Business Breakfast - North Side

So my team (five women between 22 and 55) is planning an out of office strategic planning and retreat day. Current thought is to meet around 9am for breakfast and brainstorming, then maybe do something fun in the afternoon, like go to Lincoln Park Zoo.

I'm charged with finding a place where we can have a nice, though not decadent (we're a nonprofit), breakfast and sit for a number of hours to talk and plan our next year. Must have a good number of vegetarian options; 2-3 people keep kosher, but will settle for veg outside the home. Two are driving from the north shore, others are coming from various north side neighborhoods.

My first thought was Julius Meinl. We're planning this for a Tuesday morning when the Cubs are out of town, so given their size I don't think they'd mind if we sat around for a few hours as long as we kept ordering coffee, right?

Any other ideas? Or does this seem like an okay pick?

I think Julius Meinl is a decent option, but remember that except for those tables in the front, there aren't a lot of larger tables...even if you push 3 2-tops together, you may be tight on space. But you're correct in assuming that as long as you keep ordering drinks, they're unlikely to push you out.

Other places you might want to consider:
Ann Sather, Belmont @ Clark
Frances', 2552 N. Clark St.
Wishbone, 3300 N. Lincoln Ave.
Uncommon Ground, 3800 N. Clark St.

Ada's
14 S. Wabash, in the loop.
I second
Frances Deli
2552 N Clark St
Chicago, IL
Salt and Pepper
2575 N. Lincoln Ave.
The Grove
501 W. Diversey
Tempo
6 e chestnut

Manny's

Don't let all the corned beef, pastrami, and roast beef talk scare you off for the vegetarians. They have a regular breakfast menu.

Best,
Michael

Another possibility might be to go farther north (since some of your group is coming from that direction) unless you're committed to staying in the city. Dixie Kitchen in Evanston has good breakfast options, and they have quite inexpensive specials (2 beignets and coffee for $2.99, I think; I suppose that would be a vegetarian option, though not a heart-healthy one); it's always quiet and there's never any rush out the door. There's also the very nice Sweet Dreams Cafe in Glenview, which has been discussed on this board recently, though that may be out of the way for you. But if you stay north you could visit the Botanic Gardens afterwards, which is always a lovely destination if the weather is right. Come to think of it, you can have breakfast there; I've never tried it, so I can't comment on the food but I'm sure it would be quiet enough. You can check that option out on the web:http://www.chicagobotanic.org/cafe/

m henry - definitely gets my vote for a stellar, affordable breakfast, with unique items, and I've been known to split a half order of whatever special french toast they have for the day with my dining partners...last time it was a divine french toast topped with a rhubarb and strawberry compote and whipped cream...delicious.

And Frannie's Killer Egg Sandwich is not to be missed!

m henry website
hours:
tuesday – friday
7:00am – 2:30pm
saturday – sunday
8:00am – 3:00pm

5707 no. clark st.
chicago, il, 60660

773-561-1600
773-561-1635 fax

Orange
3231 N. Clark St.
773-549-4400

They have nice egg dishes, pancake "flights" (mini-pancakes with four different styles but the same theme, all on one plate), and custom-design-your-own-juice blends. Great place.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

I adore Manny's, have been going since I was in elementary school, but seeing as we're all coming from north and are likely to end our day no further south than Fullerton, I'm hesitant to have us all meet down there. And my concern with Frances' is that the suburban folks will be driving, and parking could be sticky.

I didn't consider M Henry because I only recall it in weekend mode, but now that you mention it we could probably get away with sitting for a while if it's mid-week. Plus, it's the middle ground, to be sure. Two are coming from Wilmette, I'm actually in Andersonville, and two are on Diversey.

Because only those coming from north have cars, Evanston and the botanic gardens might be a bit more of a hassle for three of us, but we could always take the Purple Line up and have those with a car pick us up... I like that idea a lot. Thanks!

So now I'm choosing between M Henry, Meinl, and Evanston/Botanic Gardens. I'll be sure to report back on what we decide and how it goes, since I know I can't be the only one who will ever need to do a business breakfast on the north side...

I think Julius Meinl is a decent option, but remember that except for those tables in the front, there aren't a lot of larger tables...even if you push 3 2-tops together, you may be tight on space. But you're correct in assuming that as long as you keep ordering drinks, they're unlikely to push you out.

We hold our book club at Julius Meinl and they are always very accommodating with our varying sized group. I'm pretty sure if you phone them they'll even take a reservation though I don't think that's necessary early on a weekday.

mailsf wrote:And my concern with Frances' is that the suburban folks will be driving, and parking could be sticky.

I wouldn't be too concerned about parking near Frances' on a weekday. Remember, if you're arriving at 9ish, in the preceding 1-2 hours there will have been a large outflow of cars owned by residents who commute to other parts of the city for work. I suspect that parking on Clark, Wrightwood or other nearby cross streets wouldn't been too difficult.

mailsf wrote:Because only those coming from north have cars, Evanston and the botanic gardens might be a bit more of a hassle for three of us, but we could always take the Purple Line up and have those with a car pick us up... I like that idea a lot. Thanks!

As long as that's a possibility, I recommend Walker Brothers in Wilmette. It's the granddaddy of all breakfast places, with wonderful omelettes and their amazing apple pancake (pictured below). I've done business meetings there (on weekdays) and it's just fine in every way.

The things about Manny's that are appealing as a breakfast spot are:

1. You can sit there for three hours in the morning, and they don't care. I know, I do it about once a month when I'm working on something, get there around 6, leave around 9. They're rarely more than 10% full at breakfast.
2. Lots of free parking in back of the place. Not "lots" for lunch time, but lots when they're 10% full.
3. Free wifi.
4. For then non-vegetarians, the corned beef hash!

The things about Manny's that are appealing as a breakfast spot are:

Other than the corned beef hash and the atmosphere (both fine), I've never been much attracted to Manny's for breakfast, finding most of the other offerings to be a little less than ordinary. I usually wind up for breakfast at Eppel's or White Palace. Am I missing something?

What about Tre Kronor? I am not really a breakfast eater, but I have heard good things about breakfast there. For a more kitschy homespun corner soda-fountain atmosphere, I like Pauline's on Ravenswood and Balmoral. They have great spinach and feta omlettes and a pleasant sidewalk patio.

Tre Kronor
3258 W. Foster Ave., Chicago
Tel: (773) 267-9888

Pauline's
1754 W. Balmoral Ave. , Chicago
Tel: (773) 561-8573

Don't forget Over Easy Cafe. The lines are much more tolerable during the week than weekends.

Just want to thank everyone for their recommendations. We ended up at Wishbone on Lincoln, and it was perfect.

I called last week to let them know we were planning on coming, and to ask whether it would be problematic for us to sit for a long time. They said it wouldn't, that I should just call an hour or so before we arrive and ask them to make sure they have a table in the quieter back area. I did, and they were very accomodating.

Food was delicious. Everyone got an egg dish of some sort, and between us we had the grits, cheese grits, biscuit, corn muffin, and homefries represented. No complaints at all.

Service was friendly and attentive, but not intrusive. Our coffee cups remained full for hours, and they didn't pressure us to order more just because we were there for a while.

I'd definitely recommend the Wishbone on Lincoln to anyone else looking for a business meeting spot for a smallish group.