Welcome to the Brunch Directory - a complete list of over 150 restaurants to get brunch in Chicago. You could memorize this list so you can tell people you have an encylopedic knowledge of brunch spots in the city. Or just use it to pick a place for your next midday feast.
We update this guide pretty frequently with new brunches around the city, so check back as soon as you’ve been to every place on the list (or maybe before that). Happy waffle eating.
The Spots
River North
Where most River North places are made to look sleek and elegant, Centennial looks like the hull of a Colonial ship. Be prepared for large portions of heavy food, plus their DIY mimosa special that includes a bottle of champagne and a carafe of orange, grapefruit, pineapple, or mango juice for $18.
This welcoming spot showcases the lighter side of Mediterranean food, like hummus and grilled octopus. At brunch, you can order shared plates or heartier mains like the lamb shakshuka. Or try the chicken kefta kebabs, pair them with some of the smaller plates and you’ll be good to go.
Sign up for our newsletter.
Be the first to get expert restaurant recommendations for every situation right in your inbox.
A casual River North restaurant that’s full of sunlight and good for both friends and your parents. The pastries are excellent if you only want to pop in for a light bite, but the weekend brunch menu has plenty of hits.
Hub 51 is more laid-back on the weekends than it is on weeknights. Either the lemon skinny or buttermilk pancakes should be on the table for sharing, and the breakfast tacos are excellent, too.
BBQ for brunch? Sure, why not. Expect the same Southern vibes that are present at Bub City every other day of the week. If you like to brunch late then expect live music, too.
This is a sceney Italian restaurant that’s a little more reserved on the weekend. It’s a pretty standard brunch menu (with things like pancakes and omelets), but there’s nothing wrong with that. Just don’t forget an order of the monkeybread.
The brunch menu at this Peruvian restaurant in River North is much shorter than their dinner menu. But the food is just as good, with dishes like fried eggs with steak and chimichurri and sweet potato donuts.
If you’re looking for an excellent and slightly more upscale Mexican brunch, then you can be sure Rick Bayless will deliver. Frontera is good any time of day.
Bernie’s has quickly climbed up the ladder as one of our go-to spots to eat, and that includes brunch on the weekends. Go heavy with the chorizo eggs benedict, or keep it light with a lox plate or seasonal market fruit.
Gold Coast
Somerset serves nearly universally appealing food - some of our favorite dishes in Chicago. Be sure to get the sunny side-up frittata and the autumn cobb salad.
RL - Ralph Lauren Restaurant
The restaurant that’s part of the Ralph Lauren store is everything you’d expect it to be: a little stuffy, with white tablecloths and people wearing a lot of Ralph Lauren. Come here for an upscale brunch with dishes like smoked salmon and crab cakes benedict. Then go buy a polo shirt.
A Chicago staple in the Viagra Triangle that’s always busy no matter the time of year. The food is solid, and there is excellent people watching.
Basically the same as Tavern On Rush, but a little more hip and cool. The food is solid but never amazing. The people watching, however, can’t be beat.
The chain pancake restaurant delivers the goods when it comes to pancakes. The special Dutch Baby is the star, but any of the pancakes and waffles make for a quality brunch.
BBQ in a slightly more upscale space. Combine all of your favorite meats with eggs and potatoes.
A typical diner that’s good for eggs and pancakes any time of day. It’s open everyday from 6:30am - 8:30pm.
An upscale Italian seafood restaurant that we think is best hit for brunch. The open windows make it a lovely place to sit on a nice day, which is doubly true when you can use the patio.
Sunny Side Up & Coffee Shoppe
A cute little cafe serving typical American brunch staples.
A modern take on the traditional French bistro. Plus, there’s an hour and a half bottomless mimosa deal for $20.95 with the purchase of food.
The stunningly beautiful space inside of a giant Restoration Hardware is an excellent place to hang and eat brunch. Expect a wait on the weekends and expect a lot of people sitting around drinking champagne with their meals.
Old Town
The brunch at Happy Camper is almost identical to the brunch menu at their sister restaurant, Homeslice. Pair the breakfast pizza with the hangover iced coffee for maximum satisfaction.
Greek-inspired breakfast that’s become a local mini chain. The Old Town location is in an area where there’s not a lot of other options for brunch, which makes this Kanela a valuable place.
An Old Town staple for a casual meal any time of day.
Streeterville
While Marisol’s restaurant space (located inside the Museum of Contemporary Art) is temporarily closed, their counter is open and offering seasonal American food that’s perfect for a quick brunch to-go. Enjoy easy brunch options like avocado and egg toast, a turkey sandwich, and salads.
The second Beatrix location in Streeterville is a nice addition to the neighborhood. It has a good pastry counter and is a solid weekend brunch spot just like its twin restaurant in River North.
