Specialty’s

Rosa J.‘s in the suburbs today with hubby. Naperville is definitely not her «hood,» as what she would say. As noon approached and our needs for food were getting demanding, she consulted Unilocal for recommendations on quick, affordable lunch spots. «Specialty’s» came up and we gave it a go.
«Specialty’s» is a solid choice for people who have food allergies, diet restrictions, or are generally and habitually picky. Hubby was able to adhere the vegetarian diet with the veggie sando, while I go with my typical beef and blue cheese sandwich.
The «buzzer» that you hold onto after placing the order through the clerk at the register or through the i-​pad reminds you when the food is ready to be picked up. This is a popular lunch joint for corporate people working nearby. However, be super cautious when leaving the parking lot. The spaces are quite tight. Thus, go back to driving 101 and check all of your blank spots.

I agree with another rater – two sandwiches and it came to $ 18 with tax… no chips, no drinks. The sandwiches are no bigger than your typical at home sandwich so go for something you wouldn’t make at home. I can make good tuna at home for a lot less than $ 9. I will say that the taste of the tuna was good, but I couldn’t really taste or see the cheese (hot tuna supposedly had cheddar somewhere). My husband likes a SANDWICH and this was not that. I ate it and went looking for more to eat. I do not agree with the $ as it falls more in the Panera/​Corner bakery higher price – so closer to $$. If there are two people expect to drop close to $ 30 for two sandwiches, drinks and chips… if go bakery… the decent pasteries were priced 2.59−3.59 each.

It was 10:30 AM and I was super hungry and wanted something substantial but quick and since my options were limited, I wandered into Specialty’s.
The first thing I noticed were the hours of operation on the door, stating that they are closed on weekends on holidays. A business environment. Different. Then I noticed that they were a bakery and café and feared my options would be pastries, coffee, and tea. Nope!
I totally missed the ordering screens and ordered with the lady at the counter. She was kind, patient, and offered me a sample of the tuna salad. Needless to say, it was delicious and I ordered the sandwich which comes on wheat bread (something I don’t normally eat but it’s a special treat!). After ordering, I was peeking at the cookies and decided to order one. She said the cookie was on the house, a much appreciated gesture, making it easier to consume the calories. :)
Sitting at a table, I noticed the industrial «Restoration Hardware» meets Seattle Starbucks Roasting Room Style. The fireplace was a warming touch. There were plenty of tables, many of them with electrical outlets. There was a group of people working on a project, someone reading by the fire, and a few people eating and working at a few tables.
This place seems to be ideal for working alone, in groups, or having a business lunch (and non business too!). The food is similar to Panera/​Atlanta Bread Company but much better quality and taste.
I will be back again soon!

This was amazing and delicious! I usually get Panera for my office, but went with this new option instead. So fresh and delicious. The food came in quickly for a large order, and my staff raved! Everything was very good, and the baked good — cookies, brownies and bundt cakes, were divine. Highly recommend!

It’s great to find another quick breakfast and coffee option in the area. They serve Peet’s coffee, which is a plus. They offer self service ordering and also offer old fashioned counter service, and the availability of both allows quick service even at peak morning hours. My daughter and I were pleased with the variety of bakery options. She had a cinnamon roll, served warm, and I had a spinach and cheese croissant, also warm. Both were fresh and much more flavorful than what you would find at other local chains. We will be back; it’s nice to have another option in the area.

This place is awesome! Everything I had was delicious! I ordered the pomegranate, berry iced tea, a roasted veggie mini quiche and a salad. Everything was fantastic. This is a place I wouldn’t go to daily because of the pricing but I did enjoy the food and drink!

As a person who often goes to the grocery store with ear buds just to avoid unnecessary interactions/​energy with strangers, I can certainly appreciate the optional kiosk to order food. Tap in your order, swipe your card, and pick up your pager. –Simple and uncomplicated and no need for ear buds.
As a woman who usually prefers soup and salad but who’s married to a man who could eat a sandwich for every meal of the day, I appreciate their menu. He can chow on his Beef & Blue (YUM) or his Rueben «Rebecca» (YUM) and I can sip my Pellegrino with my Tomato Fennel soup. –love that.
Sometimes a sandwich does sound good and since He would never order the Turkey, Apple, and Brie or the Turkey Pesto (and I most certainly would), I cannot always rely on him for a few bites. I might order a sandwich but soup is always my common denominator. While there aren’t a ton of choices like their salad and sandwich options, the soups they do offer are good. A good mix of cream based as well as broth based.
While this place is similar to Panera, I much, much prefer it over Panera. I swear everything at Panera tastes exactly the same no matter what you order. The ingredients here are fresher and taste far less processed.
If I could complain at all it’s that they use plastic flatware. Eating with plastic almost induces a «nails on a chalkboard» reaction for me. I loathe it. Even just the thought of eating salad while envisioning plastic tines bending or breaking off makes my blood pressure rise. I am not above bringing my own silverware just to avoid. ;)

They have decent breakfast sandwiches, but you don’t get much for the money. I would have give 4 stars but for the fact that I spent $ 14 on breakfast sandwiches. You can get more for your money going to a sit down breakfast restaurant. They serve peets coffee which is pretty good.

