Blue Plate

Blue Plate was one of our favorite vendors we chose - we were blown away with the food on our wedding day! We worked with Elinor and she was such a pleasure to work with. The linens and table settings were elegant and classic, and we had so many options to choose from to bring our vision to life. My husband and I were provided with a personal server throughout the entire night, so we got to truly enjoy the menu we invested in. We even had a plate of hors d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne waiting for us in the bridal suite after the ceremony! Our tasting was also such a fun day that made the wedding planning so special. We couldn't be happier with our experience with Blue Plate.

Blue Plate Catering was incredibly accommodating of our multicultural, multigenerational food requests for our wedding. It was very important to my husband and I that we serve Filipino and Ecuadorian cuisine at our wedding, as an homage to our families, and as a symbol of the marrying of our two cultural identities into one - a difficult task that they smashed out of the park! They really listened to us (and to our parents, lol) and integrated all of our requests, and the food turned out delicious! Please hire them, you will not be disappointed!

We used Blue Plate for our August 2021 wedding at Cafe Brauer. They were the only approved caterer we spoke with that seemed enthusiastic about doing an entirely gluten-free wedding. I have celiac disease and I didn’t even want gluten bread rolls on the table - there was no way I was getting sick on my wedding day! The food was truly phenomenal (including the GF rolls :) ) - our guests still talk about it to this day. And I was so grateful they could prepare it all safely. Huge thanks to Rachel and the team for doing such an incredible job!

Blue Plate did a wonderful job with our wedding catering. From our initial tasting, to postponing through the pandemic, to servicing incredibly delicious, consistent food on our big day, it was a pleasure to work with them. We had many guests tell us how wonderful the food was (the ultimate compliment)!

We hired Blue Plate as they are one of the exclusive vendors for the Chicago History Museum. They were incredible throughout everything, especially as we had to plan, and replan many times due to COVID. They accommodated us in every way and Elinor was responsive, organized, and so kind! The food was incredible and all of our guests were well fed. Our wedding party admitted that they were standing by the doors where cocktail hour bites were coming out in order to get first dibs! Even beyond the food the service was fantastic, and they helped coordinate absolutely everything! Our wedding went so smoothly because of them and we cannot thank them enough!

We used Blue Plate for our wedding caterer and could not have been happier!! Blue Plate was incredible from our initial consultation back in Summer 2019 to our wedding night in Spring 2021. Given COVID, we needed to postpone our wedding and they handled the situation so graciously. Every single person at our wedding RAVED about the food, service, and professionalism from the staff. Our main contact, Heidi, was on top of every detail and made sure our event ran smoothly. When we were considering a caterer for our wedding, it was important to us to have food that was not only delicious but that was presented and created in a fun way. There were options for every taste bud and dietary restriction, making it perfect for everyone to find something they could enjoy. The portions were appropriate, and no one was left chasing down a server or thinking about their next meal. As food lovers, Blue Plate was an ABSOLUTE winner - thank you for making our wedding celebration so memorable!

We used Blue Plate for our wedding this May and working with Nicole and team was absolutely seamless! She made it so easy, the food was delicious and we got great reviews from our guests. The horseradish filet was definitely the favorite!!

We used Blue Plate for our son's backyard tented Covid rescheduled wedding reception on August 22nd. Trish and her staff knocked it out of the park! The tasting at Blue Plate was great and they executed all of our choices perfectly the night of, even though it was over 90 degrees and super humid! The service was great as well. We choose Blue Plate based on their reputation and were not disappointed.

Bottom line: the food is amazing! Jen and the rest of the Blue Plate staff were very accommodating on all of our specific appetizers requests and our food menu (appetizer and dinner) was one of the number one things our guests raved about! We would highly recommend them and their amazing service (from start to finish!)

Having been introduced to Blue Plate through work functions, I knew if there was any way we could afford to use them for our wedding, that’s who I wanted to work with. And as a pleasant surprise, they weren’t even our highest quote! And I can’t even say enough how wonderful it was to work with Nicole C. at Blue Plate, from the initial phone conversation to the big day. She immediately got the vision we had. It was so wonderful being able to have the flexibility to create a menu from the ground up to fulfill our vision of a French themed evening. From having them specifically source breakfast radishes for crudite, to recreating a salad I was set on having, and fulfilling our vision for centerpieces lush with demi baguettes and croissants, no other caterer could have done it better. And the food, as expected, was delicious and beautiful! Our venue told us that no one else is better than Blue Plate when it comes to service. I had so many guests tell me they were SO impressed with the staff’s attention to detail and efficiency of service. And I find it so endearing that every staff member I came into contact with that evening congratulated me on my marriage. They are simply the BEST!

