Brunch Bites: Spritz Burger and XOCO

In this week's batch of brunch bites, Spritz Burger celebrates pajamas throughout August and the new XOCO expands its breadth with brunch. 

(Spritz Burger pajama brunch is in action. Photo: Spritz Burger)

Brunch is all about sleeping in, being lazy, and being comfortable. Hence, it makes perfect sense to eat brunch in your pajamas. Spritz Burger gets us. The classic Americana-inspired eatery is celebrating everyone's favorite lazy day attire with a month-long PJ promo. Any diner who shows up to Sunday brunch clad in jammies during the month of August gets a free mimosa. It's nice to be rewarded for pajamas instead of condemned for them. And considering Spritz Burger's inventive, quirky brunch menu, the temptation is real. There's ricotta doughnuts, creme brulee French toast, chicken & waffles with lavender fried chicken, chilaquiles, and breakfast shepherd's pie striated with scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, hash browns, and country gravy. Put your pajams on and get eating. 

This week, Rick Bayless expands his Chicago restaurant empire with a new XOCO. That's right, the impossibly popular River North torta emporium is about to spawn an offshoot. The new Wicker Park locale is bigger in every way, from the sit-down service and larger space to the booze program and brunch menu. Unlike the original, where "brunch" is limited to churros and a couple other pastries, XOCO Wicker Park promises a full-fledged brunch program. Expect dishes that work in seamless tandem with the wood-oven fired tortas, like wood-oven baked French toast speckled with pecans and bacon, wood-fired chilaquiles, and other mod Mexican plates. XOCO Wicker Park officially opens Thursday, August 14. 

- Matt Kirouac