Ok, so this place usually caters breakfast to us at least once a month, courtesy of the pharmaceutical reps. It's always been fantastic food, and I've dined in there on many occasions with great eggsperiences every time. That all changed today. We were told by the owner last time he was here to call anytime and he would deliver regardless of the order size. So this morning, with it being Friday and all, some of the girls and I decided we wanted some breakfast. We called, placed the order to the rude person on the phone....and he told me it would be about 30-45 minutes. An hour later I received a phone call from a girl, stating that they were running late and she would need an extra 30-40 minutes. We decided that we would just cancel our order and do something else. We were really upset because of the fact that we waited for almost an hour and a half for food and never ended up getting anything. Like I said before, I've always had such great things to say about this place, but today's service was really disappointing. read more

Good breakfast here. Little place with a few tables and a wall of fresh made doughnuts and bagels. I had a omelette with potatoes and everything was real good. read more

Egg Shells Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Zurich, Illinois

Ok, so i am sorry but this place blew it from the time we got there...There were two tables open when we arrived and we simply sat at the first one. Well the waitress didn't tell us that the reason the tables were open, was that the AC ducts in the ceiling were leaking and dripping water. The staff seemed unconcerned. That was of course until an employee got a ladder out and began to clean the ducts above our table while we sat there...unbelievable. The all but one of the staff seemed upset to be there, kind of like we were messing up their break time. The younger waitress (looks to be late HS or early College) was laughing and having a good time with her customers. Wish we had her for our table, we were not one of the fortunate ones. The meal took forever to get to us, maybe it was the dripping water that made us want to hurry up. The food was standard. Nothing great, nothing bad just kind of standard. Price was average too. Heres the deal, our breakfast was a real downer. An upleaseant staff and dirty conditions mean we will never go back. read more

Very good food and very nice staff! Would definitely return if I'm in the area again. They gave a couple donuts on the way out which I thought was very nice! read more

Typical breakfast/lunch joint. They offer eggceptional food that isn't priced eggspenively. Dining area is small, so the place fills up rather quickly, but also empties just as fast. I ended up having the home made corned beef hash with 2 eggs and toast. They serve Intelligentsia-branded coffee; it's a little too bitter for my taste, even with sugar and cream. If you're into that, more power to you. read more

Ordered a bunch from these guys. This last order drew the line. It started with them being late bringing our soggy, room temperature food. Lady on the phone got the address wrong(funny, they've been here plenty). Next, after taking my credit card number TWICE, the guy came to the door asking for cash. Then he asked me to write my credit card number down on a piece of paper and give it to him! Yeah, don't think so. They then called back 2 hours later to take my credit card number AGAIN. The ONLY saving grace were the free donuts they gave us, which saved them from 1 star. Now I have to watch my credit card statement to make sure somebody there didn't "lose" my number and go on a shopping spree. Thanks for the chore, Eggshells. read more

Found EggShells after seeing their delivery car all about town and have really grown to like them quite a bit. Just like everyone else said, it is small but it adds to the charm. The owners are very friendly along with the waitstaff. Everyone knows everyone in here. The coffee is out of this world! While the menu itself is basic be sure to check out the specials as you can find some real gems on there. I've not been dissapointed with anything from there. It's very affordable too which is a plus! Also love they are BLACKHAWKS fans!!! read more

4 stars. Server was making one excuse after the other about the fact she was only one there. Not a customers problem so quit whining. Food was excellent. Had Veggie Benedict and it was awesome! Server was nice enough to recommend another veggie when I mentioned I didn't want tomatoes. So thanks for that. Just quit whining. Nobody cares. read more

This place is close to work so I have been here several times. Yes, this place is tiny and cramped. For lunch we usually try to arrive early or late so we avoid the "big" lunch rush. When the weather is nice you can get a table outside where there is more room. As many others have mentioned, the service leaves a little to be desired. One server in particular has very little patience and always seems to be irritated with the customers. The last few times I've been there I haven't seen this server and actually had pleasant experiences without server. The food is delicious. My favorite breakfast dish is the eggs el maxino-chorizo, hashbrowns, onions, peppers, and eggs. Seriously amazing. That special ketchup they put on top is great too and I don't even like ketchup! The club sandwich and the salads are also excellent. If you really want to solidify the clogging of your arteries get an order of tater tots. Crispy, fried goodness. I think the price is right for this place and you get a lot of food. One time the owner even game me a bunch of free donuts while I was leaving. They were also great. read more

