Chicago is not short on places to eat brunch.
But most visitors get stuck downtown, paying too much for something forgettable, when the spots worth your time are out in the neighborhoods.
So if a friend came to stay, here are the twelve we’d actually take them to.
Two quick heads-ups first. Most Chicago restaurants now add a 3% to 4% surcharge to the bill to help cover staff healthcare — it’s printed small at the bottom of the menu, so don’t let it catch you off guard.
And this city is big. Some of these spots are a short walk from a downtown hotel. Others are worth a 20-minute Uber.
We’ll tell you which is which.
1. Lula Cafe: the one that started it all
📍 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd, Logan Square
If you only do one neighborhood brunch in Chicago, make it Lula Cafe. It’s the place that started them all.
Lula kicked off the whole Logan Square food scene. It was doing farm-to-table before people here even used the words. Chef Jason Hammel opened it back in 1999 on a four-burner home stove, and it now holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. But it never got stuffy. It’s still a warm, funky little bistro with no attitude — the kind of place that’s perfect for a slow daytime date or a lazy catch-up with a friend. If you care about where your food comes from, or you’re vegetarian and tired of being an afterthought, this is your spot.
What to eat
Get the Pasta Yiayia ($18–$20). It’s bucatini with feta, garlic, brown butter, and cinnamon. Yes, it’s pasta. Yes, it’s brunch. Trust them — it’s been on the menu since 1999 for a reason.
The Breakfast Burrito is famous around here, too. Vegetarians actually get treated well: the Tofu and Vegetable Scramble ($16) comes with black sesame and a ginger miso sauce. The Buttermilk Pancakes ($10) come with local maple syrup. Plan on about $20–$30 a person.
Check out the rest of their menu here
What to know before you go
No reservations on weekends, and the wait can be one to two hours. So do what the locals do. Put your name down and go kill time. Grab a coffee at Gaslight Coffee Roasters down the street. Or if it’s a summer Sunday, walk the Logan Square Farmers Market a few minutes away.
Two hours is a long wait for a table. But some people say it’s not even the worst line on this list. That one is at a counter in Ukrainian Village — and they’re not even waiting for a table.
2. Kasama: the Michelin croissant worth a two-hour line
📍 1001 N. Winchester Ave, Ukrainian Village
Here’s the wild part about Kasama. At night, it’s a fine-dining spot with a $325-per-person tasting menu. By day, it’s a casual counter where you order at the register and grab a pastry. Same kitchen. Wildly different price.
It made history as the first Filipino restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star, run by the husband-and-wife team of Tim Flores and Genie Kwon. They won a James Beard Award in 2023. This is the place for hardcore food lovers and anyone who wants to taste Michelin-level cooking without dropping a paycheck. The daytime vibe is fast and busy — order, grab a seat, dig in.
What to eat
The pastries are the main event. The Black Truffle Croissant and the Ube & Huckleberry Basque Cake are both must-orders. So is the raspberry macaron, which fans love.
Hungry for something bigger? Get the Filipino Breakfast — sweet longanisa sausage (or tocino), garlic fried rice, and a fried egg. The Longanisa Italian Combo is a smart Filipino spin on a Chicago classic. Most people spend $10–$25 for the daytime menu.
Check out the rest of their menu here
What to know before you go
This is the line we warned you about. No reservations. The kitchen runs Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on weekends the line wraps around the block — one to two hours, easy. Here’s the move: get there by 8:30 a.m., before they open. The best pastries sell out fast.
Kasama makes you work for it. Our next spot does the opposite — it just wants you to have a good time.
10 Hidden Architectural Details Chicago Locals Walk Past Every Day (But Tourists Never Notice)
3. Batter & Berries: the most fun you’ll have at breakfast
📍 2748 N. Lincoln Ave, Lincoln Park
Some brunch is quiet and serious. This one is a party.
Batter & Berries is loud, colorful, and high-energy, with R&B and soul playing while you eat. It’s a Black-owned spot opened in 2012 by Dr. Craig and Tanya Richardson, built to bring a world-class breakfast to the neighborhood. Bring the whole group. This is your Sunday Funday place, your big-family-table place, your spot if you’ve got a serious sweet tooth.
What to eat
The star is the World Famous French Toast Flight — a sampler of four kinds: caramel, strawberry, lemon, and blueberry. You won’t have to pick just one.
