A Long Lunch Under Glass at 3 Arts Club Cafe

A fountain sits beneath chandeliers, trees and climbing greenery in the middle of a glass-roofed courtyard. Around it, diners settle into tables, sofas and bar seats at 3 Arts Club Cafe, the restaurant inside RH Chicago.

This is dining with a generous dose of interior-design theater. Historic architectural character meets RH’s contemporary furniture and displays, so a meal begins in a room that has already given you plenty to look at.

Daylight changes the atrium through the glass ceiling, and rain across the upper windows can turn lunch into a small weather show. By evening, the softer light and chandeliers give the courtyard a more formal mood without making it stiff.

The central atrium has a garden-like quality, but it is not all one look. Traditional dining tables suit a proper lunch or dinner, while sofas make sense for a lingering coffee or a relaxed conversation. A bar area offers another option when the visit is more casual.

Despite all the visual activity overhead and around the fountain, the room can be easy to talk in. The absence of intrusive background music has been a welcome detail for people catching up with friends, meeting clients or sitting down for a family meal.

It works especially well for occasions that need a little atmosphere without the ceremony of a private event room: birthdays, dates, brunch with friends, hosting out-of-town guests, or a business gathering that deserves better surroundings than a conference table.

The RH Scramble has become a breakfast favorite, a fitting order in a setting where even an ordinary morning coffee can turn into a longer pause. It is the sort of dish that keeps the meal grounded while the room handles the drama.

Eggs Benedict appears in both classic and Italian directions, giving brunch groups a couple of familiar but distinct choices. Swedish pancakes add another morning-friendly route when someone at the table is in the mood for something sweeter.

Lattes can arrive with an image of the RH Chicago building printed in the foam, a small bit of presentation that suits the address. Bellinis and spritzes move the table comfortably from coffee meeting to brunch, while wine is available for a more leisurely lunch or dinner.

The menu moves between polished comfort food, seafood and salads, making it workable for a mixed table. A Caesar salad with chicken can be as straightforward as the moment requires; burrata with roasted peppers and grilled shrimp offer lighter but still composed choices.

The truffle fries have drawn notice for being crisp and airy rather than heavy, with black-truffle accents and truffle aioli. They are well suited to the shared-table style of a visit where people may be ordering a few things, browsing the menu and staying awhile.

For a more substantial plate, the burger is a two-patty smash burger, with finely minced onion among its details and Black Forest bacon available as an addition. A ribeye sandwich, charred ribeye and petit filet give meat-eaters further options.

Seafood has its own lane here. The lobster roll comes on buttery brioche with drawn butter, Old Bay seasoning and mayonnaise, while crispy artichokes offer another shareable starter. A Bluefin toro dish with Petrossian Imperial Kaluga caviar has also stood out for its careful preparation and high-quality ingredients.

Dessert can be simple and satisfying: warm chocolate-chip cookies, strawberries and cream, crème brûlée or a caramelized banana split. In a room this composed, a warm cookie still has its place.

Birthday tables may receive a warm cookie with a candle, even if the group has not ordered dessert. It is a gracious little gesture, and exactly the right scale for a restaurant that regularly hosts celebrations.

The cafe sits inside RH Chicago rather than beside it, so the showroom naturally becomes part of the outing. You can wander among furniture and interior-design displays before sitting down, or take a post-lunch lap through the building when conversation has slowed and nobody is in a hurry to leave.

That arrangement gives the visit a different rhythm from a standard restaurant reservation. The meal may be the anchor, but the setting offers a reason to extend the afternoon—looking at a chair, reconsidering a light fixture, or simply taking another pass through the spaces.

The Gold Coast address also places the cafe near Rush Street shopping, restaurants and nightlife. It can fit neatly into a larger day in the neighborhood, though the atrium is substantial enough to make the cafe a destination on its own.

Reservations are commonly recommended for weekends, brunch and special occasions, when the courtyard’s appeal is no secret. Some bookings are made weeks ahead, particularly for a celebratory meal.

Seating is spread across tables, lounge-style sofas, the bar and reported outdoor patio or terrace areas, so the tone of a visit can vary with the table. The restrooms are on the second level, requiring a trip upstairs.

Paid street parking and valet parking are reported in the surrounding Gold Coast area. Families can find familiar choices on the regular menu, including the burger, but the cafe does not have a dedicated children’s menu.

3 Arts Club Cafe is not designed around a quick in-and-out meal. Its pleasures are cumulative: a latte beneath the glass roof, fries in the middle of the table, a long conversation by the fountain, then a slow browse through RH.

For lunch, brunch, dinner or a coffee meeting that could use better scenery, the room gives even familiar dishes a notably handsome place to land.