The Loop's 1923 Route 66 Breakfast
Lou Mitchell's on West Jackson has been the Loop's breakfast institution since 1923 — and is officially designated as the starting line of Route 66. The format is the proper American diner-breakfast: fluffy double-yolk omelettes, hand-cut potatoes, the doughnut hole and Milk Duds the staff hand out at the door.
The cooking is uncompromising American breakfast. The omelettes are fluffy in the proper diner manner; the potatoes are hand-cut and properly griddled; the coffee is refilled without asking.
What to Order
The fluffy omelette — the dish the kitchen has been refining for a century. The hand-cut potatoes; the Greek yoghurt with honey as a starter. The doughnut hole and Milk Duds are handed out at the door.
The Tradition
The Route 66 starting-line designation is part of the institution's identity. Photos of the route's western progression cover the walls; the regulars give the room its rhythm.
Best Occasion: Solo Dining
Lou Mitchell's is one of Chicago's most natural solo-dining rooms. Counter seating handles a single cover gracefully; the format is unintimidating; the price point sits in the bracket where a daily breakfast is genuinely possible.