If you happen to be in Lake Zurich for some odd reason (like looking for loons at 6am on a frigid April Saturday), Eggshells is an excellent place to have breakfast. It's small and adorable and was jam-packed when we went, at about 9am. The food was delicious, service was super friendly and quick, prices were reasonable, and if you're looking for a local joint in the far far northern suburbs of Chicago, you can't get more local than this. Also, after a certain time of day they give away the leftover homemade baked goods for really cheap. Yum! read more

Wife and I decided to try a new place (new to us, they've been there 4 years) so we headed out to Eggshells for our Sunday brunch. I was a little nervous as I've read about how oddly this place is laid out. Man as specific as those reviews were, they just couldn't have prepared me for what I experienced. If go prepare to be bumped often. First experience as a newbie was pissing of the regulars while trying to be seated by talking to the person at the register. Apparently there is a specific place to wait for a table in the bathroom hallway. Joked about the soup episode from Seinfeld. We got there late so line and wait was short. Took a long time to get our coffee (weak for my taste) and refills, but other than that the complaints were minor. The issue was our server also had the tables outside. I really enjoyed my Omlette and bagel. I'd avoid the hashbrowns as they were the greasiest I've ever tasted in my life. My wife enjoyed her eggs and pancakes, but I'd have to say they looked like tiny crepes. However, they tasted good. This place is known for their donuts, so we joked that we'd like dessert. We split a cake and raised donut. Very good. Bagels that came with our brunch were also pretty good. Overall, we really liked the place, but I'd only go during off hours (unless you enjoy being packed in like sardines). Oh and the reviews about people being ignored is true. We sort of experienced it for the first few minutes. Even though the place had two or three open tables, we saw at least two couples leave in frustration after no staff acknowledgement. One couple sat at a table for ten minutes and finally gave up. The mgmt really needs to deal with this issue when it's busy. read more

Stop by when I was in the area on business. My egg Omelette was delicious, service was first rate. I will definitely be back!

We ordered from Egg Shells using grubhub this morning and it was delicious and the man who delivered our food was very nice and even arrived 10 minutes earlier than promised. Here's what we had that I would definitely recommend: Irish Eggs Benedict Smoked Salmon Platter Garlic Bagels Applewood Smoked Bacon Donut Holes a bigger donut (not sure what it was but it was very good) Corned Beef Hash Buttermilk Pancakes Fresh Fruit Hash Browns We had no complaints. The butter and cream cheese were whipped and fluffed and everything was exactly what we wanted this morning. Hopefully we'll be able to check them out in store very soon. read more

I was consulting in the area and stopped in for lunch. Burger and fries were awesome. Another day I had the breakfast. Their english muffins were insanely huge. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes... unf! Very small but nice diner. It doesn't take many to fill the place up. By lunch time there are only a few donuts and pastries left for their 1-3 pastry sale. I made a special trip on my way out of town to grab a donut in the morning - and it was worth the trip. Oh - and my waitress I had was so friendly I felt like I knew her for years. Not talk-your-ears-off friendly, just... it was nice to have that on top of such excellent food! Next time I'm anywhere in the NW suburbs I will make the trip! read more

Do not eat here. Dirty, dirty, dirty and owner is very off putting. Found a huge black hair in my food that was poorly cooked. Go to walker brothers up the road. read more

Good Enough Food - Very Poor Service This place takes the Ed Debevics concept to a new level - only they're not joking. The attitude is as though they offer 5 Star Cuisine and have been in business for 60+, instead of only 2, years. The owner stared at us for several minutes before asking if we were eating there or taking out. The server then ignored us and, when she finally did approach told us there would be a $3 sharing charge if we only ordered one 4 egg omelet. Fair enough, so we ordered fruit. She then served the omelet on one plate because,if she split it for us, she'd have charged us the $3 anyway. We shared that we were in a hurry, but we had to ask for the check long after we were done eating, to which the serve said we paid the cashier directly. Again, no big deal. But when we walked up to the cashier, HE ASKED US FOR THE CHECK, which the server did/would not give us! I just told him what we had and we paid and left. We actually overheard a presumed 'regular' say 'boy if this was our first time eating here, we'd never come back.' Sad to say, they're right. I'm a communications coach - it just as easy (and more fun) to be nice that rude - that's a lesson I hope this place learns soon. read more

