Inspiration Kitchens

I visited on a Saturday morning for brunch, and would now rank this among my favorite breakfasts in Chicago. I split the chicken and waffles and seasonal root vegetables with fried egg and onion gravy. Both were tasty. The flavors and texture of the chicken and waffles made for a delicious combo. The sweet options (rotating selections of pancakes and french toast) also sounded tasty. The service was great — friendly, helpful and attentive to coffee refills. The space is really lovely with lots of light and a pleasant atmosphere and plenty of room. I highly recommend a visit, this place is a gem!

I am thoroughly impressed by Inspiration Kitchens. According to one of the staff members, last night was the first time they had the prixe fixe meal – 3 courses for $ 25. Before coming, I had browsed the menu, so I was slightly put off by the prixe fixe menu. However, they had thoughtful and delicious vegetarian options. For the first course, I had a spiced arugula salad. The cherries were a bit tart but not sweet, so it was well balanced. For the second course, I had the mushroom and farro risotto, which is actually made out of oats, I believe. The tofu was a tad sweet, but the flavors were excellent. The pecans and mushroom really added a hearty element. For my last course, I had the peach cobbler pound cake – also no complaints here.
My dining companion had the crispy oysters, pepper vinegar short rib, and crunch cake. He said the short rib was better than similar dishes at more expensive restaurants.
I would like to return either to this location or the one in Uptown for the regular menu.
Inspiration Kitchens is a real hit. The mission behind the restaurant is awesome, the quality and quantity of the food is outstanding, and the staff are very nice people. Your heart and your belly will be full.

Service is great. Sweet potato pancakes are HEAVEN. Don’t forget to order the jumbo biscuits.

I’ve been here for few times. The staff is always pleasant and the atmosphere is beautiful. They always have great specials. The prices are reasonable for the quality of the food that you order. They also have a lot of adult drinks on the menu. it’s a very relaxing experience when I come here.

I had the shrimp and grits and my fiancé had chicken and gravy. The sauce on the shrimp and grits was an unexpected but delicious flavor. The grits are very soft and tasty, unlike your ordinary grits. My fiancé said that the gravy on his chicken and potatoes was the best gravy he’s ever had. We had macaroni and cheese as an appetizer, and It was really cheesy and soft. I love that it’s so easy and simple to support a great cause just by getting a meal there. My fiancé was happy to pay every dollar!

Amazing lunch! The food and staff was lovely and inspirational. Our group literally ordered everything on the menu and absolutely everything crushed it! I can’t wait to come back. What a professional and friendly atmosphere.

We had an amazing time at inspiration kitchen. We got the whole experience from ordering literally everything on the menu to getting a full tour of the establishment. Their mission of helping those in need by not only giving them professional/​kitchen skills but placing them in actual jobs within a 13 week program is truly inspirational. Btw everything is honestly delicious. My personal favorites were the shrimp and grits, pear salad and gumbo (it had just the right amount of spice). Tell everyone you know… this is a secret you don’t want to keep :)

Wonderful food. Wonderful staff. Wonderful mission. This is a Chicago treasure.
I encourage you to go, eat, and really learn about this amazing organization.

This was the best catfish po boy I’ve ever had outside of Louisiana. You have to try the Brussel Sprouts the were the best I’ve ever had and wouldn’t have an issue eating just them.

I’ve been back a few times since I wrote my first review and am a bit less enthused. The quality of some items has been a bit uneven. For example, the brisket was great the first time my husband got it, but rubbery the second. Also they serve their jar spreads with stale crackers that look like they came out the back of someone’s cupboard. The pear salad was overwhelmingly sweet and the shrimp and grits were just OK.
The catfish po boy, gumbo and banana bread pudding are superb. But I’m a little more reserved about Inspiration Kitchens than I was before. It is still the best restaurant in Garfield Park that I’ve been to, in terms of ambience.

This place is amazing! First the food is really good. They have gourmet quality food for great prices. I have gone here for lunch as well as breakfast and both dishes were great. I love the shrimp and grits, the duck skillet, the red velvet pancakes and the shrimp Po-​boy I had there. In the summertime they even grown veggies in their gardedn which they use in their food and also can and sale. And not to mention that this place is a Non profit that helps teach culinary skills to people trying to get on their feet. Great cause, great food. Nothing bad to say about this place.

There is nothing bad about this place at all.
Cause, commitment, and excellence in food is no exception
I always go for the Shrimp and grits.
This has to be the Yummisest dish in the Chi hands down!
I would have Shrimp and grits three times a day if i could
The pulled pork /​Po-​boy is an excellent option as well.
Please support Inspiration kitchen you will not regret it!

