I was at Pauline's for breakfast, and ordered an omelette. After a few bites, I pulled hair from my food. It clearly was not mine. The kitchen staff does not wear hairnets or hair coverings, and we saw one of them vaping while preparing food. Pauline's comped my meal, but was otherwise unphased by the incident. This place is absolutely disgusting, and I do not recommend it. read more

Good comfort food, friendly staff, iconic place. Parking is street but not hard to find a spot.

Pauline's has been one of my favorite breakfast/brunch places for as many years as have lived in the area (29). Their decor is first rate as are their omelettes, pancakes, and sandwiches. Their service is friendly and efficient. I'm so happy they continue to serve this community. read more

I've been here so many times over the years I can barely count. I always find it delicious and better yet, every time I go I get exactly the same service and food quality. It is standard diner breakfast fare yet it's so tasty and homemade feeling. Really seasoned and never bland, always hearty. We usually go when it's Warmer out and get patio seating. Service is standard but the food usually takes a while to come out. But I really don't care cuz it's worth the wait. The inside is a little cramped and super kitschy (and sometimes I wonder what will happen if you wipe down the wall....how dirty is it gonna be? LOL) but that doesn't stop me. Love the place and hope they stick around forever! Plus I love the old gent with the macaws that always hangs out front. read more

Pauline's - Diners Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I don't know what has happened to this heretofore choice neighborhood go-to for a decent, well-priced breakfast, but it ain't what it used to be. Not even close. It's not that they don't care, it's that the standard and quality of service has slipped - BIG time. Maybe I caught them on a bad day? Let's start with the positives. Friendly service and a bright, fun, kitschy (imaginative) atmosphere. The roadside diner feel has its appeal, but honestly, it used to be tidier, cleaner with a more curated ambiance. Now, if you want to sit on a the bench upfront for a moment to tie your shoe, there is simply no room; you have to push aside some crap (supplies?) which is probably more of a fire hazard than anything of purpose or a design element. In other words, it needs a good cleaning and the attention of organization. The food: the bacon was good -- the rest, in a word, unimaginative. There are way better places for creatively inspired neighborhood eats, like your own kitchen, for one - and I do mean that. My selection was the veggie omelette. Pretty sure they are trying to stretch their egg supply as this was more crêpe-like wrapped vegetables than hearty egg omelette, and yes, with the same overinflated prices you see nowadays for anything with eggs. But at Pauline's you get LESS egg for more dough! No eggaggeration. See what I did there? Honestly, it was more like a 1-2 egg thin crepe. This very sad 'omelette' came with a side of absolutely flavorless potatoes with peppers (except for tasting like, well, potatoes, I'll give it that). NO seasoning or flavor whatsoever! Seriously, no salt or anything to awaken the flavor of the vegetables. Not surprisingly, my dining partner left most of his 3 sunny-side up eggs with corned beef hash and same potatoes, on his plate. Needless to say, he left feeling un-impressed, un-happy and just plain pissed off like he'd just gotten, well, egged. Pauline's also needs to pay more attention to table maintenance stocking supplies like creamers, sweeteners, napkins, etc (you get one napkin with your utensils and that's it). Upkeep in the bathroom would also be nice. No towels. If anyone in ownership or management is reading this review, PLEASE make the effort to keep Pauline's going strong because it used to be a decent neighborhood place. Now it just feels...haphazard and trashy. Unless it gets a serious infusion and renewal, I won't be returning any time soon. I might give it six months and try again ... if it's still around. read more

Such a cute little diner with a cool history in the middle of a neighborhood. I'd say it's a corner gem. Staff is super friendly, food was tasty and I'd suggest it for breakfast or lunch. Specials and food are made to order fresh. read more

Overall: Great atmosphere, but just decent food and service. Nothing to write home about. The good: The atmosphere was very interesting and fun. Lots of stuff going on throughout the restaurant. The outdoor seating looks plentiful and nice. The prices are pretty reasonable. Potatoes were good. The bad: The food is just very average. The veggie omelet was on the colder side and just not great. The service, while friendly, was slow. Atmosphere: 9/10 Service: 7/10 Food: 7/10 read more