I recently stopped in for a mood lifter and ordered a black & white cookie and a Mocha Javiva. Sometimes you just have to give in to temptation! The cookie is a huge rich dark chocolate with white chocolate chips. Moist and chewy. The Mocha Javiva is the best blended coffee drink I’ve ever had. It had a great coffee flavor and was piled high with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. The staff is very friendly. I hope this café succeeds because they have really good food. My only complaint is they are not open on the weekends. Awesome cookies and great service!

We had just finished working an early shift with some high executives at a major account. I used Unilocal to find a good restaurant that served breakfast and lunch. Boom! I found this place and I’m glad I did. Some of us had lunch and some of us had breakfast. I ordered the Denver Sandwich and a cup of coffee. It was very delicious! I enjoyed very much. I was going to try a sweet roll but I decided not to as I’m training for a race. But the muffins and sweet rolls looked very yummy!
I’m glad I found this place because everyone enjoyed it, especially myself. I highly recommend it. #SenorFood

Delicious! I had the southwest egg sandwich, and it was amazing. Quick, very friendly service. I’ve also loved every cookie/​bar of theirs I’ve tried. Quite superior to Panera.

The cashier was super friendly and welcoming. I got the Hot Cheesy Steak Sandwich $ 8. It was okay. It was very small. I got it to go– so when I got home to eat it, the paper that the sandwich was wrapped in stuck to the bread and was really hard to peel off. I don’t know if this is the perfect comparison but I would much rather eat a Jersey Mike’s Chipotle Steak Sub or a Firehouse Cheese Steak Sub than this Cheesy Steak Sandwich. First off, it’s roast beef and not even cheese. Second, the cheese is not a normal sandwich cheese– it was cream cheese which I hesitated about– it wasn’t as good as Cheddar or American– no melty gooey effect– but I thought it was an interesting concept. I also got the tomato bisque soup $ 3. It was the tiniest cup of soup ever! It was creamy and thick– pretty good.
My husband always likes getting the «Peanut Butter and Stuff Sandwich.» $ 6. I forget what exactly is in it– PB & J, Apples, Bananas, Nuts, etc. I’m not a fan of PB so I didn’t try it but he loves that sandwich.
I think Specialty’s specialty is it’s Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookie $ 2.79. It’s quite big, chewy, and really scrumptious with white and milk chocolate chips. We also got the Ginger Molasses $ 2.79 cookie– it was alright. It was big and chewy but the Ginger was just too strong.
This place closes at 7pm — it’s more of a lunch place which is why it closes so early. All in all, I would come back here for the Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookie– otherwise I think it’s super over priced for the sub-​par flavored sandwiches. My hubby will probably come back for the PB&Stuff Sandwich though!

Update: They no longer are open on weekends. Since that’s pretty much the only time I’d visit them, they’re unfortunately not an option for me any more. Hard to understand why they’d do this, I’d think there’d be a lot of weekend business from theater goers and shoppers.
I tried one of their cappuccinos the other day; though I like their Peet’s coffee, I have to say I did not like the cappuccino: it tasted burnt, and was short on the foam. This leaves me little interest in trying other espresso drinks there.

What’s so special about Specialtys? I’m still deciding.
Good stuff:
+ Helpful staff (though when we first came in the girl behind the register was invisible due to height I think? That’s got to be a pain)
+ Big selection of items
+ My meal highlight was the spicy coleslaw!
+Setting is nice: lots of tables and also a coffee bar with power plugs for your computer
Okay stuff:
~ Need to read descriptions of all the food on a paper menu because they aren’t on the board
~ My sandwich was average. Not bad, but I would definitely try something else next time.
Not-​so-​hot stuff:
— Price is pretty high and sizes of items vary wildly. A fruit cup was huge: a drinking glass full of fruit. By contrast, the sandwich called the «Big BLT» was… a regular sandwich. Are we missing something? My sandwich (the Rebecca) was a little UFO of round ciabatta roll filled with pastrami and cheese.
— The flow of the «entry/​where do I stand to order/​people looking at menus» area is kind of a mess.
— Broken pager, so a staff member had to stalk us off in a far corner us to deliver a sandwich
While my sandwich wasn’t the greatest (LOVED that slaw, though!), I’d be willing to come back and try something else off their copious menu. Specialty’s has so much to offer (breakfast, baked goods and sandwiches) that they definitely deserve another shot.

