Best Breakfasts in Chicago and the Suburbs: Great Restaurants to Try Now

SUNNY-SIDE UP: Whether you’re in the market for a healthy meal or a carbo-bomb of yesteryear, morning in Chicago is better than ever—and we’ve got 75 ways to prove it.

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[W] = WEEKEND ONLY  [S] = SUNDAY ONLY

LITTLE BRANCH CAFÉ
If only the B-grade dishes measured up to the A-plus décor and the drinks. (No dipping jam for our dry Monte Cristo? Harrumph.) As it is, we’ll be content to sit on one of the adorable tree-stump barstools and sip a chocolate-cherry mocha or a coconut-caramel latte from the list of fun and funky coffees—a delicious, if dangerously convenient, indulgence for residents of the surrounding condo town. 1251 S. Prairie Ave.; 312-360-0101

LONGMAN & EAGLE
With a menu devoid of colossal portions and yuppified creations (an order of bacon and eggs comes with an optional can of PBR), Longman’s laid-back daily brunch instead showcases seasonal goods. We adored the ultrafresh morel mushrooms and house-made fromage blanc in our Market Omelet—and the Dark Matter custom coffee blend. 2657 N. Kedzie Ave.; 773-276-7110

LOU MITCHELL’S
Lou’s refuses to fade into the sunset, still packing in both suits and tourists by offering the fluffiest omelets in town, delivered by servers as vintage as their surroundings. Unexpected winners, like a moist malted waffle studded with hefty bacon chunks, dot the booklike menu. 565 W. Jackson Blvd.; 312-939-3111

LUCKY PLATTER
The décor is eclectic (colander chandeliers), the crowd diverse (families, singles, blacks, whites), and the menu global (apple-ricotta blintzes, Swedish pancakes, Omelette Mumbai). Amid such variety, huevos rancheros with chorizo makes perfect sense. The feisty combo of crumbled sausage bits, tomatoes, and avocados is right on—and mixed with the soupy black beans, it’s even better. 514 Main St., Evanston; 847-869-4064

LULA CAFÉ
You can’t order WRONG at Lula. Whether you fancy a superbly foamed Intelligentsia cappuccino or a gin-tinged Bloody Mary, griddlecakes teeming with farmers’ market berries or a savory strada, you know you’re in for a top-notch brunch. The crowd waiting out front—even after an expansion—shows everyone else knows too. 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd.; 773-489-9554

MARMALADE
Manny Mejia, M. Henry’s ex-chef, helped craft the menu, and his dynamite hotcakes, layered with fruit, mascarpone, and granola, made the cut. M. Henry food minus the enchanting M. Henry atmosphere—but minus the full morning’s time commitment? Not a bad swap. 1969 W. Montrose Ave.; 773-883-9000

MELI CAFE & JUICE BAR
Most everything on the menu at this breakfast nirvana sounds good, and whatever you order probably will be. Save yourself the mental energy and get Dad’s Skillet: Two organic cage-free eggs melt into tender grilled skirt steak and chunks of andouille sausage swimming with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and provolone, all on a bed of crisp baby red potatoes. 540 N. Wells St., 312-527-1850; 301 S. Halsted St., 312-454-0748

MERCADITO
If you believe in hair-of-the-dog hangover cures, then Mercadito’s brunch is like an Afghan hound. Bloody Marys, micheladas, and sangritas flow like the Rio Grande, a DJ spins everything from hip-hop to jazz, and you might as well get a refreshing guava mimosa with your Pan Mexicano, a custardy French toast drizzled with goat’s milk caramel. The rest of your recovery is your business. [W] 108 W. Kinzie St.; 312-329-9555

M. HENRY
CRITIC’S PICK
Here’s what I demand from a breakfast joint: fresh-squeezed orange juice, bottomless coffee cups, fluffy pancakes, good pig in some guise, and fast servers. They don’t even have to be nice. (There’s nothing in there about décor, because that early in the day, who cares about such things?) M. Henry fulfills the above requirements and goes far beyond, with wonderful sides like apple-maple chicken sausage and crisp sheets of yuba. The menu boasts Chicago’s best breakfast sandwich, Fannie’s Killer Fried Egg Sandwich: an enormous crispy sour boule layered with over-medium eggs, thick applewood-smoked bacon, plum tomatoes, oozy Gorgonzola, and fresh thyme. And, as ambassadors of a new day, the servers are pretty darn pleasant. 5707 N. Clark St.; 773-561-1600

MILK & HONEY CAFÉ
Brioche French toast, hearty dishes like weekend-only huevos rancheros jammed with layers of scrambled eggs and grainy tortillas, and mugs of Intelligentsia coffee continue to lure the stroller set to this vibrant counter-service spot. The ordering system is awkward, and the staff can be snooty, but we’ll put up with just about anything for that granola. 1920 W. Division St.; 773-395-9434

NANA
Bridgeport’s breakfast darling knocks it out of the park with seasonal specials such as pancakes topped with fresh Seedling Farms apricots and cherry compote or a skillet chock-full of homemade chorizo and grilled shrimp. Regular menu items, like grease-laden huevos rancheros, don’t fare nearly as well. 3267 S. Halsted St.; 312-929-2486

NIGHTWOOD
CRITIC’S PICK
You know you’re in good hands when your doughnut arrives shellacked in the butteriest butterscotch ever, with bacon chunks piled in the middle and three tiny doughnut holes on the side. Nightwood’s constantly evolving brunch demonstrates the right way to do farm-to-table cuisine, with thoughtful but not overwrought dishes served with cordial restraint by friendly Chicago hipsters. I skip simple favorites—house-made granola with yogurt, Slagel Farm eggs cooked to order—and go for Sopa Verdolaga, an umami-rich Mexican beef and fish broth supporting a perfectly poached egg, and the raisin-nut bread pudding alongside a revelatory farro salad studded with guanciale and spring peas. From the bracing michelada beer cocktail through the ham and cheese “Pop-Tart” and pour-over coffee for two, there’s not a false note. How nice is that? [S] 2119 S. Halsted St.; 312-526-3385

NORTH POND
CRITIC’S PICK
The seasonally changing $33 prix fixe menu at this sanctuary perched next to a swan-dotted lake doesn’t overwhelm with choice—you pick one of four options for each of three courses. But the dilemmas this poses are endless. Example: Trout cucumber salad with chive sour cream and cucumber sorbet, or warm corn-on-the-cob soup with a blueberry-lemon pancake and paper-thin smoked bacon crisp? Best bet: Bring a group, have each person order something different, and sample it all. Yet even this approach is fraught with danger. The corn soup, with its tuffet of a pancake afloat in the middle, was so killer I didn’t want to share, incensing my tablemates. And a war nearly broke out for the last bite of the amazing semisweet cucumber sorbet. Just agree beforehand to play nice. 2610 N. Cannon Dr.; 773-477-5845

Photography: Anna Knott

This article appears in the November 2011 issue of Chicago magazine.

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