The Yummiest Diners in Chicago

White Palace Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (628) • $$

"This has been my go to diner for years. I typically get a burger but this time around decided on a Rueben sandwich deluxe. Deluxe sandwich comes with fries and soup. All for under $20"

West River Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.9 (202) • $

"This is a great old fashioned breakfast and lunch place. Been coming here for years and the worst thing I ever had was not bad. Usually I get the Managers Special or the American Skillet. They'll readily substitute cheddar for the American cheese for me. Yesterday I had the Montrose skillet (bacon, sausage, ham, and swiss cheese). It was insanely good. Mexican burrito was also great. It's always too much food. You'll either eat till you want to die, leave some on the plate and regret it later, or split a meal. Those are your options. Live with them.If you don't order the pancakes instead of toast, you're a fool.Wonderful service by the best waitresses and busboy in town. They should get bonus stars for the rooster decor."

Pittsfield Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.9 (850) • $$

"Came in for late breakfast or early lunch a few days ago. Got a coke and spicy bacon cheddar skillet. The food is good diner food. I think what makes it special is that it's a restaurant in a skyscraper. Sometimes on the news they interview people in diners. Think it would be neat if they interviewed customers in here and listened to their thoughts on topics of the day. The skillet has jalapenos in it so you get little kicks of spice but it's not overly spicy."

CornerStone Café Lincoln Park

★★★★☆ 4.1 (234) • $$

"The girlfriend was craving crepes so we came on down to CornerStone Cafe. It's a very cute cafe located off Clybourn. Initially, when I saw the prices I was a little concerned because I feel like $19 a plate is on the higher end of brunch spots but when it came out I understood why. The portions are HUGE. Not only that, they are delicious too. Our service was wonderful the whole time and very attentive as well. I think we will be coming back here often."

Soul Prime Chicago

★★★★☆ 4.1 (80)

"I had dinner with a friend after work here! We sat at a table facing a mirror. The interior is cool! Low lighting with the upscale feel. Entrees were huge satisfying portions. My steak frites could've been enough for two people. The meat tasted really good when it was hot but then tasted alright once it cooled down. The tacos were really good & saucy, but a bit salty."

David's Grill

★★★★☆ 3.6 (28)

"Great spot just 5 minutes away from the south loop. An ole school breakfast spot that also has Mexican food served all hours. I am a corned beef hash and eggs guy and I love this spot! Always fresh and hot and great service! Will update when I try the other items on the menu"

Burgundy Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (98)

"Burgundy Restaurant is a diner located at the corner of Irving Park and Austin. My buddy had been there before, but I made my debut visit there on Sunday. We were going to eat lunch at another restaurant, but that place was not ready to open at its listed opening time. Since Burgundy is big on breakfast, we figured that this would be a sure thing to be open for our noon lunch.They were doing a brisk business, with many of its booths filled with mask-wearing customers. Our waitstaff were all prompt and courteous, and we appreciated that our beverage glasses were being filled without us asking. I tend to order meat loaf at diners, so here I go again. The soup that came with my meal (I chose cream of chicken rice, my bud went with chicken noodle) was filling but bland. The crackers did not help too much. The meat loaf came with mixed veggies, and I asked for hash brown-style potatoes. The meal was fine but not particularly memorable. My bud wolfed down his plate of mostaccioli and meatballs with little comment. Burgundy Restaurant was fine for our get-together lunch, but I would not select it as a first-choice place to go."

Diner Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (339) • $

"This modest diner is a sort of real-life version of the 1942 Edward Hopper painting, "Nighthawks." It's a living museum of urban America in the '30s and '40s. The narrow eatery with its 13-stool counter is unpretentious and immaculately clean, and the food is simple and relatively inexpensive. It's a treat to watch the action on the griddle and witness the sizzle and aroma of multiple items cooking at once. Theirs was an "open kitchen" long before that term was invented! Expectedly, the short-order menu featuring breakfast standards and familiar sandwiches is neither trendy nor diet-friendly. Steak n' eggs? Of course. Salad? Don't make me laugh. Nearly every item is loaded with carbs and/or fat. Moreover, the cook keeps squirting a yellowish liquid onto the grill to prevent food from sticking. Never mind, it's okay to indulge once in a while. The double cheeseburgers are yummylicious, and we absolutely must return to have breakfast here. The friendly banter among regulars makes this a good place to go if you're feeling lonely."