Loop
In the Chicago Athletic Association hotel on Michigan Avenue, Cindy’s is one giant greenhouse with communal seating, a large bar, and a show-stopping three-season patio. It’s made for boozy brunches, with a full cocktail menu and dishes like pancakes served in both single and shareable portions.
A reliable breakfast spot just off Michigan Avenue near The Bean. There’s not much else like it in the area, so if you’re around these parts, Wildberry is a good spot.
The Gage is like an upscale restaurant and bar that pours a great Guinness and has good food, too. It’s in an old building from the 1800s that’s now a Chicago landmark, and it’s one of our favorite options for something next to Millennium Park.
South Loop
A classic Jewish deli with a bit of a modern flare. We lament the lack of Jewish delis in the city, and Eleven City Diner has what you might be craving - from lox to an excellent corned beef and pastrami hash bowl.
The last remaining old-school Chicago deli was given a facelift, and the space is bigger and better than ever. A corned beef or pastrami sandwich with a potato pancake on the side is the veteran move, or check out the deli counter with a great fish selection.
Bridgeport
This is one of our favorite spots to grab brunch in Bridgeport. Nana serves all kinds of delicious Mexican-inspired cuisine.
We’re big fans of everything The Duck Inn does, including brunch. The duck confit hash is an obvious choice, but get whatever sounds good. The patio is perfect when it’s nice outside.
Pilsen
5 Rabanitos is a casual, affordable Mexican restaurant in Pilsen, and the fact that it’s also BYOB makes it that much more appealing. Come here for a weekend brunch full of chilaquiles, tortas, and enchiladas.
Cement walls and some pretty dramatic uplighting give this space an industrial feel, but the food here looks and tastes delicious. There’s a three-course brunch prix fixe menu, plus a la carte items for the table to share. Order the black truffle croquettes and BBQ belly bao.
Around since 2012, Pl-zen is big on being a part of its titular neighborhood. There’s a mix of everything on the menu, from burgers to tortas to a selection of benedicts. It’s a great spot for brunch with friends.
You might not think of pork carnitas for brunch, but weekend mornings are when Don Pedro is most crowded with regulars. If the regulars are going then it means you should, too.
Hyde Park
West Loop
The food at this upscale hotel restaurant is on the bland side, but everything is prepared well, and their brunch options are inoffensive enough to appeal to a wide range of diners. Come here for a West Loop consensus option.
Aba
POWERED BY
Aba is a big, trendy restaurant in the West Loop. They have a bouncer, a valet, and constant crowds - but they actually serve really good Mediterranean dishes, and their brunch includes options like whipped feta, shakshuka, and various kebabs over rice.
If you’re familiar with Siena Tavern in River North, think of Bar Siena as its younger, cooler, and not as fancy little West Loop cousin. The brunch menu here is helpfully divided between sweet and savory items, with many different options (more on the savory side).
An old school diner on the original beginnings of Route 66. Lou Mitchell’s has historical significance to Chicago, and it’s historically made a great early morning and afternoon meal. Always a strong choice.
When Avec started serving brunch, it was one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind. The West Loop staple and favorite does a great job at brunch, which includes an excellent french toast. You want the french toast.
For those of you unable to make it to PQM during the week since they aren’t open for dinner, you’re really missing out. It’s the more casual cafe version of The Publican, and it’s a great meal. Don’t sleep on the butcher’s breakfast.
If you want a more formal experience than PQM, then hit up its sister restaurant The Publican for Sunday brunch. They do the type of brunch dishes you won’t see other places, like grilled ham chop.
The best burger in town, hands down. If you’re getting it for brunch, then you obviously need to add the thick-cut bacon and a sunny side egg, too. Consider splitting the burger and the duck heart hash with a friend - the hash is the sleeper item on the menu.
Little Goat has an all-over-the-place menu with things like a burrito wrapped in Indian flatbread and “bull’s eye french toast” with fried chicken on it. Sometimes the dishes are so crazy they don’t actually work, but it’s something you should try for yourself. The space is great, so there’s that.
River West
The Breakfast Club is the restaurant your grandma would run if your grandma ran a restaurant. You can’t miss it – just look for the white and pink house.
Cool-looking two-story space with an eclectic menu, good outdoor area, and great cocktails.
West Town
The atmosphere is the main draw here, since the dining room looks like a movie set for a Wes Anderson jungle adventure. At brunch, they’ve got large-format cocktails and many hearty dishes like patatas bravas and pork belly fried rice.
A German-themed restaurant with cuckoo clocks and hip-hop whose brunch menu has garlicky pretzels, steak and eggs for two, and the abbreviation “schnitz”? Yes to all of the above. Enjoy.
