Dine and dash

UFood Grill  [ click for address/hours ]
Get past the odd, U-happy menu names—UBowls, Smuuthies and UnFries—and you’ll find healthy, quick-serve meals at the first Chicago location of this Boston-based franchise. (Another spot is slated to open in October at 823 S. State St.) Lunch here won’t blow your diet. Everything’s baked, grilled or steamed, and dishes are heavy on fresh produce and whole grains. The joint even posts nutritional information for each item.
Go-to order: Tofusion UBowl ($6.99), organic tofu and veggies with ginger-soy glaze over brown rice. Reward yourself for your healthy choice with some fro-yo. UFood calls its version—what else?—UBerry. We like the raspberry tart (regular $2.50, large $3.50).
Time required: 3 to 5 minutes. This one’s also a good candidate for a long lunch when the boss is out of town. There’s ample table and counter seating for 45.

Simply Fresh Cafe & Juice Bar
This small cafe-juice bar in the Smurfit-Stone building—a stone’s throw from Millennium Park—serves sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, fresh-squeezed juice and a full line of Metropolis coffee drinks. Fro-yo fans can satisfy their cravings for tart, fat-free, creamy goodness here as well.
Go-to order: California turkey club with avocado ($5.49). Pair it with fresh-squeezed carrot-apple-ginger juice ($3.50). Still hungry? Get a fro-yo to go ($2.99 regular, $3.99 large).
Time required: About 5 minutes. Simply Fresh seats only 20, so it’s better for grab-and-go.

Marc Burger
The latest addition to Macy’s heavenly "Seven on State" food court is an upscale burger spot helmed by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson (C-House). The brief menu puts the focus on well-crafted burgers, seasoned skin-on fries and decadent frozen custard treats.
Go-to order: The turkey burger seasoned with cumin and chives with chipotle mayo ($7.95, fries included). For dessert, a decadent vanilla custard milkshake ($2.95) is worth the calorie splurge.
Time required: 5 to 10 minutes. Phoning in your order in advance is nearly impossible, so count on standing in line for a while during peak lunch hours.

Freshii (pictured)
Here’s another new, healthy quick-serve spot with a cutesy name. This one’s a Canadian franchise, and here, the draw is customizable options. Type-A folks will love grabbing a clipboard, picking a food genre (salad, wrap, bowl or broth-based "soup’t") and choosing toppings. For the indecisive, there are pre-composed options. And guess what? The fro-yo madness continues. Here it’s called Yoggi. (We’re just relieved it’s not Yoggi Berry.)
Go-to order: California Nicoise salad ($8.50), mesclun greens topped with albacore tuna, tomatoes, roasted potatoes, kalamata olives, peas and boiled eggs.
Time required: Less than 10 minutes. There’s no seating here, but you might find a seat in the building’s atrium. Freshii also delivers by environmentally friendly bike messenger (25 cents an item, no charge for chips or drink).

Bionda To Go
Cafe Bionda fans working in the Financial District tend to flock to this daytime-only outpost of the popular Wicker Park and South Loop restaurants. Besides sandwiches, Bionda boasts pasta dishes, salads and other quick lunch items in the classic-Italian vein.
Go-to order: It’s a toss-up between the chicken parmesan sandwich ($8) draped with marinara sauce and mozzarella and Joe Mama’s Meatballs bomber sandwich ($7).
Time required: Usually 5 to 10 minutes, but lines do form. Order ahead if you can’t wait. Because seating is scarce—just a handful of tables—your best bet is carryout.

Heidi Moore is a Metromix special contributor. metromix@tribune.com