Al's Grill

★★★★☆ 3.9 (170) • $

"It's okay. The prices are insanely high for the quantity and quality of food. This is a diner. The kind you'd see in those 80's movies, so I'm not getting the $20+ breakfast from the whole vibe of the place. The variety of options on their menu is good. There's so much to choose from there will be something for everyone. The corn beef hash is very salty. I don't know that I would ever try it again. The rent in the area is high so I can see why their stuff is a bit overpriced for the quality. I think they can improve by not overcooking everything. I think most people in the area prefer things cooked where they are still soft and moist.Overall, I would order again but I would keep it simple some eggs and coffee. No, this isn't my idea of a go to breakfast place but it's not terrible."

Butterhills Family Restuarant

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (223) • $$

"A solid breakfast option if you're in the area. The food here is priced a bit lower than many of the surrounding breakfast/brunch restaurants in the area but the portion sizes are just as good. In fact, with the items I tried, I was a bit surprised at the amount of corn beef hash provided in the skillet and chocolate in the specialty pancakes. The flavor was pretty good, nothing special that stands out but done reasonably well and presented nicely.There's plenty of space in the dining room and lots of space outside as well, but it can get quite busy on the weekends. Service is quick and friendly and the decor isn't as trendy as the newest breakfast restaurants but nicer than what you'd expect from their lower prices. The menu also has a fairly complete and varied set of options so you don't have worry about trying everything they have to offer that quickly."

Tj's Family Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (18)

"Today's breakfast special:Two pork chops (and they were good!), two eggs, hashbrowns, toast.$4.99! Beat THAT with a stick! $20.14 for three huge breakfasts!"

Cherry Pit Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.3 (297) • $$

"This cute cafe/diner is perfect for an early morning breakfast. We arrived before 9 am on a Sunday, the ideal time because there were many open tables. There's a pretty extensive menu, and one of us went for the Lucy's Waffle special, a crispy Belgian waffle with Nutella, bananas, strawberries, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Another picked the buttermilk pancakes (2) and kept saying that it was cooked perfectly. Normally a light eater, they ate every bit of their pancakes. I ordered the Greek skillet with eggs, chicken gyros, onions, spinach, tomatoes and feta on top of fried potatoes. This was hearty and generously sized. The ambience is similar to a retro diner, with fifties tunes playing. The staff is very welcoming and friendly and our orders were up quickly. It's a little tight to navigate past the counter seating and once the place fills up it can get loud. We had a very enjoyable breakfast and my companions had a great time. They kept telling me how much they loved their breakfast. We'll come back again soon!"

Yellow Rose Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.4 (224)

"06/11/24 - Jest anudder day in paradise 73 degrees & sunny. Walked to Express Auto to check on my cars body work then Moised on down to Yellow Rose Cafe 1.3 miles from my house w/my brother in law to grab some breakfast. We both ordered the Sidewalk Special for $8.99. What do you get for $8.99 you might ask? Well I'm going to tell you. 2 eggs, 2 sausage, hash browns, 2 pieces of toast & coffee. Yellow Rose is a quaint little cafeteria style joint with/a counter & bar stools & tables. Good server that's friendly &. Chatty. Nice place, good vibe & good inexpensive food"

Feed

★★★★☆ 3.9 (640) • $

"Chicken! You can see they are a big fan of chicken as soon as you step in the door.Food:Roasted chicken - 5/5 - outstanding; mildly seasoned and tender... I now have a favorite, to-go spot,a small business to get my Southern-style roasted chickenBBQ chicken sandwich - 5/5 - love the bbq sauce on the tender chicken; another favorite Pulled pork sandwich - 4/5 - good but not outstanding Country fried steak - 4/5 - very good but not exceptional Many available Southern/Soul food side dishes including beans, fried okra,*Hand cut fries - 5/5 -delicious Corn pudding - 4/5 - first time having it and I liked it; worth a try Ambience:Basic-corner restaurant vibe. Heavy on the chicken decor!Service:Fast/efficient, friendly"

Steak N Egger

★★★★☆ 3.8 (42)