Blue Plate went above and beyond for our wedding last month at the Harold Washington Library. We worked with Missy and Stephanie and they were absolutely fantastic. From the tasting, to crafting the menu, to the logistics of the evening - they were truly exceptional. Their service team was so professional and really did a great job. Because we had an offsite wedding, their team really ran the show of the night and it was perfect. We got compliments after compliments about the food, especially the appetizers. They are creative and made us feel so special along the way. I even had my bridal shower hosted at their event space, which was amazing as well. I cannot say enough good things about this A-team. Book them now!

Rachel and her team at Blue Plate were truly the best catering partner we could have asked for. Every course of our meal – hors d’oeuvres, salad course, dinner, dessert and late night bites – were out of this world, and so many of our guests raved about the food. Rachel made the process so easy, and she even made recommendations to us for other aspects of the wedding, including our officiant. Her industry expertise was a value add that made the wedding planning process that much better. In short, Blue Plate knocked it out of the park.

We have received so many compliments about how amazing our food and fun drinks were and that it was the prettiest reception our guests had ever seen! Thank you for working with us and helping us create personalized touches, an amazing wedding weekend, and truly unforgettable memories with all of our family and friends. You and your team went above and beyond - we cannot thank you enough! It was a weekend we will never forget, thanks to Blue Plate!

Blue Plate was incredible! They worked with my design company to make sure everything was exactly how my groom and I envisioned for our big day. Jennifer was very attentive to our questions and made sure each detail was looked at. Each guest raved about the food and we could not have had a better experience for our wedding. Thank you, Blue Plate!

It's hard to overstate just how big a role Blue Plate played in the planning and execution of our wedding. They really were more than just a caterer. Especially as we didn't have a wedding planner, the expertise and grace they brought to the entire wedding planning experience was invaluable. From the day of our first tasting, we were in love. They hosted my wife and I and my sisters like absolute queens, sending in plate after plate of beautifully arranged and delicious food. Every time we left Blue Plate - even in the throes of planning - we left with a smile on our faces. The biggest of thanks to Alex Mackey, Chef Brittany, and the rest of the amazing team at Blue Plate! Our guests genuinely could not stop talking about the quality of the food, the creativity of the dishes, and the artistry of the presentation and service.

My husband and I are so happy that we chose to work with Blue Plate for our May 2019 wedding at Theater on the Lake. Initially, we had thought about going with the in-house catering at TOTL (which is no longer available I’ve heard), but the experience was a nightmare. After receiving some industry insider info from an event planner friend, we made the call. Blue Plate to the rescue! We worked with Brianna Simkowski. Every step of the way, Blue Plate was extremely professional and accommodating. Their new offices in the West Loop provided a dreamy backdrop for our initial tasting with my parents. All of the options were delicious, it was hard to choose our final menu! Brianna accompanied us to a final site visit the week before the wedding to go through any last minute questions with our whole team. The day of the wedding I felt confident that BP had everything under control, which was especially calming because I did not have a wedding planner. My guests loved the food. “Best wedding food I’ve ever had, seriously!” was repeated to me several times. We were very pleased with our choice in Blue Plate.

Blue Plate crushed it with catering our wedding. Elinor was wonderful to work with and very responsive to any questions we had. Our tasting was amazing and so much fun. And the food at the wedding lived up to our expectations from the tasting. Lots of guests said the food was the best they'd ever had at a wedding. When my husband and I joked that we couldn't choose from our three options because they were all so good, Blue Plate made us each a little trio so we wouldn't miss out on anything. The day-of staff was flawless and our designated server was perfect. As someone who isn't usually this fancy I was a little nervous about having a designated waiter, but ours was great. He was always there when we needed something, but never obtrusive. I didn't use a planner or day-of coordinator, so Blue Plate placed my floral arrangements on the tables for me and took care of setting up the gifts/guest log table. Everyone really went above and beyond and the reception was beautiful. I couldn't ask for more in a caterer.