Cozy little place with 20 tables off Rand rd. loved the donuts and breakfast. Try the ham and cheese omelette with a biscuit! You can watch them make the food from your table which is never a bad thing.. read more

Egg Shells Restaurant - Fresh donut holes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Zurich, Illinois

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Just went here for the first time today and really liked it a lot! Pros - GREAT COFFEE! Courteous service; Judy, our waitress, was very friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. The owner, Craig, was around the entire time greeting customers, talking to tables, bagging up leftovers, and getting coffee for ppl. They give you coffee as you're waiting so even though you may not get a table right away they make sure to do what they can to keep you happy. Food was great and they had good prices. It's not a huge menu but it covers the basics for breakfast. I'm really glad there's a place around besides Walker Bros to go to now! Cons - A little small and not many places to stand while waiting. But aside from that it's a great place! This was the only reason I marked it down a star. :-( Wish you could give half stars here cuz it's 4.5 IMO. As I was getting ready to pay the owner came up and asked if I'd like a cup of coffee to go and I declined, then the cashier also asked! The owner also asked if I'd like a donut to go, but since we got donut holes I declined. He bagged up my leftover donut holes for me and to my surprise he threw a donut in there! LOL Just great friendly service you certainly wouldn't get just anywhere. We'll definitely be going back!!! read more

Eggshells is a awesome little place for breakfast. They have great food and the service is really good too, though I have only ever had one waitress there. I love how your meal is more customizable than most places. For most dishes, you pick a main item and then you get to pick 2 sides to go with it. The last itme I was there I split an omlette and the banana bread french toast (to die for!) with a friend. The server actually put it on 2 separate plates for us without us even asking. It was so thoughtful. Yes, it is on the small side and if you have to wait it is not exactly comfortable. However, that is part of its charm. If it was huge, the owner couldn't come and say "Hello" to you and chat with you about whatever. I definitely agree with one of the other reviews - the coffee is awesome! read more

Eggshells has quickly become one of my family's favorite breakfast hangouts! The owner, Craig, is very involved and constantly around with new things to try. He gets to know his clients and makes sure the environment is warm and inviting. The food is fantastic, and include large portions. Some of my favorites: the Burgers (hint** ask for it on a pretzel roll), tater tots, breakfast burritos and don't forget the cheddar cheese grits. Make sure to check out the baked goods too. Everything is fresh daily and the donuts are SOOO good!! read more

Only been once, but already hoping that Lover's Lane next door goes under so this guy can expand. My priorities are obviously getting warped as I get older. The Mrs. said I had to see/eat it...and I did...and Eggs El Maximo (or something like that) will be a Sunday tradition from now on. Owner's presence and personality is a bonus, as is the baking...donut holes as a side dish, anyone? Be sure to try the English muffin, too. read more

The food is great, for starters. Everything we've had has been cooked perfectly. I am a big fan of the sides choices as well. I wouldn't skip the donut holes with my 3 eggs. Early bird special M-F 6-9am, 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage and pancakes for 3.95$. Can't beat that! I'll be going back to try everything on the menu. read more

Great food, yet the service is terrible. The young man tony who helped us got only about 60% of our order correct. The order was: scrambled eggs w feta, spinach, salsa, and avacado. Instead we got scrambled eggs with avacado. Asked for water, he forgot. 3 orders of toast were forgotten. Got a kids platter with sausage, but received bacon. On top of that, I heard the table next to us reminding the same server of forgotten items. Everyone has a bad day, but this level of service in inexcusable. read more

