Zodiac Room

My bestie has been talking about this place for years but I’ve brushed it off as a weird department store café that I didn’t need to have in my life. I can sometimes admit when I’m wrong, and this is one of those times. The popover with strawberry butter is the highlight and you get that for just sitting down. I also loved the little teacup of chicken broth. It definitely gives you the feeling of a fancy tea party, with the price tag to match. I went with the Love Salad ($ 18) and was a pretty big fan. Mom went with the Crab Louis ($ 25), which she thoroughly enjoyed. The clientele is a little stuffy [this is Northbrook after all] and the service is present, but not overly so.
Bottom line: I’d definitely come back to fulfill that fancy tea party need.

Great shiek food at Neiman Marcus. Love the consume’ (chicken soup) and pop overs with stawberry butter. Both are complimentary. They are open 7 days a week.

Everything about Zodiac was OK. The food had highs and lows. The popovers with strawberry butter were excellent; the turkey club wasn’t. Although Zodiac uses real turkey (a high point), there was so little of it (a low point) that the sandwich could barely be called a sandwich.
Service was also spotty. Our server was friendly and accommodating. However, every table but ours received popover refills. When we tried to signal that person, we were ignored. The dining room was lovely but no restrooms currently due to a remodeling. Although Zodiac wasn’t a bad experience, we probably won’t return. We ladies will lunch elsewhere.

Very relaxed atmosphere for a Sunday. I hear it’s the place for «north-​shore-​semi-​professional-​stay-​at-​home-​shoppers» with the need to eat a nice lunch while still being able to assure themselves they can count the calories on the menu along with the grams of fat and carbohydrates. This way when they do hot yoga or Pilates after a hard day of shopping they don’t have to work off lunch.
In all seriousness — very good food. My steak frites was excellent as was the crab Louis.

My friend and I come here for one thing… the incredible melt-​in-​your-​mouth popovers with whipped strawberry butter. And we never stop at just one! That’s what I like best about the Zodiac Room… the server with the basket of popovers keeps coming back again and again to fill your empty plate.
Since «the ladies who lunch» can’t survive on just popovers, we both ordered the excellent grilled salmon salad. Cooked perfectly. No room for desert, as we’d both had three popovers. The tab was on the high side for lunch, $ 70 for two including coffee and tip (without booze). But we lingered for almost two hours and they never rushed us. Our server was friendly and attentive.
Just signed up for Open Table and used it to make the reservation. Got one of the prime tables by the window. Have no idea if that had anything to do with it, but will see if I get similar results next time I use it.

I took my Aunt there for Mother’s Day and was quite disappointed. Popovers were delicious. My $ 20.00 Grilled Shrimp salad was un appetizing. The ones I make at home are more attractive. not the quality you would expect for a Neiman Marcus quality. It looks like they just threw it together… don’t they know presentation is everything.
The veggie wrap was delicious.
The waiter did not offer us the chicken broth or the dessert. Both I had to ask for. People come to Neiman Marcus for the experience, which we did not get and the Popovers. The $ 60 lunch with no alcohol was not. Worth it. Luckily, my aunt is!!!

Who knew Neiman Marcus had a little café near the shoe department on the second floor? Apparently a lot of people including my parents and yet somehow I didn’t. I’ve been here a handful of times now and it’s always a treat. I always feel like a little kid at a fancy tea party whenever I lunch here since the tables are beautifully decorated with white linen and fresh flowers. I’ve always had great service when I come but that may be because the parentals know some of the staff. We usually like to be seated in Pepe’s section; he is incredibly sweet, friendly, and always remembers everyone. When you are seated you are greeted with a complimentary fresh popover with whipped strawberry butter and a small cup of consommé (the broth everyone is raving about). I literally could just eat popovers and consommé for my lunch if I could because it’s THAT good. Trust me. They’re flaky on the outside, airy but not too airy, chewy yet soft, and oh so buttery. The sweet whipped butter adds a nice contrast to the more savory popover.
As for my main entrée, I ordered the chicken melt sandwich which had slices of chicken, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and pesto on a ciabatta roll with small side of mixed greens and a fruit salad. I could only stomach half of the sandwich since I had partied a bit too hard the night before (it was Halloween, don’t judge me!) but the sandwich is perfect sized to fill you up but not too large for you to overeat. My parent’s favorite salad is the LOVE salad which someone else already described in another review. My mom’s dish she ordered was really good! It was a light pasta with grilled shrimp, broccolini, and butternut squash. I never would have thought to add butternut squash to pasta but it worked so well. I didn’t expect to like it since it sounded healthy and that usually deters me from wanting to try/​order it since let’s just say I prefer a nice ribeye or burger over a healthier option. At the end of the meal, you’re given little envelopes with paper thin chocolate squares that have a mint filling along with your check. I forget what company makes these chocolates but these are yummy. Zodiac Room is a fun experience if you want to experience a Breakfast at Tiffany’s-esque brunch/​lunch with your girlfriends or family.

