RFK Rankings · Chicago
Best Restaurants for Brunch in Chicago (2026)
Weekend brunch · Chicago · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published April 9, 2024 · Updated June 8, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Jason Hammel has cooked a breakfast burrito in Logan Square since 1999, and across town Stephanie Izard plates chicken and waffles for the West Loop weekend crowd. Chicago treats brunch as a sit-down event, not a hotel buffet. These six, ranked, are where to spend a Saturday morning when the table matters as much as the coffee.
1.Lula Cafe
Jason Hammel's Bib Gourmand burrito is Chicago's defining brunch plate; book the Logan Square room for a slow Saturday.
Jason Hammel opened Lula Cafe at 2537 North Kedzie Boulevard in 1999 and won the James Beard Outstanding Hospitality award in 2024. The seasonal breakfast burrito runs about $16 and the cornmeal porridge, ground at a local mill, anchors the menu.
Brunch runs Wednesday through Monday from nine, the room is small and warm, and the farm-driven menu rotates weekly. Reserve the weekend table rather than walk up, and come hungry for the pastry case.
2.Little Goat Diner
Stephanie Izard's playful West Loop diner does the city's best chicken and waffles; book a weekend booth.
Stephanie Izard, the first woman to win Top Chef and a James Beard Best Chef Great Lakes winner, runs Little Goat Diner at 820 West Randolph Street across from her flagship Girl & the Goat. The fat-and-happy chicken and waffles runs about $19.
The room is a big retro diner with counter seats and booths, loud and easy with kids in tow. The all-day breakfast menu and the bakery next door make it a no-stress weekend stop in the West Loop.
3.S.K.Y.
Stephen Gillanders plates a short-rib shakshuka and bibimbap brunch in Pilsen; reserve the weekend room.
Stephen Gillanders opened S.K.Y. at 1239 West 18th Street in Pilsen in 2017. The weekend brunch runs a bacon-and-egg bibimbap and a short-rib shakshuka, with most plates in the $18 to $26 range and a strong pastry program.
The room is sleek and calm, a step up in polish from the diner crowd. Book Saturday or Sunday for a sit-down brunch with cocktails and a kitchen that takes the meal seriously.
4.Bavette's Bar & Boeuf
A dim, jazz-soft River North steakhouse runs a weekend brunch of steak and eggs; book ahead.
Bavette's, the Hogsalt Group room at 218 West Kinzie Street, runs a weekend brunch in its dark, low-lit dining room. The steak and eggs and the brioche French toast headline a menu that sits in the $18 to $34 range.
The room is moody, the booths are deep, and the cocktails are proper. This is the dressed-up end of Chicago brunch, so reserve the River North table well ahead for Saturday or Sunday.
5.Roux
A bright Hyde Park room for biscuits, gravy and beignets; walk in early on a weekday for the counter.
Roux serves a New Orleans-leaning brunch in Hyde Park, a counter-service room built for fluffy biscuits and gravy, beignets and chicory coffee. Plates land around $12 to $18, an easy South Side stop with no reservation pressure.
The space is bright and spacious, good for a relaxed Sunday with the paper. Come early on a weekday for the quiet counter, or expect a wait on weekend mornings.
6.The Dearborn
A polished Loop tavern for a downtown weekend brunch of Benedicts and a Bloody Mary; book before the theatre crowd.
The Dearborn sits at 145 North Dearborn Street in the Loop and runs a weekend brunch of eggs Benedict, a burger and a deep cocktail list. Plates sit around $16 to $26 in a handsome American-tavern room.
It is the most central pick here, a reliable downtown brunch close to the theatres and hotels. Reserve the weekend table, especially before a matinee, and ask for a booth.
Not for everyone
Famous, but not actually brunch
Alinea. Grant Achatz's three-Michelin-star room in Lincoln Park is a dinner-only tasting menu, not a brunch destination. It is a remarkable evening, but do not arrive on a Saturday morning expecting eggs.
Girl & the Goat. Stephanie Izard's flagship next to Little Goat is dinner and weekend lunch, not a true brunch room. For her morning cooking, cross the street to the Little Goat Diner instead.
Au Cheval. The famous River North burger counter does not run a weekend brunch service and the line is brutal regardless. Save it for a weekday burger, not a Sunday morning.
How to brunch well in Chicago
Chicago's brunch scene clusters by neighbourhood: Logan Square and Pilsen for the chef-driven rooms, the West Loop for the polished diners, River North for the dressed-up tables, and Hyde Park on the South Side for the casual counters. None demands a car if you ride the L.
Weekend tables fill fast at the destination rooms, so reserve rather than walk up at Lula Cafe, S.K.Y. and Bavette's. For a no-reservation morning, Roux in Hyde Park and the all-day Little Goat counter take the pressure off a late start.
Frequently asked
Where is the best brunch in Chicago?
Jason Hammel's Lula Cafe in Logan Square is the marquee pick, a Bib Gourmand room built around the breakfast burrito and a weekly-changing farm menu. For chicken and waffles, Stephanie Izard's Little Goat Diner in the West Loop is the destination; for a downtown table, the Dearborn in the Loop.
Which Chicago brunch is best with kids?
Little Goat Diner in the West Loop is the easiest with children, a loud retro diner with booths, an all-day breakfast menu and a bakery next door. Roux in Hyde Park is the other low-stress option, a bright counter-service room with no reservation pressure.
Do you need a reservation for brunch in Chicago?
Yes at the destination rooms. Lula Cafe, S.K.Y. and Bavette's all fill their weekend tables early, so reserve rather than walk up. For a no-reservation morning, Roux in Hyde Park and the all-day Little Goat counter are the easiest, especially on a weekday.
What is a good upscale brunch in Chicago?
Bavette's in River North runs a steak-and-eggs brunch in a dim, jazz-soft dining room, the dressed-up end of the city's weekend scene. S.K.Y. in Pilsen is the other polished pick, a contemporary room with a short-rib shakshuka and a real cocktail list.
Does Alinea do brunch in Chicago?
No. Grant Achatz's three-Michelin-star Alinea in Lincoln Park is a dinner-only tasting menu and does not serve brunch. For a chef-driven weekend morning instead, Lula Cafe in Logan Square and S.K.Y. in Pilsen are the destinations.
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More from RFK
Browse the full Chicago dining guide, read the Lula Cafe profile and the Bavette’s steakhouse profile, compare the city’s casual rooms in the Chicago walk-in ranking and its counter seats in the Chicago solo dining ranking, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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