Restoration Hardware & The 3 Arts Cafe
If you haven’t been to Restoration Hardware, then you need to schedule an afternoon out ASAP. Restoration Hardware is a historic building located in the Gold Coast area of Chicago. Restoration Hardware is first and foremost a home decor and lifestyle brand. The building itself has five levels. Each level has a curated theme like RH Baby & Child or RH Modern. You can meet with interior designers and purchase furniture, lighting fixtures, textiles, rugs, bathe-ware, decor and outdoor products.
In 1914, the building that is now Restoration Hardware used to be home to young women studying music, drama and visual arts. The courtyard of the building was built out into glass atrium where The 3 Arts Café resides today. The atrium has an absolutely stunning glass chandelier that looks over the entire restaurant along with a gorgeous green fountain in the middle of the cafe. Trees and plethora of greenery spreads throughout the café.
The best floors at Restoration Hardware are the Children & Teen and Outdoor Living Floors. The décor and environments you get to explore are super unique and fun. One of my favorite features on the Children & Teen floor is this massive furry circular chairs that spin. I always fond myself spinning every time I visit. The rooftop floor houses the Outdoor Living area and it is so serene and beautiful. There are running water features, and everything is very neutral and calming. I often grab my laptop and do homework on the rooftop. During the summer Restoration Hardware opens up the outdoor rooftop where there are some pretty comfy couches and fire pits.
Getting a table at The 3 Arts Café can be a challenge. I do not recommend going on Saturday or Sunday unless you wait outside before Restoration Hardware opens in the morning. It gets crazy busy and sometimes you even have to wait for a table for three hours! Weekdays are the best time to visit.
One of my favorite activities to do at Restoration Hardware is to go to the mini café and grab a glass or wine or two. Bring your best gal pals and go walk around for a couple hours. You can bring alcohol, tea or coffee all throughout Restoration Hardware. I personally like to pretend I’m rich and plan my future 2 million dollar home with my friends.
The 3 Arts Café has so many great menu items. A couple of the best items are: The RH Scramble, The Hand Cut Fries, The Smoked Salmon Board, The Truffle Oil Grilled Cheese and The RH Burger. The Smoked Salmon Board is something I wouldn’t normally try. I personally am not a huge seafood person but one of my best friends urged me to try something out of my comfort zone. The Board comes with cucumber, pickled onions, fresh cheese and Texas toast. It is bizarrely delicious.
If seafood doesn’t float your boat than the Truffle Oil Grilled Cheese will. You have never tasted heaven until you have taken a bite out of this grilled cheese. Truffle oil is such a strange flavor, but it blends so perfectly with the toast and cheddar cheese. Not to mention you get the Hand Cut Fries with you order. I could eat these fries happily for the rest of my life. The garlic aioli sauce you get with the fries will rock your world.
If you have a sweet tooth I would check out the House-Made Chocolate Chip Cookies. You get three massive cookies served perfectly warmed up on a plate. These cookies are so beyond delicious, they even have little chunks of sea salt on top. Just imagine two hands pulling apart a gooey fresh backed cookie with chocolate strands dripping apart. No joke, these cookies are amazing.
Another one of my favorite menu items at The 3 Arts Café is the afternoon tea. I will often take my grandma or my friends for little tea dates at Restoration Hardware. My go-to tea is the Jasmine Silver Tip or the Bai Hao Oolong tea. You get a cute little tea cup and saucer with a unique metal tea pot. I like to sip my tea and gaze at the gorgeous chandelier.
The best item on the entire menu is the Truffle Oil Grilled Cheese. The truffle oil can be very overpowering, so if you hate truffle oil, then this dish is not for you. The bread crunchy and thick. Every bite of this grilled cheese is perfection. The Hand Cut Fries come on the side with a delightful garlic aioli dipping sauce. I highly recommend this dish. It will have you licking your fingertips by the time your plate is clear.
Restoration Hardware and The 3 Arts Café are worth the trip out to Gold Coast. It’s a food lovers paradise. This place is one of my favorite things about Chicago.