Pauline's - Veggie omelette - Diners Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hot garbage, mediocre food at exorbitant prices. I went there on a recommendation of a friend. I wanted a simple meal, 2 pieces of French toast, 2 scrambled eggs with cheese, and bacon. A completely common meal you can find anywhere I was told they "couldn't" do that, and that they sold their French toast in a full order of 6, or a half. And i asked, "ok i can do 3, give me half" and they say no, their half is an order of FOUR. now I'm no mathematical wizard, but half of 6 is 3, so they can ADD an extra piece, but they can't REMOVE an extra? So I'm hungry, and i decided to ignore that and just order the food. What i got was greasy, nasty food that frankly i could have made better at home. The French toast was so starchy and the eggs so slimy that it made finishing the food very difficult. Then i get the bill. TWENTY DOLLARS for this culinary abortion. The audacity to charge real restaurant prices for the slop they served me. And the waiter, who didn't check on us at all, didn't refill our drinks didn't do ANYTHING has the temerity to expect a tip. -10/10 F- Do not recommend. If you want an actual good breakfast place, i recently discovered cozy corner on Clark Street. The food comes immediately, the wait staff are attentive, and guess what-they serve 2 pieces of toast+eggs+bacon FOR 9 DOLLARS. Pauline's is the worst breakfast I've ever had-and I've spent 7 months in Afghanistan. I wouldn't wish their food on ISIS. read more

Food's great. But...duct taped seat cushions and. horrible bathroom situation with only cold water. How does the health department let them serve food? read more

Nice neighborhood spot. They have a really nice outdoor area during Covid that spans the block. Easy parking in a peaceful area. The crab eggs benedict should be on your Chicago food bucket list. It's amazing. The crab is fresh and delicious and the sauce is perfection. I didn't used to love their hash browns but they seem to have improved those recently and were really good on the last visit. Crunchy with big pieces of cooked peppers. read more

Delicious home style food, great value. The pancakes are to die for! Cute spot for a low key date!

At this price point and in this neighborhood, there are far better options. We stopped in for breakfast today for the first time in years. Our usual place closes every holiday season and we take the opportunity to check out other local breakfast spots. The food was mediocre, especially given our high bill total. We ordered a waffle with egg and bacon, a southwestern omelette, kid's pancake, kid's egg, small fruit. For drinks we had apple juice for the kids and diet rite (!) and coffee for the grownups. The waffle had a strange oily aftertaste which I think may have been from a cooking spray used on the waffle iron? The homemade chorizo in the omelette was the best part of my meal. However the menu claims that the omelette has 5 eggs in it, but those must be the smallest eggs known to chicken-kind. And the coffee, y'all, it was so sad that I declined everything after the first refill offer. Our total before tip was over $60, which is more than we pay at our favorite place, the one with the gourmet menu and epic coffee. Service was just ok, nothing inviting, nothing off-putting. Side note: booths are not friendly to either booster seats or high chairs, so if you're dining with a kid, avoid the booths. read more

I love coming here because it is in my neighborhood, and has small town feel. The food is good and service is friendly. read more

Wonderful experience here this morning! They quickly accommodated our party of 6 on the patio. The service was fantastic! Plenty of help and all worked together and were very attentive, making sure we always had everything we needed and wanted. The menu has great options, from healthy to decadent. Our party had a variety--eggs, omelets, pancakes, potatoes, biscuits & gravy. All were well-presented and delicious! The OJ is fresh squeezed and our sons said it was very good. Good coffee and they never let our cups run dry! Portions are large, so we had some "take home" to enjoy later. This place is what you hope for in a quaint, city restaurant. We'll definitely be back--still lots on the menu we want to try! read more

Amazing corn beef hash, potatoes everything is wonderful and service is great, can't ask for more than that at a breakfast/lunch place

I like to joke that breakfast is one of my five favorite meals of the day. Well this is one of my favorite places to have that meal. Generous portions, well prepared, good service and most of all tasty food. If you're looking for a real breakfast this is the place. read more