Listen. I came here for lunch. My coworkers had been telling me for weeks that I had to try this catfish po’boy. They were not lying. It was DELICIOUS! A whole piece of fish with lettuce, tomato, corn salad and some kind of delicious aioli. It came with a side salad that had a very pleasant sweet and tangy dressing. I also tried some of the shrimps and grits AND our wonderful server brought us a sample of gumbo. I’m seriously blown by how good everything is. I’m definitely coming back to get… everything.

My 7 year old declared this the home of the best pancakes ever. Light. Fluffy. Tasty. Out of this world. My shrimp and grits was divine. So much flavor with savory, cheesy goodness. The shrimp to grit ratio was a bit off (not enough shrimp for all the grits). But I was stuffed while leaving lots of grits left over.
While the service is pretty basic, the food is top notch. We’ll be back.
Oh, and we finally have a good dining destination near Garfield Park Conservatory.

Disclaimer: This review doesn’t include a Salmonella infection!
When stormed out of this place the only regret I had in mind was the incessant question: «Boy oh boy how did I forget to snap a picture…» A picture of the absolutely RAW/​PINK RED disgusting chicken breast that came in the chicken sandwich. After about a 30 minute wait in this 4.5 stars awarded joint we received a plate of shrimp and grits so grossly salty it made us cringe followed by a plate of nicely crisped out this outside completely raw on the inside chicken breast. When we called the waitress to show her their product the first word that came out of her mouth wasn’t «I’m so sorry» or «I apologize», nope it was «AWE HeALL». We had to just run for the hills before catching any septic doses of salmonella.
All in all this was a horrid experience and we were still in shock when we got back home a few hours later. If a restaurant can successfully screw up frying a chicken breast then it is time to consider a different line of work. May i suggest musical instruments sales.
On a separate but related note, it is a complete mystery as to how this place earned 4.5 stars. Now, after a few similar incidents I’m starting to doubt the integrity of reviewers on Unilocal

We had the Fried Green Tomatoes, Fried Brussel Sprouts, Catfish Porboy and Pulled Pork Sandwich witht he Sweet Potato chips. Everything was ah-​mazing. The service was great and it was so nice and serine.

I really like how this place offers great food and a very good social mission. The prices are very reasonable, and it’s conveniently located right next to the Garfield Conservatory. I didn’t feel like eating something heavy so I got the beet and baby kale salad, which was satisfactory. There was sliced beets, baby kale, pecans, and bacon lardons (the best part but definitely not the healthiest).
I tried my friends’ gumbo and it was very delicious and so was their pancakes (buttery, light perfection!) I would definitely come back for the shrimp and grits next time, which is their best seller.
Our server was super sweet! A wonderfully nice lady who took good care of us. Please come and support their mission! You’ll get a great meal and a warm fuzzy feeling when you leave for supporting a good social cause.

Looking for place to host an event (bridal shower, birthday party, etc)? This is it. The food is great, budget friendly, prompt service and all for a good cause.

Had A lunch Meeting @ Inspiration Kitchens. My BURGER WAS delicious ! I loved THE Brie CHEESE And bacon. The Pretzel Roll WAS. tasty too! I had Already Eaten most of the pickled Squash before I Realized they WERE Garnish for the BURGER! Crab CAKE Appetizer WAS decent. The basil Infused lemonade was awesome!!! unfortunately I WAS too full to Apprecia te the scrumptious Louisiana crunch CAKE.

Review number two for me at this place. I’m teetering between a 2 and 3 star rating now.
After walking in we were absentmindedly asked to wait while they cleared some tables. They were not rude but they definitely did not have the demeanor I would expect from a full service restaurant. After being seated we were warned that they were fairly busy so the food may take a while. Which we were ok with.
The problem with that is we waited at least 15+ minutes just for a drink order (we were ready to order food too but the waitress scurried away before we could). Another 10 minutes and we had our food order in. About this time a host asked us if we would move tables so they could fit a bigger group in at our table and the one next to it. Again not a big deal and we did so without problem.
Then we waited about 20 more minutes for our food. And as usual the food was GREAT. Some of the best food I’ve tasted in Chicago. Except the tea my boyfriend ordered never showed up, nor did his toast. And we had to walk up to a host to get more water. After bringing us our food we were never checked on by the waitress… we had to walk up to the host stand where she was with everyone else working to ask for the toast. She talked to the kitchen and apologized, but the toast never actually came.
Then we had to flag her down for the bill and wait another 5 – 10 minutes for that. And then we had to walk back up to the host stand to pay as she never came back for my card.
So in short — The food was amazing. The service was beyond unacceptable. They were busy, but had empty tables and more than a few servers… who all appeared to be standing around at the register instead of checking on tables. We never got some of our food/​drink, even after asking about it missing. And what should have been a 45 minute-​ish dining experience at MOST turned into 70+ minutes.
I’ll give this place another chance before writing them off completely, but only because of the food. Next time I’ll go we’ll see if I’ll ever recommend it to a friend again.