What's your favorite Chicago breakfast?

Any kind: diner, gourmet, mexican, polish... I'd love to find out: What's your favorite breakfast joint? (And of course, what should I order).

No question: Oaxaca tamale purchased at Maxwell Street Market -- and perhaps a steaming styrofoam cup of champurrado. If you leave right now, you can still make it to the market before it closes...

For my partner, it's Mexican for chilequiles. But, he's fussy - he has no idea of how authentic it is, but his favorite is at El Presidente on Ashland. It's a wetter style; the other restuarants have served a drier style with very little sauce. After trying it at about five or six places and El Presidente always being better to him, we don't even try other places anymore. Besides, they are always very helpful there ensuring the food doesn't have any gluten (he has celiac disease), so anyplace that helps us gets extra points in our book.

I don't have a favorite - not a big breakfast fan. I make him go at lunch time so I can order lunch

Easy question for me. Dim Sum. Usually at Phoenix.

I'd agree with you on that! Definitely not a typcial breakfast - more like brunch , especially since it's usually served at brunch hours - 10-2 or thereabouts. We're going on Monday, actually. Not sure Phoenix was my favorite dim sum, but since it's the only one that will also go out of their way to create - from scratch - a dish my partner can safely eat (we bring sauces that we know are gluten free that they can use to cook with), it's the only one I've gone to for several years. Again, any place that goes out of their way to accomodate requests gets my business and my kudos.

If it's the first thing I eat, it's breakfast.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I could probably live on breakfast food, and it's the one meal "out" that I most enjoy. That being said, I like "classic" breakfast food the most, and have never met a carbohydrate that I didn't love. I'm happy with breakfast being great coffee and a killer pastry, or going all out with eggs, toast, potatoes, fruit, etc.

I have favorite dishes at various places, but if you like the kinds of breakfasts that I do, here are some of the best:

Breakfast panini, buttermilk-granola pancakes or huevos rancheros at Milk & Honey Cafe
Biscuits and cheese grits with anything at Sweet Maple Cafe
Any "special" pancakes at Toast (though my husband always gets the Veggie Eggs Benedict at Toast goes crazy for the truffled hollandaise)
Shrimp & Grits (or the shrimp & ham omelette, which I enjoyed this morning!) at Wishbone
Any omelette at Ina's
Whatever seasonal french toast or pancakes jump out from the menu (husband swears by the vegetarian burrito) at Bongo Room
Yogurt parfait and raspberry-almond muffins at Letizia's
Egg sandwich (multigrain toast, perfectly scrambled eggs, cheddar and turkey sausage) at Filter
Lynn's Oatmeal at John's Place
Pumpkin cranberry scone or chocolate cinnamon muffin at Red Hen Bakery
Caramelized onion, mushroom and asiago croissant, or pain au chocolat at Sweet Thang Bakery

Oh, I know there are more, but I will stop for now...

Red Flannel Hash at Leo's Lunchroom - which, sadly, closed a few years back.

I must admit, I'm a sucker for the cheese grits and andouille topped by 2 eggs over easy (not poached as on the menu) offered by Heaven on Seven on Wabash. Not a great value (I think it's $9.95 nowadays and they probably could add a few more slices of andouille for the price), but I can't seem to walk past the Garland Building in the morning without finding myself sitting at the counter on the seventh floor and a steaming plate of cheese grits in front of me.

I usually like a nice dive-y place for breakfast. Maxwell Street, the Tamale vans on Milwaukee, Dim Sum at Phoenix or Happy Chef and Viking breakfast at Svea all rank high on my list.
However, I recently had a fabulous, over-the-top breakfast at M. Henry. I passed up the "Vegan Epiphany" (uggh...sorry vegans, but...uggh) in favor of the "Sour cherry and peach bliss". This dish consisted of pancakes sandwiched with vanilla mascarpone cream, sour cherries and peaches, then topped with a streuselly oat topping. The dish was a special but they have a blackberry version on the menu. I also tried the bread pudding (excellent) and a crab cake eggs benedict (just O.K., although I'm not an eggs benedict fan--I've had better crab cakes). It's a pretty trendy place with long lines on the weekends. But that "bliss" dish was seriously worth it. And the atmosphere is actually pretty charming.

My favorite breakfast in Chicagoland has to be the huevos rancheros at Nuevo Leon Restaurant in Pilsen. Those lardy refried beans...and the beautifully thick flour tortillas, with good chips and salsa and a free starter/amuse, all for $3.25 .

Nuevo Leon Restaurant
1515 W. 18th St.
312-421-1517

I'd have to say my favorite is either:

White Palace Grill
1159 S Canal St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 939-7167

(or)

Lou Mitchell's
565 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 939-3111


These are also a few great LTH resources for Chicago Breakfast:
Sunday Breakfast Downtown
Breakfast rec's Downtown, please
Early AND Sunday and Breakfast AND Loop
Good breakfast joints near University Village?
Breakfast for Seven Near Milwaukee & Lawrence?
Breakfast/Lunch in Old Irving (I think)
Rogers Park Mexican – breakfast?
Breakfast Recs Near Intellegentsia Roasting Works?
Breakfast near W. North and N. Clybourn?
Breakfast: Is It Worth The Bother?
vegan-friendly breakfast?
Breakfast near Navy Pier
Business Breakfast spots in West Loop/Loop
Mexican Breakfast

~GS

Tre Kronor! I've avoided it since their Check Please appearance, which horrified me, as I fear the dreaded effect. I've always had very good experiences there except for one Father's Day when they were clearly overwhelmed and hope that this hasn't recurred as a result of tv exposure. I've been thinking of venturing back. Check Please Effect fears aside, I've had many fine things there for breakfast, but the danishes stand out.

