I've been there several times over the past year. They never disappoint! Expect a long wait when you decide to visit during the rush period. read more

hadn't been to bongo for awhile, but i'm glad we revisited, because our experience was so good. sat at the counter, which is not usually my choice, but here it's a good one, because you can carry on a conversation easily despite the background noise, which can be considerable, and the counter server was so laid back and friendly, with the coffee pot grafted to her arm. i had a heck of a time choosing between sweet and savory, ended up with the rock shrimp benedict which did not disappoint: shrimp were tender and sauce was not too heavy and complemented it well, potatoes were well browned and seasoned; tasted of bacon, maybe? hub had the chocolate french toast which, no matter how you look at it, is dessert, not breakfast, but if you accept that fact, it was really yummy. bread was moist and the melty soft chips combined with the creamy sauce made for a way too decadent first meal of the day. seriously though, it's enough sweetness to last a week, so be prepared. other than that, the high ceilinged industrial space does echo around considerable sound, there are booths available seating eight, including a number of wee folk who add to the din, so really, counter seating is more conducive to conversation than a standard table. i'll try that again next time. we have concluded however, that this isn't a regular go-to breakfast destination for us. tab came to $40 including tip, which is more than we want to drop every sat., but o.k. for an occasional foray. as to those bemoaning the wait: if it's the weekend and you don't want to wait, as with any of the popular brunch places in chicago, get there when it opens and that problem is solved. read more

HEDONISTIC. The best pancakes you will have in Chicago! And also probably close to the best breakfast, period. Their pancakes are a hedonistic delight of dessert + meal merged into one. Their menus seem to shift periodically, but all I can say is that every pancake type that I have tried has been heavenly (and I think I've tried about 8 different kinds). I love that you can order anywhere from 1 to 3 pancakes for each stack. I tend to go for single pancakes in a variety of flavors to share with friends so that we can try the greatest number. I've also tasted their french-toast as well as breakfast burrito, and they were equally fantastic. read more

Not bad. I really wanted a sandwich but alas I can't have wheat, so I stuck with the salad selection. I had the Smoked Asian Chicken salad which was ok but not fantastic. The rice noodles were too hard and the chicken was actually cut up pieces of what seemed like deli turkey. The dressing was quite tasty though. My friend had the steak and cremini mushroom salad which looked really good and the sandwiches my table got also looked excellent. The pancakes and french toast looked scrumptious. read more

Love this place. Great people, vibe, food, and prices. How can you beat that?

Such interesting pancake combos...incredible portions. A little cramped dining room, but I'll deal for the delicious breakfast creations!

Holy carb overloard, but worth every bite. Delish pancakes! Very good brunch spot to go with friends or if the fam is in town.

Bongo Room is as good as it gets for brunch in Chicago! I find this place to be similar to M. Henrys in Edgewater. Both the sweet breakfast plates are just as delicious as the hearty breakfast plates. I would opt for BOTH when ordering. read more

Love the Bongo Room. It's abgreat spot for breakfast with friends. Be advised though, this is far from ordinary breakfast. It's more like "dessert as breakfast". There is alot more than sweet stuff though, super eggs benidict(s), and some vegetarian options as well. It's a special occaision place, not an everyday kind of place. And yes, expect a minimum of 30 minutes wait, sometimes as much as an hour. Best to get there, put your name in and go do some window shopping in cool Wicker Park. read more

Holy pancakes, Batman! We went on a Saturday at 1pm and finally got seated around 2pm...and it was SO worth the wait! I was indecisive between the pancakes, french toast and omelet. I asked the waitress and her recommendation was the ricotta lemon blueberry pancakes with whatever kind of yummy spread comes with it..and oh. my. god. Seriously, those are hands-down the best pancakes I've ever had in my life..and I don't even really like lemon that much! But the 3 flavors blend together so perfectly, it's insane. My husband, who is picky picky picky when it comes to food, was enamored by the pancakes as well. I would go stand in that line every weekend just to get me some of those crack-laced pancakes. No joke, you must go. read more

