Cafe 103

Now closed

Burger NIGHT … WHAT A BUST! I really wanted to like this place, I truly did. I love the concept of a small local fine dining place but wow what a disappointment. The service was horrible in that we had to wait over a hour a sloppy mediocre burger… they had one waitress for the entire place and maybe one chef as the food took forever. As an appetizer we were served three onion rings, I almost laughed. The guy in the table across from me asked the busboy at least five times «Hey, man seriously where is our food at?» This is my second time here and I’ve yet to be impressed. This place needs to fix these problems because I know I am not the only customer who has had complaints.

Great food! Our waitress was really nice and helpful.

had to meet some out of town visitors who were staying in the Beverly area. I did a Unilocal search and this place looked interesting. We met here for lunch and were not disappointed (at least I wasn’t). I had the Turkey Pannini and loved it… wifey had the veggie burger… hated it… said it was the consistency of mashed potatoes.
The ambiance, the size of the restaurant, the wait staff… all excellent. I visited again approx 3 weeks later to see if it was a fluke… NOT! They got it right again, I think its what they do. They get it right (well almost– the flatbread was under cooked). If you are in the area this is a must stop.

This is a great place on the South side. The restaurant is small and cozy. The latest menu change has a snapper that is just delicious. Seasoned and prepared perfectly. Wed Burger days are also a treat. A bit more expensive but I think it is worth it. Definitely worth a trip to Beverly. Remember it is BYOB. They have private back room.

Attended a sisters 50^th Birthday Party at Café 103 yesterday in a room adjacent to their restaurant. The food served (ie. prosciutto rolled aspargus, crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms, fried calamari, roast beef sandwiches, etc) was tasty and well prepared.
Although the food was great, what I was most impressed with was the attentiveness and excellent service provided by the staff. Prompt refilling of our wine galsses and spirits was routine and special unsolicited extra’s such as preparing a childs meal for my toddler was most welcomed. In the end, all of us guest felt as though we were being served in the comfort of our own homes. It says something of the friendly staff when by nights end they and us enjoyed dancing together.
Being as the place was BYOB, I’m sure the place provided a very economical option for a location to host a party.
The place has won me over and I very much look forward to patronizing and dining at Café 103 restaurant.
These are economic hard times and we all have many dining options. It is with this in mind that when it comes to dining out, aside from the food quality, it’s a warm and caring staff that I like to direct my appetite and money too.
I wish the ownership and staff at Café 103 much success and those dining there Bön Appetit.

Visited w/​a North side friend today and both of us were impressed by the ambiance, service and food, from salad to dessert. My ham/​cheese/​mushroom panini and sweet potato fries were outstanding. The lunch check came to just under $ 40 for two.

My new favorite restaurant in Chicago! $ 5 corkage fee, amazing food and great waitstaff!

Decided to try something different for lunch today and headed over to Café 103. I ordered the grilled chicken on a wheat croissant (added roasted red peppers) and a cup of the butternut squash & apple soup.
The soup was really good. Flavorful, good combination of flavors and some tasty croutons on top. Nicely done.
The chicken sandwich was odd. For one, it was cut up pieces of chicken rather than an entire breast. I would presume this is because the whole chicken breast would fit oddly on a croissant, but regardless it was a rather small portion of chicken. It couldn’t have been an entire normal-​sized breast. I also paid an extra 1 $ for like 3 strips of red peppers. Despite the woman on the phone being very friendly, I was mildly perturbed that I specifically asked if the sandwich had mayo on it and if did, that I didn’t want it. So of course the sandwich had mayo on it. Further I tipped her a few dollars (for a take-​out order) because she was really nice, but if you can’t get my order right I don’t care if you’re Mother Theresa. The problem with hating mayo is that if someone does screw up and give it to you, there’s no way you can remove it as opposed to a slice of tomato. The hand cut fries that came with it were decent.
I would like to come back for dinner and try an entrée just because everything seems to be in place for a good meal… it just didn’t come together for me with this sandwich. I also didn’t really feel the value was there… the sandwich and soup was almost 14 $ w/​tax. Now I definitely am willing to pay a little more for good food… I mean I’ll pay 8 $ for a chicken sandwich made with real chicken and fresh ingredients as opposed to 6 $ for Subway… but I just didn’t feel like the value was here. As someone else mentioned, after spending 14 $ you shouldn’t still be hungry and I kinda am.

