This is an old fashioned diner in the middle of downtown Chicago. There's a classic, old school, Chicago feel to this place that's unavoidable. Came here for breakfast with the boss. Was greeted by a pleasant lady carrying an over sized basket of fresh, in house made doughnuts (delicious). Place was really busy at 8am on a Friday, but we were seated fast, no problem. The next pleasant surprise were miniature sample of milk duds brought along with the menu (mmm).We ordered banana pancakes (amazingly delicious, fluffy, filled with gooey sweet banana mush), eggs over easy (done to perfection), potatoes (buttery and slightly fried) sweet ham, bacon, freshly squeezed OJ and coffee (on par with barista type places). Overall, extremely satisfied and making this one of top 3 places for breakfast in Chicago. Not giving it 5 stars because it was really loud, but that's mostly my problem i'm guessing. read more

Lou Mitchell's - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great waffles, coffee and omelets! It was the fluffiest omelet I've ever had!!! A little over priced in my opinion for breakfast food but you also pay for the experience! read more

This place is highly recommended and honestly good. There are good people, good servers, and you get a family atmosphere of a diner. The minute I walked in I felt welcomed and was served. I would definitely be visiting this place again. read more

I have been here twice now for brunchish-time breakfast dining. I love the food here & I recommend this as a breakfast destination (tourist or not). First time here, I knew nothing about Lou Mitchell's, it's history, traditions, etc. I just wanted some breakfast and breakfast was amazing. I don't understand people rating food here as "just okay". I come here for the food, not the donut hole & milk duds. I've had extremely satisfying fluffy omelette dining twice now- comes out in a nice big skillet with those fresh cut round potatoes and perfectly textured and flavored toast. I wish my stomach was bigger so I could be a plate cleaner, to me, it really was that good, and everyone else I have dined with here (this includes a total of 8) have loved it just as much as me. The second group of people I came with here, and recommended this place to, thanked me for showing them this joint. Go, I think you'll thank me too! Warnings: -Cash only (get over your credit card rewards & hit up the ATM). -Not for the anti-social germaphobe who's too scared to ask the stranger sitting next to him to pass the hot sauce- We live in a society, suck it up & share elbow space with a stranger for 45 minutes, you never know, it may be your one opportunity to share ketchup with the next Bill Gates?) read more

Why 1 star? Because I wish the places like that do not exist. I work next to it and I've eaten there 3 times. So I've given this place enough chances. It's a famous place, but that's about all the pros it has. You can take a picture next to it, but stay away from the entrance. First of all, it's not cheap. It's definitely not a $ place. It's rather $$. Your food will cost you 15-25 per person not including tips. It's basically a breakfast that costs up to 30. Sounds like 4-star hotel breakfast to me. You wish. Messy place with many people in and out. Many small tables with not enough space for food. It was a nice touch today. Or should I say sweet touch? A touch of syrup on my jacket after some waitress carried dirty syrup bottles around. As far as cooking, they really have some skills. I think if I wanted to I couldn't have created an omelette worse than theirs. Greasy unsalted mess with hardly any ingredients in it. The side that comes with it is supposed to be hash browns, but it's just a potato grease. If you ever had a dream about drinking cholesterol by glasses that's the place for you! You'll also be enjoying the smell of grease on your clothes for the rest of the day. Don't worry, that's complementary. On top of all that, the place is cash only. It's 21st century. Come on! They are lucky there's no IHOP around. read more

I ate the most delicious breakfast of my life here. OK, I'll say upfront that my view may have been colored by extreme hunger, because I came here with a friend right after running the Chicago marathon. But I'm pretty sure that I would have liked it under any circumstances. The wait to sit and, eventually, to eat wasn't terrible considering how packed it was. I got some kind of hearty skillet thingy and the eggs were super fresh, the bacon meaty and delicious. I wasn't crazy about the "Greek toast," but everything else was really tasty. Be willing to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers. read more

I haven't been here in years and now I remember why... Breakfast food is breakfast food, there aren't that many ways to screw up pancakes and waffles that bad. With that being said, the waffles and bacon we had and the meatloaf sandwich my boyfriend had were good, but the service will keep me and my whole family from going here ever again. It was pretty empty in the place so I don't know why service was so terrible. It took forever to get a cup of coffee and when our waitress finally brought the cup, mine had a huge dirty spot inside and when I said something she replied "yeah, I know, I saw it"... and you still gave me a dirty cup?! Excuse me?! Then it took forever to get silverware to stir the coffee, water went unfilled the whole time we were there, syrup wasn't brought to us until the waitress finished fraternizing with her friends/until our food was cold. My mom asked for whipped cream on her waffle and she didn't get any. There are many other good restaurants for breakfast that deserve business as opposed to this place, the least they can do is have good service- especially since it wasn't busy!! Needless to say, I will never ever come back. p.s. I didn't even get my milk duds! read more