Then there’s the Cluck & Gaufre, their award-winning take on chicken and waffles. It’s a sweet potato waffle stuffed with bits of fried chicken, topped with a fried chicken breast and nutmeg hot sauce. The Deconstructed Omelets are fun too, built around the egg instead of folded up. Figure $15–$25 a person.
Check out their rest of their menu here
What to know before you go
It’s BYOB, which is a very Chicago thing. Bring your own champagne or vodka, buy their fresh-squeezed juice, and build mimosas right at the table. No reservations, and weekends get brutal. If you can swing a Tuesday or Wednesday, do it — they’re open daily, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Big, loud, packed. Our next pick went the other way on purpose — it got smaller. And a lot of articles still haven’t caught up.
4. Little Goat Diner: the celebrity-chef diner that moved
📍 3325 N. Southport Ave, Lakeview
Quick fact-check for you, because half the internet still gets this wrong: Little Goat Diner is not in the West Loop anymore. It moved to the Southport Corridor in Lakeview back in 2023. If an article sends you to the old address, that article is out of date.
This is Stephanie Izard’s place — the first woman to win Top Chef and a James Beard winner — done with the Boka Restaurant Group. The 2023 move shrank it from a huge West Loop space down to a cozy 50-seat room. The look is retro diner: laminated booths, a neon goat sign, comfort food with flavors pulled from all over the world. Good for celebrity-chef fans, comfort-food people, and anyone already out shopping the Southport Corridor.
What to eat
The Reuben ($20) is one of the best in the city — order it with confidence.
The Chorizo Hash & Eggs brings fluffy eggs and crispy, well-seasoned shredded hash browns. And keep an eye out for the rotating, over-the-top pancakes and French toast. They change, and they go big.
Heads-up on price: it’s $20–$30+ a person, which is steep for “diner” food. Worth knowing going in.
What to know before you go
Boka adds a 4% surcharge to every check, and paying by the QR code at the table may add a small processing fee on top. The new room only seats 50, so peak times fill up fast. Come early or come off-peak.
Everything so far has been on the North and West sides. Time to head south — to a spot that feels like Sunday dinner at your grandmother’s.
5. Peach’s Restaurant: the South Side soul food everyone should try
📍 4652 S. King Dr, Bronzeville
If you only ever eat brunch downtown, you’re missing half the city. Peach’s is your reason to go south.
It’s a cornerstone of Bronzeville, the historic heart of Black Chicago, opened in 2015 by chef Cliff Rome — a name respected enough that he was tapped to help with food at the future Obama Presidential Center. The room is warm, colorful, and welcoming, and it feels like a family gathering more than a restaurant. This is for soul food lovers and anyone who wants to get out of the downtown bubble and see the real Chicago.
What to eat
Start with the Peach Bourbon French Toast — the namesake dish, and the one to beat. The Salmon Croquettes & Cheese Grits pair perfectly seared croquettes with smooth, creamy grits. And the Hangover Chicken & Fries is exactly the heavy comfort food the name promises. Plan on $15–$25 a person.
What to know before you go
Peach’s is open Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It gets packed on Sunday mornings once church lets out, so plan around that. While you’re in Bronzeville, take a few minutes to see the neighborhood’s monuments, like the Monument to the Great Northern Migration. It’s worth the trip down.
Soul food settles you. Our next spot does the opposite — it’ll wake you up with kimchi and a Korean pancake you didn’t see coming.
6. Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club: the fusion spot worth the drive northwest
📍 3348 W. Bryn Mawr Ave, North Park
This is the one nobody from out of town knows about, and the one your Chicago friends are slightly annoyed we’re telling you about.
Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club started as an unassuming spot on the Northwest Side from chef Manny Mejia, who worked his way up through Chicago kitchens before opening it. It’s built a cult following for huge portions and a smart mash-up of diner food with Mexican and Korean flavors. The room is cozy and busy — the kind of place where staff know the regulars. Come here with a big appetite and an open mind.
What to eat
The Pajun Pancake ($19) is the crowd favorite: a savory Korean scallion pancake topped with two eggs, kimchi pork belly, jalapeños, and Brussels sprouts. The Bread Pudding French Toast ($20) is made from house bread pudding with mascarpone, berries, and orange coulis. And the Chilaquiles ($19) come wrapped in a banana leaf with plantains on the side. Figure $18–$25 a person.
What to know before you go
Weekend waits can hit 90 minutes. Good news: they got so popular they opened two more locations, in Belmont Gardens and Ravenswood. So if the original North Park spot is slammed, check the wait at one of the others.
That’s the neighborhood crowd handled. Now for the heavyweight — the place that was feeding Fulton Market before Fulton Market was cool.