Super Cute, Super Friendly, BYOB, what is not to like about this cute gem? Its small yes! The menu was fresh and great in my opinion. The portions were large. I would not have imagined that this sort of place was on the South Side of Chicago. It was worth the drive.

The food here is superb, fresh, amazing — always! I had the seared halibut with mushroom & asparagus risotto. My friend had the rack of lamb. Both dishes were cooked to perfection. We started with the chicken & corn chowder and the calamari. I’d probably not get the calamari again, needed more seasoning, but was fresh. Ended with gelato.
BYOB restaurant with GREAT service!

I’ve lived in Beverly my whole life, and I’m really glad that my ‘hood (ha!) is finally getting some nice restaurants. Café 103 is small, but they do some really great things with the space. The menu changes with the seasons so you’re always getting fresh and new stuff, and they do great events. I’ve been to a Mother’s Day tea with «finger sandwiches» that were huge and delicious, a Charles Dickens evening where a Dickens impersonator read from A Christmas Carol and we ate food from that time period, and various brunches and lunches.
The owner is very nice and always comes out to greet us. Since we’ve been there so many times, the waitress knows us too, and she’s patient with all my family’s idiosyncrasies, of which there are many. Any problems are corrected with a smile and speed and they always keep us updated on new events.
If you go, I love the Mexican Skillet for brunch. It’s BYOB, but there is a corkage fee of $ 5. Enjoy!

Café 103 is named after the street it’s on, 103^rd Street. Gasp! Just kidding. But I rarely get down to the south side of Chicago so it’s always and adventure.
My friends bought a bungelow down in Beverly a few months back, so we went to check out their new neighborhood. Beverly is about as far south as you can get and still be in the city limits. I’ve only been down there once before and I have lived in Chicago for 6 years. You know, the south side gets a really bad rap by northsiders. Many times and in many areas, it’s for good reason, but we should all try to visit the good spots more. From what I’ve been able to tell Beverly is a perfectly nice, quaint little community that’s really cultured (Beverly Arts Center, anyone?) and has some great independent bars, restaurants, and stores. I’m looking forward to checking it out more now that we have friends there.
Café 103 was a great restaurant. No one rushed us when my friends and i sat and talked and talked til we were the last ones and the restaurant was obviously closing. The food was delicious. We shared scallop and shrimp appetizers. For dinner I had grilled barramundi, my other friend had a mushroom and parmesan ravioli and my other friend had a grilled pork chop. Café 103 is BYO and of course we stormed through two bottles of wine like it was nobody’s business. Great restaurant. Looking forward to going back some day.

Despite its location somewhere near the edge of the earth (I kid, I kid), I have a feeling I’ll be back to Café 103.
Two friends and I decided to enjoy a leisurely Saturday lunch in this tiny, but classy little place.
Arnie Palmer, check. Waitress knowing what an Arnie Palmer is, check with sparkles on it. Arnie Palmer made with pink lemonade, gold check with sparkles on it. She also made my friend a homemade cherry coke, and made an extra effort to find cherry juice even though he’d said not to worry about it.
I tried the potato soup which was perfect, flavorful, creamy and had just the right amounts of cheese, chives, and bacon on it. Nice large pieces of actual bacon. I should have just gotten two soups. I also got the steak sandwich, cooked to order and served on a crusty french roll with butter and caramelized onions. The fries were just ok, but I’m not a huge fry girl for the most part unless they’re shitty fast food fries. I am a lardass. The menu is seasonal so it changes up a bit, which is nice… although usually the things I love are the ones that go bye bye, so it’s not always nice. Grrr.
Fancy looking bathroom (clean too!), good food, friendly service. The prices are a little higher than I’d spend on lunch every day but it’s nice for an occasional treat. One odd thing, pepper on the tables, but no salt.