I only eat here for lunch once in a while as it’s kinda pricy. You can expect to spend about $ 9-​$ 10 on only a sandwich! A whole meal (w/​cookie or chips and a drink) will cost you about $ 15! A little much if you ask me! The customer service is good although they sometimes take a while to give you your food after ordering. The place itself is nice and pretty big. I took off two stars because of the prices and the fact that there isn’t a phone number to call the place directly if something was wrong with your order. My order for example had soggy bacon when I asked for it crispy. Other than that, their BBQ chicken sandwich and cookies are pretty good!

I paid $ 10 for a sandwich. Just a sandwich.
The «gourmet» turkey, brie and bacon was delicious but $ 10!!! No sides, not even a measly pickle!
There’s tons of seating inside, even a fireplace. But I found the lack of booths uninviting. I like to cozy up in a booth, grab some food and drink while getting some work done in the afternoon.
I didn’t have a chance to try any of their pastries, but they looked pretty good. Maybe I’ll try again for breakfast one of these days.

If you’re a fan of sandwiches, pastries and/​or coffee, I’d recommend a stop at Specialty’s.
They’ve got a killer sandwich selection and from the two I’ve seen their sizable sandwiches with very fresh ingredients and very tasty. They also a good number of pastries including cookies, scones, breads and other sugar-​laced goodies. I was here for lunch so coffee wasn’t on the radar, otherwise they had a large selection spattered with «specialty» drinks. Sorry. no pun intended.
The only downside was the price, which is a little on the steep side for a bread sandwich. Personally though, I think their food is worth every penny.

I wish Specialty’s (aka, Peet’s) had a drive-​thru at this location, but getting out of my car and heading inside was worth freezing in the bitter cold for a few seconds.
The Sea Salt Caramel Mocha, accompanied by a Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Scone made for a decadent, sugar-​filled breakfast. I felt pretty wired straight through the afternoon. Both were delicious, especially the scone.
The inside of the café is spacious, perfect for camping out on the WiFi or chatting with friends. It’s more inviting than most Starbucks locations, just due to it’s size alone.
I’m already looking forward to the opportunity to come back and try some other beverages and pastries.

I’ve been wanting to stop by for a while, since I’m a sucker for a new place! Stopped after my chiropractor apt right around the corner and I’m glad I did! I did check out the menu beforehand since I’m «that person» that takes forever in line and STILL doesn’t know what to get! Anywho, the décor is nice… I’d say rustic modern. It’s got a weathered wood next to steel feel. When I walked in, I thought they were a division of Peet’s, which has been popping up all over the Chicagoland area. To my surprise, they just partner with Peet’s for their coffee! Although they sell the coffee and all the specialty drinks, they’re a company all their own. Another Unilocaler hit it right on the money… it’s like Starbucks and Panera had a baby!
I was definitely in the mood for a sandwich. I definitely appreciate that the menu goes from Classic sandwiches (blt, turkey, tuna, etc) to Deluxe (mostly hot) to Gourmet! I had the Turkey, Apple, Brie and Bacon… and omg, delicious! I did take it home, so the cheese got a little lukewarm, however the flavors were still there! I also had a small cup of the cream of chicken with wild rice. I wasn’t a huge fan of the focaccia, which I thought was dry, but this may be because I got soup at 7pm.
I can’t wait to try more options… the desserts and baked goods looked great, and some other gourmet sandwiches! Hope they stay around!

Much like their predecessor, Atlanta Bread Company, you can expect to find great sandwiches, soups, and salads. The interior is modern, clean, and the employees are friendly and helpful. They just opened on Thursday, I believe.
Sandwiches are categorized as Classic, Deluxe, and Gourmet. Most come with «the basics» which is lettuce, tomato, dill pickle, red onion, black pepper, and their house made Italian dressing. I tried the Four Cheese sandwich which was amazing! The four cheeses include cheddar, Muenster, swiss, and provolone. They were out of sourdough bread so I had to choose an alternative (toasted herb) but it was so soft and full of flavor, it paired with the cheeses quite well and I didn’t mind the substitution at all.
Their breakfast sandwiches look enticing as well. However, I couldn’t tell if an egg white substitution is available, which was disappointing.
They also have baked goods and a full coffee bar offering Peet’s Coffee and Tea, and Intelligentsia Coffee. If you order a bottle of water, you have a choice of either Dasani or Smart water.
I like how they have personal ordering stations but I didn’t utilize them. The cashiers were nice and were helpful to patrons that had questions. Food prices vary depending on your meal, obv… but they seem to be on par with Panera, Corner Bakery Café, etc.
Specialty’s is like Starbucks and Panera Bread got together and had a baby. It’s a nice concept and I look forward to future visits.