Blue Plate was amazing to work with for our wedding. The menu reflected us as a couple. We had Wisconsin late night themed snacks (because my husband is from WI)! So many of our guests said it was the best wedding meal ever. We agree! They also pay attention to small details and the bride and groom have a private server who makes sure you get appetizers, dessert, drinks, and late night snacks. You don’t realize how busy you will be on your wedding day and without that private server we probably wouldn’t have had time to enjoy the food! Highly recommend Blue Plate!!

I wish I could get a dollar for everytime one of my wedding guests tells me that the food at my wedding was the best wedding food they’ve ever had because that’s what we hear the most about our wedding from our family and friends. Everyone loved the appetizers and meals. They also said the service was top notch. We got late night snacks and one guest mentioned that they didn’t like ranch on the cheese curds and the next thing she knew a server got cheese curds without ranch! We absolutely love Blue Plate and highly recommend them!!!

Blue Plate's food is SO good! We got so many compliments on the food and I know they say bride and groom never eat the night of, however, my husband and I cleaned our plates! So good! The staff was so attentive and we even had our own server the entire night! We worked with Helen from Blue Plate and she was extremely professional and patient throughout the entire process and made tasting and menu creation so easy! Blue Plate also did our cake and it was so yummy! Couldn't have asked for a better experience and we highly recommend booking them!

Our wedding venue had a list of 4 preferred catering vendors we were allowed to work with and after meeting & negotiating with them all, Blue Plate was the clear winner. Not only did they offer the lowest quote, but our sales consultant (Kate Facklis) was fantastic from the get-go! She wined-and-dined us during the tasting, was incredibly helpful when it came time to customize our wine & linen selections, and as a recent bride herself she offered genuinely good advice along the way that helped us spend our limited budget on the things that mattered most. On the day of the wedding the Blue Plate team knocked it out of the park! There was never a long line at the bar, the food came out hot, each guest at a table was served at the same time, and it was beyond awesome to have a personal server assigned to us whose sole job that night was to sure we never had an empty glass in our hands. Even though we went with the lower priced menu options, our guests still raved about how delicious each course was. I'm probably one of the few brides out there who can honestly say I ate everything on my plate that day :) We highly recommend Blue Plate catering!!

Blue Plate was absolutely amazing to work with!! We received so many compliments about how delicious the food was and how it tasted like restaurant quality. One of our guests was a chef and he commented that he has never had such scrumptious food at a wedding before and was highly impressed!! Blue Plate is worth every penny and you will not regret booking with them!! After doing our tasting with Blue Plate, nothing else compared and we knew we had to book with them! Emily was a delight to work with and went the extra mile to ensure that our day was extra special!! All of the staff were wonderful as well and so attentive! I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about Blue Plate!!

We used Blue Plate for our wedding and we are happy about that decision. Everything went smoothly from start to end. The staff are friendly and helpful. I appreciate the fact that they gave us another tasting after the first one because I could not make up my mind and wanted to try the other stuff so we have 2 total tastings. Thank you Blue Plate. I highly recommend them for your special day. On a side note - for those brides, grooms and all wedding party members who want to lose weight and look their best during the wedding day , I did the 30 day challenge with money back guarantee and I lost 20 lbs in the program. If you want to do it I encouraged you to contact iliah06@yahoo.com. She will help you just like how she helped me. I just want to share this so brides can look and feel their best on there wedding day.

Blue Plate did an exceptional job at my wedding. Besides the food being amazing, all the staff are responsive and professional. I couldn't have imagined a better service.

My husband and I intended to do two tastings and pick our caterer, but the Blue Plate initial tasting experience was so incredible that we canceled the other tasting. Everyone we worked with leading up to the wedding was incredibly thorough, thoughtful and professional. I knew there was nothing to worry about on the day of and the food was even better than I remembered. We cannot recommend Blue Plate enough. You won't regret working with them!

