Cheesecake Factory 1st Time Review: Massive Portions, Tacky Decor

On a work trip to Chicago in May I finally visited the Cheesecake Factory for myself. I went to its only restaurant in the city center, at the bottom of 875 North Michigan Avenue, formerly the John Hancock Center — one of Chicago’s tallest buildings.

These were decorative pillars throughout the dining area, as well as a very strange 3D ceiling that looked almost like it was inflated. Overall, the restaurant was very warm-toned, with gold, red, orange, yellow, and brown decor and dim yellow lighting.

As for this hole in the wall — I have no idea why it was there.

The restaurant was designed by Jordan Mozer & Associates in the 1990s. The architecture firm says it was inspired by psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll posters, French cafés, and elements of ancient Asian artwork. To me, it felt like a bizarre cross between an art deco Parisian café, a cartoon-like attraction at Disney, and Atlantis. It was quite unsettling.

Source: JMA

And, boy, was there a lot to choose from. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a restaurant with such an extensive menu, which included pizza, tacos, steak, salad, pasta, seafood, and much more.

The Skinnylicious menu alone was extensive enough to be a main menu.

I ordered the Vegan Cobb Salad, which included quinoa, avocado, roasted beet, grilled asparagus, and almonds. The portion, unsurprisingly, was massive. I’ve never been given such a big salad before.

Then it was time for dessert. There were so many different flavors to choose from — chocolatey, fudgy, fruity, nutty. Some of them used the brands of the products they were made with to draw diners in, like Oreo, Reese’s, Hershey’s, Godiva, Cinnabon, and Ghirardelli.

My bill came to $42.41 post-tax, pre-tips. The cheesecake itself was on the pricy side, but overall it didn’t seem too bad. The bill came with a note in six different languages, telling diners that “it’s customary in the US to tip 15-22%.”