Protein Bar

Since I basically live at this location, I gotta say the staff and service are top notch. Crystal, Delilah, Jesse, Antoine, basically everyone there are always on their game. Keep it up!

Anton and Jose were awesome. I love the avo-​matcha smoothies from protein bar any time of the day. Yummy!

Protein Bar is decent option for a gluten free lunch. While there is no separate gf menu, a handful of the items are on the menu are gluten free naturally or there are some that can be modified. One of the nice things is that they do note which items these are on the menu.
If you are truly gf and worry about cross contamination, keep in mind that like many places, there is no dedicated separate area for gf prep. They do try to minimize cc by changing gloves, but there is still always a risk of it occurring. For this reason, I would not recommend getting a salad. I have found that the bowls tend to be a safer meal option.
The restaurant itself is on the smaller side, and can get packed during the lunch hour rush. The workers do a good job of getting everyone in and out in a timely manner. Sitting is also tight. There are very few tables, and the line to order and pick up can push the people into the tables.
The prices are pretty reasonable and won’t break your budget or expense account.

I love this place. It’s a simple, yummy menu. You definitely don’t feel gross after eating here. It seems like it is probably pretty healthy. The sizes are decent.
Overall I think this is a great lunch stop from work. Fast, cheap, healthy and delicious.

I like the friendliness when you arrive.
Every other time that I order from this location they get my order wrong. You have to check your food before you leave.
The items are also expensive for the quality of the taste.

Incredibly underwhelmed by Protein Bar. Got the guac and roll bar-​rito, which turned out to be a lot of money for little taste. I got that and one of the juices, which totaled to about $ 20. I get it, health food is expensive, but $ 20 is a little steep for a tasteless wrap and juice. The juice was the saving grace however: it had good taste, but I’m not 100% sure how healthy the meal actually was.

Recommend the chicken quinoa chili bowl! Especially on a typical cold windy day in downtown Chicago

Came here for breakfast and really enjoyed it. Its a healthy and quick meal that tastes pretty good. A lot of the stuff here is like what i would make for myself at home.

Protein bar! I love you. I hate your lines.
Please continue to make good food. Please find a way to deal with your lunch rush because holy **** am I never going to come here during the lunch rush.
I will say your food kicks butt, and it does. The amount of healthy/​vegetarian options is a definitely plus, even if you gave me non-​veggie chili when I asked for veggie chili. Veggie «Barritos» (burritos) with quinoa are always something I enjoy and a nice change from traditional burritos.
So, dig the place, dig the food, hate the lines.

What a find. I don’t really know the Chicago market to compare prices but for what I got, a healthy tasty meal high in protein, low in carb/​fat… So hard to find when you’re eating out… Absolutely amazing. This would play well just about anywhere.
So quit your bellyaching about the price, enjoy the food and hope they expand. The best healthy eating choice I have found anywhere in the country so far.

we need something like this in california. fighting obesity in america one healthy food chain at a time. not all calories are created equal and they have made them wonderfully here.
great service. great food. good prices. whole food. filling ingredients. definitely does not make you feel tired or fat. promotes feel good energy. very quick service. a+++++++++++++

Had a fully punched loyalty card, but they stopped using them, so I’m no longer loyal.

Ha! So I don’t share the same opinion of many on Unilocal.But hear me out…
This location for Protein Bar is nice. It’s small but they get through the line pretty quick doing the lunch rush. Food has been fine, smoothies have been tasty, no complaints on that front. That makes me give Protein Bar 3 stars, is based on the principle of the store itself.
It makes me laugh at just how much money people spend on this place when all of the food they serve, one could easily make at home. I get it — they claim to have all those good organic and natural ingredients, but c’mon. $ 15.00 for a burrito and a drink? That’s just nuts. My co-​worker has dropped probably $ 75 dollars here in about 3 months that we have been working in the Loop. Everytime she wants to stop here for lunch, I just can’t bring myself to order anything. I’ve had a burrito from here, the buffalo chicken burrito, and it was just ok. Their buffalo sauce is pretty flavorless to me. All of the ingredients I can buy for under $ 15 and make 3 burritos instead of 1. And yes, I understand, not everyone likes cooking or preparing their own lunches, but at least a store such as Prett doesn’t overcharge for a simple salad and dressing. Plus, they do awesome things like donating all of the left over food to homeless shelters.
So, that’s my rant about Protein Bar. It’s okay. It’s really nothing special and nothing that someone couldn’t do at home. I’m sure if you google ‘Protein Bar Bowls’ or ‘Protein Bar Burritos’ you could probably find easy to do immitations to try at home.

