Looking to check out a new food court? Look no further than this new arrival. Located at 55 E Monroe St. (between Wabash Ave. & Michigan Ave.) in the Loop, the fresh addition is called Forum 55.
This new spot—which features 10 different food stations, as well as a marketplace—aims to showcase local farmers, entrepreneurs, and chefs, with a variety of culinary options to choose from.
The space boasts one of the largest salad bars in the city, with produce supplied by farmers in nearby Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as from a community garden.
Forum 55 also works to include women and minority-owned businesses in its incubator program, allowing entrepreneurs to use its facilities to test a new product or work to start a new company.
For lunch options, expect to see items like "The Hot Mess" from sandwich purveyor Sandwich Shop, with roasted turkey, apple slaw, watercress, tomato, and apple/sage butter; "Bao to the Pork" from Pork & Mindy's, with pulled pork shoulder topped with Asian plum sauce, pickled daikon and carrot, and cucumber; or chicken tinga tacos at Mercadito Taqueria. (You can check out the full menu here.)
With a 3.5-star rating out of five reviews on Yelp so far, the fresh arrival has gotten a good response.
Emily W., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on October 24th, said: "The Loop food hall business has some new competition. Look out, because Forum 55 is awesome. There are 9 different stations to choose from, and everything looks delicious."
And Paula B. said: "So far, a very good option for lunch in the Loop. I've been to most of the restaurants featured inside the food hall, and was very pleased with all of them. The salad bar is impressive."
Head on over to check it out: Forum 55 is open weekdays from 7am–2pm. (It's closed on weekends.)