Hard NO, take a pass--and we have been going here sporadically for years. Recent mid week- mid morning visit- $8.55 for a single cold hard dry waffle (likely cooked many hours earlier) and $4.55 for two links of sausage (which were reheated by splitting and putting on the flattop--standard procedure). Would have sent the waffle back and asked to be taken off the bill- but the server never came back---and at this point we were the only diners (outnumbered by staff- assuming there actually was a cook and not just two servers and a busboy). 3.25 for a cup of coffee (which they refilled once). Coffee was good and eggs/hash/toast dish was done well. Heartbreakingly bad service. read more

Great food! Sadly they seem to constantly mess up our orders making it super unreliable for pickup. They either leave something out, or put something in that we requested to not be there. When they get the order right they are really good, sadly we stopped going there as often because we just got tired of not being able to trust that the order would be correct when we picked it up. read more

damn this diner breakfast was SO GOOD. I already wanna go back. quirky space - great service

LOUSY SERVICE! Good food, fun place, outdoor dining, not expensive, pleasant but totally uncoordinated service. Went for brunch on a Sunday. Our table for four was ready within 20 minutes- not unreasonable. However, I asked for a straw for my iced tea from three different staff members before I got one fifteen minutes later. I also requested silverware with the same results. Our food arrived 45 minutes after ordering, except my son didn't get his order for over ten minutes later. My mom ordered a Mexican omelette which comes with guacamole and sour cream. She asked the server several times for them but no one brought them to her until several minutes after my son got his meal. The sour cream and guacamole came in pre-packed containers. It's bad enough having the awkwardness of someone in a party not being served at the same time. When you sit FOREVER waiting for a missing meal while other tables are getting served (people that came much later). To not have sides brought with the food and wait for close to half an hour. This place is poorly managed. Ironically, when we got the items we asked for and waited an unusually long time for, we thanked the servers who would respond "no problem!" HAHA- it was no problem, we would have gotten what we requested in a timely manner!!! read more

Got a take out order of soup with my burger. The soup was COLD. Not lukewarm. Cold! Like they took it out of the fridge and just put it in a to-go container. I took a spoon full of it and spit it out. It was disgusting. That type of LAZINESS on the part of the kitchen staff ruined this place for me. Simply rude. I'm disappointed, because I live close to Pauline's and really wanted to like this place. read more

Pauline's - gross! - Diners Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Pauline's is a throwback to a bygone era. It's a charming fixture for decades in the Ravenswood neighborhood. It's definitely not "urban chic", but the place is clean and the staff is efficient and extremely welcoming. Pauline's serves breakfast and lunch and offers many choices for both. Of particular note is the multitude of pancake options. Omelets are overwhelming in that they are made with 5 eggs, but you can also take half home if you so choose. A place worth a visit but stay away from their busy weekends. read more

The settings is very run down. However, the food was really good. I had the steak with eggs and it was okay and spiced up to my likings. My friend recommend the egg Benedict and since he come here often I would go with his recommendations. Prices are fair and I'm usually about the cheap prices but good food. read more

Pauline's - Diners Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

How long have they been in this location... I would come here in the 90's and now again they always serves up a good breakfast. Sure the tables, chairs, and plates are a hodge podge of styles but it adds to the charm. Great waitstaff, and a nice outdoor patio to enjoy in the warmer months. read more

Good service and even better food! Best pancakes I have ever had :) it's definitely pretty tucked away and hard to find but I guess that makes it even more worth it! read more

Tried Pauline's again because they took brunch reservations online. Got there and there was no record of my reservation although I had confirmation. The restaurant was dirty with a half full beverage sitting out on a shelf. My sister ordered oatmeal while my nephew and I ordered eggs. The waitress brought my sister's oatmeal quickly and we encourage her to to start eating before it got cold. We waited and waited for my nephew and my food while we watched a couple sit down, order, get there food, eat, pay and leave. 40 minutes later my nephew got his eggs but no toast. My meal (scrambled eggs) was still not ready. 5 more minutes it came but still no toast for my nephew or the side of hash we had ordered. Finally the toast and hash (cold) came, wrong kind and the check. We had been told by our waitress we could substitute the hash for the potatoes for my nephew but were charged for them. So not only did we have to pay for the hash but my nephew didn't get the potatoes. When we let the manager know all that had happened they just took the cost of the three coffees off the menu. Definitely not going back. read more

the food is fantasti. the service could not be better. at least five people gave us prompt, courteous and really friendly service feels like being home with Mom and Dad we will be back! read more