Attended: Oct, 31st, 2010. 12pmish. Party of 8 First of all, this place is highly overrated. I've heard so many great things about this place and I was severely disappointed. Pros: I didn't mind the wait because the Worm Hole is a couple doors down, and they have rocking coffee and an awesome ambiance. Check them out. At any rate The Bongo Room's wait was 1 hr, which to me meant that it must have been a hot location. The menu is quite creative and the ingredients are quite good. Bussers were really nice and were very helpful throughout the meal. Cons: The server that we had for our meal was not as friendly as she could have been. She barely only came back to the table and wasn't helpful at at. When it seems like you do not want to help a customer that doesn't sit well with me. The space in this place ins't adequate for large groups, and there were too many two and four top tables. Three booths in the back that cannot comfortably sit 8 doesn't cut it either. The flavors of the food missed completely. It wasn't that great to be perfectly honest, it was simply meh. The tastiest portion of the meal? The potatoes were seasoned well. As someone who doesn't like hollandaise or pancakes and waffles doused with sugar and chocolate I wasn't impressed with the menu offerings. Whereas they were creative they wasn't enough for everyone. Brunch drinks are way overpriced and complete profit generators for the restaurant. Not to mention the $15 per person ticket price for breakfast. The kitchen staff looks very undertrained for a busy Sunday morning. Especially I noticed that the hollandaise wasn't kept in a proper place to keep a safe holding temperature. Above the ranges near the hoods, sucks temperature out of items and the kitchen. I realize it's to keep the hollandaise at a decent temp, without breaking it. But you shouldn't cut costs at a price of your customers health. Also with large groups they charge gratuity. If they do this to you, and service isn't up to par. You don't have to pay the gratuity. This doesn't make the service staff work better, it makes them work less. Overall I'd say there are other places for a good breakfast on a Sunday. The price just wasn't worth the flavor and the ambiance of this place. Seems like people just wait in line because it's supposed to be good. You could argue that quality is a factor, however it's not that much better than IHOP or Denny's in comparison.Not to mention I could get a better tasting meal there. For good breakfast go to Clarke's on Belmont. You'll save money, and have a better meal. read more

i love bongo room. so. damn. much. even though we live close by, we don't get there as often as we would like. there's always a wait but it is absolutely worth it if you have the time. i would say bongo room is much better for the sweet style brunch. and less desirable if you tend to like savory brunch. they have a lot of options either way, but in my experience, they're more experts on the sweet side. i always opt for one of their gourmet pancakes. some of these change seasonally and i always try whatever seems new. they never disappoint. i've also had a bunch of the benedicts they offer. these are great too, although, if you're going to bongo room, go for the indulgence - get the pancakes or french toast etc. yum. just yum. read more

What can I say...luv this place. Actually tried something different, vegetarian croissant sandwich, deelish. Only way this could be better is if they moved to my hood in Los Angeles. read more

I got the croissant sandwich(egg,bacon,cheese);it was delicious. Hash browns on the side. The hash browns are nothing too special, I prefer them crispier. Staff is very welcoming. The portions are huge so if you are a light eater you may want to share with someone. read more

I love this place and can't get enough. I brought visitors from all over the country and even abroad and the concur. Brunch on the weekends is a bit of a wait, but worth it. I have tried the delicious veggie croissant and the sweet potato black bean burito for brunch. For breakfast, you absolutely must taste the pancakes. I have never had better, my top two favorites are the chocolate pretzel and the banana oreo with vanilla sauce. There is also a caramel apple one and a red velvet. They are to die for! Take this one word of advice and order a single portion, it comes with one huge pancake with all the toppings which is more than enough and cuts down on the price. Seriously, I love eating and this was plenty! read more

When the love of pancakes goes over the rainbow, you wind up in The Bongo Room. Grand. Just plain ol' Grand.