A small BYOB in West Town with the Feel Good Factor, Soule can be hard to get into, but once you sit down and try their creole-inspired soul food, you won’t want to leave. (And since it opens at 1pm, it’s perfect for people who sleep in and wake up hungry.)
Flo is all about New Mexican favorites like huevos verdes with Christmas-colored chili. You’ll undoubtedly get distracted by their french toast, which comes covered in either Fruity or Cocoa Pebbles. Get an order for the table, but make sure to try the classic New Mexican dishes, too.
Humboldt Park
An excellent Puerto Rican restaurant that has brunch every day of the week. Enjoy an omelet with sweet plantains and a bowl of coconut oatmeal. Or, come on the weekend to eat all of it when they serve a buffet.
Feed has the feel of a Southern cafeteria and the menu to match. Come here for things like a pulled pork hash or fried green tomato benedict.
Wicker Park
Paradise Park
POWERED BY
Paradise Park has satisfying brunch food (including breakfast pizzas and chicken & waffles) and an over-the-top atmosphere. The theme here is “kitschy trailer park,” with flamingo lawn ornaments, swing sets, and a Winnebago out on the patio.
Ina Mae is an understated New Orleans-inspired spot in Wicker Park. There are great po’boys here, which they serve a brunch version of on weekends. Other options include a seafood tower and boozy slushies.
We won’t tell you what to order at Cebu - their diverse Filipino brunch menu means you have your choice of many interesting dishes - as long as you promise to order the fluffy Pandesal bread while you’re there.
Consistently delicious Southern food means you can order anything on this brunch menu, from red hot tamales to pecan praline beignets, and it’ll be a great experience. Complete with a quiet back patio and reasonable prices.
Both locations of Big Star serve brunch, but we always recommend the Wicker Park location. A short menu of breakfast tacos pair well with their brunch cocktails, like the Bloody Mary or the Michelada.
Etta is the quintessential BCR (or Big Chicago Restaurant), with two floors, two big bars, and a rooftop patio. Much like the space itself, the brunch menu here is huge, complete with pastries, pizzas, and morning cocktails.
Tex-Mex food meets ’60s counter-style diner meets blues music on repeat. Dove’s is one of the more unique places you can eat.
There’s a real local feel to this place, one that makes you want to sit, eat, drink, and hang out all day. The menu is mostly vegetarian, the patio is mostly shaded, and the prices are mostly unbeatable.
Bongo Room
There are a few Bongo Room locations around, and they are all virtually the same. You still want the chocolate tower french toast.
Bucktown
Logan Square
Tacos are the main event here, and the breakfast tacos are fine enough, but head to this sunny and relaxing spot for the queso, nachos, and fried chicken taco.
This bright brew pub is open on Wednesday - Thursday at 8am and Friday - Sunday at 9am, and their delicious housemade bread makes them a great brunch option when you want nothing more than a heap of pecan butter slathered on a slice of whole grain toast.
Fried chicken is the main attraction at Parson’s (along with their amazing patio), but the loaded hashbrowns and huevos rancheros are great too.
Longman & Eagle
This Logan Square staple is hit or miss, but the brunch is usually solid. It’s a cozy setting that’s perfect for holing up in the winter, or you can sit on their small patio outside when it’s hot.
Reno makes their own bagels, which are pretty good. Go for one of their breakfast sandwiches like The Nando, with homemade chorizo, eggs, and cheddar on their wood-fired bagels. A breakfast pizza isn’t a bad choice, either.
Who doesn’t want to eat brunch at a brewhouse that’s making their own beer?
Meat free since ’83. The Chicago Diner is the most well-known vegan restaurant in the city. Breakfast and brunch is a great intro to vegan food for whoever needs one, and we advocate for everyone giving this place a try.
Excellent biscuits and excellent pie. That’s breakfast heaven right there. The small shop is one of the best places around, and the outdoor area feels like you’re sitting in a friend’s backyard.
Lincoln Park
Homeslice is just quality pizza served in a great space. Their brunch features breakfast sandwiches and burritos, but because they know what you’re there for, you can also add an egg to any pizza on the menu and call that brunch.
North Pond serves a prix fixe Sunday brunch with three courses of seasonal American food. The menu and the surrounding views are both outstanding.
The food here is farm to table, and the menu definitely has a Midwestern feel to it. At brunch, you’ll find omelettes, burgers, and salads if you want to keep it lighter. Lots of plants and little watering cans make the interior feel like a farmhouse, with a large skylight brightening up the space.
You can literally escape to California in here. Or at least it’ll feel that way. Make sure to check out the pastry counter, particularly the cookies.
The cozy French bistro inside the fancy Belden Stratford apartment building is now serving brunch. The French menu is way more low-key than the apartment building it sits in.
