Mac Kelly’s Greens & Things

So I come here mainly for the «fresh» juices so imagine my horror when they used what appeared to be canned pears in my Mac Juice. Ok, so it isn’t really all fresh but it’s tasty so I’ll try a different one without pears.
I go in today and order a Green Breeze. I watch him making it and as he cuts up the apple, I see the produce sticker still on it. In my mind, I knew he was not going to take it off, but I held out hope. As he scooped up the apple to put it in the juicer, I gasped out loud and grunted, «you aren’t going to take off the sticker?!» It disappeared along with the apple into the machine. He hadn’t taken it off and hadn’t heard my protest. I turned and walked out never to return.
I have always been suspect of the cleanliness of the place and now I know. Will it kill me to eat the produce sticker? Maybe not, but if it isn’t listed in the ingredients, I don’t want it in my food.
Bleck!

Great little selection of fresh vegetables and 2 or 3 soups to choose from. I do like how you can either build your own sandwich or order one from their kitchen. It was a bit expensive but quick and convenient for those in a hurry and don’t feel like waiting in a long line.

Decent quality and selection but not reasonably priced. Unless you’re getting all leaves, you’re not going to stay much under $ 10. I got a nice-​sized helping of cottage cheese with 6 pieces of pineapple and two halves of peach, and it was $ 9.94.
I won’t be back.

Finally, healthy food for cheap!
I liked going to Mixed Greens for their unlimited create your own salad for roughly $ 11. However, while you customize your salad, the staff there puts it together for you.
At Mac Kelly’s, you get to create it exactly how you want it. I thought the boxes could be a tad bigger, but nonetheless, I stuffed that bad boy. My salad consisted of kale, spring mix, spinach, bean sprouts, edamame, chicken, tofu, jalapenos, green onions, red peppers, mushrooms, carrots… just to name a few. Thought the number of offerings exceeded that of Mixed Greens. Quality was fine, pretty fresh.
I got the cilantro lime dressing on the side and this was delish.
The best part was when I paid. Total came out to be $ 7.49! I filled that box to the max and for well under $ 10, that was a steal. What a satisfying salad for my wallet, tummy, and my mouth!
Wish the place was bigger as it gets quite hectic in there, but there were two registers on opposite sides, so that was helpful.
This place is a definitely a gem.

Mac Kellys is the largest selection of salad toppings that I have seen in the loop. My main problem is that it is kind of expensive. I recommend getting there before noon to get the most fresh ingredients since they can get old at 1230 and after. I don’t know, I personally am unusually picky about meat and find their meat to be extremely mediocre.

Fresh salad bar with lots of real protein and toppings. Kale, spinach, romaine, iceberg. Love the green choices! Fun and unique items too — hummus, sesame sticks, fresh deli meats (byeeee slimy nitrate laden ham-​ish).
Wraps and salads and fresh pressed juices! Awesome combinations of juices!!! Freshly baked banana bread! Friendly staff!
Soup, pastries, nuts, yogurt, muffins, string cheese, chips, candy, beverages.

The recent renovation to MacKelly’s was very needed! It seems much cleaner than before!
I love that they removed the hot bar. The food on that thing always looked so sad :(
The addition of the fresh bar for freshly-​prepared wraps, bowls and burritos is great.
The BEST is the new fresh juice and smoothie bar! I have enjoyed several of the fresh juices — yummy! A bit $$$ at $ 4.99 a pop (16 oz.) but that is a small price to pay for the nutrient surge!

Remodeling and a new menu can be great or it can be a nightmare. In the case of Mac Kelly’s, the «new» salad bar is great, the loss of comfort hot items is somewhat of a nightmare when they were essentially the only place in the loop that had a simple, tasty baked potato for other than a King’s ransom. If all you want is salad, and are willing to create a colorful, delicious one — you’ve come to a good place. They’ve got kale, field greens and 3 – 4 other lettuce types. Protein in the form of everything from tuna to chicken to black beans, hard boiled eggs and chikpeas. Just about every kind of chopped vegetable, nut, olive, crunchy one can imagine. Gone are the messy tubs of dressings, and hello to closed container dressings, and more of them. At least for the salad bar, Mac Kelly’s has clearly moved up a notch in both variety, cleanliness and freshness. A huge and filling salad creation will cost around $ 7.50. In the Loop, that’s quite a deal!