I love this place, whether it’s in Northbrook or downtown. It’s homey, tasty, and has free pre-​meal treats (broth + popovers/​creamy jam). The crabby appleton who complained here about «rude waitress» sounds like a routine grump, because the staff is aways cheery – even when they’re crowded.

Had lunch there today to celebrate my mother’s birthday. I haven’t been there since I was a kid. Lunch was lovely. There were so many nice touches from the popovers to the demitasse of soup to the presentation. Our server was very nice and we lingered long after we were done chatting and there was no push to get us to leave (the restaurant was not full so no one was waiting). I will return for sure! (And for popovers!)

While the food is excellent and the service inconsistent it’s not really about either of those things. Lunching at the Zodiac Room is about how you feel when you’re there.
For me, it epitomizes a bygone era. A time when ladies in white gloves and hats meet for a bit a shopping and lunch. Gone are the white gloves and hats but the white table cloths, beautifully adorned salads, delicious sandwiches and decadent desserts remain. When I lunch there, I feel like I am pampering myself. From the moment you are seated and they bring you a lovely popover (where do find those anymore?) with strawberry butter and a demitasse of hot chicken broth to the offerings of luscious sweet desserts you believe that this is how lunch should be everywhere.
I don’t know how they get their chicken broth so rich and flavorful but it is my favorite part of the meal. Once when I was sick my friend took me here to help me feel better. That day the waiter was so nice, he noticed that I was sick and he kept bringing me cups of the broth — no charge!
My favorite lunch is the «Love Salad» — Roasted all natural chicken, avocado, tomatoes, croutons, artichokes, hearts of palm, greens & balsamic vinaigrette. But the Kobe burger is a close second.
As I said, service is inconsistent. It can be great like the time I was sick but on my most recent visit it was super slow.

I love the butter with the bread and the broth dink but everyone is correct that the people who work here are incredibly snobby. They don’t care about you as customers, they spend most of their time talking to the regulars who come their frequently. It doesn’t even matter is you have $ 2k in your bag of purchases.

I’m not sure why chicken broth is served as a pre-​meal drink. I searched for it on Google, and one of the results was for «chicken broth vodka» — so maybe next time I need to arrive with a flask.
The food here is pretty good. I had a roast beef sandwich and fries. The fries were alright; the sandwich was toasted nicely and had a tasty horseradish spread on the side for dipping. Drink refills were handled quickly; the service was excellent throughout.
And yes, the popovers are delightful whether you use the strawberry-​infused butter or not. If you want more than one, just ask — there’s generally a person walking around with a basket of them looking to unload.

I have been eating with friends in this Zodiac Room for years, it has been going down, both in service and food. Not so much in the quality of the food, but the taste. THERE IS NO TASTE… it is like they are making it for little old ladies… I think they go on existing… because there are very few other quality few places to eat in this mall.
Sorry guys… we are moving on.

