Chicago, IL
Best Brunch in Chicago.
Harry's top 10 brunch spots in Chicago score 85–96 on the Harry Score. Prices run $ to $$.
Wicker Park is Chicago's brunch nucleus. The proof is the line, wrapping the block on a Sunday outside rooms that opened once the neighborhood gentrified and learned what to do with a hollandaise. That's the split in this city: old-school diners doing cheap eggs and hash browns, against newer spots selling a loaded scramble and a mimosa package. Harry doesn't care about the wait or the reclaimed wood. He cares if the potatoes are crisp, the eggs aren't rubber, and the garnish isn't doing more work than the food.
Chicago does brunch without ceremony and is better for it. The Polish diner in the Ukrainian Village is the standard. A short stack, a sausage link, and coffee that costs two dollars and gets refilled without being asked. The Bloody Mary bar is a tourist attraction. Skip it. The eggs are the point.
Ranked by Harry Score. The Harry Score is a weighted blend of Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor, and critic mentions. No paid placements. No affiliate links.
Scores last recomputed
Waffle Vibes
breakfast · acai-shop
315 W North Ave Ste 1, Chicago
5.0 across 176 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; punches well above its price point.
$
Harry
96
Worth It
85
Tribu Caffe
breakfast · brunch
3856 N Ashland Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 300 Google reviews; unusually good for what you'll pay.
Caveat: Only Google has weighed in so far — a single source, so read the score as provisional.
$
Harry
91
Worth It
82
Harding Cafe
breakfast
4347 N Harding Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 415 Google reviews; omelettes & pancakes, plus burgers, sandwiches & Tex-Mex specials in a low-key venue.
Caveat: One source so far (Google) — the score firms up as the others report in.
$$
Harry
91
Worth It
80
5800 North Cafe
brunch · breakfast
5800 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 1.4k Google reviews; fairly priced for what it is.
Caveat: Only Google has weighed in so far — a single source, so read the score as provisional.
$$
Harry
91
Worth It
81
Ayayay - Mexican Eatery
mexican · brunch
60 E Lake St, Chicago
4.9 across 1.6k Google reviews; ranked #421 of 10,146 locally on Tripadvisor.
$$
Harry
90
Worth It
80
Le Cafe Station Grill
breakfast · pizza
1901 N Western Ave, Chicago
4.8 across 390 Google reviews; a sensible spend, nothing wasted here.
Caveat: One source so far (Google) — the score firms up as the others report in.
$$
Harry
87
Worth It
79
Early Morning Delight
breakfast · american
1924 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago
4.8 across 427 Google reviews; a sensible spend, nothing wasted here.
Caveat: One source so far (Google) — the score firms up as the others report in.
$$
Harry
87
Worth It
79
Las Maria's Breakfast Club
breakfast
5501 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago
4.8 across 282 Google reviews; priced about right for what you get.
Caveat: Google is the only voice on this one yet; treat the number as an early read.
$$
Harry
87
Worth It
79
Ed Debevic's
diner · hamburger
159 E Ohio St, Chicago
4.8 across 10k Google reviews; funky classic diner with 1950s decor serving American comfort food such as burgers &….
$$
Harry
85
Worth It
78
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!
spanish · brunch
2024 N Halsted St, Chicago
4.7 across 9.4k Google reviews; spanish tapas, paella & pitchers of sangria fuel a lively scene at this classic….
Caveat: Only Google has weighed in so far — a single source, so read the score as provisional.
$$
Harry
85
Worth It
78
Brunch in other cities
More cuisines in Chicago
More Chicago guides
Questions Harry gets about brunch in Chicago
- Where is the best brunch in Chicago?
- Waffle Vibes tops Harry's brunch list for Chicago right now, with a Harry Score of 96/100.
- How does Harry score brunch in Chicago?
- With the same Harry Score as every other guide: a weighted blend of Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor ratings plus critic and guide mentions, docked when the tourist rating runs well ahead of the local one or the buzz outruns the reviews. Brunch is the meal most likely to charge a main-course price for eggs, so read the Worth It score next to it. It measures what you get for what you pay.
- Is a long queue a sign of good brunch in Chicago?
- No. Queue length isn't an input, and neither is Instagram. The score leans on what locals keep rating, and it marks a place down when its tourist-facing rating runs ahead of that. The best brunch in Chicago is rarely the one with the 45-minute Saturday wait.
- Are there tourist-trap brunch restaurants in Chicago to avoid?
- Harry Hungry flags restaurants where Tripadvisor ratings diverge significantly from local reviews — a common tourist-trap signal. See the tourist trap index for Chicago on Harry Hungry for a full breakdown.