Protein Bar

«We do healthy, healthier.» Yes, you do, Protein Bar.
First of all, I think this place has a horrible name.
Second, if you’re coming from the street, it is a surprise that this is in the hospital (but there is ample seating and better wait times than other Protein Bars I’ve frequented).
Third, their food is indeed healthy, and not more expensive than other fast-​ish food. This is my go-​to on the days I can’t, or really don’t want to, cook.
Fourth, the staff here is exceptional. Friendly, patient, and make you feel like a friend by doing the little things. On time with my online orders… never… but if you learn to show up five minutes late you won’t have to wait.

Everything is Delicious! The staff is wonderful! Super fast and healthy! The Hi-​5 and El Verde bowl are definitely my favorites!

Fact: the only incentive for going to the doctor is getting to eat here. Yeah yeah, there’s that whole «caring for myself» thing too, buuut I can’t eat it sooooo…
I digress.
Anyway, Protein Bar is aces because it’s fast, customer service is friendly, and their variety of food options are all delicious and healthy. Don’t think you like quinoa? I don’t buy it, my friend. Veggies and grains are hubby’s kryptonite and even *he* adores their burritos. I don’t know what magical crack they use to make everything taste so good, but these contemplations merely cut into my munch time, so I choose to remain in blissful oblivion.
*My* personal faves are their chili and the spinach pesto quinoa bowl. Not only yummy, nutritious, but best of all they really keep me full for a while, which is a major plus because I don’t like to feel hungry, but do like to fit into my pants.
As other Unilocalers note, it’s within the galter building of Northwestern (675 N St Clair) on the 2^nd floor, and not terribly fancy digs, but if someone as directionally challenged as me can find it, I have faith in you too.

I was excited to find out they had opened a new location inside Northwestern Hospital. I had coupons mailed to me to try their new fall menu. So I decided to do so at a new location. This place is small and has a few seats inside. I made the mistake of coming at 1pm thinking it would have slowed down. Today I tried the backyard bbq bowl. It was good but I fear the consequences of eating kale. It was a a little sweet and a little bland. I am glad I tried it but probably not going back to get it again.

Another healthy option for lunch in the streeterville area. It’s located in the Galter building of Northwestern Memorial — 2^nd floor. The service is fast, all of their menu items can be made vegetarian. I had the Guac & Roll with tofu instead of chicken, which was ⁴⁄₅ stars. I loved the cilantro lime dressing and the solid amount of guacamole.

LOCATION: Inside Northwestern Memorial on the 2^nd floor walkway between Galter and Feinberg. (Can be hard if you’re unfamiliar.)
SERVICE: Our server was a ROCKSTAR. That dude was hilarious! Very easy to joke around with, he didn’t miss a beat in jumping into a mock debate my friend and I were having. That alone made for a good experience.
THE GOODS: I was just in for fresh juice. However, I was disappointed to learn that all the juices they had were bottled, not fresh. They had a single blended drink, the Hi-​5 (which was delicious,) but I am disappointed to see that the location website’s menu misrepresented the actual store. I didn’t have the food so I can’t rate that.
*Now I’m willing to be corrected if there actually was fresh juice here and I just misread the menu, but from my experience, the menu in the store was unexpectedly restricted.*
OVERALL: A good spot for the health-​conscious, but if you’re looking for FRESH squeezed (i.e. not bottled) juice, there’s not much selection here.

Uptown Funk Dedicated to Protein Bar
It is too hot (hot damn),
Go to Protein Bar and get juice!
It is too hot (hot damn),
Make me wanna drink Avo Matcha!
It is too hot (hot damn),
Add Vanilla Protein and Almond Milk!
It is too hot (hot damn),
Am I bad to get Fruit Loop’d too,
Drink it up!
Market hit you with Kale (wuhoo),
Outta Sight hit with you with Carrot (wuhoo),
Beetbox hit you with Apple (wuhoo)!
Cause Protein Bar gon’ give it to you,
Cause Huron St gon’ give it to you,
Cause Clark St gon’ give it to you!
Saturday night and we in Chicago,
Believe me and just come to Protein Bar!

