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Brunch at avec River North features sweet and savory fare such as cinnamon rolls and shakshuka.
Brunch at avec River North features sweet and savory fare such as cinnamon rolls and shakshuka.
Kelly Sandos

Where to Eat Brunch in Chicago Right Now

Enjoy a Bloody Mary or benedict at these 20 spots

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Brunch at avec River North features sweet and savory fare such as cinnamon rolls and shakshuka.
| Kelly Sandos

Brunch — not quite breakfast, not yet lunch — is one of the best parts of the weekend. The Eater Chicago Brunch Heatmap is here to help by highlighting the newest options for a delicious midday meal. The latest additions to the list include Logan Square all-day eatery Stay Cafe, Eater’s favorite new restaurant of 2022 Obelix, and Mediterranean fare at avec River North. They join a growing number of kitchens that are dedicated to offering exciting brunch menus. So start the day off right with eggs (and much more) at these 20 destinations.

For a list of classic city favorites, check out the Iconic Brunch Map.

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Irene's

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The former team behind The Press Room brings a new spin on an old-school diner, serving breakfast and lunch fare daily at the counter or in large booths. Dig into a breakfast burrito stuffed with chorizo and scrambled eggs or a plate of carrot cake pancakes with cream cheese frosting while sipping a draft cold brew or drip coffee from Passion House. A kids menu is also available.

CheSa’s Bistro & Bar

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CheSa’s Bistro & Bar, the first full-service restaurant from CheSa’s Gourmet Food Trucks & Catering chef and owner Chesaree Rollins, offers a fully gluten-free menu of Cajun and Creole fare. Weekend brunch highlights include fried chicken served over cinnamon beignet waffles and creamy grits topped with short rib. Add on a carafe of mimosas or try a variety of flavors in a flight. A DJ provides music Sundays. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Second Generation

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Mini Mott has been converted into a neighborhood bistro, where weekend brunch features the celebrated Mott Burger as part of a menu of sandwiches including a pork belly tartine with onsen egg and pickled mustard seeds, and salmon pastrami topped with scrambled egg and dill. On the sweet side is brioche french toast with ginger custard and hibiscus butter, and a bowl of custardy yogurt topped with hemp seeds and seasonal fruit. Add on mimosas made with fresh squeezed orange juice and cava.

Stay Cafe

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The new Logan Square all-day eatery from the owner of Radius and Hide + Seek provides a destination to get some work done while having a meal and a drink any day of the week. Brunch fare ranges from light to decadent with options like a goddess omelet filled with feta and spinach or red velvet buttermilk pancakes topped with cream cheese icing. Wake up with a Vietnamese iced coffee or chill out with a bloody mary made with CH peppercorn vodka and garnished with a strip of candied bacon.

Pompette

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The all-day cafe and wine bar from veterans of Wood and Salero offers Sparrow Coffee and grab and go housemade cinnamon rolls and apple and pine nut coffee cake along with dine-in brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Options include a Dutch baby with brown butter, beet salad with pecan streusel, and a smoked salmon plate. Seats are always first come, first served at the marble bar and in the dining room.

Boeufhaus

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Charming Ukrainian Village steakhouse Boeufhaus hosts an adults-only Sunday brunch serving decadent dishes like bone marrow bread pudding with pickled cherries alongside lighter fare like beet and horseradish-cured salmon panzanella with whipped feta and marinated cucumber, though you can also feast on a 55 day dry-aged porterhouse or rib eye served with fried egg and hash browns. Pair your meal with a cocktail like a dill martini made with gin, aquavit, vermouth and sherry.

Brass Tack

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The new brasserie within the Waldorf Astoria Chicago offers bottomless still and sparkling rosé during weekend brunch. Try the sommelier’s selections paired with ultra crispy chicken confit or a plate of cinnamon sugar French toast served with horchata cream. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Brunch spread featuring sparkling rose, coffee, pancakes and french toast John Scholl

Barcocina West Town

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Lakeview Mexican spot Barcocina opened a second, larger location in West Town in October, welcoming even more groups for bottomless brunch. A $60 package includes two hours of house margaritas, mimosas, and Mexican beer plus chips and salsa, access to a buffet of bacon, scrambled eggs and carved meat, and a brunch entree or plate of tacos. Options include s’mores French toast topped with graham crackers and torched marshmallows, and wake up tacos stuffed with scrambled eggs and bacon. A la carte dishes are also available. Make a reservation on OpenTable.