Everything tasted great and I was expecting to love this place, and I did, except for one thing. My boyfriend orders a diet coke with every meal, all the time, no questions asked. It came in this tiny juice glass, half filled with ice, and only later do we find out they only do one refill...? Apparently it's stated on the menu that it is $2 and only comes with one refill, but who reads the drink menu to order a soda? Seriously? I have worked in the food industry, and did you know it costs a restaurant ~$.09 for a LARGE fountain drink? It's not like it's a big deal - it's $2. But the whole principal of scalping your guests over pennies is the definition of 0 integrity, and it's disappointing that this place is owned by fellow Greeks. If you want a Greek-owned diner, you can go to Hollywood Grill or White Palace, or even get a nice breakfast at Meli a few blocks away for the same price, and with the "luxury" of free refills. read more

This place has fantastic food. The place is a staple in the west loop. I've been here frequently. However, I have an issue. The waitress brought our food out to the wrong couple. They started eating it. I watched the waitress as she realised her mistake. She walked back and took the food, dissapeared with it, only to bring it back to us a VERY short time later. I noticed that a piece of my omlette was missing, clearly eaten by the other guy. Not cool. Makes me wonder how often this has happened before when its busy. read more

The breakfast was amazing! I ate the spinach omelette. A must go to while in Chicago!! Great prices.

What a cool spot. Old diner feel and the donut hole and milk duds are a nice touch. Daughter had chocolate chip pancakes, wife had you basic eggs and I had Benedict. Everything was really good except my potatoes were cold. Definitely a breakfast stop if in Chicago. read more

Well it seems that times they are a-changin' ... not a good visit. Don't know if it is under a new management or they are just trying to save money in wait staff ... but expect to wait. Everything was slow and food portions seem smaller. Food was ok, but doesn't really impress anymore. Once famous for handing out Milk Duds to the gals - they were out of them today. Once famous for giving a wedge of orange and a prune to each diner - we had to ask for that. Coffee was filled once, and then more waiting. Had to ask twice for a refill of hot water for the tea. While the busboy staff was great and finally started doing the coffee duty - the wait staff had too many tables because they could not keep up with what was needed. Not good service. Management must be cutting to save a nickel ... but they will end up cutting customers. Probably still famous enough of a Chicago icon to draw diners, but it really is losing its polish. It will be a long while before we return. read more

We loved our meal here at Lou Mitchell's. As we entered, we were offered a free doughnut hole, which were quite tasty. The fresh squeezed orange juice was so GOOD, as was our entrees. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Benedict and it was delicious. My son had the French Toast, and my daughter had the yogurt/granola parfait. No complaints from either child. Even though the place was packed and crowded, our meal was served promptly. Loved eating at this iconic Route 66 Diner. read more

More of a local interest than I'd say a kick ass breakfast place. It's good people watching, and the staff rings bells and makes all sorts of announcements every few minutes. The food itself is generous in portion, but sadly I have had better breakfasts. Everything comes out in a skillet which is kind of interesting. The eggs and hash browns were decent and tasty, but the bacon while advertised as being crisp was limp, greasy, and chewy. I guess if there is a next time for me I'll specifically order it crispy. Oh and beware, the place only takes cash. Luckily there is an ATM in the doorway. read more

It's the perfect place to go for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Since it's located directly around the corner from my job, I found myself going there consistently and falling to sleep at my desk afterwards. I guess it's a compliment to Lou Mitchells, but not such a good idea if I intend to keep my job. Anyway....their food is OFF THE CHAIN!!! It's a decent price to be located in the West Loop, and they always pile more than enough food on top of your plate. It's always crowded, but the service is great and the staff is nice. read more

In my opinion this has got to be the best place to get breakfast in all of the Chicagoland area ! As you walk in the door the hostess offers you donut holes and milk duds. Once you sit down, you are served a really nice juicy orange and a prune. For my drink order, I had a hot chocolate that was delicious! for my main dish I had the Apple and Cheese Omelet. I thought that this was not going to be as good as it sounds, but boy I was wrong! the sweetness of the apple really mixed in well with the egg and the cheddar cheese. It was very flavorful. In addition, if you order an omelet you get a side of hash browns and your choice of toast. I went for the Greek toast which is their speciality. It was so yummy and crunchy! After you are done with your meal, they give you a small cup of their tasty soft serve frozen yogurt! Besides the amazing food, I also was very pleased at how fast and efficient the service was. We got our order taken quickly and our food came out right away. If you are in desperate need of breakfast and you are in the city of Chicago Lou Mitchell's is the place to go. I wish they would have more than one restaurant!!!! read more