This place had a friendly family atmosphere.It is a place I would come back time and time again.Good portions ..I had the country plate ,I shared pancakes and eggs with other family members.Thank you Monica for bringing us here...The wild squirrels and birds were a pleasant experience. read more

Hadn't been there in along time forgot how good the food was. Had a really delicious breakfast everything tasted fresh. Will definitely make it a regular stop now. read more

Met up with a friend and suggested this restaurant - glad he did. This a great neighborhood place gathering place. The retro cafe has a good vibe upon entering. We had went during the week for a later lunch so we were able to sit right away. The decor is certainly retro and eclectic. The menu is very decent - plenty of breakfast and lunch options. The server had greeted us within a few minutes had taken our order. She was friendly enough. I had ordered a glass of lemonade and the grilled cheese sandwich. I don't remember what my friend ordered. The meals also came with soup - which was good. The meals were brought to us in the appropriate amount of time. The food with hot and no complaints from us. Service was great. If you want an alternative restaurant away from Clark Street - check this restaurant out. I would return when I'm in the area. read more

It's over, Pauline's. We're THROUGH. I don't know why I keep going back. For real. Is it the bad food? Is it the awful service? Either way, today was my last day. I took a big handful of giant Lifesavers out of the candy basket for the LAST TIME. Our friend Damon N. is bad news. Every time we take him to a former favorite breakfast place, we have an AWFUL experience. Note to everyone: don't eat breakfast with Damon N. I deviated from my norm and went with the biscuits and gravy. It was, by far, the WORST biscuits and gravy I have ever, ever had. EVER. It should have been on the menu as "biscuits and gravy soup". It was all watery and god awful. AWFUL. The service was laughable. Literally. We had to beg for coffee refills. We had to beg for more water. Damon N. asked for his eggs on the side and they came sprinkled on top of the biscuits and gravy. He also ordered raisin toast that never appeared with his breakfast. After 5 minutes of waiting, he reminded the waiter who went to go get it, only to return saying "we're out of raisin toast... my bad". My Dude was cracking up saying this was like a sitcom. Hilarious. Sorry, Pauline's. You've gone down the shitter and I don't want to waste any more money, even if you do have giant pineapple Lifesavers waiting for me for dessert. read more

There are only two words for this place: BUSH. LEAGUE. Actually I could make it three words, but my mother might be reading. The entire experience was a train wreck. All I can do is make a list. 1. We were not greeted, even after I moved directly into the sight line of the "hostess" and made eye contact. I had to arch my eyebrows and hold up two fingers. 2. With half of the tables open, we were not given a choice of indoor/outdoor or booth/table but instead guided directly to the nightmare table: a. Wet b. Cramped (chair backs touching those of the diners behind us) c. Slanted alarmingly sideways (one of my plates actually slid) 3. One of the sets of silverware was undone from the napkin wrapper--not dirty and used, just undone and lying askew on the table. 4. The waitress was incompetent. She didn't wipe off the table, if she even noticed that it was wet; she mumbled and spoke in half-sentences; she attempted to excuse her numerous gaffes with, "Sorry, I'm [eyeroll and fluttery head-level hand gesture]"; and worst of all, she didn't bring me any syrup with my french toast. 5. My girlfriend ordered tea, which came with a giant mug and a tiny pitcher of hot water less than half the size. That is just plain stupid. 6. The food came out like this: my english muffin...[five minutes]...my half-order of french toast...[three minutes]...my omelette...[two minutes]...my girlfriend's pancakes. The english muffin was soggy and cold, the french toast piping hot, the omelette moderately hot, and the pancakes warm. So, not only is the waitress incompetent, so is the kitchen staff. 7. The food sucked. The blueberry pancakes were decent, the french toast barely average, the potatoes less than boring, and the omelette bland and greasy. And that english muffin was the worst I've ever eaten--not only was it cold and soggy, but it had a very strange, unpleasant taste as well. Rancid butter? Bleach? Iguana sweat? Something like that. 8. To top it all off, the "hostess" who failed to greet us after I made eye contact, failed to farewell us in the same situation. No "Thanks, please come again" or "Have a good afternoon"? Well, if you're happy to see my back, Pauline's, I'm even happier to show it to you. Sometimes when a restaurant screws up a lot, depending on the type of place, I might be inclined to think, "Man, that was terrible, but at least their heart is in the right place." Not this time. At no point during the entire ordeal did I ever get the faintest impression that anyone at Pauline's gives a flying fuck about their customers. read more