7. The Publican: the loud, meaty Chicago institution
📍 837 W. Fulton Market, West Loop
Before Fulton Market was the trendiest dining strip in the city, there was The Publican. It got there first.
One Off Hospitality (Paul Kahan’s group) opened it in 2008 as a tribute to European beer halls — the motto is basically oysters, pork, and beer. The room is loud and communal, anchored by massive walnut tables and wooden booths built to look like stylized pig pens. It’s an anchor of the whole neighborhood. Come here if you’re a carnivore, a craft beer person, or a group of friends who don’t mind elbow-to-elbow seating. Just don’t bring a first date hoping for a quiet morning.
What to eat
The Pub Maple Braised Bacon ($9.20) is the famous one — thick-cut, impossibly tender, maybe the best-known bacon in Chicago. The Publican Breakfast Plate ($24.20) loads up eggs, crispy potatoes, house sausage, and that bacon. The Classic Waffle ($16.10) is crisp Belgian-style with honey butter and maple syrup. And get anything with their sourdough. Plan on $25–$45 a person.
What to know before you go
Weekend brunch is Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you fall for the bread or sausage, walk across the street to Publican Quality Meats afterward and take some home.
The Publican is built for a crowd. Our next spot is built for exactly one person.
8. Dove’s Luncheonette: vinyl, mezcal, and a counter seat made for one
📍 1545 N. Damen Ave, Wicker Park
If you’re flying solo, this is your spot. Dove’s is all counter seating — 41 stools, no tables — which makes eating alone feel completely normal instead of awkward.
It comes from One Off Hospitality (the team behind The Publican and Big Star), so the food is no joke. The room is a retro diner with wood-paneled walls and a record player spinning 1960s and ’70s honky-tonk and Chicago soul. It lands on national cheap-eats lists year after year. Come here if you love solo dining, great music, or agave spirits — the mezcal menu is excellent. Bonus: it’s right by the Damen Blue Line stop, so you don’t even need a car.
What to eat
The Burnt Ends Hash ($23) is the move — crispy potatoes, brisket burnt ends, chipotle aioli, queso fresco, and scrambled eggs with Texas toast. The Chicken Fried Chicken ($24.20) comes smothered in a rich chorizo verde gravy. And the Masa Pancakes ($16.10) come with mole-spiced maple syrup and whipped agave butter. Most people spend $15–$25.
What to know before you go
There’s a 3.5% hospitality charge on the bill. No weekend reservations, but since it’s all counter seats, tables turn over fast — so the wait usually moves quicker than it looks.
That’s the casual end of things covered. Now we go upscale — starting with a place that’ll actually let you book a table.
9. Tzuco: the fancy one that takes reservations
📍 720 N. State St, River North
Most of this list is a neighborhood spot where you wait in line. Tzuco is the opposite, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want.
It’s the work of chef Carlos Gaytán, who in 2013 became the first Mexican-born chef to earn a Michelin star. Tzuco is his love letter to his hometown of Huitzuco, Mexico — Mexican heritage built on French cooking technique. The space is upscale and earthy, with a gorgeous patio that feels like a high-end desert resort. This is your special-occasion brunch: birthdays, a fancy date, a girls’ brunch, or visitors staying downtown who don’t want to travel far.
What to eat
The showstopper is the Duck Waffle ($32) — a Belgian waffle with duck-leg carnitas, a chipotle-hibiscus glaze, sweet potato purée, and poached eggs. The Carne Asada Huarache ($29) is masa topped with flank steak, black beans, goat cheese fondue, and fried eggs. For something sweet, the French Toast ($18) comes with a pink peppercorn crème anglaise. Plan on $30–$60 a person — this is the splurge.
What to know before you go
Brunch is Saturdays and Sundays only. And here’s the good news: unlike almost everywhere else on this list, you can book ahead. Reservations are easy to grab on Resy, and we’d recommend it.
Tzuco is the splurge with the best food. The next one is the splurge with the best photos.
10. 3 Arts Club Cafe: the most beautiful room in Chicago
📍 1300 N. Dearborn St, Gold Coast
Yes, it’s inside a Restoration Hardware furniture store. No, that does not make it less stunning. This might be the prettiest place to eat in the entire city.
It sits in the historic Three Arts Club building from 1914, where RH turned the central courtyard into a glass-roofed atrium café. You eat under a massive glass ceiling, surrounded by olive trees, a fountain, and crystal chandeliers. It feels like a billionaire’s greenhouse. This is the spot for a bachelorette brunch, a girls’ weekend, a mother-daughter date, or anyone who wants spectacular photos with their eggs.