Best caterer ever!!! We were truly blown away by this catering company from the very start. Our tasting was a full year before our wedding, and they made us feel so special. They truly put so much effort into every couple's tasting and wedding and it gave us so much confidence in their team for the big day. Missy, Shay and Stephanie were so easy to work with and they were extremely responsive with my many questions over email. Our venue/vendor walk through went so well, and I felt 100% confident in having them run the event when the wedding day arrived. The wedding cocktail hour and dinner/reception went perfectly, and the food was INCREDIBLE. I am always skeptical about mass produced food, but these meals tasted fresh and our guests raved that it was the best wedding food they ever had. The doughnut wall and late night food were also big hits :) We loved working with Blue Plate and would recommend them to anyone for any type of event!

I’m still in awe over how wonderful of an evening Blue Plate helped us create. I was truly on the “all wedding food is meh, so who really cares” track until we had our tasting with Blue Plate. Our appetizers were honestly some of my favorite bites I’ve ever eaten (seriously) & we received countless compliments on our entrée selections. We worked alongside Helen Poe, who was an absolute rock star. We had an ambiguous idea for our day and Helen totally understood our vision and executed it to a T. The event staff took impeccable care of our guests, were professional & truly just went above and beyond to help make our wedding perfect. I am still so impressed by the quality of food and service we received and recommend highly recommend Blue Plate to anyone looking!

Just perfect. A friend recommended Blue Plate to us for our daughter's wedding, as they had had a great experience. We were so happy we chose them! The appetizers, salad and main courses were all delicious, the service was spot on, everything was attractively plated--we didn't have to worry about anything. We got so many compliments on the food--yes, on wedding food! Helen was great to work with, and made everything easy. Highly recommend.

We were in very good hands with Elinor at Blue Plate! She came to both the rehearsal and the big event and made sure everything ran smoothly. I can honestly say this was the best "wedding chicken" I have ever tasted...maybe the best chicken period. All the main courses and appetizers were a notch above what I usually find at weddings. Blue plate was very accommodating to our guests with dietary restrictions. They were very attentive to my bride and me, and overall they just quietly did a good job and made it look easy. Definitely recommend them!

We selected our venue, A New Leaf in Chicago, and Rachel from Blue Plate happened to be there meeting with a client that same day. She was so bubbly and pleasant and gave us her card right away and the rest is history. We felt so taken care of and she is a true professional and industry expert. During our tasting the food and service blew us away and we trusted her so much that we selected many of our other vendors from her recommendations. During the planning process we felt like Rachel always had a knowledgeable answer for literally every little detail. The wedding day did not disappoint either - we had a team making sure we were staged for the ceremony, prompted us for walking down the aisle and greeted our guests with cocktails immediately after walking out of the ceremony space. Elinor and Ellen were amazing to work with day of. Our personal server was such a nice touch too - we were able to enjoy many apps, full plated meals and always had a drink in hand...he even found us on the dance floor later in the night :) The food we had was buffet style and open seating, but easily the best wedding food I have ever had. Our guests raved about the Fall menu and also about the wait staff and bartenders. Overall the wedding planning process can feel intimidating and we can easily say that working with Blue Plate was a huge factor in making the process stress free and fun - and the quality exceeded our expectations. Our actual wedding day was the rainiest day in Chicago history which I know caused logistical challenges, but our team never missed a beat and we were so thankful. You are all the best! If you are planning a wedding, I highly recommend reaching out to Blue Plate and scheduling a tasting. - Kristina & Andrew

My husband and I worked with Matthew at Blue Plate for our November 2017 wedding. We do not have enough words to describe how amazing the service was. From the tasting (that was so fun; we were laughing the whole time) to the week before the wedding to the day of, I knew I was in good hands. The food was also delicious. We’ve received so many compliments. And, Matthew worked to ensure everything was beautiful and authentically us. This included personalized desserts, inspired appetizers, etc. I cannot recommend Blue Plate enough for a Chicago wedding!!!

Many people at my table turned to me and said, clearly surprised, "This food is really good!" The compliments kept coming all evening. Here's a testimonial from our nephew, who brought himself and family from Amsterdam to attend: "Just wanted to say that we had a great time and thought that it was a spectacular wedding. Thank you for having us....the food was best I’ve ever had at a wedding (and the chicken fingers for kids was very much appreciated)." Boom! Of all the components of a wedding reception, having tasty food was the most important to me personally. Blue Plate was so fantastic in every way, top to bottom, plus the food was delicious and hot, and everyone was so nice. Our contact person, Rachel, was so wonderful and responsive from planning to the end of the evening. She and her staff followed through on all of our requests.