We go to Pauline's often since it's the closest breakfast place near us. Let me break it down for you: 1. Atmosphere: Pauline's has a very 50's, kitschy, diner-type feel to it. In my opinion, it is the most endearing quality about this place. It even comes with its very own regular who seems to be there almost everyday, sitting outside if the weather is nice, with his parrots. It's a fun place to bring visitors from out-of-town because they always seem to be taken by this place, partly due to the cuteness factor and partly because it doesn't seem like your typical tourist destination. I think it makes them feel like they are eating at a hole-in-the-wall, although I'm pretty sure the secret has been out for quite some time now... 2. Food: Considering they are open until 3pm, they also have a lunch menu, but I haven't been impressed with anything on it. If you're going here, I would stick to breakfast. The fresh squeezed juices are nice. The pancakes and french toast are both very good. The omelettes are huge, but just okay, in my opinion. They come with a side of potatoes which are very good. Try them with the spicy ketchup! 3. Value: I'm not really sure how I feel about the prices. The portions are quite large, but I feel like this is the kind of place that you'd expect to be able to get cheap, standard breakfast fare and it's definitely not cheap. The coffee is bottomless, but it's nothing to write home about. Just your standard run-of-the-mill diner coffee, but that's all I can really ask for from a place like this. read more

Pauline's - Blueberry pancakes! - Diners Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I live in the neighborhood and have had breakfast at Pauline's several times over the years. I would describe the food and overall experience as "average," but my last visit changed that. I would now describe Pauline's as "disgusting." The people that work there are nice, which accounts for the 2 stars instead of 1. Also, the coffee is good. That's it for the positive. The negative: - The staff cleaning the entire restaurant while I'm eating - The strong smell of chemical cleaning agents permeating the air, mixed with grease - Fruit flies swarming my food for the duration of my meal - Omelets are made with some kind of thin, pourable egg product and not fluffy real eggs - An obnoxious sound of pigs being slaughtered throughout my meal. No, I'm not kidding. The noise was so disturbing that I asked my waitress what it was. She said, deadpan, "They are killing the pigs to make bacon." I am still trying to figure out if she was joking. Being a vegetarian, I completely lost my appetite at that point. I asked her again if she was serious or what. She then said: "No no - it's somebody's cell phone." The noise kept repeating. It sounded like a recording of real pigs crying and being butchered. Whether it was someone's ring tone or some video game or what - I have no idea. But it was really, really bad. I got the Feta and Spinach omelet, which like I mentioned above, was a bunch of spinach wrapped in a very thin layer of pourable egg product. It was supposed to have black olives as well, but they were just a few slices of canned olive sprinkled on top. The feta was the cheap kind that's like cottage cheese. Their potatoes are okay. I dunno, this was the kind of experience that will keep me away, probably for good. read more

Really amazing pancakes and amazing pancake selection. Really amazing omelettes and amazing omelette selection. Staff on the phone were super friendly and super helpful. read more