"There isn't much that can be said about this place except that it's the closest thing I can get to Waffle House, in the north! Despite how people may feel, they are the perfect place for breakfast comfort food and they are super reasonable. I always get a big breakfast from them that includes a waffle (or pancakes), hash browns, eggs, toast, and grits...... and Orange juice in a cup that may or may not be the cleanest. It doesn't matter - I'll keep going back :-)"

Huck Finn Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (130)

"*The stars are for the donuts*I have only been here for the donuts, especially for the Alaskan donut. I have order that gargantuan thing twice already! To be honest, $10 for that thing is not terrible and it can come in a 50/50 split of glazed and chocolate icing.However, I love me a good monte cristo, which is basically 2 slices of french toast with meat and cheese in the middle. I ordered 3 monte cristos this time, and for $10, there are better monte critstos out there. Their french toast were smaller and not very fluffy. I didn't taste any maple syrup, and there wasn't much flavor outside of the meat and cheese.7/10 for donuts."

MYA by Medi

★★★★☆ 4.1 (35)

"I haven't gotten to try Medi yet, but was excited to see the old Hush place be renovated into yet another Mediterranean restaurant in Chicago. To be honest, I'm not sure how well this restaurant will do compared to Lyra or Aba, but considering it's in a totally different area there is some potential! Service was great and decor was nice and club-esque with some classiness to it. There was supposed to be a live performance after our dinner (Friday around 7pm), but we didn't want to wait long for it. I got the tough love cocktail to start; however, this wasn't what I imagined - it was much more on the sweeter side with little spice. We started with the hummus, and this was delicious with the warm pita. DI loved the crispy chickpeas that garnished the dish. My friend and I also shared the fattoush, which was a nice refreshing salad, and the steak frites. The steak frites was super small, but it was deliciously cooked and the Lebanese potatoes were so tasty. The price was expected for an upscale city restaurant. I would recommend trying this spot out for a cute night out, to see the live performance maybe, or a for a swanky date night!"

Louie's Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (235)

"I adore small restaurants like Louie's. Very friendly staff, great service, and great breakfast food. I felt like I was at my aunt's house. Our waitress was chatty, kept cracking jokes and always made sure we were good and didn't need anything else. I wish I'd caught her name because she was bomb, but I did notice most staff were the same way with the other patrons. You could tell they all love what they do which was pretty awesome. I'm not in Forest Park often for breakfast but when I am again, this will be my go to."

Mr.Molcajetes

★★★★☆ 4.3 (11)

"Tried this new restaurant on Friday night. Great food and great service. It's BYOB and they have delicious homemade margarita mix. Food was tasty. The aguacate relleno isn't something we'd normally try but the owner recommended it and it was absolutely the highlight. We also really liked the enchiladas and molcajete mixta we ordered. Everything was very tasty. Staff was very friendly and helpful and music was great too.Absolutely returning soon. Great addition to the neighborhood."

Jefferson Park Grill

★★★★☆ 4.4 (72)

"Best polish in Chicago, full stop. Mike is the owner and he's a great guy and pretty much everything is super reasonably priced and very tasty. I'm actually kind of surprised that this place is not busy literally all the time. I would absolutely go here... It's a true diner experience, and he will not leave hungry or disappointed. The quality is top notch."

The Lucky Platter

★★★★☆ 3.6 (587) • $$

"Stopped by for lunch with a colleague on Friday and had a fantastic experience. Once we walked in, we were immediately greeted and seated. The restaurant was crowded, and everyone seemed excited about so many different items on the menu. I decided to try to "adulting" four cheese grilled cheese with tomato soup. It was the perfect combination on a snowy winter day. The creamy cheeses and tomato soup was like a lunch pizza without the pizza part! The soup was a bit cold but the flavors were so incredible! Once we received the check, we have to go over to the shop to pay. The staff were friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. The only hiccup is parking. The street parking is a bit of a hassle esp when it's cold, but the food and experience is totally worth it! :)"

Lucky Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (184)

"My love and I stumbled upon Lucky Grill Restaurant one Saturday afternoon after some window shopping in the 'hood. This Lucky Grill is part of a strip mall on Milwaukee Avenue (there is a second location further northwest in the city). It was pretty busy with the brunch and lunch crowd, but we received pretty good service overall (other than not getting our water glasses refilled). As you can imagine with a diner such as this, there is a sprawling menu and admittedly it took me a few minutes to make my choice. I went with the British Breakfast, a dish with two eggs (scrambled), two pieces of sausage, hash browns, American cheese, and two mini waffles. I'm not sure what was the "British" part of this breakfast (hey - American cheese!), but it was a tasty and filling meal. My love ordered a cheeseburger which came with onion rings, a cup of cole slaw, pickle and tomato, and a bowl of soup. The bowl of cream of broccoli soup was very large, and so we each had leftovers from our respective meals to take home."

