Valois Cafeteria in Chicago is the Hyde Park cafeteria on 53rd Street since 1921, the See Your Food steam-table breakfast, an Obama-era $7 tray, opens daily at 06:00 and closes mid-afternoon.
Must order: Obama tray: scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, toast.
Tip: Cash only. Order the Obama tray and pay $7. Walk a block south to read the Sunday Times after.
Address: 1518 E 53rd St, Chicago, IL 60615
Ann Sather in Chicago is the 1945 Swedish-American breakfast room whose Broadway location carries the city's cinnamon roll after Belmont closes mid-2026.
Order: Maple-glazed cinnamon roll (free with every entree), Swedish pancakes with lingonberry.
Tip: The cinnamon roll is included free with every entree; ask for it warm. The Broadway and Granville rooms continue after the Belmont site closes 28 June 2026.
Lula Cafe in Chicago is Jason Hammel's Logan Square brunch room on Kedzie since 1999, with farm-driven plates, vegetable hash and a Logan Boulevard patio in summer.
Order: Vegetable hash with poached egg and brown-butter sage.
Tip: Arrive 09:30 on weekends. The queue is long by 10:30; the patio opens at 10:00 in summer.
Bongo Room in Chicago is the Wicker Park brunch institution on Milwaukee Avenue, with three-pancake stacks the size of frisbees and a vegan jackfruit hash plate.
Order: Pretzel-crusted French toast with white chocolate caramel.
Tip: Order one savoury and one sweet to share. The pancake special is a quarterly-rotating menu posted on the front board.
Kasama in Chicago is Tim Flores and Genie Kwon's Filipino bakery in Ukrainian Village, with longanisa breakfast plates, ube cruffins and a corner counter from 07:00.
Order: Longanisa breakfast plate with garlic rice and an egg.
Tip: Arrive at 07:15 to land the warm cruffins. The breakfast plate at the counter is a perfect 10:30 pause.
Daisies in Chicago is Joe Frillman's Logan Square Italian-influenced brunch on Milwaukee Avenue, with hand-cut pasta, a carbonara-and-egg plate and house focaccia.
Order: Carbonara with a sunny-side egg on top.
Tip: Book 14 days ahead on Resy. Patio seats in summer go first; the indoor banquettes are the second-best seat.
Big Jones in Chicago is Paul Fehribach's Andersonville Southern brunch on Clark Street, with buttermilk biscuits, shrimp-and-grits and the Sunday-only brunch menu.
Order: Buttermilk biscuit with sorghum butter and the shrimp-and-grits.
Tip: Sunday tables go two weeks ahead. The bar takes walk-up if you arrive at 09:30 on the dot.
