In terms of kid-friendliness, the place ranks pretty high with an accessible bathroom (but no changing table), plastic-topped tables, high chairs, friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere. They’re even a few doors down from our favorite baby store. Sadly, however, Su Van’s food doesn’t seem worth the trip.
Su Van’s has a variety of sandwiches, separated into categories by main ingredient such as tuna or turkey, a selection of chilis and a daily soup special. They even have a brief kids’ menu, with a handful of sandwiches ranging from a turkey panini to a creation called the “Elvis.” We tried their Oompah chicken sandwich for lunch, a dish for $6.50 that channeled the Mediterranean with its dill and oregano.
The chicken itself was rubbery, which is a deal breaker when we can head out to any of the corner burger joints that Chicago is famous for to get something better and possibly cheaper. While waiting for our chicken sandwich, we noticed a delicious looking picture of oatmeal and bananas attached to a review touting Su Van’s breakfast. We heard they had great coffee, so we were willing to give the place another try.
When we arrived with our baby on a weekday morning, excited for the promised tasty treats, we asked for their breakfast menu. Our waiter, confused by our request, said that they had stopped serving a full-blown breakfast on weekdays due to a lack of interest. In fairness, we were the only ones in the place for the half hour we dined there. They offered only one sandwich, which looked good in print, but wasn’t in person: the Eggspresso had a huge mess of steamed eggs, sprouts, mealy tomatoes, and unmelted shredded cheddar all in piles on our plate. Were we supposed to construct our own sandwich? We found this a bit tedious while trying simultaneously to amuse our child. We caught ourselves lustily staring at the Starbucks across the street. The worst part? Our waiter told us that Su Van’s doesn’t brew decaf. Not just in the mornings, but at all during the weekdays. We know you caffeine addicts are rolling your eyes, but this version’s vital for nursing and expecting moms.
Our waiter promised us that the place was “completely different” on the weekends. Their brunch menu did look appetizing, but if the food during the week was any indication, we won’t even bother, with or without our kids.
Su Van’s Cafe and Bakeshop is on 3351 N. Lincoln. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon-Fri, and it opens at 9 a.m. on Sat-Sun.
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i've walked past sue van's so many times and wondered if it was good and have wanted to try it. i think i'll pass....
This review is really frustrating. What is the point in writing a lousy review of a low-profile restaurant? There is news value to reviewing high-profile restaurants that suck...quite appropriately, you want to warn readers away from them. But Su Van is a low-profile, low-traffic restaurant (you admit that there were no other patrons on one of your visits). In that case, what value does this review serve? Wouldn't your readers derive more benefit from reviews of places that serve good food and are child friendly?
It appears that Elizabeth Shapiro is 0-for-2 in her "Baby on Board" restaurant reviews.
It's kind of impossible to know what kind of service and/or caliber of food one might receive before they go to a restaurant. And you only want "good" reviews? Doesn't that make the idea of reviewing a place impossible? That makes it an advertisement.
I have not heard anything great about the cafe, but when I want some cool duds for my kids I take the extra walk down Roscoe to Little Threads. Last week picked up Clash and Police t-shirts, other cool things too (http://www.shoplittlethreads.com/).
I couldn't disagree more. I live by Su-Vans and eat here all the time, albeit usually for their weekend brunch. The food and ingredients are some of the best I've eaten and it's all quite inexpensive with friendly, personable service.
And unlike most of the good city brunch spots, it's never crowded or rushed. I probably wouldn't go too far out of my way to eat there, but Su-Vans is a great neighborhood restaurant.
1. elizabeth's done many more than two reviews. check out her history on the staff page.
2. they can't all be winners. so what if it's a bad review of a small restaurant? this could highlight the very reason they don't have a lot of customers: they might not deserve to be in business. that's turnover. myself, i'm not going to eat at a place that sucks just because they're *not* a big chain or that they're family-owned.
Julene, you seem to imply that food critics should review every restaurant at which they eat. As a journalist who's known and worked with several food critics, I can tell you that's not the case. Good journalists--whether they're food critic, political reporters or on any other beat--do their research before writing a story. Some leads pan out, others don't. I never implied that Chicagoist should only review "good" restaurants, and a good review is far from an advertisement--an objective journalist should still point out fair criticisms of an otherwise great restaurant.
