The food's okay. It's a decent place for an average, affordable diner meal. The servers are odd and the overall service needs improvement.

Haven't been here in a few years. This place is still awesome. Excellent salad with great choice of dressings. Feta cheese omelette with spinach was very good as well. And I ordered heard a Waldorf salad to go. I don't see that on the menu too often these days. Oh and the waitress we had, Caitlyn, was wonderful too. read more

homey atmosphere.. kinda cute i guess. but how is it different from denny's or Ihop? bigger portions. food is just so-so.

seems like this should be the little out of the way diner that would be a find. i found it to be just okay. the good. the trifecta pancakes (blueberry/strawberry/banana) were tasty. wheat toast was okay. coffee was fine. got some milk because the little half and half tubs were sitting out in the sun with the melted butter. the meh. salmon/asparagras/ goat cheese omelet. the three things thrown into some eggs unceremoniously. the chunky stringy bottoms of the asparagras stalks. no attempt to make it an actual omelette. potatoes...okay. had onions and peppers, which i love, but some potatoes undercooked and pretty generally flavorless. the bad. not many people there but almost all the outdoor tables were not cleaned...of anything. scraps, spills, dirty plates. we were greeted with a "sit anywhere". then no one came to help us. some other people sat down and eventually were greeted by someone. we looked expectantly her way but our table with no water or menus didn't seem to draw her anyones attention, not one of two waitresses or two buspeople. we were one of a total of 3 occupied tables outside. finally she came and apologized for not knowing it was her table. i appreciate that, but at some point, one of the 4 people working the outside area could have checked in, brought at menu, some water. the straw that broke it. though they were open, with customers still coming in, someone was cleaning, with ammonia, right next to the outdoor seating area, for most of the time we were there. not even in the seating area, but washing rugs and other things from the place with the smarting and toxic smells of ammonia and chemicals infecting the otherwise passable breakfast. timing. and maybe you shouldn't do your cleaning right next to the seating area until you're closed. i've been there only a few times, and it's been just okay. i want it to be that special little treasure of the neighborhood and it's not. read more

The food here is decent but after 3 visits I can safely say that the bad service we've had here is no abberation, it's the norm. The servers are slow, always seem to be in a terrible mood, and treat even the simplest requests as major inconveniences. Each time we've gone my boyfriend has requested that the toast which comes with his breakfast come on a separate plate - each time we've been told that the kitchen is "really busy" (even when the place is half empty) and they're not sure if the request can be accomodated. REALLY?!?! They can't put *toast* on a separate plate?!?! Ridiculous. And twice we've gotten their smoothies, had a fair amount left over, and requested to-go cups at the end of our meal - each time we've watied in vain for 10 minutes or more before I break down, go inside, and get my own. Sigh. The only thing that really redeems this place is their patio space, which is nice, but not worth the hassle. read more

The service was pretty good, or fast. not sure if good service = fast service all the time. anyways, i ordered the veggie omelette. needless to say, and i dont know why restaurants keep making this mistake, but the veggies were undercooked and still hard. the eggs were not seasoned at all. could it hurt to throw in a pinch of salt? or atleast some garlic? my boyfriend ordered some omelette with feta and spinach, and it tasted like shit. it was watery, and weird. zero taste, zero seasoning, alot of excess water.. he only took 2 bites. i asked the waiter to take it back and she looked at me like she knew exactly what i was talking about. atleast the service was ok but i shan't return there. read more

My partner and i went here for breakfast the other morning and it was very cute a playful, the food was good diner food and the service was good. we will go back. its a night neighborhood place. read more

Great breakfast. Pancakes are great, short stack is really large, eggs were tasty. I can't say anything bad about this place.

Maybe we ordered the wrong things ( but why were they on the menu?). The food was pretty bad. I ordered their "spinach pie" which was a greasy microwaved thing of dubious oirgin..It had a crust of some kind, but it was all grease soaked. I was going to order a BLT , and asked the waitress if the tomatoes were good ( because that is important in a blt) . She replied," Oh , I don't know, I have been off all week".My friend ordered a Rueben. A big mistake. Some dry corned beef thrown on drier bread. We got the soup with our order, and although we ordered two different soups, we got the same one, and couldn't tell who had the right one!! They try too hard with the "cuteness" , too, having handled glasses that are made to look like mason jars.... I wanted to like the place. I have passed it many times and wanted to go in...a big disappointment. I guess , if you go, stick to eggs......but I wouldn't bother. They do have a nice side walk seating area that would be a nice place to sip coffee... read more

Ate lunch inside, smelled like old mop water. We ordered three meals - all bad. Previously frozen burger patty, hard and greasy. Grilled cheese with so much cheese it wasn't all melted. Plate full of sloppy, flavorless spaghetti. For such a great location and cute spot it's very disappointing. Prices are reasonable, but they need to focus more on the quality of the food. Hopefully breakfast is better, but not sure I'll go back to give it a try. read more

Love it. Great food, comfortable environment, friendly service. Not cheap but reasonable.

I Love Pauline's. Everything is fresh, the service is awesome. I highly recommended!

the owner was very rude and the food is greasy ...i would never return to this pit ....too many better places to eat at than this dump ....stay away read more

Great breakfast, haven't been for lunch or dinner yet. By 9:30 am they have a huge line, so get there early to get a booth.