Lou Mitchell's - Hot chocolate and a really good orange! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Met friends for a Sunday brunch that turned into hours and hours of hanging out. The hostess is no joke. She's like that super strict great aunt who's house you are afraid to stay at. Only ONE doughnut hole folks and you absolutely cannot get seated until your whole party is present. That woman was not pleasant and did not smile! Once past the front door, things improved. I had an omelet with apples and cheddar cheese. I was bummed that the apples appeared canned and not fresh, but the omelet was indeed fluffy. My friend swears by the fluffiness. Overall, this place is like a classic dinner, loud, crowded for brunch, and apparently full of Chicago history. read more

My go to spot for comfort, warmth and good food. They never disappoint. They smile and don't make customers wait forever. The service is really good. It's a down home, pleasant place to retreat and be treated like family. read more

Went here for a saturday morning brekfast right before the crowd started up. Had the salami/swiss omelette, the Lou's fries and the raisin toast. Granted I shared the Lou's fries but they were excellent (melted fetta and cheddar cheese atop french fries). Most of the dishes are served in the pans they were cooked in, the OJ is fresh squeezed and free doughnut holes. Needless to say this is sort of a touristy place depending on the time you go, but it's well worth the wait. The coffee is award winning, and the taste speaks for itself. read more

Food is great, always end up with terrible service and long wait times. Normally get seated right away all the time, but the past 3 times i've been here I've waited 16 min, 12 min, and 23 min for the waitress to show up at the table and most of the time it is just the "hey, i acknowledge you". Their skillets are awesome and well worth it if you are looking to kill 90 minutes of your day. read more

How can this place only get three and a half stars? They serve the perfect breakfast. The wait staff is iconic. The food is unbelievable. They take the simplest things, toast, sweet rolls, hash browns, and bump them up to a transcendent level. I love this place. Love it love it love it. I have read reviews that said that this was a tourist place. I looked around me and did not see a single tourist. I saw working Chicagoans going back to their favorite place for breakfast. The prices were exceptional for this location. read more

Why does Lou now only serve some blend of maple syrup instead of real 100% maple syrup? The place has lost a bit of charm for me.

I've been coming here 30 years. Never disappoints. This is Chicago's greatest breakfast. A classic. Tre food is classic diner and the people always sweet to deal with. read more

I am a big fan of places like this that are local, mom and pop type spots. I was told great stuff about this place and wasn't disappointed. When we walked in, we were greeted with hot doughnut holes that were fantastic. I loved that. The ambiance was nice, friendly and warm. I ordered a standard breakfast - the potatoes were delicious and the sausage was some of the best I have ever tasted. There are a handful of breakfast spots like this in Chicago and this was one of the better ones for sure. Great service and food. I will definitely be back. read more

Its always busy here so come early. This is my favorite place to come for breakfast or lunch. Old school diner with amazing food and friendly staff. Get the donut holes! read more

I love breakfast and this is one of the most over-rated breakfast places! Tourists and suburbanites also love to flock here. The best part of the experience is they serve doughnut while waiting to be seated. The service is terrible because servers know people will always dine here due to its overratedness. We asked how long the wait was for patio seating, but the hostess ignored our request. Instead they gave us an ultimatum to sit inside or risk not being seated. The food itself is also below beverage. read more

Heard so much about this place and decided to check it out. There is no rhyme or reason to how they seat people. It doesn't matter when you come in, they just walk through the line and ask how many and seat you. If you're not paying attention, they can sit someone who just walked in and you've been waiting for 20 mins. After waiting for 15 mins, I just asked could I sit at the bar then once I'm there (at the bar), the host comes and says "can I move you so I can sit people here" wtf!?! So to avoid being "that guy" I got up after she assured me she was going to sit me at a table. Then i was sitting between 2 families. Now I'm being over looked because they think I'm with either party.. I asked for cream for my coffee 4 times before it finally comes. The food was okay, at best. I certainly won't be coming back here again. At least not on a Saturday. read more

