Best Chicago Restaurants for “Morning After” Sunday Brunch

Everybody loves Saturday night. Sunday morning/early afternoon, well, sometimes all you want to do is crawl to a local restaurant, have a decent bite to eat, and then slink back to bed.

Fortunately, in a city like Chicago, you can always get more than just a decent bite to eat, and you can expect to find superior sustenance at many hours of the day, including late in the morning and early in the afternoon. Brunch used to come between breakfast and lunch; now, it starts in the morning and sometimes extends to 2 or 3pm. In other words, there’s a lot of time for brunch.

 

Here are seven of Chicago’s best restaurants that offer a spectacular Sunday brunch.

 

 

Lula Café. Before Logan Square became known as one of the hippest restaurant zones in Chicago, Lula Café was there, making itself known. There are many familiar plates of pastries and the like, but Jason Hammel and his crew turn out some predictably innovative creations as well, including Parsnip Polenta and Buckwheat Pound Cake French Toast.

 

Frontera Grill. The first outpost of the Rick Bayless empire, Frontera Grill gives you a chance to have your morning Mexican food in style. There’s huevos rancheros and tortilla soup, and also some typical Bayless-type twists on the classics, including sweet potato tamales and spicy bacon. There’s also a very large selection of cocktails  featuring mezcal and other Mexican spirits.

 

Little Goat. Because it’s working within the tradition of the great American diner, Stephanie Izard’s Little Goat is open at 7am, every day, serving breakfast all day – and that includes brunchtime). Izard is a wizard at making unusual combinations of ingredients work spectacularly: check out the Bi Bim Bop Breakfast Bowl, Parathas Burrito, and Pork Belly Home Fries. Now that’s the sort of brunch that will make you say, “Wow, I didn’t know brunch could be that, you know, interesting!”

 

Beatrix. One of the sleekest vegetarian-vegan restaurants (which also happens to serve meat) that you will find in the city of Chicago, Beatrix is there to help you recover from the night before. You’ll be re-energized with the Ten-Grain Oatmeal Bowl, Mushroom and Quinoa Burger, or the Light and Fluffy Lemon Pancakes. It’s super tasty and healthy food that’s so good you will hardly be able to believe it’s good for you.

 

Hubbard Inn. Of course, Hubbard Inn serves brunch. It’s River North, for goodness sakes. The Traditional Benedict is spruced up with truffled lobster, the Peppercorn Pastrami Hash gets perked with Fresno chilies and the Huevos Rancheros go all spicy with lamb chorizo. There’s also a massive bar menu because…River North.

 

Coda di Volpe. Billy Lawless’ outstanding Southern Italian-influenced Lakeview restaurant does not fail to deliver a brunch you will remember. Southern Italian Biscuits and Gravy surprise with fennel sausage; a Mortadella and Pistachio Pizza proves that you can eat much better than cold cheese and sausage pizza pie on Sunday morning; and Eggs in Purgatory give you the Italian version of Shakshouka.

 

Café des Architectes.. If your nerves are still a bit jangly from Saturday night, maybe for brunch the following day you want to go somewhere that’s a little toned down, laid back, chill. Café des Architectes in the Hotel Sofitel serves up the late morning/early afternoon meal with Frenchy finesse: Salad Lyonnaise, Croque Madame and Mushroom Quiche. It’s so European, you might want to consider a glass of wine/hair of the dog

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