The Publican

★★★★☆ 4 (3459) • $$$

"Surprised by how much I loved it here. Came for a team business dinner and enjoyed the experience. The inside of the restaurant features a large, open dining hall with high ceilings and tall chairs set up at large tables. I tried the Publican sandwiches for lunch earlier in the week and thought they were great.Charcuterie Plate - Decent charcuteries but not memorable or worth the price. (3/5)Publican Bread Plate - Perfectly baked and fresh made rye and sourdough. (5/5)Asparagus - A lighter vegetable option to balance out a meat-heavy meal. The avocado, sesame seeds, and tahini vinaigrette were nice components. (4/5)Barbecued Carrots - Perfectly cooked and flavorful carrots. The creamy herb dressing and pecans added a nice balance of savoriness and texture to the dish. A great vegetable option. (5/5)Porchetta - So so good. Perfectly cooked. The meat was delicious and tender. I will have dreams about this dish. (5/5)Sirloin - Delicious, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. No notes. (5/5)Ham Chop in Hay - Nice and comforting pork chop. Good but not as amazing or memorable as the other meat entrees I tried. (4/5)Chicken - The half chicken was cooked well but the plate was mostly filled with French fries. Felt that it was overpriced. (3/5)"

Roux Diner

★★★★★ 4.5 (252) • $$

"Roux is a bit pricey for its cafe environment, but what does it say that I keep going back to try different things? I love the light and airy vibe and general layout of this spot, and the fact that you just order at the counter first then find a seat. The catfish plate was delicious and big with three large fillets that tasted quite fresh, a good coleslaw, and a ton of fries. I would've actually liked a regular tartar sauce instead of the Old Bay-flavored remoulade but it was still good. Grits were a bit plain even with the cheese--I'm sure it'd be even more flavorful with more add-ons. The cinnamon roll is expensive at $7 but it's huge and warm and comes with an overflowing cascade of melty cream cheese frosting--definitely a dessert for sharing! Salted chocolate chip cookie ($3) is the crispy type with a generous scattering of flaky salt on top. I liked it but I think it could've used a bit more chocolate. I also recently tried the blueberry scone ($4) because it's huge and looks so tempting and chock-full of blueberries. It too is solid--I loved the sugar on top and it's soft and not too dense, but probably not worth going out of the way for (still good if you're craving a scone, though!).I like that there's a station where you can get some water and also to-go containers if you need them. Lines can get a bit long on the weekend but it moves fairly quickly. I think this is a solid spot!"

Park View Diner

★★★★☆ 4.4 (92) • $

"Okay I love this place. Amazing customer service. The staff is so friendly and greeted me with a free bowl of soup while I waited on my to-go order. The soup was so good. Tons of veggies, chicken, and bow tie pasta. The service was so phenomenal and the staff was so attentive while making my order, making sure everything was cooked how I wanted it to be. I can tell this will be a go-to for me in the future."

Connie's Family Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (199)

"Been living in Berwyn for 2.5 yrs now & finally came to visit this spot! My mum said they had decent breakfast so I went today after my 5K. I got 2 eggs with ham off the bone & chocolate chip pancakes on the side. My partner got eggs with bacon & sourdough toast. Our waitress Kim was very attentive & friendly. Juan was also quick to pick up our dishes after we finished up with them. I would totally come back at a different time to try other menu items."

Tio Luis Tacos

★★★★☆ 3.7 (322) • $$

"DELICIOUS!!! I had their Carne en su jugo and it was deliciously Good and add some fresh tortillas. I was satisfied with my meal and service. I recommend Tio Luis"

Goldy's Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (103) • $

"This is it. To me this is a Northwest side treasure. An actual counter to eat and drink coffee at. What I also enjoy, is I meeting people from the neighborhood. Grab a newspaper and go get something to eat."