Nice relaxing place for breakfast or lunch. Not much atmosphere (cheap boring prints on the walls). Their bean soup is ok and their blueberry pancakes are ok. Their egg dishes seem ok... It's a good neighborhood spot, tucked away by the ravenswood el tracks. Their service is friendly, but their food does not excite me like it used to... read more

Just visited Pauline's for the first time March 16, 2013. We had seven people. The server was a pro and very personal and on top of things. Substitutions no problem. And now the important part: the pancakes are AMAZING! Our whole party was enthused and giddy with banana multigrain and fresh strawberry with a dollop or real whipped cream, great bacon. We all said this was the best pancake breakfast we'd ever had. And three eggs with the pancakes? Well, ok then. read more

It was my first time @ Pauline's I was passing through the area and was delighted to have such a wonderful outstanding time. I had the Special Peach Pancakes OMG so so GOOD. My server Marlena was Fabulous so outgoing and attentive gave suggestions and was very outgoing with wonderful smile. It was fast quick delightful service. If you get the chance Please be sure and stop and see the specials and the prices are very reasonable you will be sure to return as i will again this weekend and the decor of the place was unbelievable so very impressive and interesting so much to look at and the unique things to see. The place was exceptional clean i was very impressed. I would have to give this place a ***** rating as well as my server. A place you would have to see to believe. see you next weekend. Thank you Marlena I'm telling everyone i know and bringing my Girlfriends with me that will be so surprised and I"m delighted to bring them. Hope to see you again. Thank You again, Kime read more

Great food and service! Love their blueberry pancakes and omlettes. Not a place for those looking for healthy options, although they do offer things like turkey sausage and chicken sausage. It's just great home cooked breakfast with a few delicious twists! Decor is pretty busy with many mix-matched antiques, toys, pictures....... Feels a little like a country breakfast joint with a cozy atmosphere! read more

I just moved to the Chicago area and I had been interested in trying various brunch places. The problem is that I tried to find a brunch place open on a Monday afternoon. I looked for places that served brunch in the Rogers Park area in Chicago and stumbled upon Pauline's. When I first walked in, I noticed the smell. Being from the south, the smell of good Ol' country cuisine pervaded the air. The waitress was attentive, offering more coffee at least four times. I ordered the Salmon Omelette, which was divine. The food came very quickly, and being that I ate at 10:30am, everything was perfect. I would definitely recommend this place. It mixes the old diner kind of feel with comfort food and innovation. It is also located in a residential area, which makes it quite charming. read more

An affordable, greasy spoon diner with some unexpected non-greasy spoon touches. It has everything you'd expect of a breakfast-and-lunch joint: big, overly cheesy omelettes (The Fresh Broccoli Crown And Asparagus, South American, and Country Time are favorites.), giant pancakes loaded with chocolate chips, crispy breakfast potatoes. Everything's cooked on a big griddle, with short-order cooks constantly in motion. The nice surprises are the fresh made juices - they'll juice anything! Try the beet, carrot & orange! - and the sunny, dog-friendly patio on a quiet corner (minus the occasionally passing Metra). Pauline is evidently a big dog lover, because there are also photos of dogs up for adoption posted all over the restaurant. It's cash-only, but has an ATM. If you go on a weekend, you'll see who I refer to as 'The Parrot Guy', a quiet, mustached man who pushes his two macaws, Sam and Bruno, around on a baby buggy throughout the neighborhood. If he's a fan of Pauline's, so am I. read more

Pauline's is a perfectly nice little breakfast spot. The fact it's "off the beaten path" is a plus because it's away from the noise and congestion of Clark Street. My dining companion and I went on a Saturday morning and had no wait for a booth inside the restaurant, which is charmingly decorated with whimsical knickknacks, multicolored upholstered seats and checkered vinyl tablecloths. Based on some reviews I checked the latter for wet or dirty spots - nope, clean as a whistle. We were waited on and served promptly and got water and coffee refills. The papaya orange juice came in a mason-jar mug and was delicious. I didn't get the coffee but my friend remarked it was good. The French toast and strawberries I ordered was perfectly fine. Was it the most spectacular French toast I've ever tasted? No, it cost $7.25 and I wouldn't expect it to be. The Pauline's potatoes were also yummy. I can't speak for their eggs and bacon since I don't eat either. Except for some overzealous plate-clearing (when a diner still has a fork in their hand, it's safe to assume they are not finished with their meal), the service was efficient. Neither neglectful nor overly solicitous. The check was not brought out unacceptably early. You have to pay your bill up at the cash register. They have pictures of dogs available for adoption on the walls and water bowls for pooches outside: bonus points. In sum: It's not brunch at the Drake, it's a cute, cheery, no-frills neighborhood breakfast joint that I will definitely go back to. read more

I've had many great experiences at Pauline's, but my last visit was terrible. I went with a group of friends and the waitress treated us with no respect- probably due to the fact that we were teenagers. She rolled her eyes when we asked a simple question, rushed us, and was annoyed when we inquired on whether or not we could do separate checks. Many of us ordered pancakes with our meal and when they were brought out, it was simply pancakes on a plate; no whipped cream or strawberries as the menu promised. We then saw many other pancake plates coming out of the kitchen topped with generous amounts of whipped cream and strawberries. We decided to ask another waitress about it and she was surprised that our waitress hadn't given us any! Also my toast was stale as if she gave me someone's old toast that didn't get eaten the day before, it was disgusting. I feel like all of the misfortune throughout this Pauline's visit can be traced back to our awful and rude waitress. I'll definitely go back because it's good food overall, but I will be praying that I don't get that waitress again. read more