LIVA at Chicago Winery

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Gather a group and take over one of the new River North spot’s large booths or grab one of the small tables near the fireplace and share bottomless mimosas along with a benedict made with pork belly and giardiniera hollandaise or brioche French toast with Grand Marnier syrup. Try the working winery’s excellent Blanc De Blancs with the bubbles and board brunch special, which offers two glasses and a chef’s selection of cheese, charcuterie and accompaniments for $40.

The acclaimed restaurant from the owners of Le Bouchon brings its novel spins on French fare to brunch, serving a foie gras Monte Cristo with duck bacon, a duck breakfast patty and duck egg along with a burger topped with raclette cheese and caramelized onions. Pastry chef Antonio Incandela shows off with a patisserie section featuring a variety of croissants, pound cake and a foie gras danish. The brunch is available on the weekend and Mondays, when the restaurant also offers all its sparkling wines for half price.

avec River North

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The restaurant’s large dining room makes it an ideal place to bring a group to share Mediterranean fare such as spiced shakshuka with Tunisian couscous or hummus with soft egg and hearth-baked pita. Split a cinnamon toast punch bowl made with rum, spiced pear liqueur and horchata or order a bloody mary garnished with one of avec’s signature chorizo-stuffed dates.

Big Star Mariscos

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The West Town spot’s focus on tacos and seafood extends to its brunch menu, where options include ceviche, a fried oyster benedict on focaccia from Publican Quality Bread and carnitas tacos with scrambled eggs and handmade flour tortillas. Order a prickly pear mimosa or bloody Maria and chill out to classic albums and music from local bands played on vinyl records and cassette tapes. Make a reservation through Tock.

Yardbird

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Start the day at the new comfort food spot with hand-pressed juices, chicken & waffles served with chilled spiced watermelon, and blueberry pancakes topped with lemon curd and brown sugar oat crumble. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Solita Tacos & Margaritas

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Southern California chain Solita Tacos & Margaritas brought its Baja-style fare to the Midwest for the first time by taking over Pink Taco’s space in River North at the end of August. The sprawling two-level space features plenty of TVs so you can watch sports while dining on huevos rancheros or chilaquiles accompanied with rainbow mimosas mixed with your choice of watermelon, guava, mango, strawberry, pomegranate or pineapple juice. If you’ve got a group, order a rainbow mimosa bucket and get a bottle of bubbly with four of the fruits. Order online here.

Planta Queen

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The Miami import brings a vegan brunch option to River North, serving Asian-inspired fare such as ube mochi waffles with caramelized bananas, cinnamon buns with chai icing and kimchi egg fried rice. Make it a party by adding bottomless mimosas and sake sangria.

Syrup poured over purple ube waffle
Ube waffle from Planta Queen

Dine on Latin-inspired fare while surrounded by plants and floral prints. The cocktails are just as vibrant, with options including the Tijuana Unicorn Show made with mezcal, prickly pear and edible glitter, and the Spice of Life, a blend of tequila, cucumber, elderflower liqueur and jalapeno that has plenty of heat. Start with an order of fluffy corn fritters or crispy flautas stuffed with lobster and smoked gouda before digging into pork belly breakfast tacos made with hand-press tortillas. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Duck Duck Goat

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Stephanie Izard’s Chinese-inspired restaurant offers dim sum brunch on the weekends. Nibble duck spring rolls, duck or vegetable fried rice omelette, soy-cured lox, and bacon & egg moo shu along with favorites from the dinner menu such as xiao long bao stuffed with duck and goat. Make a reservation or try to nab a walk-in spot.

The Loyalist

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The casual restaurant below two-Michelin-starred spot Smyth launched Sunday brunch for the first time in January. It’s a truly indulgent affair offering seared foie gras with lentil salad and an omelet made with camembert and caviar. New cocktails include A Model’s Dejeuner made with rum, coffee liqueur and grapefruit, and a bloody mary featuring pickle-brined vodka. Make a reservation on Tock.

Nisos Mediterranean

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Chef Avgeria Stapaki brings the flavors of her native Greece to the West Loop’s Restaurant Row at Nisos, which launched brunch at the end of November. The two-story space is meant to transport diners to the Mediterranean with colorful dishes such as French toast made using tsoureki (also known as Greek Easter bread), and hashbrown potatoes with feta, chive oil and fried egg. Book a spot through OpenTable. The restaurant is from the owners of Hampton Social.

