I see the bus bench at Cortland and Ashland advertising the Riverside Deli and I've wondered about it. Thanks for the report.

Riverside Deli
1656 W Cortland St
Chicago, IL 60622-1118
(773) 278-3354‎

Shaggywillis wrote:

Does anyone know if Between is open for brunch yes this year?

The answer is no.

Between definitely has brunch. They released a new menu a few months ago as well with their new chef.

So I've been on a Sunday brunch kick lately. I haven't tried that many places, but I have tried: Longman and Eagle, Kith and Kin, Ina's, Jam, and the next place I plan on going to is Cafe 28 for their jalapeno honey pork chops. What are your favorite spots for brunch?

There are quite a few previous discussions on brunch. Some are for recommendations in a particular location or have other specific needs. Others are more generalized queries like yours:

Brunch places that meet the following criteria...
Sunday Brunch-but where?

In general, brunch places break down into three somewhat distinct categories:

1. Places that specialize in breakfast and brunch, and serve those meals all week long. These typically do not accept reservations, and lengthy waits for a table on Sundays roughly 9:30-1:00 are common among this group. My favorites include Walker Brothers in the 'burbs, Bongo Room in the South Loop and Bucktown, M. Henry in Andersonville (and its new sister restaurant M. Henrietta in Edgewater), and Southport Grocery in Lakeview. I've also enjoyed Jam, Over Easy, Kitsch'n, Orange, Wishbone, Flo, etc.

2. Places that serve buffet-style Sunday brunch. These typically do accept reservations. I recently enjoyed the seafood-focused one at Shaw's Crab House (River North and Schaumburg), and the one at Seasons in the Four Seasons on the Mag Mile is very good too. Some of these are rather expensive; Shaw's is $40 and Seasons, the Lobby, and NoMI are $60ish.

3. Places known for their dinner but also serve an a la carte style Sunday brunch. These also typically accept reservations. I had brunch this past Sunday at Cafe des Architectes off the Mag Mile and loved their "brunch sampler" menu; another favorite is Mundial Cocina Mestiza in Pilsen. Other such places I've enjoyed for brunch include Big Jones in Andersonville, Cafe 28 in Ravenswood, Magnolia Cafe in Uptown, and Perennial in Lincoln Park.

A few places that only do brunch on weekends also do so on Saturdays in addition to Sundays. These include Mexican restaurants like Frontera Grill (closed Sundays, beware looooong waits for Saturday brunch), Mundial Cocina Mestiza, and Mexique.

Perhaps you could let us know how you liked the places you've been?

nsxtasy wrote:3. Places known for their dinner but also serve an a la carte style brunch. These also typically accept reservations.

I'd add The Publican to this list. To be honest, I haven't been thrilled with any of my dinners there (I know, I'm the only one...), but really enjoyed brunch. They do accept reservations for brunch.

-Dan

dansch wrote:I'd add The Publican to this list. To be honest, I haven't been thrilled with any of my dinners there (I know, I'm the only one...)

No, you're not the only one. (I haven't been there for brunch though.)

nsxtasy wrote:

dansch wrote:I'd add The Publican to this list. To be honest, I haven't been thrilled with any of my dinners there (I know, I'm the only one...)

No, you're not the only one. (I haven't been there for brunch though.)

Definitely not. I love The Publican but some of my best friends feel differently about it (fools that they are! ).

I've never been there for brunch but hope to remedy that soon.

=R=

Nightwood has a great brunch. Hot Chocolate is pretty good, too.

I tried the chicken and waffles from both Ina's and Kith and Kin. They were both delicious, but if i HAD to choose I would have to choose Kith and Kin for chicken and waffles. The chicken was so moist and perfectly fried, and it came with a side of vanilla butter that made the dish SO enjoyable. The cheese grits at Kith and Kin are also some of the best I've ever had. However, I would recommend Ina's to anyone. It is a lot more casual and friendly of a vibe and it really was delicious.

I also tried the Pimm's Cup at Kith and Kin and I really enjoyed it. I had never tried Pimm's before and it had a very strong almost medicinal cough syrup taste, that actually went really nicely with the muddled cucumber and the thai basil. It was very refreshing.

At Jam I had their version of the monte cristo sandwich, which I'm not sure if it is on the menu anymore. I liked it, but the balance of salty and sweet was overwhelmingly salty. My friend had the garden scramble, and I liked that much better.

Unfortunately at Longman and Eagle's I don't think i ordered very well. I got the duck rillettes, which was good but did not fill me up in the least! I'm not sure if I'd go back to Longman and Eagle's for brunch. I think I'd be more interested in trying their dinner menu.

I've heard great things about M.Henry! I think i will try that next.

If you like dessert for breakfast, I love THE BONGO ROOM!

This Sunday morning at 11am, two of us were seated immediately at the counter. The wait for a table was about 30 minutes. Definitely best to go earlier if you don't like waiting.

Here are pictures from my brunch today. The last two pictures are from a bunch about a month ago. The pancakes and French toast normally come in a stack of three, but you can order individual pieces. I like doing this so I can try more haha

Poached Pear Cherry Crumble French Toast.

