Mac Kelly’s Greens & Things

CLOSED as of today, 2÷27÷12!

I come here every once in a while to create the ultimate, cheap ass salad!
There’s nothing extraordinary about the salad bar, other than if craftily created, it can be cheaper than every other salad in the loop.
They have more than 6 dressings, and the usual spinach, mixed greens, or romaine lettuce to start. Proteins like tuna, fake crab, chicken, and diced ham are among the meats you’ll find, with some beans for those vegetarians.
Fresh fruit, block cheeses, eggs, and cottage cheese, and multiple plain veggies can be added, too.
They have a MYO sandwich station that I have yet to try out, not sure how much it costs per ounce/​lb.
Anyways, no frills, cheap thrills, decent food creations!

Worst build your salad joints I’ve been too, yes I have been to many! Tried it once, it was mediocre at best. Second time, they were out of spinach, asked if there was more they could put out. A worker literally brought out a bucket filled with spinach and a pair of tongs. He slid it towards me on the floor and said «here you go». I looked at him said «No, here I go, out the door.». Yeah, I’m going to scoop my food from a bucket, think again. Haven’t been back.

They are supposed to be open until 3:00 p.m. but when I walked in at 2:20 they were putting everything away. I had to asked where the lettuce was and it was already in the back.
The only reason I went there was to get a salad. I suggest that if you’re going to close down early, just close the whole store.
Since I usually go to lunch at 2:00p.m. I’ll just find a new salad place since I don’t want to walk to Mac Kelly’s to check if their salad bar is still open.

1. Awesome chili — 12 oz. cup for $ 2.50
2. Self Service — nice and fast
3. Could be cleaner

Even in downtown Chicago you run into something new every day. Take Mac Kelly’s Greens & Things, I’ve worked down in this area for years and never stepped in. Quite naturally, I assumed Mac Kelly’s was all about vegetarian or even worse: vegan!!!
Fortunately for me the other day, I ran into my cousin while walking across Lake Street trying to decide what to have for lunch. She said she was going to Mac Kelly’s and my face frowned immediately. «Isn’t it that vegetarian vegan place?! I don’t want vegan food!» I said.
Well we walked on over and I found out that the grocery store-​like setup yielded quite a few surprises. I ran into racks of chips, a salad bar extending all over the place, a do-​it-​yourself sandwich station and their kitchen in the back. Personally, I was ready for some salad for lunch, instead I helped myself to some good old Chicken Kiev!
Chicken Kiev? Who would have thought I’d find some downtown? Sure, it is from buffet style line, but it was crisp and hit the spot. The mashed potatoes were a smash hit and the steam veggies were lacking but if you’re eating steamed veggies for flavor, you must be nuts!
Overall I spent less than $ 7 for my eats and can’t wait to try something else new at Mac Kelly’s Green & Things!

blair’s review is BS. he didn’t get his way as he thought it should be. i’m glad you went to potbelly’s & won’t be back. Means I don’t need to deal with you in line.
jenni q. gets the system & knows how to make it work for her. eating here will save your lunch budget plenty of money. I can’t prepare & bring my lunch for the same amount.
eat well

Mac Kelly’s is not just a «make your own salad/​sandwich» place like most people think. They have a hot dinner section in the back where you can get one entrée and two sides for only $ 5.99! There are usually about 3 – 4 entrees you can choose from and 7 – 8 sides.
Sample entrees:
Baked Catfish
Chicken Kiev
Turkey with Stuffing
Tortilla Crusted Tilapia
Sample Sides:
Macaroni and cheese
Roasted potatoes
Mashed potatoes
Caesar Salad
I’m there every Tuesday for my baked catfish with macaroni/​cheese and mashed potatoes! Yumm and such a good deal!

I love their fruit, and this place introduced me to pop chips (heavenly) but I have one request — PLEASE TURN UP THE AC IN THERE! It is SO ungodly humid in there — the last time it was 80 degrees (last week?) it was cooler outside than it was in this place. Make it cooler and you get 5 stars :)

I came here for the first time today for lunch and was not only pleasantly surprised but was pretty excited once I walked in!
I walked around checking out the sandwich bar first and then the salad bar and then the massive selection of beverages. I settled on a delicious and fresh croissant sandwich with a Caesar salad side. It was all very good and I had a taste of my friend’s amazing macaroni and cheese.
I do wish that they could throw some labels in the sandwich and salad bars, but the mere opportunity to customize your lunch in a healthy manner does make up for it. The drink prices are pretty steep but I understand that they gotta make money somehow.
Expect me back, Mac Kelly’s. Jimmy John’s, be afraid.