Nisos French toast features toasted tsoureki, white chocolate and mascarpone monte, strawberry soup, and mint Parker Hospitality

Truth Be Told

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The restaurant within The Study at University of Chicago provides a cozy space for British-style pub grub. That includes staples like lamb shepherd’s pie and fish and chips, plus Scotch pancakes with caramel maple apples, and a full English breakfast featuring baked beans, black pudding, grilled tomato and fried bread. Add on bottomless mimosas made with prosecco or champagne or a cup of Irish coffee.

Irene's

The former team behind The Press Room brings a new spin on an old-school diner, serving breakfast and lunch fare daily at the counter or in large booths. Dig into a breakfast burrito stuffed with chorizo and scrambled eggs or a plate of carrot cake pancakes with cream cheese frosting while sipping a draft cold brew or drip coffee from Passion House. A kids menu is also available.

CheSa’s Bistro & Bar

CheSa’s Bistro & Bar, the first full-service restaurant from CheSa’s Gourmet Food Trucks & Catering chef and owner Chesaree Rollins, offers a fully gluten-free menu of Cajun and Creole fare. Weekend brunch highlights include fried chicken served over cinnamon beignet waffles and creamy grits topped with short rib. Add on a carafe of mimosas or try a variety of flavors in a flight. A DJ provides music Sundays. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Second Generation

Mini Mott has been converted into a neighborhood bistro, where weekend brunch features the celebrated Mott Burger as part of a menu of sandwiches including a pork belly tartine with onsen egg and pickled mustard seeds, and salmon pastrami topped with scrambled egg and dill. On the sweet side is brioche french toast with ginger custard and hibiscus butter, and a bowl of custardy yogurt topped with hemp seeds and seasonal fruit. Add on mimosas made with fresh squeezed orange juice and cava.

Stay Cafe

The new Logan Square all-day eatery from the owner of Radius and Hide + Seek provides a destination to get some work done while having a meal and a drink any day of the week. Brunch fare ranges from light to decadent with options like a goddess omelet filled with feta and spinach or red velvet buttermilk pancakes topped with cream cheese icing. Wake up with a Vietnamese iced coffee or chill out with a bloody mary made with CH peppercorn vodka and garnished with a strip of candied bacon.

Pompette

The all-day cafe and wine bar from veterans of Wood and Salero offers Sparrow Coffee and grab and go housemade cinnamon rolls and apple and pine nut coffee cake along with dine-in brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Options include a Dutch baby with brown butter, beet salad with pecan streusel, and a smoked salmon plate. Seats are always first come, first served at the marble bar and in the dining room.

Boeufhaus

Charming Ukrainian Village steakhouse Boeufhaus hosts an adults-only Sunday brunch serving decadent dishes like bone marrow bread pudding with pickled cherries alongside lighter fare like beet and horseradish-cured salmon panzanella with whipped feta and marinated cucumber, though you can also feast on a 55 day dry-aged porterhouse or rib eye served with fried egg and hash browns. Pair your meal with a cocktail like a dill martini made with gin, aquavit, vermouth and sherry.

Brass Tack

The new brasserie within the Waldorf Astoria Chicago offers bottomless still and sparkling rosé during weekend brunch. Try the sommelier’s selections paired with ultra crispy chicken confit or a plate of cinnamon sugar French toast served with horchata cream. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Brunch spread featuring sparkling rose, coffee, pancakes and french toast John Scholl

Barcocina West Town

Lakeview Mexican spot Barcocina opened a second, larger location in West Town in October, welcoming even more groups for bottomless brunch. A $60 package includes two hours of house margaritas, mimosas, and Mexican beer plus chips and salsa, access to a buffet of bacon, scrambled eggs and carved meat, and a brunch entree or plate of tacos. Options include s’mores French toast topped with graham crackers and torched marshmallows, and wake up tacos stuffed with scrambled eggs and bacon. A la carte dishes are also available. Make a reservation on OpenTable.

LIVA at Chicago Winery

Gather a group and take over one of the new River North spot’s large booths or grab one of the small tables near the fireplace and share bottomless mimosas along with a benedict made with pork belly and giardiniera hollandaise or brioche French toast with Grand Marnier syrup. Try the working winery’s excellent Blanc De Blancs with the bubbles and board brunch special, which offers two glasses and a chef’s selection of cheese, charcuterie and accompaniments for $40.

