30 Best Brunch Spots To Visit In Chicago

Chicago is best known for being home to some of the deepest-dish pizzas in the world, but did you know that it's also a booming metropolis full of world-class brunch spots? There are hundreds of places in the Windy City that boast some of the best brunches in town, which makes choosing your spot for bottomless mimosas and breakfast-meets-lunch offerings difficult to narrow down. Whether you want a soothing California vibe with your poached eggs, a panoramic rooftop view, or a farm-to-table experience, we've got you covered.

Whether you're in Lincoln Park, Old Town, Bridgeport, the waterfront, or anywhere in between, you may be lost in a sea of brunch-worthy locations (some even have a Michelin star to boot) and perhaps a celebrity chef de cuisine behind the line. 

Before you get caught up in a loop of Yelp searches or dining guides, check out our list of some of the best Chicago brunch spots to choose from. You'll be washing down your crab eggs Benedict with a spicy bloody Mary in no time.

Chicago is a food-lovers city that's defined by its unique compilation of cozy yet upscale neighborhood restaurants, and The Duck Inn in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood certainly fits that bill. Bringing together a homey, community vibe with an elegant and innovative menu, The Duck Inn is known for serving up unique duck dishes at dinner as well as its epic Sunday brunch.

Mouthwatering brunch dishes that highlight the famed duck include duck sope, duck hash, duck wings, and duck fat potatoes. The gastropub's Sunday brunch also features an inventive take on croque madame, the "croque ma'spam," featuring housemade Spam served with a truffle gruyere cheese sauce.

Located in Chicago's historic Andersonville neighborhood, m.henry has a storied history that speaks through its breakfast, brunch, and lunch offerings. Founded by executive chef Michael Henry Moorman in 2003, m.henry showcases his lifelong devotion to a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, combined with his one-of-a-kind wit and zest for cooking up wholesome and delicious food.

Breakfast is served daily and a specialty brunch menu is available on Sundays. The everyday breakfast menu features more traditional takes on breakfast with a little twist, such as the killer fried egg sandwich on artisan sourdough, the dandelion, shallot, and leek omelet, and fluffy blackberry hotcakes. The brunch menu offers an entirely different experience with two sections focused on sweet or savory options, including a couple of unique eggs Benedict dishes, and a breakfast bread pudding.

If you love brunch and crave it daily, you'll love Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits in Logan Square. This place is known for its decadent selection of pies, but the biscuits are also a fan favorite. This place may be a bit of a hole in the wall, but don't let its small interior deceive you. There is a whole lot of creativity and flavor in its brunch menu.

Take the key lime or salted chocolate pies, both of which reviewers have referred to as dangerously delicious and better than what comes out of the average grandmother's kitchen. The biscuits are made from scratch daily and are served up smothered in mouthwatering concoctions like ginger sage sausage patty with white cheddar and peach habanero jam. If biscuits or pie aren't your thing for some strange reason, there's more to the menu, like a selection of pot pies, quiches, and grits, all of which can be enjoyed on-site, taken to go, or delivered right to your doorstep.

If you're craving a trip to Southern California but can't afford the airfare, make Summer House Santa Monica your weekend brunch spot and you'll be feeling all the coastal beach vibes minus the sand and sunburn. The restaurant is located in Lincoln Park, but the atmosphere is designed to teleport you to a beach house in California with its indoor-outdoor dining room, lush greenery, and white walls that evoke a clean, breezy ambiance.

Apart from its So-Cal aura, the brunch menu is all things California, like the Cali-Mex breakfast section, the Wilshire Boulevard Cobb salad, and olive oil sourced from California. Even on a cold and blustery January day in Chicago, Summer House Santa Monica will conjure up all the fresh and coastal feelings one could ever dream of in a Sunday brunch.

When brunch comes with a Michelin star, we come running. Located in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood is Kasama, a bakery and Filipino-style restaurant that is open for brunch (or daytime service, as the owners call it) Wednesday through Sunday. The restaurant is owned by husband and wife chef duo of Timothy Flores and Genie Kwon and the name translates to "together" in Tagalog.

The menu is inspired by the couple's Filipino heritage and is infused with modern techniques and elegant ingredients. Garlic rice accompanies many breakfast dishes, like fried egg with longanisa sausage or soy-braised mushrooms. Even the brunch beverages have Filipino flair, like citrusy calamansi mimosa and green tea with tequila and pandan.

A trip to Chicago wouldn't be complete without visiting one of Chicago's oldest and most famed restaurants, Lou Mitchell's. The family-style diner celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023, and the restaurant remains family-owned and operated to this day. 

Not only is Lou Mitchell's a historic icon, but it also serves up some of the best breakfast and brunch on the planet, according to the Michelin Guide. The diner won a coveted Michelin star thanks to its homegrown vibes and comfort food dishes that bring you right back to grandma's kitchen. When you've been open for over a century, it's safe to assume you've perfected the art of brunch.

A roundup of Chicago brunch spots would not be complete without a restaurant named for the meal in question. Look no further than Brunch Cafe, a chain of family-owned breakfast joints in the greater Chicago area. With almost a dozen locations, there is likely a Brunch Cafe in whatever neck of the Chicago woods you find yourself in.