My point was this: Elizabeth Shapiro is reviewing restaurants that are child-friendly. Her biggest value to her audience is to alert them to restaurants that a) are child friendly and b) have great food. Did she run out of child-friendly restaurants with great food after her first published review on Chicagoist? There are no others in the city or suburbs that are child-friendly with great food, so now she has to review sort of child-friendly restaurants (with no changing tables in the bathrooms) with lousy food?
As a journalist who has a strong interest in food criticism, I would suggest that her priority in reviewing restaurants should be:
1. Very child-friendly; great food
2. Sort of child-friendly; great food
3. Very child-friendly; above average but not great food
3. High-profile places that claim to be child-friendly, but aren't (in other words, the places that parents might mistakenly go, and should actually avoid), regardless of what the food tastes like.
All of these reviews are more valuable to readers with children than a review of a low-profile, sort of child-friendly place with lousy food.
Apologies for erroneously claiming that Elizabeth has only reviewed two restaurants for Chicagoist. Chicagoist only has two tagged with the "baby on board" link, and I'm really just taking issue with the reviewed restaurants in that category.
I appreciate the review--I have always wondered about Su Van's myself. My guess is that a Very child-friendly; great food restaurant is probably already fairly well-known and doesn't necessarily warrant a review. I could write a review on Ruth Chris or Gibson's and say what great steaks they have, but what would the point in that be? You expect good steak from a reputable and pricey steakhouse...
Just wondering on the topic of "kid friendly"...
Here's a question that may or may not have a ton to do with the review, but I have a gig where I wait tables in a high (really high) volume restaurant that has a lot of kids come through.
What can a server bring to the table (figuratively and literally) to help make a parent's experience better and/or easier? And, incidentally... raise my tips.
Thunder+Animals,
When we go out to eat with our baby, our favorite waiters are those who are around but not impatiently hovering. As new parents, we never know when that melt-down will happen; when it does, we really want to make a quick exit so as not to disturb other people. Sometimes we can make it through dessert, other times-- we need a box, asap.
Patience and a sense of humor is huge, too. We're doing our best to be human (enjoy restaurants) and civil (not too disruptive to others).... kind wait staff is always very, very appreciated by parents!
And we do leave bigger tips since we've been parents! Good luck to you.
Ate there sunday. Had the same sandwich. thought it was good and not at all rubbery. Didn't like my flavored ice tea, but definately will be going back.
I kind of don't get the review either.
I mean, isn't it more helpful to have a list of places that are kid friendly as opposed to ones that are not?
or places that are good to eat at rather than a list of places that are not good to eat?
this place is worth checking out for their candied pancakes alone. just looks like you have to hit it on the weekends.
As a parent myself, I find no fault in a review of an all-around so-so (or even bad) restaurant. I think, in fact, this review of Su Van's is particularly pertinent in that it's located near a popular baby store. Lots of family foot traffic = lots of potential customers.
As a mom on the go, I frequently keep an eye out for good restaurants, and often proximity is a huge factor in deciding whether or not to eat at an establishment.
Because of Elizabeth Shapiro's review, I now know that Su Van's is just average (or below) as far as baby-friendliness and food go, and will steer my tastebuds and toddler elsewhere.
In general, I think reviews of "bad" places are just as valuable as those of "good." There doesn't need to be any hierarchy of restaurants reviewed, either. In fact, it would be a disservice to your epicurean readers to limit reviewed knowledge to only "good" places, or to work down a list of "good" to "bad" restaurant reviews.
First of all,
Decaf coffee still has caffiene in it, and expecting/nursing mothers still should not drink it.
Decaf coffee is NOT the same as noncaffinated coffee.
And, they do offer decaf americanos (decaf espresso blended with hot water) at the price of a normal cup of coffee.
Second of all,
I have been a regular here for years and I think they have great food. Try the weekend brunch if you can handle having your mind blown.
Do your research before you go snubbing an great cafe with amazing food.