Lonesome Rose

Up early on Friday, we fed the kids a light breakfast and then went on a meandering walk around the neighborhood that included a stop at Ipsento for coffees and mini-donuts, and continued west into Logan Square. Remembering some Eater publicity, we decided to head up California to Lonesome Rose, which (unlike Bang Bang a half block to the south) happened to be open.

One of the things that appealed to me in the Eater piece was the fact that LR would open at 7 am for breakfast tacos and coffees/juices - non-diner food that early is hard to find, and we do find ourselves out early on the weekends (though by time we got there on Friday it was past 10), so I was hopeful it would be at least decent, and it definitely was. Before 11 am there is 1 breakfast platter (eggs, beans, etc...) and 5 or maybe 6 breakfast tacos only-- after 11 there is a full menu of good looking stuff, though we didn't study too carefully given our timing. The waitress was good enough to bring chips and salsa from the regular menu (but couldn't do guac), which was critical in keeping our kids from mutiny. We ordered a steak, egg and cheese and chorizo egg and cheese taco, as well as 3 bean and cheese tacos. The steak, a stew version, in particular was very good, and bean and cheese perfectly inoffensive. I thought the chorizo lacked any assertiveness, but it was still comfort-y with the soft scrambled egg and chihuaha cheese and good enough with a splash of one of the three table salsas (green, dark red and orange). At $3 a pop these is a pretty good deal; unless you're a trencherman/big breakfast sort, 2 should get you there, especially if you're splitting some chips with someone else. We also ordered drinks - my wife had the bloody maria (heavy tequila pour, good) and I had a frozen drink reminiscent of the rotating frozen drinks at the Game Room - kind of a strange choice for a Friday morning, but it was really good. My oldest daughter had a blueberry smoothie that she enjoyed.

All in all a promising first visit. Bright cheery room with spare but attractive wooden built-ins and nice looking front bar area. Will hold judgment on service because it's so new but they got the job done if a bit slowly (we are hyper-attuned to this when out with the kids; everyone else in the room looked like they were good with the pacing). I will definitely be back for breakfasts and also to try the regular menu. And I am told there is a speakeasy somewhere on the premises, though I didn't see the entrance (or know about it) during our visit.

Lonesome Rose
Address: 2101 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Hours: 7AM–2AM (this from Google, for today, a Monday)
Phone: (773) 770-3414

Ahmad Shareef wrote:And I am told there is a speakeasy somewhere on the premises, though I didn't see the entrance (or know about it) during our visit.

Yes. In addition to the bar in the back of the restaurant, where one can eat if one so desires, there is a small basement bar called Golden Teardrops, which has a separate, unmarked entrance on the east side of the building (down an exterior flight of stairs). There are approximately 20 seats and it's only open, Thu-Sun. There's a posted menu of 8 cocktails ranging in price between $10-12. Most are 3-ingredient libations and the 4 we tried were all quite well made. There are also some nicer spirits available and iirc, 3 beers on tap (Hamms, Gumball Head and one other that I cannot remember).

The space is very dark and very chill. The interior is almost entirely black with tight zoned lighting and a bright white neon sign on the back wall that reads Weddings & Funerals. Music during our session was some late-1950's pre R&B-type stuff. I felt like I was in the movie Diner while listening to it, which was kind of cool.

This session followed a dinner upstairs, which was mostly good. I enjoyed the fish taco, the California Street Corn (aka elote) and the zesty and unique take on an untraditional caesar salad. We also had a fusion-y fire chicken taco that didn't really do it for me. Like you, the chorizo (we had it in a double-stack burger) didn't blow me away. Queso dip had a very pleasant creamy texture but lacked oomph on the flavor side. There were some other good-looking offerings that I plan to check out on future visits.

The breakfast tacos you mention also sound intriguing. As of now, no details about the morning menu offerings are online, so I appreciate the recon. I do loves me some breakfast tacos and look forward to trying them, too.

=R=

Went there for said breakfast tacos this morning, and man, while I know breakfast is not necessarily their forte, they were about as mediocre as possible. Nice space, good service, really poor excuses for breakfast tacos. We had the steak and egg, chorizo and egg and potato and egg, each served wrapped tight in flour tortillas like tiny burritos, then inexplicably wrapped tightly again in aluminum foil that we then had to unfurl, despite us dining in. Passing possibly literally dozens of taco spots on the way home, the irony was palpable.

Breakfast can now be ordered online at lonesomerose.com

Here's a screen grab of the current food offerings:



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