Near The Loop & Magnificent Mile
You can get a good (and upscale) breakfast at one of the hotels near the Loop or Magnificent Mile. Favorites include the restaurants (both named The Café) at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware Place (tel. 312/280-8800), and The Drake, 140 E. Walton Place at Michigan Avenue (tel. 312/787-2200).
A more informal choice in the Loop, just across from Marshall Field's, is Heaven on Seven, where the Cajun and Creole specialties supplement an enormous diner-style menu that has anything you could possibly desire.
For brunch with some soul, head to House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St., at Kinzie Street (tel. 312/527-2583), for its popular Sunday gospel brunch. To guarantee seating, it's a good idea to book a spot 2 weeks in advance.
A favorite for breakfast among Chicagoans since 1923 is Lou Mitchell's, 565 W. Jackson Blvd. (tel. 312/939-3111), across the south branch of the Chicago River from the Loop, a block farther west than Union Station. You're greeted at the door with a basket of doughnut holes and milk duds so that you can nibble while waiting for a table.
For a Southern-style breakfast of spicy red eggs, cheese grits, or biscuits and gravy, head over to Wishbone, a homespun dining hall in a warehouse district west of the Loop.
Lincoln Park & The North Side
A perfect breakfast or brunch spot if you're heading up to Wrigleyville for a Cubs game or for a day of antiquing on Belmont Avenue is Ann Sather, famous for the homemade cinnamon rolls.
The Nookies restaurants are also Chicago favorites for all the standard morning fare. Locations include Lincoln Park, 2114 N. Halsted St. (tel. 773/327-1400); Old Town, 1748 N. Wells St. (tel. 312/337-2454); and Lakeview, 3334 N. Halsted St. (tel. 773/248-9888).
Come to Orange, 3231 N. Clark St., at Belmont (tel. 773/549-4400), for a fun twist on breakfast foods. Try the Green Eggs and Ham -- eggs scrambled with pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella, and pancetta. There's a kids' menu, too, making this a popular choice for families. But a warning to all those with hungry kids (and parents): come early or late; the line for a table winds outside during prime weekend brunch hours.
Lincoln Park's Toast, 746 W. Webster St., at Halsted Street (tel. 773/935-5600), is homey yet slightly funky. The crayons and butcher-block table coverings will keep kids busy. Breakfast includes a twist on the usual diner fare. Pancakes come in all sorts of tempting varieties, from lemon/poppy seed drizzled with honey to the "pancake orgy" of a strawberry, mango, and banana-pecan pancake topped with granola, yogurt, and honey.
Wicker Park/ Bucktown
The brightly colored Bongo Room, 1470 N. Milwaukee Ave. (tel. 773/489-0690), is a neighborhood gathering place for the hipsters of Wicker Park/Bucktown, but the restaurant's tasty, creative breakfasts have drawn partisans from all over the city who feel right at home stretching out the morning with a late breakfast.