From tasting to our reception on the wedding day, Blue Plate provided delicious food options for us and our guests, we all love the dinner. Also, Blue Plate helped us flipped the ceremony layout to dinning layout in a very efficient and professional way. We are really happy that we chose Blue Plate to be part of our wedding.

We worked with Rachel, and she is incredible. I emailed her for a year almost weekly, she always answered quickly responding to questions or concerns. She is so calm and collected, it helps to have calm people around during the chaos! Our venue did not have a kitchen, and I was concerned how the food would be, no worries needed! It was he best wedding food we've ever had, and multiple of our guests said the same. They took care of every detail (even when the lights went out at our venue) and really went above and beyond.

Blue Plate was perfect on our wedding day! Helen and Emilie from Blue Plate were great to work with and accommodating, especially when we had last minute additions to chairs and had to combine tables the week before the wedding. They even worked with us to add a few cases of beer behind the bar at the last minute. They were also able to work with us on customizing their standard menu packages to fit our needs. The wedding day itself ran perfectly. They had a dedicated staff member for us who made sure that we always had anything that we needed. We have heard of couples not being able to eat during the wedding, but Jerome (our dedicated staff member) made sure we had food, drink, or even a whole plate of the shrimp appetizer when the bridal party requested it. He even had a plate of the late night snacks ready for us as we took a breather from the dance floor. And this is on top of how wonderful the food was! The beef filet was cooked perfectly and the polenta was a great change of pace from potatoes. The salmon was also a great hit and was just the right amount of flaky. We heard so many compliments from our guests on the food and even saw countless pictures of the food on social media the next day (the best type of compliment from our younger guests)! Blue plate was wonderful and we would tell anyone who needed a caterer for their wedding to choose them!

Blue plate did an incredible job with our wedding at the Chicago History Museum. We worked with Elinor who was so nice, organized and thoughtful. She was quick to respond to every request we had throughout the planning process. My mom is a long time employee at the McDonald's headquarters and Blue Plate even served our late night burgers and egg mcmuffins for us. My husband and I were also pleasantly surprised to have our own personal waiter throughout the night to bring us water, drinks or whatever we needed. Just a special touch to make us feel even more special on our special day. Overall, wonderful service and great food. Would highly recommend.

Our tasting with Blue Plate was a great intro to what it’d be like working with them for our wedding: the food was delicious, the service was excellent, and we had so much fun! Our reps, Rachel and Nick, were wonderful to work with, and they truly went above and beyond to make sure every detail was right. We felt so taken care of throughout the entire process, and their amazing service extended to our guests on our wedding day. They even personally served my husband and I hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour to make sure we’d eat! As we created our menu, we had an extensive list of options to choose from, and they worked very closely with us to make sure we stayed within our budget. Rachel offered a lot of expertise but was very open and accommodating to our ideas as well. She was also a huge help in organizing the details and keeping our reception running smoothly; we didn't have a day-of coordinator (in hindsight, I wish we did and would advise it to future brides), but Rachel helped fill this role as best as possible. Most importantly, the food was delicious; several of our guests actually thanked us for hosting the first wedding they’d gone to with good food! We can’t thank Blue Plate enough for all the time and work they put into making our wedding day great, and I hope another opportunity comes along for us to work with them! Luckily for me, my company uses them as a caterer, so I can keep enjoying the food :)

We had an absolutely wonderful experience working with Elinor Brown for our September 2016 wedding at the Rookery in downtown Chicago. First off, the food was amazing and we received tons of compliments from our guests on how the food at our wedding was the best 'wedding food' they have ever had. From the appetizers, to the dinner stations and the bar set-ups, it was all top notch quality and service was great. Regarding planning, from the get-go Elinor was responsive, helpful, easy to work with, honest and always was willing to put in extra effort in order to help guide us through the planning process. Elinor worked as both our caterer and venue liaison, and though we were a bit worried about the logistics in the beginning of the planning process, she made sure everything went smoothly, and our wedding day turned out better than we could have ever imagined. Thank you so much Elinor, and the entire staff at Blue Plate, for giving us the wedding of our dreams!

