Yolk

With restaurants featuring Raspberry Oreo Flapjacks (Bongo Room), Sunny Side Duck Egg Hash (Longman & Eagle) and, of course, Frushi (that’s fruit sushi for the uninitiated, at Orange), there are certainly no shortages of destinations in Chicago for the gastro-brunch crowd. When you’re nursing a hangover though, good ol’ fashioned bacon and eggs might sound a little more palatable than, say, Lemon Ricotta pancakes. If that’s the case, might we suggest Yolk—they do all the basics to perfection, with just enough twists (Pot Roast Benedict, Cinnamon Roll French Toast, Nutella Crepes) to keep things a little more interesting than a trip to Golden Nugget. Oh, and keep the Metropolis coffee coming, would you please? It’s been a rough morning.

Yolk
1120 South Michigan
(312)789-9655
747 North Wells
(312)787-2277
355 East Ohio
(312)822-9655
yolk-online.com

Best of Chicago 2011

Stax Café

We’ve probably had as many pancakes as Wilt Chamberlain had ladies and to pick amongst them is a disservice of sorts. For the Walker Bros. Pancake House in Wheeling’s Dutch Baby is just as solid as the Butterfinger-larded Bongo Room flapjack. It’s really just a matter of mood. No matter our temperament though, the light ricotta pancakes slathered with tart-sweet rhubarb strawberry compote at Stax Café always seem to fit the bill.

1401 West Taylor
(312)733-9871

Audience choice:

Bongo Room, Orange, Original Pancake House (TIE)

Bongo Room
1470 North Milwaukee
(773)489-0690

1152 South Wabash
(312)291-0100
thebongoroom.com

Orange
738 North Clark
(312)202-0600

730 West Grand
(312)942-0300

2011 West Roscoe
(773)248-0999

2413 North Clark
(773)549-7833
orangerestaurantchicago.com

Original Pancake House
2020 North Lincoln Park West
(773)929-8130

22 East Bellevue
(312)642-7917

1517 East Hyde Park
(773)288-2322
originalpancakehouse.com

Best of Chicago 2010

Meli Café

Brunch can be a vast wasteland of impossibly long lines ending in arid omelettes and dry chicken cutlets, but at Meli, the frittatas are light airy affairs and the garlicky chicken aioli sandwich is moist. Chef Frank Georgacopoulos gets in everyday at 4:45am to whip up scratch batters, and his Steak Benedict is a buttery fillet of beef topped with a bulbous poached egg and the lemony zing of drizzled hollandaise sauce that`s whipped up fresh every hour.

301 South Halsted
(312)454-0748

Audience Choice
Bongo Room
1470 North Milwaukee, (773)489-0690; 1152 South Wabash, (312)291-0100

Best of Chicago 2007