CHIGuide

Where To Have Breakfast With Clients

The 12 best restaurants for closing the deal over some eggs.
Where To Have Breakfast With Clients image

photo credit: Sandy Noto

Client meetings are like wifi outages - they can happen anytime, including at breakfast. Unlike your internet going down, you can usually plan ahead for them. But when you have a morning meeting planned, you can’t just take them to any restaurant. You need a place that’s quiet enough for a conversation, hopefully takes reservations, and has food options that will appeal to just about everyone. Here are 12 corporate-card-worthy breakfast spots that meet all these criteria.

The Spots

American

River North

$$$$Perfect For:BrunchCasual Weeknight DinnerCoffee & A Light BiteDate NightGluten-Free OptionsKeeping It Kind Of Healthy
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Beatrix works well for a variety of situations - for instance, breakfast with a client who probably owns a Peloton bike. And both the Fulton Market and River North locations are good choices for a sit-down, kind-of-healthy breakfast. You’ll find options like oatmeal and yogurt granola bowls, plus more substantial dishes like quinoa cakes with poached eggs. And in case the meeting doesn’t go well, you can stop by the pastry counter on your way out to pick up something to stress eat later.


This place is hidden on the second floor of the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, across from Millenium Park. And the dark, windowless restaurant is ideal if you want to have a secretive meal and not worry that anyone can see you. The space feels a little like a turn-of-the-century lodge, or maybe the location for an Eyes Wide Shut situation. The breakfast menu is pretty standard (with dishes like baked eggs) but the food is good. Plus afterward, you can go visit The Bean.


You might be surprised to learn that Chicago Cut - an expensive steakhouse in River North - also serves breakfast. It’s at the bottom of an office building, and full of successful-looking people in power suits. So it can feel a little like being at a corporate zoo, but the food is excellent, and the dining room has an impressive view of the Chicago River. Plan a hostile takeover while eating the surf-and turf-benedict, or steak and eggs.


If you need a place more conducive to pitching your idea of candles made from banana peels instead of corporate takeovers, consider going to Lula Cafe in Logan Square. This place pretty much feels like the restaurant incarnation of a farmers market. That also means the menu changes often, but there are some staples, like a smoked trout omelet, a breakfast burrito, and tofu and vegetable scramble. And unlike your new business venture, whatever you get will be good.


photo credit: Sandy Noto

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The West Loop doesn’t have the same corporate drone-filled atmosphere as River North and the Loop, and there are not as many people having business meals. But that doesn’t mean they don’t happen, and Cira is a great option if you want someplace sort-of-upscale in the neighborhood. The food is Mediterranean inspired, with dishes like shakshuka and yogurt with whipped tahini. The large space has plenty of big comfortable booths, which everyone knows is the right place to discuss Important Business.


This French cafe at the bottom of the Peninsula hotel is a little busier and noisier than most of the spots on this list. But it’s a good idea if your business meal is with clients who are also secretly tourists - the kind who after meeting you over quiche lorraine, head straight to the Hancock Observatory and then the Lego store.


We really like going to this Italian spot for any kind of meal that we want to feel professional, but still be a little laid back. Nico’s breakfast menu is short, but has some standouts, like the soft scrambled eggs with ciabatta and prosciutto, or the eggs in purgatory. And while there’s a good chance you’ll be able to walk in and get a table, make a reservation if you don’t want to sit side-by-side at the long chef’s counter, like kids in the back of a station wagon.


This Gold Coast spot has fantastic food and a well-rounded menu that will work for just about anyone. You can order anything from ricotta pancakes to cheddar omelets to gooey coffee cake, and count on all of it being impressive. And although Somerset is decorated a little like a yacht and located in a neighborhood full of luxury bag-dogs, it’s actually a pretty low-key place to start your workday.


OK, so Lou Mitchell’s is one spot on this guide that doesn’t take reservations. But if you need to have an early morning meeting with an out-of-town client who probably watches Chicago Tours on PBS, take them here. This classic diner has been around for over 90 years, and its location between the Loop and Greektown also makes it convenient for people who work downtown (and Geoffrey Baer).


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