Menu highlights include sweet or savory crêpes, egg skillets, and a handful of specialty brunch options like breakfast quesadillas, stuffed potato pancakes, and breakfast sliders served on a brioche bun. If you're a fan of lunch for breakfast and prefer a panini over pancakes, this spot also has an extensive lunch-for-brunch menu.

There's a lot to miss about childhood when your days are spent adulting, and recess is one of those things. That's where the Recess bar and restaurant comes into play. With bottomless mimosas, a brunch dessert menu, and Chicago's largest outdoor patio space, Recess offers the most fun you'll have eating the most important meal of the day. The West Loop restaurant is surrounded by dozens of shipping containers that offer covered seating around the 14,500-square-foot, multi-level patio.

Brunch is served on the weekends from a menu that features sweet and savory signatures like Nutella French toast, biscuits and gravy, and breakfast-style pork belly fried rice.

Whether you're a party of one or a family of 12, Longman & Eagle is a brunch spot worth checking out. Make reservations for larger groups to dine family-style from a prix fixe menu in a private room, or choose to mingle with the masses and order off the seasonal brunch menu.

Besides the food, the best part of Longman & Eagle is the inn, where brunch patrons may rest their weary heads should they consume one too many beermosas. The old-school vibe of the spot reflects Chicago's history, while the farm-to-table ingredients are a throwback to simpler times. Brunch entrées include time-honored classics like house-smoked white fish salad and chicken liver mousse.

Nothing says brunch in the Midwest like Chicago's Home of Chicken & Waffles. With two locations, there's plenty of chicken and waffles to go around. For the more adventurous brunch patron, try pairing your waffles with catfish, chicken gizzards, or chicken sausages.

This northern restaurant is known for its southern-inspired cuisine and, aside from its signature chicken and waffles dishes, there are many other southern-style foods to try, like biscuits and gravy, cornbread, and collard greens. This popular spot offers dine-in service, delivery, or pickup.

Located in the quaint and family-friendly Rogers Park neighborhood, Honeybear Cafe is a family-owned and operated restaurant that is as sweet as it sounds. The generous portions at Honeybear Cafe perhaps were designed with an actual bear's appetite in mind. Reviewers have praised both the employees and the ambiance for being warm and welcoming.

When it comes to brunch, Honeybear Cafe knows how to please every palate with sweet and savory options including biscuits and chorizo gravy, huevos rancheros, egg and protein skillet dishes, waffles, French toast, and eggs Benedict. The chef hasn't left any brunch stone unturned, as the menu makes clear. Many dishes list seemingly endless options for modifications and add-ons, making this a brunch spot you could return to time and time again.

There's little better than a mimosa and brunch with a view. River Roast certainly delivers on both fronts with breathtaking views of the Chicago River and the sprawling city skyline. This downtown restaurant also serves as a wedding venue and private event space, which only goes to show it has an epic ambiance that pairs well with eggs Benedict. One element that sets the restaurant apart from its brunch competitors is the spot's boat access and dockside entrance.

Brunch is served on weekends only and menu highlights include chilaquiles, a banana French toast baked with dulce de leche, and a seasonally inspired omelet. River Roast also serves a variety of trendy toasts topped with traditional avocado, or a more adventurous crab and shrimp concoction, as well as a fancy mushroom mix.

When you think of brunch, you probably don't think of healthier, organic options, but we're here to tell you to think again. The brunch-centric Smack Dab is where to go if you're looking for fresh, local, sustainable, innovative, and healthy breakfast offerings. This Rogers Park staple is open for dine-in or pick-up and offers a bi-monthly community dinner where all patrons are welcome, even if they can't afford to pay their tab. It's dinner with a side of social justice and equality.

But let's get back to the brunch menu, which is chock-full of breakfast staples, as well as some Smack Dab signatures like cheesy pimento grits, breakfast hash, and a deluxe scramble. What may sound simple actually packs a flavorful punch thanks to high-quality ingredients like locally-sourced honey, non-GMO flour, and a wide range of fresh herbs and spices that are infused with love into every dish.

Amid Chicago's West Town metropolitan center lies Beatnik, known for its infusion of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African food. The ambiance inside this restaurant is as memorable and remarkable as the food itself and is influenced by the same places that inspired the menu. The décor includes a plethora of living foliage, elegant chandeliers, and a Moroccan vibe that is unlike anywhere else in Chicago, let alone the rest of the U.S.

The brunch menu is only available on weekends and features avant-garde plates like smoked salmon with whipped labneh, baba ghanoush with house-made pita, and a Moroccan-spiced egg skillet with fire-roasted peppers. There are also more American-style classics like fried chicken and waffles, though the twist is that it's served with pickled Fresno chilis.

With a bright pink awning, an outdoor patio, and a name that evokes a 1980s blockbuster movie, The Breakfast Club and Grill in the artsy West Town district is where basic breakfast is done right. The building was originally constructed as a small cottage around the same time "The Breakfast Club" film hit theaters. However, the restaurant was not conceived until years later and the ambiance reflects its cottage-like origins.

The menu is loaded with brunch staples that don't stray far from its humble beginnings, including pancakes, waffles, eggs Benedict, omelets, and scrambles, but the presentation and high-quality ingredients make this spot more than worthy.