Fresh flatbread sandwiches and square-shaped bagels known as “Squagels” are now being served on the downtown Northwestern Medicine campus with the opening of a new Cosi restaurant in 259 East Erie.
Located on the first floor with access from Ontario Street, Cosi is the third food vendor to move into 259 East Erie, following the openings of Stan’s Donuts and an Au Bon Pain kiosk. It also opens on the heels of a new, expanded Walgreens in Galter Pavilion, which features grab-and-go food items, a frozen yogurt station and other food options.
Cosi, a national fast-casual restaurant chain with additional locations in Chicago and other cities, offers a variety of sandwiches and melts served on its signature flatbread, which is made fresh every day, says Keith Borre, area director for Cosi. Options range from the vegetarian Hearth-Roasted Veggie sandwich to the more meat-centric Steakhouse Gorgonzola Melt. Customers can choose from a range of made-to-order salads, as well.
The restaurant also offers flatbread pizzas, bowls, salads and soups — plus a Taste Two option that the lets diners choose among a half sandwich, soup and half salad. Cosi is open for breakfast, too, serving items such as wraps, sandwiches, parfaits, oatmeal and and an assortment of Squagels.
Cosi, along with the other recent openings, is part of Shop & Dine Northwestern, a strategy that is bringing new restaurants and retailers to the downtown campus. The new businesses cater not just to employees, patients and visitors, but also to people in the surrounding Streeterville neighborhood.
On a recent lunch break, Nuclear Medicine technologists Katie Tucker and Elizabeth Gray dined at a table in Cosi, just two of the many Northwestern Medicine employees checking out the restaurant on opening day.
More options are on their way, including LYFE Kitchen, a restaurant that emphasizes healthy, sustainably sourced ingredients.