What to eat
The RH Scramble is the go-to — farm eggs with crème fraîche, avocado, and chives on thick Texas toast. The Truffled Grilled Cheese comes on artisanal sourdough. And don’t skip the donuts, sourced from Chicago’s beloved Doughnut Vault. Plan on $30–$55 a person — you’re paying for the room, and it’s worth it once.
What to know before you go
No reservations, and weekend waits can top two hours. Here’s the trick: put your name in, get a champagne or a latte from the coffee bar, then wander all five floors of RH furniture galleries — including the rooftop park — until they text you. It’s the most pleasant wait in the city.
Gorgeous room, no view. Our next spot is the opposite: the food’s great, but you’re really there for what’s outside the window.
11. Miru: brunch with the best view in the city
📍 401 E. Wacker Dr (11th floor, St. Regis), Lakeshore East
Want to impress someone? Bring them here.
Miru sits on the 11th floor of the St. Regis Chicago — the tallest building in the world designed by a woman, architect Jeanne Gang. “Miru” means “view” in Japanese, and the name delivers. Floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor terraces look out over the spot where the Chicago River, Lake Michigan, and Navy Pier all meet. It’s sleek, modern, and expensive, run by the Lettuce Entertain You group. Save it for anniversaries, business brunches, or any morning you feel like living large.
What to eat
The Breakfast Bao is the standout — steamed bao buns filled with fluffy egg soufflé, crispy bacon, cucumber, and garlic aioli. The Okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese cabbage pancake with baby shrimp and katsu sauce. The Chawanmushi is a warm egg custard with shiitake, ikura, and black truffle ponzu poured at the table. Even the Buttermilk Pancakes get an upgrade with whipped yuzu ricotta. Plan on $40–$80+ a person.
What to know before you go
Brunch is Saturdays and Sundays only, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are strongly recommended. And in summer, ask for a table on the terrace — that’s where the view really earns its price.
So that’s the high end: the prettiest room, the best view, the biggest bill. Our last spot is none of those things. It’s the one we’d send you to first.
12. Uncle Mike’s Place: the no-frills legend with free parking out front
📍 1700 W. Grand Ave, West Town
We promised you free parking, and here it is — in Chicago, where finding a spot is basically a competitive sport. At Uncle Mike’s, there’s usually plenty of free street parking right outside the door. That alone makes it a small miracle.
But the parking isn’t why people love it. Uncle Mike’s opened as a regular American diner in 1991. Then in 2008, the owners added Filipino breakfasts based on family recipes, and it became a legend. It’s a classic, old-school, no-frills neighborhood diner — no scene, no attitude, just huge plates of seriously good food. This is the spot for big appetites, meat lovers, hangover mornings, and anyone who wants the real, off-the-radar Chicago experience.
A place like this surviving since 1991, in a city where rents keep climbing and beloved spots keep closing, is not nothing. Order something. Tip well. These are the places worth keeping.
What to eat
The famous Marinated Skirt Steak ($25.95+) is the headliner — locals will tell you it’s the best around. The Longanisa and Tocino Combo ($21.95) brings sweet anise-cured sausage and pork shoulder. And here’s the best part: every Filipino breakfast combo comes with a free starter of lugaw (savory chicken-and-rice porridge with lemon and garlic) and a dessert of champorado (chocolate rice pudding). Plan on $18–$28 a person.
What to know before you go
Come hungry. The portions are massive — not “big,” massive. And that free parking out front really is the cherry on top. After lining up all over this city, pulling up and parking for free feels almost too easy.
So where do we send you first?
If you’ve read this far, you want the short version. Here it is.
Going once and want the classic? Lula. It’s the one that started all of this.
Chasing the best food for the least money? Kasama. Get there early, grab the croissant, beat the line.
Rolling with a big, loud group? Batter & Berries. Bring your own bottle.
Want to see the real Chicago, not the postcard version? Go south to Peach’s in Bronzeville, or northwest to Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club. Both are worth the Uber.
Trying to impress someone? Miru for the view, 3 Arts Club for the room, Tzuco for the food. Pick your splurge.
And the morning you can’t face another line in this city? Uncle Mike’s. Park for free, order too much food, walk out happy.
That’s the whole map. Skip downtown, head into the neighborhoods, and you’ll eat better than most people who’ve lived here for years. Now go put your name on a list.