RIP Mac Kelly as it was for at least 20 years — wholesome hot standard fare. It might still have a salad bar, but gone are the treasures such as the baked potatoes, super-​fresh kaiser rolls — fresh, simple food. As of the start of 2014, it «remodeled» and has become some kind of wrap place. Maybe it is OK but it is not what it was, and the Loop has lost a trusted place for standard favorites such as mac and cheese, hot potatoes and vegetables for takeout at an affordable price.

My morning visit to Mac Kelly’s made me realize something: I’ve been coming here for 10 years (where has the time gone?) and I always get the same thing! I can’t stay away from the salad bar! I love being able to add whatever I want and have the dressing on the side. I’m happy they now have freshly cooked, actual chicken, instead of those creepy processed «meat» cubes. Well, the ham cubes are still there, but I like having real meat as an option!
Ingredients are all fresh and kept on ice. There are also hot food options, but I’ve never had them! After reading more reviews, I should try the catfish and mac & cheese. How have I not had that yet?
Another plus: this place is also a mini-​convenience store. Fruit, yogurt, juice and chips can be on the pricey side, but it’s not bad if you’re in a pinch and forgot to bring part of your lunch.

Quick and dirty review…
Pretty good salad bar with a fair amount of selections at a reasonable price. I pretty much loaded up my to go box with lots of heavy items and it still only came out to about $ 7 which was surprising. I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have any blue cheese crumbles and the bacon bits were the nasty little purple manufactured things but for the price I can’t complain too much.
The hot food looked a bit nasty so I don’t know if I will ever venture back over to this place for that, but I will probably come in from time to time to grab a salad.

Fabulous little place with a great salad and hot bar. They also have lots of hot and cold drinks, snacks, fresh fruit, etc. The people are very nice and the prices aren’t bad. I’m so thrilled I found this place across from my office building!

They charge about $ 5 something a pound for the salad bar, not bad. Nice fresh items. Lots to choose from. Also hot food bar (I believe also by weight). All your basic small grocery store items. It’s never super busy when I go, usually between 1230-​130. I like the self serve option in the Loop, and not being charged too much for a basic salad and then be charged extra per item you want to add. Decent.

I make my own little combos here.
The salad bar never lets you down! I can usually get my meal for around 5 bucks if I am careful with the salad dressing and heavy ingredients. That’s even after I throw a corn muffin in my bag as well.
The corn muffins are a must. I’m pretty sure they’re home made. I take them back to my office, microwave them, and spread butter on them (that Promise brand fake butter that they give you). It’s SOOOO GOOD!
I think my favorite combo is the mac and beef with a corn muffin. It’s pretty much the definition of comfort food.
The oatmeal in the mornings, wow! It tastes like my grandmother’s! There are few things I love more on a cold winter’s day in Chicago.
They also have a cappuccino machine… you know those terrible but amazing gas station cappuccinos that are like pure sugar, you know they’re bad for you, but you just LOVE them? They have those too! I’ll fill my cup halfway with coffee and then half cappuccino so I don’t feel AS guilty :)
The staff is friendly too, of course…
The bottom line is that this place makes me feel warm and happy inside. There are very few spots in the Loop that can duplicate that feeling! I love Mac Kelly’s!

