Any ideas for Xmas Eve brunch?

Ideally, the restaurant should be able to take reservations, and can accommodate a party of 6. I tried using Open Table, but wasn't real impressed with the results...was hoping to avoid downtown.

Thanks in advance.

The answers to a few quick questions may help clarify what places might meet your needs...

1. Since you want to avoid downtown, perhaps you can indicate what general area (which city neighborhoods or suburban towns) would be your ideal location?

2. Did you only look on Opentable to see what's available, or did you also look at their listings of specific Dec 24 plans by their restaurants?

3. Do you prefer a place that does a special brunch meal for the holiday? Or would you consider a restaurant that normally serves a really good lunch, even if it isn't brunch-ish (i.e. no breakfast-type dishes) and may not be doing anything special for the holiday? (Looking at the availability on Opentable, I see quite a few restaurants that are perfectly fine for a nice weekday lunch, but I'm not sure whether that's what you're looking for.)

4. I know you said you would prefer to make a reservation, but if your objective is to be able to choose from both breakfast and lunch items, would you consider one of our breakfast-focused restaurants that don't accept them (e.g. Jam, M. Henry, M. Henrietta, Bongo Room, Southport Grocery, Walker Brothers, Marmalade)? I know those places get slammed on weekends, but I have absolutely no idea how busy they might be on Dec 24, which is a Monday.

Thanks for the response.

Yeah, that was the OpenTable page I was using. Most of the results there are for restaurants in the burbs or downtown, and I'd like to stay within the city limits, but avoid the downtown area altogether. I live in Logan Square, and yes, I saw that Jam was open, but they don't take reservations. Both Lula & Longman & Eagle would be great, but I'm not even sure if they're open, and since 1/2 of our party (of 6) is over 60, we're definitely not in a position to wait 30 mins or longer for a table. Ideally, breakfast options would be available. The kind of thing that Lula/Longman does would be great, but a restaurant with a special menu for Xmas Eve would also be fine. It seems that Big Jones is open, and while I'm not that keen on trekking all the way to Andersonville, I've heard good things about Big Jones, and I'd like to try them.


Thanks again for your input.

drschwitters wrote:Thanks for the response.

Yeah, that was the OpenTable page I was using. Most of the results there are for restaurants in the burbs or downtown, and I'd like to stay within the city limits, but avoid the downtown area altogether. I live in Logan Square, and yes, I saw that Jam was open, but they don't take reservations. Both Lula & Longman & Eagle would be great, but I'm not even sure if they're open, and since 1/2 of our party (of 6) is over 60, we're definitely not in a position to wait 30 mins or longer for a table. Ideally, breakfast options would be available. The kind of thing that Lula/Longman does would be great, but a restaurant with a special menu for Xmas Eve would also be fine. It seems that Big Jones is open, and while I'm not that keen on trekking all the way to Andersonville, I've heard good things about Big Jones, and I'd like to try them.


Thanks again for your input.

Lula takes reservations now, but unfortunately, they are closed Christmas Eve. Try the Pump Room.

Is Cuban food a possibility? 90 Mile Cuban Cafe is in Logan Square, open and takes reservations. I believe they have breakfast type foods available. Not my favorite venue, but good food and fun atmosphere.

Lula takes reservations now? Since when? And with regard to 90 Mile...I like that place ok, but it's not what we're after. Thanks for the suggestion, though!

drschwitters wrote:Lula takes reservations now?

I believe since they expanded. Look on their page. They don't take reservations for weekend brunch. http://www.lulacafe.com/lula/hourspages.html

Thanks. The additional information is very helpful in coming up with suggestions. Oh, and you may want to keep in mind that, with December 24 on a Monday, downtown Chicago is going to be pretty darn deserted, so you shouldn't have major worries about traffic or parking if you change your mind about avoiding downtown. If there's any place downtown you've always wanted to try, it's a great opportunity. (NoMI has that great view of the Mag Mile, and Piccolo Sogno Due is terrific...)

Other than that, though, here are two non-downtown options I've enjoyed, in addition to Big Jones. One is Prasino, in Wicker Park. I've been there for brunch and enjoyed it. Very good food, very contemporary, good service, etc. (It's one of the few casual breakfast-focused restaurants that takes reservations.) Another possibility is Turquoise Cafe, in Roscoe Village, which does a nice lunch of Turkish cuisine. And since you've been wanting to try Big Jones, I think that's a great pick too. Andersonville isn't that far, and as noted above, it will take even less time to get anywhere on a semi-holiday. As far as I can tell, all three of these places will be serving from their regular lunch menu during the lunch hours on December 24. Prasino is the only one of the three that also offers breakfast options (along with their lunch menu, their breakfast menu is available till 2 pm). There's also gonzo70's suggestion of 90 Mile Cuban Cafe, where I haven't been but sounds like it qualifies. All of these take reservations, including on Opentable.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply, Nxtasy. I think I'm gonna go with Big Jones. Will definitely report back!!!

FYI - the Big Jones website says that Dec 24 they will have "lunch 11-3" but I just received an e-mail from them saying that they will have "Brunch 10-3 Including fried chicken". I'm guessing the latter is more accurate, which means (a) if you'd like to go earlier than 11:00, they'll open at 10:00, and (b) they will be serving from their brunch menu rather than the lunch menu. This might mean they may even be serving their amazing beignets, yum!!!