3258 W. Foster Ave.
773.267.9888
http://www.swedishbistro.com/

Lucky Grill Denver Omelette with cheese, Sunnyside and Milwaukee.

Great thread, all of the responses are interesting, but GS and Susan, those are especially good resources!

Holly of Uptown wrote:Tre Kronor! ...

3258 W. Foster Ave.
773.267.9888
http://www.swedishbistro.com/

I'll second Holly of Uptown on Tre Kronor.

thaiobsessed wrote:..and Viking breakfast at Svea all rank high on my list.

And I'd also like to second thaiobsessed and give a "hell yeah!" to Svea in Andersonville.

Svea
5236 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 275-7738

I love how Swedish diners use their butter... Bless those Swedes, bless um real good.

~GS

Nomi.

The lobster eggs benedict (kept on the menu by the "new" chef", but tweaked on weekends to include arugula) are incredible.

Plus, you just can't beat the incredible morning views east over the Water Tower to the lake, and the service is completely first class.

HI,

The Turkish breakfast at Turquoise is the most appealing breakfast location I have yet to try.

Regards,

Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out -- I guess I'm just a simple girl at heart. But perfect poached eggs, lovely lemony hollandaise and crisp potatoes on the side...it's like heaven on a plate for me.

I have to give a shout out (as the kids say) to my recent fave breakfast spot -- Tweet over on Sheridan. They're totally focused on organic components and product and it's a nice laid back atmosphere with liquor, should one choose, and excellent Intelligentsia coffee to drink. Also...best biscuits and gravy I've had north of the Mason Dixon (at least lately!). Probably not the cheapest breakfast but not the most expensive either.

I'm also fond of Ina's down on Randolph -- her "sweet hots" pancakes are special and just melt on your tongue.

Sometimes though...all you want is a nice toasted New York Bagel & Bialy Sesame Bagel with cream cheese and chive and a glass of fresh squeezed OJ on the side.

That's my $.02

Shannon


Tweet
5020 N. Sheridan Rd.
Chicago


Ina's
1235 W. Randolph St.
Chicago

You can get a NY Bagel from:

J.B.'s Deli
5501 N. Clark St.
773-728-0600

or Fox & Obel on Illinois.

For me, the 49er Flapjacks with a side of sausage patty at Walker Bros.

earthlydesire wrote:...best biscuits and gravy I've had north of the Mason Dixon (at least lately!)

Really, tell me more! What is it about the biscuits and/or the gravy that's so good? Do they get it that the biscuits have to be baked and served fresh, no holding whatsoever? Lard in those biscuits? I'm presuming this is country (white with sauasage) gravy -- so, gravy with enough pepper you can actually taste something? I've been riding the "no good B&G in Chicago" horse so long, I'd be willing to drive to Rogers Park just to prove myself wrong.

Also, when you say, "at least lately," does that mean there was once some fabled but now lost source of infra-Mason-Dixon quality B&G in Chicago, to which you refer obliquely with misty eyes? I may actually not want to know, but still.

Jim "Beating the Dead Horse With No Remorse" InLoganSquare

my recent faves are

meli's-se corner of jackson and halstead in greektown.--specials, any eggs benedict, meli's omelet

heaven on 7 at 111 n. wabash 7th floor, for eggs and andouille sausage and french toast and gumbe and..

lou's was good 15 years ago

My favorite breakfast?

That's easy. When I'm good and hung over, I head over to Tank Noodle for a bowl of Mi bo kho (beef & soft tendon with egg noodles). If I'm REALLY hung over, I go across the street to the Treasure Island, grab some fresh bagels from NY Bagel & Bialy, then head over to Fox & Obel to procure some of Daniel Boulud's smoked Scottish salmon.

Fage Greek yogurt is fantastic for a work day quickie at the office.

For me, it's brunch at the Riverside Market

For me, it's Victory's Banner, specifically, the Satisfaction Promise- eggs scrambled w/feta, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, served w/potatoes and fresh bread.

Victory's Banner
2100 W Roscoe

I too love breakfast. if only i didn't have to work Mon - Friday, i'd be out and about in the city enjoying any number of places for a long leisurely breakfast. Mostly I love a savory breakfast. This past weekend I went to an old standby, Bite, which I haven't eaten at since I stopped working for the company last last winter.

I had a dish that was sauteed veggies (broccoli, spinach, peppers, zucchini, onions - all chopped in nice small bite sized pieces and not sauteed to death), italian-sausage style seitan, with 2 overeasy eggs and toast. this was a mighty tasty breakfast - one that i'll probably revisit sooner than later.

I really enjoy breakfast at Julius Meinl - baked eggs are all I ever get, and all I ever need.

I am also a fan of Golden Pancake House, right next to the Riviera Theater on Racine and Lawrence. Cheap diner food done right!

Sunday Bluegrass Brunch at Horseshoe.

4115 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 549-9292
horseshoechicago.com

The breakfast buritto at Feast. I usually have them add turkey sausage to it as well.

When out to breakfast/brunch at other spots, I almost always order one but they never measure up to Feast's.

Of course being from Minneapolis, I do love Al's Breakfast for their pancakes.

debsdiningdigs wrote:The breakfast buritto at Feast.

Mmmm. That reminds me. Smoked chicken breakfast burrito at Magnolia Cafe

Magnolia Cafe
1224 W. Wilson Ave.
Chicago, IL
773.728.8785