Food was excellent! Helen was amazing to work with

Incredible food, professional and kind team- these guys are legit. I was so impressed by the team that executed our event. Nick and Lauren were a dream team and I felt so at ease in working with them. They paid attention to all the details and were so felixible in accommodating our every need. Our guests are still raving about the quality of our food, drinks and fun extras. Well done guys! Can't go wrong here.

Coming from a big Italian family that is particular about quality food, choosing a caterer was one of the most important decisions we made for our wedding. In our opinion, Blue Plate is the best caterer in Chicago. They did our bridal shower and our wedding. The bridal shower was Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter themed, and they executed the food to perfection. We had a lovely selection of tea sandwiches cut in fun shapes, divine appetizers, and a lovely gnocchi salad served in teacups and saucers. Blue Plate's service is exceptional. This was best exemplified on our wedding day when we had our own personal server. We hear so many people complain they never get to enjoy the food at their own wedding. This was not the case for us! The server made sure we had water/drinks at all times, a sampling of all the passed hor d'oeuvres, a warm dinner, and our cake and cannoli’s. Rachel, our coordinator, was phenomenal-- she is so personable, enthusiastic, smart, and experienced. I trusted her to troubleshoot anything and to keep things going smoothly. She and the chefs at Blue Plate worked with us to customize fish hor d'oeuvres with fish from our own family farm!! It was such a fun and meaningful experience and they prepared the fish to perfection. Blue Plate is truly the best in the city in quality food and top notch service.

Niki R. and her team over at Blue Plate are the best in the business! I work in the events industry and get to work with caterers all throughout Chicago. When Alex and I got engaged, I knew I had to work with Niki and the Blue Plate team! Niki R. and Kate B. went above and beyond every single step of the process. The creative menus, detailed tasting and perfectly executed wedding day made the process seamless and a breeze. They created lasting family memories at our wedding tasting. Our family was blown away by the attention to detail in the dishes they recommended. The day of our wedding, every bite was perfection! The staff was well put together, helpful and friendly. I can't recommend Blue Plate enough. Most importantly, make sure you try the Free Form Maki! YUM!

Recently used blue plate for my wedding and would highly recommend. They were great and easy to work with. Food turned out amazing and heard many compliments from the guests. Everything ran smoothly, it was perfect!

You really get what you pay for. The food and presentation are both amazing. We chose to serve chicken and vegetarian option and were told it was the best wedding food people had ever had. The servers are attentive and they create a wonderful event. They are very easy to communicate with only had issue with contact and event coordinator switching several times.

Blue Plate did a fabulous job catering our wedding. We worked with Elinor Brown as our coordinator - she is awesome! We met with Elinor after meeting with two other caterers, and we clicked with her right away - she is warm and personable and has a fabulous sense of humor. She is knowledgeable and professional and a pleasure to work with. She also got married at the same venue as we did - and her enthusiasm for our venue was infectious. The other caterers we considered were Berghoff and Jewell. Both had great food and great coordinators as well - but as noted above, we just clicked better with Eiinor. Blue Plate was also uniquely able to give us a beef option at the same cost as our chicken option, which allowed us to offer three dishes (including the vegetarian one) rather than two. And after our tasting, Elinor reached out with a proactive offer of a 10% discount, which impressed us. We did run the offer past the other caterers to give them a chance to beat it, but they couldn't - so we went with Blue Plate and were glad we did! Interestingly, we attended a friend's wedding a few weeks before our own where Blue Plate was also the caterer. My husband and I had a great meal - but curiously a few of our friends did not like the preparation of their steaks (and we all had the same order). Since we were also serving steak at our wedding we were just a bit nervous, and ran our friends' feedback past Elinor - just in case there were any extra precautions she could take. She was very responsive and reassured us that they would make sure the steaks were consistently prepared. And they were! I was surprised at the number of guest who went out of their way to tell us how great their meals were. As someone who does not order chicken at catered events, I ordered the chicken at my own wedding - that should tell you something! They cooked it with a honey-glaze I fell in love with at the tasting - and it was not at all dry. Their Sangria Salad (with peaches) was perfect for our early-September wedding. We did not order alcohol through Blue Plat simply because our venue served their own alcohol packages. While Blue Plate is not cheap, they offer great value - they were worth every penny. If you work with them, ask for Elinor!