Obelix

The acclaimed restaurant from the owners of Le Bouchon brings its novel spins on French fare to brunch, serving a foie gras Monte Cristo with duck bacon, a duck breakfast patty and duck egg along with a burger topped with raclette cheese and caramelized onions. Pastry chef Antonio Incandela shows off with a patisserie section featuring a variety of croissants, pound cake and a foie gras danish. The brunch is available on the weekend and Mondays, when the restaurant also offers all its sparkling wines for half price.

avec River North

The restaurant’s large dining room makes it an ideal place to bring a group to share Mediterranean fare such as spiced shakshuka with Tunisian couscous or hummus with soft egg and hearth-baked pita. Split a cinnamon toast punch bowl made with rum, spiced pear liqueur and horchata or order a bloody mary garnished with one of avec’s signature chorizo-stuffed dates.

Big Star Mariscos

The West Town spot’s focus on tacos and seafood extends to its brunch menu, where options include ceviche, a fried oyster benedict on focaccia from Publican Quality Bread and carnitas tacos with scrambled eggs and handmade flour tortillas. Order a prickly pear mimosa or bloody Maria and chill out to classic albums and music from local bands played on vinyl records and cassette tapes. Make a reservation through Tock.

Yardbird

Start the day at the new comfort food spot with hand-pressed juices, chicken & waffles served with chilled spiced watermelon, and blueberry pancakes topped with lemon curd and brown sugar oat crumble. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Solita Tacos & Margaritas

Southern California chain Solita Tacos & Margaritas brought its Baja-style fare to the Midwest for the first time by taking over Pink Taco’s space in River North at the end of August. The sprawling two-level space features plenty of TVs so you can watch sports while dining on huevos rancheros or chilaquiles accompanied with rainbow mimosas mixed with your choice of watermelon, guava, mango, strawberry, pomegranate or pineapple juice. If you’ve got a group, order a rainbow mimosa bucket and get a bottle of bubbly with four of the fruits. Order online here.

Planta Queen

The Miami import brings a vegan brunch option to River North, serving Asian-inspired fare such as ube mochi waffles with caramelized bananas, cinnamon buns with chai icing and kimchi egg fried rice. Make it a party by adding bottomless mimosas and sake sangria.

Syrup poured over purple ube waffle
Ube waffle from Planta Queen

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Tabu

Dine on Latin-inspired fare while surrounded by plants and floral prints. The cocktails are just as vibrant, with options including the Tijuana Unicorn Show made with mezcal, prickly pear and edible glitter, and the Spice of Life, a blend of tequila, cucumber, elderflower liqueur and jalapeno that has plenty of heat. Start with an order of fluffy corn fritters or crispy flautas stuffed with lobster and smoked gouda before digging into pork belly breakfast tacos made with hand-press tortillas. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

Duck Duck Goat

Stephanie Izard’s Chinese-inspired restaurant offers dim sum brunch on the weekends. Nibble duck spring rolls, duck or vegetable fried rice omelette, soy-cured lox, and bacon & egg moo shu along with favorites from the dinner menu such as xiao long bao stuffed with duck and goat. Make a reservation or try to nab a walk-in spot.

The Loyalist

The casual restaurant below two-Michelin-starred spot Smyth launched Sunday brunch for the first time in January. It’s a truly indulgent affair offering seared foie gras with lentil salad and an omelet made with camembert and caviar. New cocktails include A Model’s Dejeuner made with rum, coffee liqueur and grapefruit, and a bloody mary featuring pickle-brined vodka. Make a reservation on Tock.

Nisos Mediterranean

Chef Avgeria Stapaki brings the flavors of her native Greece to the West Loop’s Restaurant Row at Nisos, which launched brunch at the end of November. The two-story space is meant to transport diners to the Mediterranean with colorful dishes such as French toast made using tsoureki (also known as Greek Easter bread), and hashbrown potatoes with feta, chive oil and fried egg. Book a spot through OpenTable. The restaurant is from the owners of Hampton Social.

Nisos French toast features toasted tsoureki, white chocolate and mascarpone monte, strawberry soup, and mint Parker Hospitality

Truth Be Told

The restaurant within The Study at University of Chicago provides a cozy space for British-style pub grub. That includes staples like lamb shepherd’s pie and fish and chips, plus Scotch pancakes with caramel maple apples, and a full English breakfast featuring baked beans, black pudding, grilled tomato and fried bread. Add on bottomless mimosas made with prosecco or champagne or a cup of Irish coffee.

Related Maps