Ricks Cafe

This place has been a staple long before it the neighborhood gentrified. The food is always good even if the service is not.
Absolutely get the Crepes Aux Fruits De Mer (shrimps, sea scallops and crabmeat in cream sauce sweetened in pure honey and wrapped in crêpe shells). Fan-​freakin-​tastic!

Rick’s café is an absolute gem of Chicago. The french offerings are delicious, like the filet in red wine sauce, or the escargots, but especially the mushroom soup which is out of this world. I found the waitstaff (especially Aimee) to be incredibly friendly — they treated me like an old friend the moment I walked in and every time after that. Once I brought a friend here and we were served my favorites without even ordering.
I think the previous reviewers caught Rick’s when they were changing staff. I know they had some trouble finding a replacement for one of their longtime employees and I noticed a few hiccups in service during the transition. But the food was always delicious, and you can’t beat the romanitc ambience. It’s especially nice to get a table outside during the summer. I heart Rick’s. Oh, and it’s BYOB. Grab a bottle of wine at the Sheridan «L» Liquors across the street.

I went here with a large group for a thirtieth birthday. The restaurant was small and very cute. Be prepared the waitress don’t speak much English so we had a bit of a hard time getting suggestions. It is nice they do not rush you through your meal which is always nice.
I had a crêpe filled with different seafoods in a cream sauce sweeted with Honey. It was incredible. It probably was the best thing we all ate at the table. The pastas were nice they all had good flavors, but I didn’t think it was anything out of this world. It is nice that it is a BYOB restaurant but I actually thought the price of corkage could be high. It was $ 4.00 a person. Now that’s not bad, but in Chicago a city which isn’t a huge BYOB place that can get high if you are sharing a few bottles of wine between lot of people. So overall the food was good. I didn’t think it was overpriced. I enjoyed it.

Definitely come here if you wait a long time. And by a long time, I mean over TWO hours. It’s a place you want to like with a nice chef, who comes out to chat once and a while. But maybe stop chatting and cook the food.
Oh, the corkage fee=redunkulous. 4 $ per bottle and not listed on the menu or anywhere.
Food was just okay and not worth the wait.

If I were still single I would be impressed if a guy took me here. Sure it’s not fancy schmancy, but I prefer the cute cozy spots that seem like hidden gems. I think it’s roMANtic and intiMATE. I have to give credit to my hubby for this one. I’m usually the one that picks the restaurants, but he did good. He found this adorable little spot all by himself.
The most memorable part of the meal was the escargot and the crème brûlée. Both were done to perfection.
The place is also BYOB, which is always fun for us, bc we don’t drink wine, and we are whiskey drinkers, so instead of bringing an entire fifth of whiskey, we fill up a flask. Often times we get strange looks when we bust out the flask…
:)

This is an unusual review — it’s not about the food, but the people that work at this place.
I live in the area, and I walk by the restaurant daily on my commute to the Sheridan L stop (just half block from Rick’s). One late evening, I was walking past Rick’s with my wife when a pair of drunks approached us to bum a cigarette. They seemed totally wasted, and made lot of distracting comments as they came closer, and although they seemed fairly harmless, I felt something was amiss and stepped in front of my wife to confront them with our backs toward the entrance to Rick’s.
Then, I heard someone calling us loudly from the back, and found a server (or owner?) — a fairly young lady with a foreign accent — opening the door and beckoning us to get into the café. She was loud and persistent enough so that the drunks were discouraged from approaching us and we were safe by the entrance. She then proceeded to explain that these types of guys run scams where they distract you and pick your pockets or snatch your bag, and told us to be very careful around such people.
It’s not that the area around Sheridan L stop is especially dangerous (and this, by no means, means getting to Rick’s will be dangerous) — I live a block away from here — but how that lady went out of her ways to protect us that evening was something I truly respected.
I’m looking forward to dining here soon, but already, Rick’s has earned enough respect from me just from this, so that I’m full of high expectations on their service and food. Heck, even if the food is not four-​star affair, it’s the type of place the neighbors should patronize.

I wanted to try a new place for my birthday dinner with my mom last night. Lori L. suggested Ricks and said it was a little French, Spanish, and Italian… right there I was interested.
I would say that if you are looking for a «real French feeling café» this is the place to go. We made a reservation but when we got there we noticed you really only need them on the weekend. As we walked in we heard French music in the background and the darling Amiee saying «Bonsoir» and then «you must be Justin, I pick any table you would like.» I think my mom and I were sold right there.
We had an amazing dinner. The Escargot was wonderful, followed by the wild mushroom soup, and then a filet mignon in a to die for bernaise sauce. After dinner we had a cheese course followed by one of the best crème brûlée I have ever had.
I will say this… you really must have time/​want a true European dining experience if you are going to eat here. They will not rush you and only bring the bill when you ask for it. I LOVE THE FRENCH!
Did I mention BYOB! How great is that…
Make sure you check this place out…

What can I say about Rick’s? Its French, its Spanish, its Italian, its just plain amazing. The restaurant is run by Chef Rick and his wife Aimee (sp). She is such a doll! She remembers what meals my boyfriend and I have eaten in the past and always recommends what she thinks we will like.
My favorite seat in the house is their outdoor patio, especially when they are playing French music in the background. This place really couldn’t be more European which is a plus! Expect to take several hours dining here, as each dish is prepared individually. Its seems us Americans are always in such a rush to eat our meals. Sit down and enjoy what is Rick’s Café.

I took my sweetie here for Valentine’s Day and wow, was it a treat! I really enjoyed browsing the selection of culinary creations that fused French, Italian, and Spanish cuisine.
It’s BYOB, so I brought some champagne. The waitress forgot to bring an ice bucket, and gave us regular wine glasses at first, but the host fixed the problem right away (I think our waitress was new.) No problem.
The entrees that my girl and I ordered were top notch. Inspired combinations of wonderful flavors.
What’s surprising is that the place is casual– it seemed like a dress-​up place at first, but it definitely had a relaxed feel and many diners were wearing jeans.
Rick’s is a little pricey, but well worth it!

So I live in the neighborhood and have been looking for a good BYOB, and thought Rick’s should fit the bill since the pizza place next door is great. However, the food was bad and the place was disgusting. We ordered a mushroom appetizer, it was simply canned mushrooms with some italian salad dressing mixed in. I can’t remember the entrees, but they were not very good at all either. Like others have mentioned the décor is similar to your grandparents basement.
What I found to be the real issue and actual prompted me to do something I never have done before, call the health department, was that the place was infested with FRUIT FLIES!!! It was so gross, and frankly I am surprised the place is still open.