A sign advertising a Chicken breast sandwich on a pretzel roll brought me in. (I’m weak when it comes to Pretzel bread)
Once in, it looked like a grocery store with a salad bar in the middle. :thoughts of coming back for salad: popped in my head as I waited in line to get this Chicken Breast Sammy on a Pretzel roll (oh yes) .
The man behind the counter wrapped it all up and I paid. Brought it back to my desk, mouth watering, and… it was on a Kaiser roll… are you kidding me? bLahgh!
Never the less, it was pretty tastey… I would probably come back to check out the salad bar as it looked pretty tempting, however the rest of the hot food looked like something that I could get at a bar. Which is fine if you like greasy bar food for lunch, but thats just not my bag, baby.

Some times I pop in here in the morning to get some fruit off their salad bar. While they have a really good selection of fresh fruit (think blueberries, grapes, pineapple), it is a bit on the pricey side. I usually end up spending $ 4 for about a cup or less of fruit.
Oh, and is it just me or does this place have a bit of a funky smell to it?

Loved their fruit b/​c it was always ripe and sweet. In fact, I was a faithful patron of their delicious fruit every morning on my way to work –until 2 bouts of food poisoning within a three month span! Common thread? The fruit I had for breakfast from the open bar. Maybe it’s how they’re handling the fruit or maybe it’s just the germy winter season of people hacking over the bar. In either case, it had me jacked up both times by noon and out of commission for a couple days! Just putting the warning out there. No mo’ Mac Kelly’s for me!

I have a bit of a love /​hate thing going on with Mac K’s too. The salad bar is good. The items are fresh and you can control what you’re eating, so healthy. However, there is something about this place that grosses me out and I can’t put my finger on what it is exactly. I’m a bit of buffet-​phobe so that might be it. I have had the soup and I agree, not really worth it. Nothing spectacular. The entrees are pretty good, the mac and cheese is definately a good comfort food fix. They used to be cash only but now do take debit cards. Over all this is one of the healthiest options in the loop so a good choice.

Alright, I’ve been coming here more often as of late, and I’m liking it more… not sure if it’s the sprinkle cheese or the blue cheese that looks like mayo (but tastes so right), I am a happy camper after a salad from here.
I really wish I could say I made it healthier… but I loves my fatty salads.

Everyday, I walk by this place and usually ignore it. Recently, I’ve been going in when I need fresh fruit (after running out at home) and iced tea. For a deli/​grocery, they have a great selection of fruits and packaged veggies. It’s a little pricey, but better than getting small pieces of fruit from Au Bön Pain for the same price. They also have yogurt, etc. for the morning on the go snack. I especially like their selection of iced teas. They stock Honest Tea which is HCFS free, organic, and delicious. I haven’t tried their salad bar yet, but am impressed by their produce and beverages.

This is the spot for a healthy cheap lunch in the city. Im always happy when my huge salad weighs in and costs me under $ 5. You can also make your own sandwiches as well.
They are cash only.

Mac Kelly’s kept me well fed and helped me not break my fresh-​out-​of-​college bank. Lots of fruits and veggies and many a staple. The beef stew was my favorite. Just like grandma used to make! My grandma that could cook too!

I don’t like this place.
The food always ends up being more expensive than I expected, and they only take cash (jerks!). And then when I get it back to my desk, well, it just doesn’t taste as great as I want it to. It’s a little… off or something.
The real reason why I won’t eat here is — it smells funny. Every day I walk by this place on my way home, and it effing stinks like mildew and old food, and they are just pumping it out into the street every evening! I can’t eat anything from here w/​o thinking of that smell and getting grossed out! Just thinking about it makes me CRAZY!!! YUCK!!!
But the fruit is pretty good.

This is one of those places I visit and visit and then grapple with my review. I end up pressing «back» not «post it» after each attempt. I am not really sure how I feel about Mac Kelly’s so I guess I’ll just break it down like this:
–This place has fresh produce. It has a SOLID salad bar where you can make your own.
–I wish the salad bar had better meat/​protein options. The tuna is OK, but those blocks of turkey make me nervous inside.
–I get very excited to eat a salad from here. But it never tastes, well right. Something is always a little off. Something my mother always says flashes in my head: «A salad always tastes better when someone else makes it.» As do most things for me (and you too Mom. Sorry but your, er, cooking «style» is solely responsible for my Mac & Cheese in the blue box cravings).
–This place is EXPENSIVE and is CASH only. Grrr.
These days I come here when I want some veggies straight up — maybe with some dressing on the side. For a salad, I would rather hit up Spinners. Then at least, someone else would have made it.