I’ve gotten lunch here a couple dozen times in the 8 years I’ve worked in the Loop. It’s reassuring on several levels: First, It’s plain old food, like what your mom made and what a good school or company cafeteria would have. Second, it is a lot easier to eat healthy here than at the fast food alternatives, as long as you’re careful (Sodium on the hot table being an exception). Third, it’s relatively inexpensive compared to the alternatives, again as long as you’re careful.
The hot foods are comfort foods deluxe: Cajun catfish, turkey and dressing, meat loaf, macaroni and cheese — all great and taste like homemade (though a bit heavy handed with the salt). I got a $ 5.99 meatloaf dinner with mac & cheese and steamed vegetables, with a hunk of meatloaf that was, I swear, half the size of the loaf that we make at home. Must have been close to a pound. Tasted great, although I haven’t identified the little beige bits inside — ground up noodles? Anyway, tasted fine and I assume it was edible. The mac & cheese is heavenly.
You can build a sandwich, although I haven’t done that. I usually get the salad bar. By the pound may seem «unfair» but when you figure it all out it makes a lot of sense and you can really eat cheaply. Just unlearn the Wisconsin supper club mindset of, «Wow, I can load up!» Easy on the dressing, and watch the cottage cheese and eggs. Think: the better it is for you, the less it costs you as a salad ingredient. I go for spinach and carrots and add a few beans.(I’m a sucker for the beets too).
The staff are friendly, though things move fast and fumbling doesn’t help the process. They replenish the tables frequently. They keep the place very clean. Given Mayor Daley’s take out tax and all the other indignities of working in the Loop, this place is a little oasis of common sense. They do what they do: serve regular-​person type lunch and do a pretty good job of it.
Warnings: The food is pretty much gone by 2 PM so don’t plan on this place if you have trouble getting away from your desk. And soon after 1 PM it starts to look a little forlorn because they don’t replenish it quite as often.
By the way, they do take debit and credit cards now ($ 3 minimum).

I walk a little further than I should everyday just to go here to get lunch. The guy who manages the salad bar is awesome. He keeps it clean, works his butt off, and is very professional. The register girls are fast. Great overall product. Best salad bar you could ask for.
Now…someone just tell management to fix their website.

Everything tasted fresh enough, and the dressings were nice. It’s not easy to find nice green stuff in the Loop, so Mac Kelly’s is a welcome choice.
Some of the choices seem a bit lackluster: very un-​special ham cubes, boiled eggs, and mostly pickled accent veggies (olives, peppers, etc.). A fresher, more inventive selection would be nice. . maybe portobello mushrooms, fresh olives, or freshly chopped herbs like basil or cilantro. None of the hot food was available when I was there at 2:00 p.m. (?)
Then there’s the weight thing: Having been to Mac Kelly’s at least half a dozen times now, I really do think it’s too expensive per pound. Things like a big dipper of dressing or a spoonful of beans literally end up costing something like $ 1-​$ 2 when you break it down. Of course, light things like spinach end up costing very little, but when I leave with a salad that I could’ve made at any salad bar and it costs $ 8, I feel just a little ripped off.

Based on the number of times I’ve been here, this is probably my favorite place for lunch in the Loop, bar none. It’s not even that pricey for what you get. And they have everything I like. Soup, salads, sandwiches. There’s a steam table of hot food, which I never get, but if you’re into that sort of thing, it looks good. I just have an irrational fear of steam tables.
The salad bar…80 items including salami chunks! At $ 5.99 a pound, this salad is a value if you think about how many things you’d have to keep fresh in your refrigerator. And fruit! There’s an entire cart of fruit as well.
I went here today after a long time away. Get your salad, and then pop a sit at the skinny little counter so you can watch the lawyer hotties swagga by rocking their expensive shoes. Ohhh yes. That’s dessert!

This place is solid. They have a better-​than-​average selection at the salad bar (though not the most impressive one I’ve seen), and I got a pretty substantial salad for under $ 6. Several kinds of lettuce, plenty of dressing options, all the standard stuff. I was a little surprised there wasn’t any blue cheese or feta cheese, but that didn’t ruin my lunch or anything. I would go back because it’s a fairly low-​cost lunch option in the Loop, but it’s definitely inferior to the make-​your-​own salad station at the Chase cafeteria (which is excellent, but sadly, rather pricey).
Oh and I *think* this place is cash only. Not 100% sure though.

I’m surprised by the other reviews because I LOVE Mac Kelly’s for workday lunches. Even when they have a line, I’m always able to zip through the salad bar and I think it’s awesome that they have stuff on their buffets so that you can get a fast lunch that’s not fast food (chicken on the salad bar is really chicken they roasted, not the pre-​shaped salad strips that most places have, their sandwich fixins are real deli meats and good bread, they have warm comfort food).
Admittedly I usually stick to making my own salad, but I really like it. They do have a good selection so you can eat healthy for a lower price than usual. It sucks that so many healthy spots are over-​priced. And the place isn’t pretentious like so many Loop spots. I definitely recommend Mac Kelly’s for a quick, fresh lunch if you work in the area.