Egg Shells Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Zurich, Illinois

Happened to be in Lake Zurich and needed a place for breakfast - this place exceeded all expectations. Price was low and portions were big - I ordered scrambled eggs, hash browns, and donut holes (made in the restaurant) and everything was delicious. The place was pretty crowded for a weekday morning, showing that it is popular with locals. Aside from the quality and quantity, two other things stood out: 1. attention to detail - every table had an amazing selection of condiments - I tried a few of the hot sauces with my eggs and found many that I had never tried before - extra things like this make a place stand out 2. Friendly service - even though the place was crowded, the owner himself asked how the food was and after a minute's conversation, he gave me a free bag of donuts and bagels (not the day olds, it was still 9am). During the meal itself, he also came to each table with free samples of items that will be on the menu in the future. This my friends, is how you take what could have been a nondescript breakfast in suburbia and turn it into something memorable. I was so impressed that I had to register with Yelp and make my first review. read more

This place is amazing. We got the meat lovers burrito and the country Benedict with Max's way hash browns and a side of pancakes. We couldn't finish our meals, SO MUCH FOOD, but I'm already looking forward to reheating later. The pancakes were hands down THE BEST pancakes I've ever had. Fluffy, light, yet somehow crisp. The service was quick (no wait on a Saturday and the food came out in less than 10 minutes) and our waitress was so attentive and friendly. We just moved to the area and have already found our new breakfast place. YAY! read more

Egg Shells Restaurant - Country Benedict with Max's way hash browns - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Zurich, Illinois

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Very basic breakfast food, reasonable price. Food is decent for being mass produced, but make sure you get their EARLY. We waited 45 minute for an incorrect order, but staff was very apologetic. The place is not very clean, and extremely cramped. They do deliver, which is a plus for lazy Sunday mornings, which is why I am giving a three star. read more

My first time here and, I must say that it doesn't look like much from the outside. However, this place is defined by "diamond in the rough"! It is a bit tight since it is small but I didn't feel crowded. Breakfast was fabulous. I wanted eggs Benedict and got the Irish Benedict which was with hash. It was delicious and so big that I took half home. I loved that fruit and pancakes were two sides that I could choose with my meal! My granddaughter loved the donuts, the coffee was great and the breakfast sandwich was enjoyed by my DIL. This was a great choice with the best service around. I plan on going back to try lunch!! Give it a try. read more

Top notch overall! From the customer service to the food you will not be disappointed. Everything is delivered hot and is always a delicious treat. I would recommend to anyone looking for a great meal and service! Make sure to try the ham as well! read more

Best breakfast in LZ. Much better value than other places in town. Great coffee; they serve one of the intelligentsia house blends. It's small- but that's part of why it's such a local hot spot. Great service and amazing food! Try the donuts! Freshly made. Go in before 7 or 8 and they have an early bird special. read more

The place absolutely sucked. Ordered my breakfast and after waiting 20 minutes it came out cold and wrong. When they replaced it I got someone else's food entirely. Again, WRONG. When I expressed my unhappiness with the server her way to fix the issue was to bring us our check minus my food and leave me with no breakfast at all. She was rude and Unprofessional. The owner said he would make me a go order but allowed her to be a part of the process even after I had to ask her three times to walk away. She was combative with the owner and made the experience even more uncomfortable than it already was. Antionette is the absolute worst server ever. No customer skills, no respect for the place she works or the other customers that deserved an enjoyable breakfast. Just awful. Would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

Fantastic breakfast menu, chock full of goodness. Real maple syrup for items that would need it. The best (and I am a bit of a hash snob) hash and eggs I have seen in a very long time. Order with a side of potatoes since the hash is almost all meat. The breads they do not make come from a great bakery in Chicago (labriola) and the biscuits are homemade and awesome. All the food is great and the service fast. Even if full the tables turn over quickly and never a long wait. Yes it is tight in there but so what, eat and go is what you should be doing. Not a romantic, linger over coffee kinda place. Great service, quick and friendly. Coffee refills are quick and endless. We went all three days we were visiting the area and forgo the "free" breakfast at hotel. Can't wait to go back. read more

Love the huge portions- the food is amazing! Donuts are so good- I highly recommend their breakfast quesadilla!!