Poached pear cherry crumble French toast.

Caramelized Apple Pancake topped with Praline Cream Sauce and Toasted Walnuts.

Caramelized apple pancake with praline cream sauce and toasted walnuts.

White Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Pancake.

White chocolate caramel pretzel pancake.

Smoked Duck Breast Benedict.

Smoked duck breast benedict.

Pumpkin Spice Pancake with Brown Butter Dark Brown Sugar Cream Mousse and Sweetened Glazed Pecans.

pumpkin spice pancake

Chocolate Bread French Toast.

chocolate French toast

1470 North Milwaukee Avenue
OR
1152 South Wabash

Do they offer side orders of insulin?

LOL! Hey! The duck benedict was great. The breakfast burrito looks good too. Might have to order that next time...in addition to the tasty sugar bomb pancakes and French toast.

What I like about Bongo Room is the availability of smaller portion sizes. A standard portion of pancakes consists of three ENORMOUS pancakes. But you can get one-third and two-thirds portion sizes at a reduced price. So if you're not that into sweet dishes, you can get a savory dish like eggs (or a salad or sandwich), and then get a one-third portion of a sweet dish for dessert. And if you are into sweet dishes, you can get several partial-portion dishes to try.

I adore sweets, but the Bongo Room always seems to have too much going on with their offerings for me to even want to start.

I think that Lula Cafe has some mixed reviews on here, but I have to say that I love their brunch. I have gotten many items from the specials menu and love most of the stuff that's Mexican-inspired. My significant other usually opts for the special french toast, but I will admit that sometimes it seems a little too sweet (e.g., maple custard with poached apples plus chocolate, or some such mixture). The regular brunch menu is good, and not as pricey. I really like their breakfast burrito. I also love Milk and Honey on Division St. Food is good and not as expensive as Lula's specials. The room is nice and cozy, although having to wait in line for a table is somewhat of a deterrent.

Lula Cafe
2537 N. Kedzie

Milk and Honey
1920 W. Division

I don't know if it's technically "brunch" but you can order anything all day long.

We went to Bananas Foster Cafe recently around noon and it was very good:

http://www.bananasfostercafe.com/

My wife had the Pear and Ginger hotcakes with "bubble and squeak", and I had the Seafood Pie. Very enjoyable and not incredibly pricey. My dish was one of the most expensive things on the menu at 12 bucks. They also deliver.

I went to M Henry over the weekend. I don't go out for brunch too often, but I'd read enough good things about M Henry to catch my attention.

All the reviews mention how crowded it gets on Sunday mornings, and that was definitely the case. At 9:15, two of us were seated with no wait, but a handful of people were waiting for larger tables. At 9:45 the wait was at least an hour, by 10:30 people were on the street.

The food was well prepared across the board. The blisscakes are thick and spongy, kind of like a double pancake. The lobster benedict featured a perfectly poached egg on top of a toasted brioche that soaked up the yolk very well. They were also on the ball with coffee refills. The highlight of the meal was the candied bacon. Not as sweet as I was expecting, nice and crispy bacon. I liked the contrast in sweet and salty and it played well with the other food as well.

All that said, I understand why M Henry is in the brunch thread and doesn't have its own thread. I'd go again, but nothing struck me as particularly inventive or unique. It's a solid choice, I'd return. But I doubt I'd wait an hour for it.

turkob wrote:It's a solid choice, I'd return. But I doubt I'd wait an hour for it.

I wonder what the waits are like on Sundays at their new sister restaurant, M. Henrietta?

turkob wrote:
All that said, I understand why M Henry is in the brunch thread and doesn't have its own thread. I'd go again, but nothing struck me as particularly inventive or unique. It's a solid choice, I'd return. But I doubt I'd wait an hour for it.

You didn't get the breakfast bread pudding. That's the thing you can't get other places. Always a winner. Served, ridiculously, only on the weekends.

Additionally, there's my beloved Latina omelet with sweet plantains & black beans. You can't grab that at just anywhere either.

I don't know if I want to get up that early but I'll met you there or at M Henrietta for bread pudding.

M. Henry's/Henrietta's blisscakes and bread pudding. I'm in heaven.

Although I have always liked M. Henry, today's brunch was truly awful. First, the eggs benedict with lobster and shrimp featured terribly mealy shrimp and maybe a single 1/2 rock shrimp-sized piece of lobster. The poached eggs were overcooked and barely runny, and the accompanying house potatoes were undercooked.

The poached eggs in the huevos borrachos were also overcooked, but even worse was the completely under-ripe avocado in the dish. Anyone slicing the avocado would have known it had no business being served.

Finally, the brioche cinnamon roll was dry and there was too little cinnamon. I have not eaten at M. Henry in some time, but I have always liked it in the past. I don't know if something was going on there, but today's brunch was so bad that there is no way I will return.

That's too bad, BR. I had brunch there not two weeks ago (for the first time in quite a while) and everything I had was great, and my two dining companions loved what they ordered (which included the shrimp/lobster benedict, though I didn't taste it).

-Dan