It's probably been a decade since I last had breakfast. Love The Eclectic and homey feel of this place here. It was almost warm enough to sit outside this morning, but 47° is pushing it... I went with the fresh banana bread french toast. No toppings, just a little butter and maple syrup. It was the perfect size for me. It's hard for me to consume a 5 egg omelet. I need to bring a friend for that to happen. Hope to return soon for a sunny morning on the patio. read more

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when you step onto this place, its like you are going back in time. I like to refer to this as a retro breakfast place. They also have a patio. But in order to experience the full experience of this place one should really be sitting indoors. It was a good thing I brought my appetite on my last visit because I had a 5 egg tomato and goat cheese omlette. They take their food very seriously here because my relatives who were with me ordered the pancakes let me taste it and it was super sweet with loads of sugar and syrup...As if that was not enough they put whipped cream on it with the heavy cream that was already on top of it. I guess we should be ready to consume our weeks RDA of sugar products in one meal...It's a tough life, I tell ya. If you dont want to have a coma before the end of the day than you should order the egg omlettes with just the whites,potatos and toast. The last time I was there they took out the toast for me and put in fruit instead. They wait staff seems verypatient with everyone. As I have been here many times in the last 15years, I can remember no time when I felt rushed by anyone to make up my mind what I odered or how long I wanted to stay. Just an observation. The hot chocolate is made in a different way here than in most places. I want to leave this as a surprise for anyone planning to make it out here. Although it is by the metra tracks it has this feel like it is off the beaten path but really it is not. If you want a good place to compare it to, maybe TEMPO on Chestnut and State is a good one although this place has way more options. But not many people can get here during the week because we all don't live in Andersonville and it closes at 3PM Maybe it is overdone or maybe it is not-depends on your mood . If you have visitors from the east coast, I would advise you bring them here because the chances they have a place like this in Hoboken,NJ are very slim. Plenty of food to chose from that is under $11 when ordering with coffee. That's before taxes. read more

If you are given the option of sitting inside or outside, I would definitely sit outside. Although the interior feels like you are sitting in an old diner, the outside is great especially during a nice summers day. I enjoyed seeing the train go by as well as enjoying the local air and scenery. If you check into Yelp, you can get $2 off your bill of $15 or more. They have offerings for both breakfast and lunch, but had opted to eat lunch instead. I am a fan of their ham and bean soup. Also, I had their house salad which was a good sized portion. In addition, my friend's breakfast dishes look quite appetizing as they were completely devoured at the end of our meal. During our meal, the owners of this place decided to bring out their parrots for display. If you want an advance peek of these birds, someone else had posted pictures on their Yelp page. read more

I LOVED THIS DINER SO MUCH! Im from cnada and we came down to visit, by far the best french toast i have ever had. I came here about 1.5 ago, but im h af right now. That day they were serving a cinammon bun french toast, i just cant describe how good it was. Under the glass of the table you can leave a little note or photo or news article clipping. Very cute seeing the past patrons. read more

Three stars based solely on the pancakes (which were large and delicious). The rest of my experience.....not so great. Visited on a Wednesday afternoon, around 12noon. Multiple open tables available outside. I wasn't sure if I needed to go inside to request a table, or wait outside by the service area. While standing outside, several employees passed me by without acknowledgement, so I proceeded to go inside to wait for a host. And wait. And wait and wait. Employees again buzzed by as if I was invisible. So I went back outside and flagged an employee down and asked if a table was open on the patio (there were three available). The employee decided to seat me at the only table without shade. Even though it was a hot day, this was completely understandable as it was a 2-top and the other tables seated 4. The busboy immediately brought a glass of water (in a filthy glass). The server finally arrived after 10 minutes to take my order. I got the 3 eggs and pancake special. She asked if I wanted a beverage. I ordered the mango orange juice, but she said they were out. After finishing my breakfast (pancake and eggs were both excellent), it took her another 10 minutes to come by and deliver the check. As I finished signing my credit card slip, I heard her taking the order of the guest at the next table over. Judging by the server's interaction with this patron, he was a regular. He also ordered a mango-orange juice, which suddenly they were no longer "out of". I was going to question her about this, but at this point I was ready to get out of the sun and heat. read more