Argo Tea (and Coffee)

An Argo Tea outpost opened up recently in the lobby where I work, and it seems to be doing a bustling business, as it's almost always packed. Most of their items, from quiches to sandwiches, include tea infusions of some kind, and they offer a dazzling array of beverages, too. I'm in this building enough that I'm starting to learn the off times, and will slip out of the studio just long enough to refuel with some iced coffee and a snack. Here's a sampling of MY samplings:

Green tea yogurt parfait--strong but not off-putting green tea flavor to the yogurt. I don't LOVE green tea, but I like it, and I liked this parfait. I wish they made a slightly smaller size as I couldn't finish this all, but it was still a good purchase. 5 bucks is a bit pricey for a parfait, but when you're stuck all day in a studio and packing a lunch just didn't happen, this is a better option than spending 15 bucks somewhere else on not-so-healthy portions/fare.

Iced coffee and raspberry-almond rugelach. I had high hopes for the rugelach, which promised a mix of two of my favorite flavors, but it was pretty bland. Hardly any taste of almond to it, and the pastry dough itself was a bit gummy and just yuck. I like my rugelach to have the tang of cream cheese in them--this bite was just lifeless and disappointing. The iced coffee, however, was bracing and strong--just the pick-up I needed in the middle of yet another 16-hour workday.

And my most recent try? The Chai Curry Chicken bowl. I was at the end of a 12 hour day and needed FOOD. Not a snack, not a nibble, but a MEAL. My coworker Jenna recommended this bowl, which comes with sliced grilled chicken (only 3 small slices, but it ended up being enough), a chai sauce, quinoa and spinach leaves. This has almost the same amount of calories as one slice of (lousy) rugelach, and yet is so much more filling (and good for you).

I also tasted way more chai than curry, so don't let the idea of curry frighten you--the flavors were pronounced but not too strong, and deliciously interesting.

So far the items (except the rugelach, sigh) have been consistently delicious. Every other one of my coworkers has reported having rude or inattentive service, but this hasn't happened to me. Sometimes the wait is a bit long, but I think that's due to customer volume. So far I've been fortunate enough to have smiling, nice people help me! Argo has locations in Chicago and NYC, so if you're in either city, stop by and check them out--might be worth a taste!