Pretentious? Maybe. While one Unilocaler noted in a previous review that the service was snobby, I felt the exact opposite. I think our server, who was friendly enough, would have felt very at home working at an Applebee’s. She seemed very rushed, even though I think she only had three tables (a total of seven guests). The way she was running around, one would think she was the only server working the entire dining room. We didn’t get a refill on our waters until we were almost ready to leave. I had ordered the barbecue brisket sandwich and asked for the horseradish pickles that come with it on the side. When our food came, our server informed us that they were out of the pickles, and rushed off. No offer to substitute, no adjustment on the bill. I could have asked, but it seemed more trouble than it’s worth. My sandwich was fine, but I don’t think it was worth $ 16.
The next table had a different server, but seemed to be experiencing similar service issues.
I’m not convinced the young lady drinking a glass of red wine at another table near us was 21. Take that as you will!
I suppose this restaurant is fine for what it is. I can understand why it would be popular with ladies who are able to eat lunch there mid-​week (women outnumbered men by about 4 to 1). For someone like me, though, who only eats at a place like this on occasion, I felt like I could have done better.

Okay, so I heart Neiman Marcus and for as long as I’ve been shopping, window shopping, strolling, whatever you want to call it, I’ve never had a chance to try out the Zodiac Room. I’ve heard the one on Michigan Avenue is better, but I figured, why not give this one a shot since it’s conveniently located at my fave Northbrook Court. So I invited my mom out for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed. We were seated in a nice location right by a window, so that was kinda ideal.
Now onto the food that was immediately brought out, the popovers and the strawberry butter were absolutely delicious, served warm and fresh as can be, probably our favorite part of the experience. Then they brought out complimentary chicken noodle «shots»? so we definitely enjoyed those as well, and you can tell everything is homemade and not out of a box, or not that I could have figured out. We ordered the special chicken salad sandwich, but our server, who was honestly quite horrible, brought out the regular chicken salad. By the time we realized after a few bites, we didn’t feel like making a big deal over it and just ate the regular one since it wasn’t bad. We also got fries and small fruit salad served with it. It wasn’t bad, but nothing I couldn’t get at corner bakery. Then for dessert, we got the sampler platter, (see attached photo) with a few cookies, crème brûlée, a chocolate mouse and an espresso shot (that was all mommy). It was cute and I suppose worth it for the $ 10.
Overall, the place is fancy shmancy, a tad pretentious and just not my cup of tea. I love being elegant and classy and all, but I’d rather take my money for afternoon tea at the peninsula where the service will be MUCH better. However, the popovers were the best part of the whole experience, so maybe I would just come and buy those to go? hmm, but would I be back at this location, most likely not.

Food and service was wonderful. I’ve had their chicken paillard, warm roast beef dip and love salad. All very good.

Been here only once, but I thought their food was pretty good. Especially the bread that comes out before our meal. The last time I tried this place I had a roast beef sandwich which was pretty good.

We are fans of Neiman Marcus for shopping, but we’ve come many times just to go to the Zodiac Room for lunch. Their hours are rather short… I believe just 11am — 3pm Mon-​Sat at this location. The popovers with the strawberry butter are wonderful! They have a quality wine list. I recall once having Veuve Clicquot Rose in a commemorative pink label bottle and matching purse. The last couple times at this location (Northbrook Court in IL) I had the Roast Beef Melt sandwich… quite good, with swiss cheese, carmelized onions, and mushrooms on Ciabatta. This location gets quite crowded. The staff is extremely friendly, as well as the manager who has been just wonderful. We probably frequent this location the most, but have also been to the downtown Chicago (Michigan Ave) location many times. Each one has a slightly different menu. Worth trying, with or without the shopping.

I have been coming here for years with my family.
The food is good. I like the popover and strawberry butter with a little cup of chicken broth they always set on the table before the meal.
However the service has always been snobby for reasons I will never know. It’s not fine dinning here. The last time I was here with my mother and she was trying to ask the waitress something about the menu when she was rudely cut of with a,
«Yeah, yeah, yeah. I find out for you.»
Good food, poor service for any restaurant.

Like the Zodiac Rooms at other Neimans, this one serves all the favorites like the delicious popovers with strawberry butter. The chicken broth they serve you to start is absolutely delicious.
The entrees and sandwiches are decent, but the extras are more than enough to make this a yummy lunch experience. The tea selection is really good and the service is very attentive.
You always have to wander to the back corner of one of the floors to find the Zodiac Room, and when you get there, you will see lots of ladies lunching. Sometimes it gets a little crowded because the space is small, but its usually not too bad.
And now Im hungry just thinking of that strawberry butter.