This is the perfect place to go to get a quick cold pressed juice for detoxing. I purchased two juices in the healthy park quinoa bowl. The bowl was satisfying but a little bland and the juice tasted as expected.

Very, very healthy. I’ll be straight up, it’s so healthy that it occasionally borders on bland, which keeps it from being 5 stars.
The restaurant is run well, although we’re talking about a cafeteria type setting so don’t expect too much. I’m a fan of their salads, and their super seven mix is quite good although the inclusion of iceberg lettuce is a bit lame.
There are a few things that I think they could perk up in their menu:
— Buffalo chicken burrito with vegan dressing — why do vegan dressing for a chicken dish?
— More of the smoothies need greens

Located in Northwestern Hospital’s food court area. Can get confusing, definitely call the shop and ask for particulars if you are directionally challenged like me.
I asked the bellman at the hotel and he pointed me towards Michigan Ave. I walked an extra three quarter mile because of it. If I jay walked from the hotel, I would have landed neatly there.
I wanted a juice/​smoothie in the mornings within walking distance, so PB was it. The combinations are simple and they are willing to vary it as you please, if you are adding ingredients, it’s $ 0.40/ea item, still under $ 13 for a large and a small smoothie, but due to the extras, they provided a whole extra cup for the overflow.
Love how they have almond milk. Skip the vegan protein powder, disgusting. They also have whey and soy protein.
Not organic. When asked, they said it was too expensive. Sigh.
Juice was similar to a watered down smoothie, but still good, just not strained like juice. It’s green, so not complaining.
Overall, it served it’s purpose, not sure how many nutrients and pollutants my body absorbed.

While I encountered a bad egg, Protein Bar reached out and made it right. They offered me REAL exceptional customer service and offered an apology for my experience. I was very impressed. I’ll be returning! This was the kind of service I knew I could expect from Protein Bar.

I loved the spinach pesto quinoa bowl. Refreshing, tasty, and still amazingly healthy! Will definitely get it again when working downtown. The portion was a bit small but the flavor and density of the bowl was enough for dinner.

This update is for Protein Bar, in general, not this particular location.
The servicer who handles Protein Bar’s customer service and billing, LevelUp, is a total mess. I emailed Protein Bar/​Level Up 3 times over the course of a week after a $ 36 charge from Protein Bar was posted on my credit card bill while I was out of the country. I also tried calling them the following week. I got no response via email and was automatically disconnected after listening to a recording on the phone. After 2 weeks of no responses, I notified my credit card company that the charge was in error. A week after that, LevelUp contacted me to explain the charge and asked me to call my credit card company and have the claim reversed. BYE FELICIA.

This place is horrible and the workers are unprofessional and ignorant! Other locations I’ve been to are great!

Any place that focuses on helping me eat more nutritiously automatically has a leg up on the competition. Protein Bar does just that, and serves up healthy, amazing food. I opted for the black bean quinoa bowl. It came out within five minutes, and it was a huge portion! I can’t believe it was only 360 calories. This bowl was simple — a bed of quinoa, topped with black beans, and garnished with a little salsa, cheddar cheese, and fresh cilantro — but the flavor was out of this world. I’ve officially been inspired to use more quinoa and black beans in my own cooking at home.
This café-​style eatery is clean and not quite inviting. It suggests a quick meal in-​house, or (more likely) that you should take your meal to go. The staff was friendly enough, but not overly enthusiastic to be working here (at least at this location).
I would definitely return and try more lunch items. Their raw juices looked yummy as well.