French toast is the specialty at popular Lincoln Park spot Batter & Berries, and they have options like blueberry, strawberry, lemon, and caramel. But the best strategy is to order the flight, which has all four. If sweet breakfasts aren’t your thing, order one of their deconstructed omelettes.
A slightly Americanized version of a Spanish tapas spot. French toast tapas are the perfect fusion of Spanish and American cuisine.
CBA is all about their bagel steamwiches - sandwiches on a bagel that are steamed as their method of heating. A good carry-out spot that also has a few tables if you want to eat there.
Lakeview
This Italian spot specializes in wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, all of which are still available on their brunch menu. Add an egg to any pizza to make it feel instantly more brunchy.
We come to Zia’s for brunch for two reasons: the fantastic patio and the bottomless brunch. Just be aware, this place is always crowded, and they put a two-hour limit on the amount of time you have to drink mimosas.
Farm-to-table is the main theme at Port & Park, and the bottomless brunch is a close second. Try everything from homemade beignets to a gut-busting biscuits and gravy, and pair with numerous mimosas.
A pretty typical Lakeview breakfast spot with one caveat – a bacon flight. Tastings of maple pepper bacon, jalapeno bacon, cherry smoked bacon, and mesquite bacon. You need that.
This spot is a combination wine shop and Argentinean bistro open for brunch every day. They only serve the chilaquiles on weekends, but always have ravioli, caprese, soups, and empanadas.
Hutch serves brunch all week long. That’s important to know.
One of our favorite brunch spots in Chicago, no question. It’s a hybrid restaurant and small shop, and everything is exceptional. We love the bread pudding pancakes.
Uncommon Ground supports the farm fresh, local, organic movement to the fullest. They’re serious about providing local goods, and it’s a good local spot to hang.
A daytime only spot that serves breakfast and lunch. It’s only open on Monday and Friday (closed Tuesday - Thursday until further notice). Mortar and Pestle doesn’t only serve standard breakfast food - it has some edge. Try something interesting like the foie gras and eggs or the muesli with brûléed bananas.
Angelina has been in Lakeview for over 30 years, and the champagne brunch is still going strong. The menu is short and uncomplicated (with dishes like French toast and a frittata) but 10 out of 10 hungover bridesmaids agree: you’re here for the bottomless mimosas.
Ravenswood
Like any respectable diner, Glenn’s serves breakfast all day, but there’s a special extended menu on the weekends - and true to form, that menu is about a mile long. Expect some seafood specials alongside the typical waffles and eggs.
The original Bang Bang Pie owners left in order to start Baker Miller, and it’s just as awesome. Toast never tasted so good, plus you’ll want to eat all of the pastries and pie on the menu.
Swedish specialties like your grandma used to make if you were Swedish, or like the Ikea cafeteria serves (better, really) if you’re not. Food here is the real deal, and this neighborhood cafe showcases both traditional and modern takes on Swedish food.
We love Luella’s because it’s casual, BYOB, and serves familiar food with outrageous flavor.
Andersonville
Southern cooking at its finest. We’re all about the shrimp and grits at Big Jones, and the weekend beignets are a strong move.
Bongo Room
Another Bongo Room, but the story here remains the same. Chocolate tower french toast is what you want, or at least something like that.
A cozy spot that’s great for a date if you need a good brunch place. The atmosphere during the day isn’t quite as romantic as it is at dinner.
Uptown
An eclectic Uptown spot that’s kind of a crazy place inside. All sorts of stuff on the walls and a happening bar make for a lot of activity and fun. People like to boozy brunch here.
Our sleeper pick for the best Mexican brunch you don’t know about. Tiztal Cafe is a cozy little place, and the chilaquiles here are so, so good. Make sure to get one of their milkshakes.
A comfy spot with an eclectic menu that has everything from soprassata-wrapped baked eggs with polenta to a smoked salmon and asparagus benedict and bread pudding.
Edgewater
Pearl’s is a New Orleans–inspired restaurant that doesn’t hit you over the head with its theme, but more than delivers on a cajun-creole menu of brunch options like jambalaya, shrimp and grits, and blackened catfish.
Rogers Park
Smack Dab Bakery
It’s a beautiful thing when a brunch place serving delicious sandwiches, quiche, and pastries is also casual enough that you barely have to worry about putting on real clothes to head over in the morning. Head here if that’s a pitch that speaks to you.
Chinatown
MingHin is large, has several locations, and is open 365 days a year. Their dim sum menu is what’s available for brunch - we recommend the pork buns and dumplings.
Dolo is another one of our favorite spots in Chinatown for dim sum, and unlike MingHin, this place has a full bar. Just know that this spot gets very crowded, so plan accordingly.
