Sunday Brunch Dilemma

So, I schlep 10 miles/30 minutes on Sundays from the "leafy suburban enclave" of Park Ridge to attend a storefront church in Andersonville (5400 block of North Clark Street, to be more precise).

Afterward, I'm usually of a mindset to have brunch. Problem is, if I wait until I get all the way back to Park Ridge to eat, I'm usually famished to the point of irrationality. In a blinding glimpse of the obvious, it occurred to me that I could probably enjoy a fine meal right there in Andersonville, and searching through LTH threads, I found several places that look quite good:

M. Henry
Big Jones
Vincent

and, maybe, Acre (mixed reviews).

Are there any other places I'm missing? I'm also thinking there might be some worthy candidates on that l-o-n-g stretch of Peterson/Crawford between Ridge and Devon, though I haven't seen anything on my drives to/from, nor did I find anything yet on LTH.

Thanks for any thoughts on the subject!

Uncommon Ground on Devon should work - http://www.uncommonground.com/pages/devon_home/35.php

Pauline's was one of my favorite Sunday breakfast stops, but I don't know what is going on there since the owners passed. They have massive omelets and great fried potatoes in a old time soda fountain with funky thrift store decor.

Pauline's
1754 W Balmoral Ave
Chicago
(773) 561-8573

The Fireside, up the street from there on Ravenswood, just a couple of blocks south of Petersen does a pretty good Sunday breakfast also (the banana nut french toast is great), but stay away from the 150+ ingredient Bloody Mary Bar if you want to make it home (or get anything else done that day).

Fireside Restaurant & Lounge
5739 N Ravenswood Ave,
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 561-7433

I would encourage you to consider significant deviations from your route. On Sunday mornings, there's very little traffic, so it won't take all that much longer if you decide to try a brunch elsewhere on the North/Northwest Side. Even going to downtown won't take all that long (the expressway would make a return home quicker), and would be worthwhile if you enjoy different and creative brunches. Of course, if there are places along your route, it's even better; I just don't know of any. Hopefully others here do.

For me, the basic conundrum for Sunday brunch is whether or not to go to a restaurant that accepts reservations. You can avoid a lengthy wait to be seated by doing so, but that restricts you from going to the restaurants that specialize in breakfast/brunch, most of which do not accept reservations. For example, of the three places you mention, M. Henry (as well as Uncommon Ground) does not accept reservations, and waits to be seated are typically 30-60 minutes on Sundays between 9:30 and 12:30. I don't know whether the waits are any less at its new sister restaurant, M. Henrietta, slightly to the northeast. Vincent accepts phone reservations, and Big Jones accepts them over the phone and on Opentable.

I love our breakfast/brunch specialty restaurants, for their savory dishes as well as their sweeter ones. My favorites on the North/Northwest Side include M. Henry, Marmalade (on Montrose), Jam (recently moved to Logan Square), Lula (also in Logan Square), and Southport Grocery. I also love Walker Brothers, to the north in Wilmette and Glenview. But you're going to encounter the same problem with waits to be seated on all of these places at prime times on Sunday mornings. I also like Kappy's in Morton Grove a lot; I haven't been there on a Sunday morning so I don't know what the waits are like there. Check out the menus on their websites to get an idea of what they offer for breakfast/brunch.

HTH

Big Jones is among my favorite restaurants in the city. Their brunch is amazing. I would go here first.

I haven't been to Vincent for brunch, but I've been there for dinner many times and love it. I'm sure their brunch is great also.

Uncommon ground is excellent. M Henry/Henrietta are pretty good. Pauline's is fine for a less expensive option.

Icosium Kafe is really good and not usually as crowded as other brunch places on Clark, though you have to be in the mood for crepes if you go there (they do both savory and sweet).

One of my favorite brunch places in the city, Tweet, is not too far from there, though you will probably have a wait.

Icosium Kafe
5200 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60640-2102
(773) 271-5233
http://www.icosiumkafechicago.com

Tweet
5024 North Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 728-5576
http://www.tweet.biz

Thank you all for the great suggestions -- I now have a great roster of places to check out!

If you don't mind the cost, Shaw's has an amazing brunch if you're a seafood fan.

FoodSnob77 wrote:If you don't mind the cost, Shaw's has an amazing brunch if you're a seafood fan.

Absolutely! It's an all-you-can-eat buffet; for details, see this post as well as their menu.

Oh, boy! I was going to say to the person who suggested Shaw's that I didn't want to go that far south, but then I looked at the menu -- it looks divine! Just may have to try it when 007 can go with me.

FoodSnob77 wrote:If you don't mind the cost, Shaw's has an amazing brunch if you're a seafood fan.

Thanks, FoodSnob! I looked at the menu, and boy that would be a nice treat on a Sunday when 007 and I could spend a leisurely afternoon downtown.

I don't know if it is open on Sunday but what about Tre Kronor. Also Glenn's diner. They would not be that far off the beaten path.

toria wrote:I don't know if it is open on Sunday but what about Tre Kronor. Also Glenn's diner. They would not be that far off the beaten path.

According to their website, Tre Kronor is open on Sunday from 9am to 3pm. See http://www.trekronorrestaurant.com/#/home. Glenn's is also open on Sunday.

Tre Kroner
3258 W Foster
Chicago, IL 60625

Glenn's Diner
1820 W Montrose
Chicago, IL 60613

nsxtasy wrote:

FoodSnob77 wrote:If you don't mind the cost, Shaw's has an amazing brunch if you're a seafood fan.

Absolutely! It's an all-you-can-eat buffet; for details, see this post as well as their menu.

Just to update - Shaw's brunch is $45 now and will be going to $48 after the new year. IMO still worth it - I could easily "break even" on just the oysters and crab legs.