Wow. I have to be honest...my Lou Mitchell's experience was very disappointing. I read the reviews a week before I decided to give it a try and was practically drooling the entire week in anticipation. I even got my roommate dreaming about it! So, we get there and stand in the cold for over 20 minutes waiting to get inside...not cool. Then, they came out with the famous donut holes and My God those donut holes melted in my mouth and I figured this was a good sign! I decided to get an "Spanish" Omelette (I wanted the French Toast but I changed my mind at the last minute) It was undercooked... runny in fact and it came with those potato chip things instead of traditional hash browns! Also, cheese was extra, which I thought was odd for an omelette! The "fresh" orange slice was bitter and my roommate and I didn't care to finish it... There was NO service from our waitress and it was unusually loud. The only good thing that came out of it for me was my roommate grabbing me one last Donut Hole before we left.... Despite it all, my roomy and I decided to go back one more time when it's warmer and get the French Toast that everyone seems too rave about! read more

Great greek sausage omellete, fresh toast, fast and friendly service, unique and cool atmosphere

So when you arrive at Lou's you get a donut hole and it tastes really good. All the food there tastes good, but my brother's girlfriend and I got very sick and the only thing we both ate were those donut holes. I'm not sure if it was a bad batch or what but it pretty much ruined our day. I doubt we'll be back. I wouldn't trust their food and their service was average at best despite not being busy. I mean it's a fair price and it's a cute location but after that whole ordeal I would never go back. read more

Went for breakfast with the family and experience was horrible. The host was so rude and inconsiderate. She put our family of 5 in a booth that didn't even fit us and the car seat our 5 month old was in. She kept insisting we squeeze the car seat in! Then she told us to put the car seat on a ledge...seriously? Put our 5 month old on a ledge? She then said to take the baby out of the car seat. Not sure if she has kids but they should have just seated us according to our situation...Finally our soon to be server stepped in and got a highchair and flipped it to place the car seat. By far the worst hostess We've ever had. We were about to walk out but it's not easy finding a place for a family of 5 and not waiting! Our host, Audry was amazing. I suggest people to ask for her. To top off this experience, I cut into my omelet to find a hair cooked into it. Disgusting! She did take it off the bill and asked them not to replace it as my patience was very slim. I will never go here again, and I suggest going to Meli's or Wild Berry... read more

My friend was there today to have lunch alone and a waitress said within earshot that she was sitting alone "wasting space." People who have lunch alone are still people, and that waitress should be ashamed of herself for treating another person that way. Have some basic human decency. read more

Lou Mitchell's is around the corner both from where I work, and where I live, so I eat here quite often. I never wait for a table - I just grab one of the stools at the counter, and I'm served immediately. The sour cream special omelet is to die for - it's like a loaded baked potato in an omelet (no potato in there, but the omelet is filled with tomato, bacon and onion), and topped with sour cream. When I'm dieting (on Atkins), I skip the side of potatoes and the greek toast, which are also wonderful. The homemade jam is great on the greek bread. If I don't want to eat that much food, I usually get 2 eggs over easy and the sausage links - which are the best sausage links I've ever eaten in this country. The only problem with the place is that they close at 3pm, so they're never open for dinner. Whether I eat there at breakfast or lunch-time, I always eat from the breakfast menu. read more

Yummy food. I loved looking around and seeing how well the staff worked together. Our server has been there for 18 years and I have a feeling that they don't have much turnover there. As a business owner, I'm so jealous! read more

The food may be a bit pricey, but it is really good! I had the 2 eggs with bacon, got 3 eggs and 5 strips of bacon! Service was great, fast and friendly! It is a small place and can get a little noisy. If you have to wait to get seated, do it, it's well worth the wait. read more

Large breakfasts, but not cheap diner prices. It seems that many a tourist comes here and it can be quite busy. Overall, pretty good, I would come back again, but I wouldn't go out of my way just to come here. read more

My favorite spot for breakfast in the city. The omelets have double yoked eggs and are delicious. The coffee is also really good and plentiful. Sometimes there is a line that goes out the door, but an employee comes out and gives you donut holes during the wait. This is also a good lunch spot because the service is very fast. read more

Absolutely the best breakfast I've had in a long time. The waitress was fantastic very helpful ,and just like it says the "best cup of coffee in the world". You get a lot of food for the money, you better go there hungry. One of the original restaurants along Route 66. Great atmosphere! read more

Total old school diner! Hot and cold cereal, omelets, and grilled, YES! grilled muffins!!!! I am sure pancakes, waffles and french toast are great, although I haven't had them here, at least recently. read more

Great diner food! Food came to the table exactly as ordered. Service by Beverly was the best! She took very good care of us!