Craving a hearty breakfast? Suburban eateries offer a plethora of brunch options
Tucked in between All Chocolate Kitchen and Harvey's Tales in Geneva's downtown is the New American restaurant Craft Urban. Since opening in 2018, the colorful building has become a not-so-well-kept secret brunch hot spot for visitors across Kane County's Tri-Cities.
“We have a lot of brunch options that are not really on your regular brunch menu,” says Olivia Amaya, a hostess and assistant social media coordinator with the restaurant.
Eggs and breakfast burritos are present, but one would be missing out if they didn't try options such as brunch fried rice, which includes pork, chicken, veggies and eggs, or the crispy chicken sammich, which is topped with slaw, sriracha aioli and a made-in-house hot sauce.
“Our head chef, Bernie Laskowski, he came up with a lot of the ideas, but then we just had our chefs explore and kind of pitch ideas to him throughout the years that we've been here,” Amaya said. “I've been here for two years, and we definitely have updated that menu in many ways. We're a changing-menu-type restaurant. I've seen a lot of things come off of the menu and a lot of things go on.”
Amaya says that creativity comes first in both the kitchen and the bar.
“We also offer a 'brunch punch,'” Amaya said. “All of our bartenders, whoever's working Saturday or Sunday, come up with one punch for the entire weekend, based on whatever they feel that is appropriate for the weekend. And their creativity is not limited.”
Craft Urban's team understood that to truly set themselves apart, they would have to get creative in ways beyond fancy menu items. The solution? Themed brunches such as Drag Brunch.
“The first Saturday of every month we have drag queens come in and it's a brunch-related event,” Amaya said. “It's usually a pretty big sellout. We normally allow about a 140 people for the shows and we have about 70 people per show coming in.”
“[Drag Brunch] is a really fun time. I usually work them, and it's a really good environment,” Amaya said.
Drag brunch is an additional $20 per person, and guests have access to the full brunch menu. The next shows are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Call for reservations.
Amaya also said that brunch specials are normally offered for holidays like Mother's Day.
Looking to try a new spot for brunch? Check out these suburban options.
Craft Urban
211 James St., Geneva, (331) 248-8161, crafturban.com/
Brunch specialties include the chicken n biscuit, breakfast burrito, buffalo cauliflower, beet salad, crafted chilaquiles, strawberries and cream bread pudding and more. Bottomless mimosas are $25 with the purchase of a meal. Brunch hours are 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Though it's not a brunch event, Craft Urban also hosts a Vinyl Happy Hour from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, when beer, wine and cocktails are $5 and select apps are half price.
Aboyer
64 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, (847) 441-3100, georgetroisgroup.com/aboyer
For the first time, Aboyer proprietor and chef Michael Lachowicz is introducing a multicourse brunch served on the renovated patio. Reservations are available now for the $48 brunch, which is available from noon to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, and Sept. 11. The menu starts with appetizers such as the house-smoked salmon board, country-style charcuterie board or gâteau of crab, while the main course options are French rolled omelet, bacon, toasted brioche and crispy potato gâteau, or the classic eggs Benedict or hanger steak. End with a sweet treat of souffle au chocolat or crème caramel.
Alexander's Cafe
1725 N. State St., Elgin, (847) 888-4146, and 1650 W. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 549-0514, alexanderscafe.com/
Elgin and St. Charles are lucky to have Alexander's, which has a robust menu of breakfast standbys and specialty options. Tired of the same old pancakes and eggs? Try the huevos rancheros, the chilaquiles, the lemon berry crepes or the S'moreo pancakes (Oreos, marshmallow cream, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and whipped cream). Looking for something lighter? Alexander's has a range of healthier options, too, such as the Popeye omelet (egg whites, spinach, tomato and feta) and avocado toast and eggs.
Garden Berry Cafe
906 U.S. 45, Vernon Hills, (224) 475-0326, and 777 N. York Road, Hinsdale, (630) 590-5706, gardenberrycafetogo.com/
Those visiting Garden Berry's Vernon Hills or Hinsdale locations should be sure to try one of its many crepe options, such as the cheesecake crepe, ham and swiss crepe or the Route 45 Crepe, which is stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, onions and cheddar cheese. Similar varieties can be found in Garden Berry's French toast options. Or there's always the lumberjack skillet or country fried steak and eggs.
The Hen House
1060 College Ave., Wheaton, (630) 480-0611, thehenhouseofwheaton.com/
Besides offering a variety of specialty breakfast and lunch items, The Hen House is now also offering fall specials, including the pumpkin roll French toast stuffed with cream cheese frosting and topped with a pumpkin pie drizzle, the yam yam skillet (sweet potatoes under grilled zucchini, grilled apples, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and eggs) and Brie grilled cheese. And there are fall drinks, too: pumpkin pie frappé, apple cider mimosa, Baileys and chocolate latte and more.
Kim & Patty's Cafe
731 Ridgeview Drive, McHenry, (815) 344-5262, kimandpattyscafe.com/
Kim and Patty are McHenry County's dynamic duo when it comes to brunch. The favorite brunch spot has all the options you'd want, but special attention should be given to the cafe's several omelet options. Consider the stuffed Hawaiian omelet filled with ham, chicken, mozzarella and hash browns and topped with mango salsa and pineapple, or the stuffed Buffalo omelet, packed with chicken, carrots, celery, onions and mozzarella and garnished with Buffalo sauce and ranch, both for $11.95.
Maevery Public House
20 E. Scranton Ave., Lake Bluff, (847) 604-3952, maevery.com/
Tired of the same old omelets? Maevery offers a myriad creative menu options. Try the Everything Pretzel for $7, the Saturday Morning Patty Melt (beef sausage patty on toasted marble rye topped with caramelized onions, sunny egg, Hook's cheddar and potatoes) for $13, or the fried chicken and waffles (half Amish chicken with cornmeal breading and a sriracha-honey glaze served with sweet potato waffle) for $22. The signature Bloody Maevery cocktail blends Pike and Clark Vodka, house brine, pickle and a jalapeño olive, and it comes served with a choice of mini grilled cheese, cheddar-stuffed Peppadew or candied house-smoked bacon for $11. And the MAE mosa is a blend of mandarins Napoleon, Cuvee prosecco and grapefruit juice for $9.
Nosh
22 N. Third St., Geneva, (630) 845-1570, experiencenosh.com/
Located on the side of downtown opposite Craft Urban, Nosh is another Geneva favorite for brunch and libations. The restaurant offers some hearty breakfast sandwich options, from the bagel and lox served with cream cheese, capers and a hard-boiled egg for $12 to the breakfast burger topped with garlic aioli and a fried egg on a glazed potato bun for $8. Other options include strawberry and Nutella crepes, blueberry Southern pancakes and tres leches French toast. And consider the bacon gravy poutine, pastor tacos or flat iron steak salad.
The Point Pancake House
1952 N. U.S. Highway 41, Gurnee, (847) 662-4130, thepointpancakehouse.com/
Family-owned and operated since 1954, Gurnee's Point Pancake House specializes in breakfast comfort classics. The specialty pancake options include the Banana Foster, a pancake topped with brown sugar, pecans and, of course, bananas, and the apple or German pancake, which each take about 30 minutes to bake. Then there's the red velvet French toast or the banana Nutella waffle French toast. On the savory side, consider the homemade corned beef hash and various Benedicts and omelets, as well as the Georgie Boy crepe filled with ham, spinach, scrambled eggs and homemade hollandaise sauce. Looking to chase brunch with a shake? The Point has you covered with vanilla, strawberry and chocolate shakes ready to go.