This was a hold me over smoothie before lunch. While I don’t have anything to complain about I don’t have anything to rave about either. My smoothie was sort of bland. It was named after Wrigley field. I’m sure some of the selections are tasty and if I was local I would definitely give this place another shot or two.

Got to the register and Nick was super helpful in telling me about all of the different proteins offered in the Signature drinks. He told me what he enjoyed and what would suit me best. Ended up with the Millennium Perk which was the perfect pick me up I needed this morning. He also helped me decide on the Pesto Bowl — it was delicious. The perfect size and exactly what I needed but didn’t know I wanted.
Then at the pick up area Crystal was super excited to see me. She gave me a welcoming good morning and asked me how my day was going. She genuinely cared! It was a nice refreshing breakfast paired with enthusiastic employees who want to help and make sure you enjoy your meal.
Definitely stop by!

Shout out to Nick and Jesse! Nick has great recommendations for which protein to pick in my steel cut oats and Jesse was full of positive energy. Delicious food and drinks.

I eat here often — it’s my «I want to keep lunch under 500 calories and be full» option. I usually order the buffalo or southwest salad, although I’ve also had the BBQ, spinach and pesto, and black bean bowls, as well as the guac and roll, bbq bar-​rito, ivy bar-​rito, and superfood vegan salad (except with chicken). So, right, most of the menu… The salads, plus sometimes a couple of hard boiled eggs (which you can buy one the side) keep me full for the afternoon most of the time which is saying something.
I think the Southwest Salad, Guac and Roll, Ivy Bar-​rito, and Buffalo Salad are the best items — the tastiest, most filling, and the least likely to make you feel gypped financially. However, I had to give some props to the chia seed dressing on the superfood salad — it’s excellent and one of these days I might try to figure out how to copy it. Oh, and speaking of financials, this is friggin’ expensive — a salad runs $ 11 — it’s a little silly, even when considering the quality of the ingredients. I could reproduce the salads for probably $ 2 — but they have a captive audience — namely corporate types who forgot their lunch (or would rather buy it) and want something high fiber, relatively low cal (depending on your order), organic, and tasty…
Note that the brownies and cookies they have pack the same (or more) calories as a regular dessert — they’re certainly not «light.» I know they’re not meant to be, they’re meant to be full of protein and less sugar. Still, not worth it for my nutritional needs.
The line at this location is often out the door, so try to get there before 12, or after 12:45. Also, it’s FREEZING in there in the winter so bring a coat.

The High-​5 is amazing. For being a smoothie with kale in it, it’s shockingly amazing and a bit addictive.
Plus it’s across the street from the Willis Tower, so get your health food on and then go stare down 1,000 ft!

If PB wasn’t located directly across from work, I may never have run across this restaurant, but I am so happy they are! I’ve eaten here a handful of times, and have never been disappointed.
Today’s selection was the Southwest Salad. Their super 6 salad mix is the bomb! Also loaded with warm chicken, quinoa, black beans, avocado, cheddar cheese, salsa and cholula sauce. If you do not like any spiciness, you will think this salad is too spicy. I think it hits the spot and contains the perfect amount of spice. Plus, the salad is HUGE HUGE HUGE. You are paying around $ 9.50 for it, but the quantity and quality are totally worth it.
I have also had their chicken chili in the past, and it is tasty and filling — but more of a cold weather food for me.
Things I love about PB, is that service is fast and friendly. If there is a long line, and their usually is, just wait it out. It will move very fast. They have sriracha and cholula bottles at the end of the counter, and little containers to fill up if you want — for free! They also have all of their nutritional information online, right next to each item.
Two big thumbs up for Protein Bar!!!

God help me, I love this place. I stopped in for breakfast to-​go before and I still dream about their Comiskey Cocoa. I ordered the cocoa with almond milk and the vegan whey. I probably didn’t really need the protein but the shake was so good. It was frothy and chocolatey. Typically, I don’t like things with banana in them, but this was the exception. Truly a treat.
I also ordered a denver scramble wrap. This was very filling and tasted very fresh. It does get a little bit juicy from all the veggies, so you do have to eat it with a bit of caution. I was so full from eating it and drinking the cocoa. The only downside is that this stuff does get expensive that I couldn’t imagine myself coming here on a regular basis. Love Protein Bar. I wish they had these in Atlanta.