There new location, a few doors down from Trader Joe's, is spacious, well decorated with the same high quality food at a very good price. You can't find a better breakfast place in Lake Zurich. read more

Yummy cheddar cheese grits--need I say more? OK, if I must: The food was terrific. I had the 4 egg omelette with mushroom, sausage, and garlic (who makes bigger than a 3 egg omelette anymore without charging extra? Eggshells does!). This was about the same price as a 3-egger downtown, so a good deal. It did cost 75¢ more for the third ingredient, but there was plenty of everything enclosed in the eggy blanket. The cheese grits were a nice surprise on the menu, and were well worth the trip alone. I only wish they were open around an early dinner hour so I could get some on the way home from work--they'd make a great addition to any quick meal I could finish making at home. The one negative of the visit was I was with a party of four. Two of the meals were served at the same time, the third had a few minute delay, and my friend's meal of the 'sampler' breakfast (I forget the actual name, but it had a little bit of everything on it) arrived about 15 minutes after the last meal. The rest of us were almost finished with our lunches. My friend wasn't upset after finding out the reason (the waitress had sent it back, as something on the plate had looked more like a hockey puck than food. Nice to know she was looking at it, but nicer if she would've told us about the reason for the delay. This place was pretty busy at 11:30, and the seating is limited, so I'd advise going with smaller groups than 4 if you want a seat, and then things aren't guaranteed. A great place for breakfast, with friendly waitstaff and cheese grits. Eggshells is a fine establishment for breakfast-type goodness! read more

They should've called this place: The Jail Cell, because It'z about as small as one. So, watchout... ya might get "shivved!" lol I joke... I joke!! read more

Egg Shells Restaurant - Craigz Breafast Bagel: BACON, egg and cheeze, bitchez! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lake Zurich, Illinois

Best place in town to get fresh breakfast food. Ordering carry-out can be a challenge on the weekends, they have lost my order 3 times now, but they do their best to make it stat once you go to pick it up! Very good bagels and doughnuts and delicious breakfast quesadilla :) read more

I work in Deerfield so Mon-Fri I routinely get spoiled by amazing bagels from Highland Park and Buffalo Grove. I was beyond excited when we stopped into eggshells for breakfast with the fam and saw their amazing bagels on display. I've since picked up a dozen on a Saturday morning and I know this will be a new tradition for us, eggshells bagels are perfection. The sitdown breakfast that we had was also great. They brought out the fruit for the kids right away which I appreciated, any place that is accomodating like that gets an automatic two thumbs up in my book! Also loved the intellegentsia coffee! What a hidden gem! read more

Wow, what happened to this place?!?!? 4 or 5 times a year since we discovered it, it has been our tradition to eat weekend brunch here when travelling through Lake Zurich. We loved this place. We planned our trip around eating there. It was our place to go. We went yesterday and it was an absolutely miserable experience. We had to ask multiple times for silverware. Then water. Then creamer (the waiter's response to that: A curt "yeah, I know." And then we did not get creamer for 20 more minutes). Then napkins. Then our meal. And even then our meal came out piecemeal, not all at once. My family was almost done with their meal before my eggs and pancakes even made it to the table. The doughnuts, a mainstay, were horrible and stale-tasting in our opinion. I saw the cook eating with her bare hands-to-mouth as she was working in the kitchen. The bathrooms were atrocious: Dirty, no toilet paper (my wife had to go find her own toilet paper in the hallway, for lack of help from the staff), and no paper towels. You had to wade through a stack of dirty dishes to get to the register to pay. It smelled and was disgusting. My wife is super-forgiving about restaurants and service, and even she said this visit made her never want to go back. I agree, and am sad. read more

Upgrading my rating to 4 stars. After 3 more visits, I'm upgrading my rating specifically because the server, Judy is great and attentive, and the food has continued to be solid. Everything is made fresh here. Boar Head meat makes for some great corned beef and the bakery items are all moist and tasty. The eggs are always cooked right and the menu is diverse. This spot is small, crowded, and busy - but aren't all great local spots? I also heard they don't own a microwave - I appreciate that. Support this little gem. It's worth it. They deliver and cater too. read more

It's worth overlooking that the place is a cluster pluck, the size of a chicken coop and chittter chatter abound! One of the owners was present this morning working... in a pair of egg yolk colored shorts... representative of the animated, warm and friendly environment. The menu is laminated and acts as a place mat. A lot of selections to choose from. Competitive prices. Today's breakfast choice: Short Stack Pancakes with a side of Applewood Smoked Bacon and Decaf Coffee. In a phrase: Refreshingly Delicious! read more