Spoon University Logo
IMG 0505
IMG 0505
Lifestyle

Chicago Restaurants Bucket-list: Breakfast

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at UIC chapter.

The city of Chicago is by no means lacking in eateries fit for every meal, especially breakfast.  This poses its own problem, though.  With so many choices for breakfast, how do you decide which one to actually go visit? Below is a Chicago breakfast restaurant bucket list that’ll make this problem so much easier.  We’ve included descriptions of the ambiance, style and, of course most importantly, the food!  Say goodbye to your days of debating for hours on where to take your loved ones to eat when they come to visit you in this culinary mega city. Enjoy the superb food life that Chicago’s breakfast restaurants offers and stun your audience with these restaurants. A win-win situation all around as far as we’re concerned.

Breakfast

Bongo Room:

First up is Bongo Room.  The dining area is a casual, open space, perfect for bringing groups of diners eager to get down to business.  With toned down colors and plenty of light, it has a warm feel while not being too distracting. This establishment is especially known for it’s many sauce drenched pancakes, especially the Salted Caramel Pretzel Pancakes pictured above. Other menu faves are their red velvet and gingerbread pancakes. But why not splurge and order a plate of each?

Stax’s Café:

Located on Taylor St., the heart and downtown of UIC (ayy represent), Stax specializes in drinks and breakfast dishes such as stacks (hint at name) of creative pancakes, french toast, waffles, and egg dishes. It’s also got the same sort of happy feel going for it as the bongo room.  What better way to start your morning than with a casual breakfast gathering in a bright sunlit room?

Yolk.:

Yolk’s main locations lie farther in the heart of the loop, so these are the perfect spots to hit along your sightseeing routes.  Go-to items from this spot are the Nutella Crêpes, Very Berry French Toast (or any other french toast for that matter), Chicken ‘n’ Waffles, and a bunch of other unique concoctions that are only found at this Chicago based spot.

Wildberry Pancake and Café: 

Serving large breakfast portions from farm fresh ingredients, people come for their infamous Oreo S’mores Pancakes, Banana Cream Pie Crêpe, Caramel Apple Pecan Belgium Waffles, and Red Velvet Roll or Cinnamon Roll French Toast. However, don’t forget about their pan sized skillet. So say good bye to a flat stomach and hello to that food baby we all love to nurture. 

Meli Café:

Meli, meaning honey in Greek, is also on UIC campus. It’ll get your mouth watering with breakfast items such as Peanut Butter Chocolate Pancakes, Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Polenta Pancakes, Cannoli Pancakes or French Toast (pictured above), Churro or Pecan French Toast, Breakfast Tacos, and all the other breakfast necessities of course.

Fun fact: They make their own whipped butter and challah bread. Impressive right?

Nothing says good morning like having your stomach satisfyingly filled with a hearty meal. I mean, let’s be real, some of these meals serve more as dessert than a day starter . Talkabout a breakfast of champions! And who better to take on this challenge than the Spoon UIC community? So give these places a try and let us know how you liked them!

Fun fact: I once thought I could enter a hot dog eating contest and win. I'm an Egyptian girl who loves to travel, explore, run, take an alarmingly amount of photos, and eat till I can't breath. Tune in to see my perspective on the world through food.