New fast tasty healthy Loop lunch place

I just returned from my third lunch in a week a the Spa Cafe. I'm not crazy about the name, but I am loving the food so far. The menu is organized around:

Sandwich wraps which you can get wrapped in either a tortilla, whole wheat pita or lettuce
Soups
Salads
Quesadillas (which they give another name to, but it's basically what they are)
Sides (mainly small interesting salads)
Desserts and other snacks

So far I've tried:

A carrot soup special (offered almost daily) - that is flavored with cumin, coriander, turmeric and peanut butter. A nice balance of the spices, and the peanut butter works nicely even though it may sound a bit odd.

Turkey chili - which is not really a chili. It's more of a turkey bean soup. It's not tomato-based, but rather made with black beans, corn, red peppers and diced turkey breast, which they roast in house. The soup is so smokey that at first I thought the turkey was smoked, but the manager says is not. Lots of cilantro and chopped onions, which I love. But think of it less as chili and more as a soup.

Thai chicken wrap - Light, flavorful. Crunchy veggies. Chicken that tastes like chicken, and that doesn't have that weird texture that chicken at some of the national chains has.

Lentil portabella salad - I got this as a side. I believe they use beluga lentils (That's what they call those tiny very dark brown lentils, right?) The lentils were cooked perfectly with a bit of a bite. Light hand on the dressing letting the flavor of the lentils and mushrooms come through.

The service has been terrific. Even with long lines to order, I've never waited more than a few minutes to order, and my food has come up in about 3 minutes after ordering. They've been handing out free samples of soups to people waiting in line. I tried a sweet potato chipotle that I thought was a bit bland.

The interior is clean, bright, simple. Just what you think a place called Spa Cafe would look like.

So for those of us looking for quick and healthy and interesting lunches in the Loop, I think this is a nice new addition.

Spa Cafe
112 W. Monroe
312.551.1000
http://www.spacafe.com

I passed it today on my way back from the federal courthouse and wondered if it was any good. Thanks for the report.

Are the wraps/pitas/quesanins small? They seem far too reasonably priced for the loop...and the Mix N Match lunch special (2 + a side) seems to suggest that as well...

Hellodali wrote:A carrot soup special (offered almost daily) - that is flavored with cumin, coriander, turmeric and peanut butter. A nice balance of the spices, and the peanut butter works nicely even though it may sound a bit odd.http://www.spacafe.com

As a bit of an aside, peanut butter in carrot soup idea is fantastic, and gives me an opportunity to share my favorite carrot soup recipe.

clogoodie wrote:Are the wraps/pitas/quesanins small? They seem far too reasonably priced for the loop...and the Mix N Match lunch special (2 + a side) seems to suggest that as well...

They weren't terribly small. Not the huge megaburrito sizes you find at places like Burrito Beach, etc. I would say my wrap measured roughly 5" x 3". It was maybe six to eight big bites?And that was a lettuce wrap so I imagine the tortilla or pita wraps would be bigger. But I found that the wrap and the side of lentil salad made a perfectly filling lunch. I only ate half of my soup as I was getting pretty full.

Is there ample seating?

Schatz MacArthur wrote:Is there ample seating?

So far, I've not had a problem finding a table, even right at the noon rush. But they've only been open 5 weeks so maybe when more word gets out...I'd say there were about 15-20 tables (ish).

I stopped by this place today. Food is on the pricey side. It was about $7 for half a pita sandwich, 1 side, and 1 small carrot soup. The soup stands out on quality and taste. I have never tried carrot and peanut butter soup, but I can say it was delicious. The sandwich (Eggplant) was average ata best.

The one thing that I thought was really unique was the cucumber water they sold for $1/cup (although samples are free). The irony is that it tastes just like it sounds "Cucumber water" - basically cucumber juice.. Not gonna be a big seller in my opinion!

I'll go back for the soup which is very tasty.

/polster