Bayan Ko

★★★★☆ 4.4 (213) • $$

"Filipino Cuban Fusion...?! I didn't even know that was a thing! Glad I know now bc it was freakin DELICIOUS. First things first, my absolute favorite thing about this restaurant was that they have HALF-PORTIONS! For anybody as indecisive as me when it comes to ordering food at a new restaurant, this is a godsend. I just wanna try E-VE-RY-THING or die trying--and we came pretty close to it after ordering 8 half portions. I can't even choose a favorite dish bc we loved just about everything! The Lumpia Shanghai were hot and crispy and went so well with their garlic sauce. The Lechon Kawali was flavorful and tender, and the Bistek was also just so juicy and rich. I could've eaten another order of their crispy Adobo Wings bc they were that addicting but opted for the Ropa Vieja instead; I gotta say the Ropa Vieja wasn't my favorite but that's because I prefer Asian flavors to begin with. I also liked the Sisig and the Crab Croqueta Tots but my bf wasn't a fan of either. But don't worry, the Ube Sundae totally made up for the two and was the perfect palate cleanser!Our server (who might also be the only server) was excellent! He had the calmness and patience of a wise man, and he navigated the packed restaurant with ease. Definitely make a reservation if you plan on coming for a weekend dinner bc this small restaurant fills up fast! They had to turn away most of their walk-ins while we were there."

Bialy's Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.5 (146)

"This is a nice mom and Pop place. You can find a nice park on the street and the food was good and the portions are large. The only part that I did not like was that my food came out a little later than my friends were halfway through eating when I finally got my food I was severely hungry. this place can get crowded so I suggest you come early. Check your receipt before departure. Sometimes they get a little confused. Hope you enjoy."

Salonica

★★★★☆ 3.7 (339) • $

"Been coming here for many years I always enjoy the food... I have been wanting pancakes for 3 months and finally chose to come here! The only downside was the bacon was cold cold made for a weird aftertaste. Overall food and service was great!"

Stella's Diner

★★★★☆ 4 (870) • $$

"This place is old and worn, but gives you a real sense of nostalgia. A true Chicago diner. Filled with regulars dressed in well worn Bears attire talking sports and many young adults looking like they're nursing hangovers. lol I listened in on glassy eyed college kids talking about their Bumble hookups while I ate my breakfast. It seemed fitting. Lol The menu is very old school. Skillets, omelettes, hash browns etc.. You're not going to get trendy menu options, but that's not meant as a negative. I enjoy old diners sometimes. You can schlep in in your sweats and not feel the need to impress.I had a chorizo skillet. Didn't love the jarred jalapeños, but the chorizo wasn't overly greasy which was a win by itself. -I've had some really greasy ones in other diners. Service was good. Friendly. I'd never go out of my way to eat here, but if I lived in the neighborhood I might show up if I wanted a very casual sit-down breakfast. Grabbed a Butterfinger shake on my way out. It was the kind you can easily drink (eat?) with a straw. Not my favorite consistency for a shake, but since I ate it on the drive home, it was kinda perfect."

Eleven City Diner

★★★★☆ 3.6 (2292) • $$

"We love this place! The atmosphere is fun and eclectic and hopping, with lively music and lots of ambience in the decor and seating. It has an old style diner feel and oozes charm and fun. The menu is extensive and offers something for those liking meat or not.Breakfast and lunch were being served so we had a bit of both. The portions were huge so given the prices we felt it was definitely worth it! The root beer is made in house and they serve it in an icy mug which is delightful. The taste too is sublime and was the perfect sweet tang to go with the flavor of the pastrami. I loved the layers of the open faced sandwich and all the care in the cooking. It was obvious in the taste that this was made with fresh ingredients and flavored well.The service was friendly and prompt, and we will definitely be back and can highly recommend this spot!"

Kappy's American Grill

★★★★☆ 3.9 (384) • $$

"Kappy is a friendly, casual dining experience. Lots of diners are regulars, my husband and I included. The service is excellent, and the waiters and waitresses go out of their way to be accompanying. Prices ate reasonable. On Tuesday they have a "Buy one entree, , take one home for free. It's from a special selection on the menu I recommend Kappy's"

Hollywood Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (489) • $$

"No frills but it's exactly what you expect it to be. Is the food outstanding? Definitely not. But it's good and it's cheap and they have a huge selection for literally anything you're in the mood for. The service is 10/10 and they have free refills. It's hard to find a good old school diner in Chicago but this is it!"