Bananas Foster Cafe
Housed in a small corner space by the Granville Red Line stop, Bananas Foster Cafe seems to be filling a much-needed niche in Edgewater, drawing droves that are routinely lined out the door. And I can certainly see why it’s a popular neighborhood spot for brunch: though the place was packed, service was smooth, and our food—eggs Benedict with Irish back bacon and standout ham and eggs with potatoes and baked beans—was well prepared and came out promptly. An English influence shows up in the lunch and dinner offerings as well, which include not just shepherd’s pie but also fisherman’s pie, bangers and mash, and steak, mushrooms, and ale pie. I wouldn’t exactly call this fine dining—it’s a former coffee shop with a garish yellow awning—but so much the better these days. —Kate Schmidt
“It’s entirely worth the wait,” says one reader of this frequently jam-packed breakfast and lunch spot. The weekday menu offers what seem to be standards—pancakes, omelets, sandwiches—but the pancakes might be Oreo-banana flapjacks. The weekend brunch menu adds specials like “Chocolate Tower” French toast and variations on eggs Benedict—for example, a BLT Benedict with smoked bacon, spinach, tomatoes, and a pesto hollandaise. The bustling pace and blaring music will not be everyone’s cup of tea; you could always try the other location, at 1152 S. Wabash. —Laura Levy Shatkin
The decor is unassuming, the entryway is cramped, and the tightly packed tables are not for the claustrophobic. But the food is worth the wait and close quarters. The stuffed French toast—slabs of eggy bread layered with cream cheese and walnuts and drenched in sticky-sweet syrup—is the signature indulgence, but omelets and other breakfast staples are equally hearty and satisfying. Service is generally prompt and accommodating. Reservations not accepted Sundays. —Martha Bayne
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Bright, spacious, and friendly CJ’s Eatery might do for west Humboldt Park what the original Wishbone did for another desolate stretch of Grand Avenue in the 90s: grow into a vital community hub while serving solid southern and soul-inspired comfort food. Charles Armstead and Vanessa Perez have filled a couple deep voids already, providing a Lavazza-dispensing coffee bar and sit-down table service for three squares in a neighborhood where the only other viable eats are at Jimmy’s Red Hots around the corner. Breakfast choices include mouthwatering biscuits and gravy and a hangover-blanketing sausage casserole. Sandwiches predominate at lunch, along with soups, salads, and a handful of appetizers (crab cakes, spinach dip) that pull a double shift at dinner. Entrees include a “BBQ Meatloaf Tower” crowned with mashed potatoes and fried onions. And Armstead’s banana bread pudding with peanut butter creme anglaise could’ve raised Elvis off the bathroom floor. —Mike Sula
Curio Cafe
Flo