This used to be my go-​to lunch spot but too many bad experiences have soured it for me. The Hi-​5 blend used to be so delicious but lately the pineapple they use is so underripe it stings my tongue with each sip. On my most recent trip the guy making my Hi-​5 reached into the blender after it stopped and with his fingers pulled out the only branch of cilantro he threw in, since it was unblended, before pouring it in my cup. Gross, and i should have received a refund since it technically became a Hi-​4.
I asked for some dressing to go with my wrap and he told me I’d have to go wait in line and and tell the cashier I wanted dressing. Sorry, not worth my time. I’ll just go somewhere cleaner and more accommodating next time. 3 stars because I used to have positive experiences here, back when they served the delicious Harmless Harvest coconut water. Those were the good old days.

Although this is a healthy spot, the portions are little smaller than I would like. The bowl size if you’re exercising, makes you more hungry than full. I got the bowl and the 16oz chicken chili and mixed it together. That did the trick.
I also got the acai shake, which was not good at all. I would say this is a decent spot for a quick fix on the road, but don’t expect much more.

This protein bar is located in Nmh. Sure does get a lot of traffic and I always come here after a hospital visit.
Food is consistent but knocked one star for slow staff. I experience a longer wait here with only 2 people in front if me than I have at any other downtown protein bar locations.

When I’m looking for a healthy meal option for lunch I like to hit up Protein Bar. I like the fact that they list the calories of each menu option.
My go to items at Protein Bar are:
–BBQ (grilled) Bar-​ritos: All-​natural chicken, organic quinoa, shredded cheddar, house-​made agave BBQ sauce, Super 6 Salad Mix wrapped in a whole-​wheat flax tortilla, then grilled. This «Bar-​ritos» is the best one that they serve… in my humble opinion. It’s delicious, filling and only 570 calories
–Chicken Chili: Hearty, chef-​crafted chili packed with all-​natural chicken, beans, healthy veggies and spice. This is a great option on a negative degree weather day. If you get the 16oz portion it’ll cost ya 300 calories
–Blended Drink: The Red Line, which consists of vanilla protein, choice of milk, strawberries, and banana. This is a tasty treat that washes down the BBQ Bar-​ritos perfectly.
I recommend you stay away from the:
–Capone Bar-​rito (grilled): All-​natural chicken, organic quinoa, house-​made marinara, spinach, and shredded parmesan wrapped in a whole-​wheat flax tortilla, then grilled. While this sounds good, it didn’t taste good.
–Blended Drink: Millennium Perk, which consist of chocolate protein, espresso protein, choice of milk, and house-​made cocoa malt. I’m a chocolate lover, but my stomach wasn’t loving this drink. The cashier saw the look on my face when I took the first sip and was nice enough to let me pick another blended drink off the menu at no charge.

Take the escalators to the second floor then hang a left and walk past Au Bön Pain and the Greek Kitchen.
Main reason I wanted to hit up this location is because it’s so close to work and the menu offers a little more variety than the Franklin local that I frequent. I’m obviously drinking the cool-​aid they are serving at the Protein Bar because I love, love, love everything they stand for. It’s fast-​food I still feel good after eating. They have healthy options, wholesome ingredients, display what’s in what I’m ordering (i.e. how much protein, calories, etc) and when I decide on a whim that today I’m going to go vegan they can accommodate without skipping a beat. Plus, PB introduced me to quinoa and I’m in love with that (I’m not a big pasta or rice fan).
I got a HI-​5 raw juice and the Southwest, my staple breakfast burrito.
.Geez, hear me Raawr! Raw juice has change my life. Aside from being eye popping-​ly expensive it was mouth watering-​ly sweet and satisfying. Definitely tasted the pineapple and lime… the cilantro was a mellower flavor and I couldn’t even tell they slipped me some healthy shit like kale and spinach. So in love with the raw juice… I might need to invest in my own juicer though because at just over $ 6 for a 16 oz. cup I could own my own juicer by the end of the year. The burrito was great as always, it felt bigger like it was a little extra stuffed than how they do things on Franklin… not that I’m complaining.