Last night I made the voyage down to the south side to check out café 103. I loved the tiny store front exterior, as well as the taseful décor inside… the food however, definitely had room for improvement. Don’t get me wrong, we didnt dislike any dish that we tried, but we weren’t exactly impressed either. I dont doubt that this is the best restaurant in the Beverly neighborhood, but for Chicago standards, the food was very mediocre. The prices were reasonable, and it was a BYOB (which is always a plus) but I doubt that I would make the drive back for a second try

An excellent spot. The food was terrific, from the freshly grilled flatbreads that came before dinner, through the butternut squash soup starter and pork chop entrée. The menu was very seasonal, which was great. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Café 103 is the cutest little place. It is reasonably priced and again… it’s BYOB. My girlfriends and I went their for lunch after a day of manicures and pedicures at Dynamic Studio. The service was great, the atmosphere was great and I had the bet hamburger. It wasn’t from frozen, and was a hand shaped patty. It was soooo good. Parking can be a bit challenging sometimes but over all I’ve never had to walk more than a block. it’s such a laid back atmosphere and everyone there is in relax mode. it’s a great neighborhood spot when you dont’ want to cook at home.
I’ve been three times and will continue to visit this little spot that’s only 10 minutes from my house… I love it.

The food at Café 103 is delicious. We went for dinner last Saturday night with 2 friends from Evanston, and ordered the filet, the ribeye, the sole and the mako shark, and everything was absolutely great. For dessert we had the hazelnut pastry (phenomenal) and the flourless chocolate cake (a little on the rich side, but still above average).
There are some really good things working for Café 103:
1. We had tickets to see a show at the World Music Co. (South Side’s version of Old Town School of Folk Music), and we were about a 3 minute walk from the venue;
2. Tons of parking, both in their lot and on the street (and they’ll spot you the $.50 for a meter if you don’t have any quarters), and also easy to get to on Metra;
3. Really great service;
4. BYOB. We probably had a good $ 60 worth of wines that we brought from home; this would have equated to a $ 200 BAR bill. As it stood, we paid about $ 180 (including tip), which shakes out to $ 45 per person in dinner, apps, desserts and coffee.
I highly recommend this place. A treasure on the South Side!
5. The place is haunted. Seriously. If you go, ask about the ghost of Vito.

Wow. This is a gem. To think that it is located in Beverly and will never be experienced by the majority of those who can’t be convinced to step away from the north side. :SIGH: In my many years of dining in Chicago (mostly north side), this place has delivered the best meals I have had… period. Sure, I’ve had my fair share of great meals, but when I eat here, I never want it to end! Every bite of everything was simply blissful. I’ve had pork chops both times I have gone… oh.my.god. My husband had a ribeye. Words cannot even describe (at least not any words I can think of). The soups and appetizers were phenomenal. The desserts are not as earth shattering, but still better than most places. Their focus is on the most fresh and local ingredients, perfectly prepared, with good service.
I was talking to the owner tonight, about how many south siders won’t even give the place a chance because some of the menu items are unfamiliar… not your standard meat and potatoes, etc… And the price is certainly higher than your average café down here. But that Italian joint (which shall remain nameless) on Western seems full every night (at the same prices, with sub-​par service and sometimes very mediocre food) and Koda is getting all kinds of hype. What gives???
You have simply got to try this place… come on… it’s only 19 miles south of downtown… a quick jaunt on the Metra or Dan Ryan…
And if you’re a local who hasn’t tried this place, I am very disappointed. Support your local businesses before all we have left is Wendy’s and Wal-​Mart.

(Really a 3.5)
A newish, 30-​seat restaurant in Beverly — French-​American bistro infused with South Asian flavors. Once it gets over its growing pains, I think they’ll be a full 4. For instance, if they’re going for upscale, they need to do better than putting a can of Diet Pepsi and a plastic bottle of Perrier on the table after pouring.
The appetizers were great. The rabbit rillettes with fig jam, rock salt, and cocoa-​dusted toast were high-​maintenance yet delectable (although they could have sprung for a fourth piece of toast), and the one bite I had of the pheasant breast appetizer made me jealous that I didn’t order it myself. Oh, and my butternut squash soup served with pumpkin bread croutons in the mini-​gourd was delicious and well-​presented (and not too rich!).
As for entrees, the guinea hen roulade was a (yummy) work of art, and my arctic char with gnocchi was fine (although it was a shame there was nothing I could use to sop up the sauce when I was done).
The desserts were okay, but they could be a bit more thrilling. Their chi-​chi take on apple pie and a banana split fell short.
BYOB with a $ 3 corkage fee, easy parking, reservations recommended.