Delicious food! The BLT eggs Benedict was "the best in Chicago," according to my sister and husband. I ordered a veggie skillet (not on the menu), and they were very accommodating. After reading the reviews, we ordered one of each: red velvet pancake, pretzel crusted pancake, and brioche French toast. Each of us had a favorite. My favorite was the pretzel crusted! The others were too sweet. And... The bloody Mary and blackberry mimosas were perfect. We can't wait to go back! read more

Outstanding! I've been here dozens of times and there is no better place for brunch in this city. The food is creative, fresh, and very tasty. It's definitely a place to indulge. I would not go here if you're on a diet. The pretzel pancakes are to die for. The seasonal pumpkin pancakes are also delicious. It's obvious they use fresh ingredients and took the time to design every item on the menu. The service is always good despite the long waits. I always bring out of towners here and they love it. read more

Easy to get into if you're early (I don't like lines so we got there before it opens...) My fiancé had the chocolate & banana pancakes... I don't remember what I got. I just know I should have got that (or split it with him). It's all I ate anyways... Gimmicky breakfast but it was amazing. I will be back to order those pancakes all for myself. read more

Came here for the first time this summer and was blown away. Banana Heath pancakes keep the body count low. Cannot wait to take the BFF to the sister location in the South Loop tomorrow for his bday brunch. read more

Yummyyy in my tummy. I never heard until my friend brought me. We were seated right away. We both ordered eggs, potatoe, with chorizo !!! One word DELICIOUS!!! The chorizo was so tasty , over easy eggs perfect, & potatoes were my favorite. Deff going back again, again & again !! read more

The food is SO AMAZING!!! The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because of the 45 minute wait, but, to be fair, it's worth it, just don't expect to be seated immediately and don't go if you're starving. Their salted caramel pancakes are incredible. read more

P.A.N.C.A.K.E.S. You have to try them here!!! Either wait in line or get there early, or get take out, do what you gotta do. Also they keep you on the tip of your taste buds because they change up they're menu for the seasons.Anyway they're amazingly creative and delicious. Examples: caramel white chocolate pretzel or the red velvet or banana hazelnut or etc... what?! Yes. Go there. read more

The white chocolate pretzel pancakes here are enough to make your blood sugar surge. I didn't need syrup it was so sweet. By no means a regular thing but it's worth the trip. The coffee here is quality, give it a go! read more

No wait on a weekday morning. After reading all of the reviews, I ordered the white chocolate pretzel pancakes. The first few bites are AMAZING, but it's difficult to continue after that. Really tasty, but a massive portion and very sweet. All of the food coming out looked great. I will try an egg dish next time! read more

Super sweet and decadent breakfasts! I opted for the egg salad sandy as a savory lunchtime option and it did not disappoint. Go during weekday or off-hours if you can, place gets super busy but their good eats are trendy for a reason; check it out. read more

05.19.14 with one other Luckily no wait for us for breakfast and the food was delicious. Great service / friendly and attentive. There were so many things on the menu that we wanted to try. The people who live near by are lucky. read more

I was put onto this place because I was to have a breakfast meeting there on a Saturday, but the line was way too long. So, I came on a Monday for my last meal in my home country before I flew abroad. I was sorely disappointed. I ordered, simply, 2 eggs over-medium, sausage and English Muffin. When it arrived, I tried the potatoes first, which were lukewarm at best. The English Muffin was hot and the butter melted. Then I broke into the egg and yolk ran all over my plate! That's not over-medium! I wouldn't have sent it back because of the potatoes, but because there were 2 fouls, I did. While I waited, I was given a fresh-but-cold English Muffin and a side plate with my sausages on them...ummmm...WTF? My potatoes and eggs come, and the potatoes are hot and the eggs...still over-easy. I can't be bothered to send them back AGAIN! The wait staff were friendly, but something was up in the kitchen. If you can't get the simplest American Breakfast right, you need serious re-training or another business. read more

The Bongo Room - Who thinks this is over-medium? The variety of ways to cook eggs is the foundation of the All-American Breakfast! Get it right! - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Loved the red velvet pancakes! Luckily I just had 1 because I had the breakfast chorizo/avocado omelet as well. I dined on a Wednesday morning and was able to get seated right away. I loved their coffee too! I wish I had tried their mimosas really wanted one. Maybe next time ! read more

When coming here, we had to wait about 30-40 minutes to be seated, which was fine since there are a lot of shops around. Once we were seated though, our food came out really fast. I ordered Strawberry and banana pancakes and a deconstructed lobster roll. Both we SO good. The only thing I must say is that the food is very heavy, but I realized all Chicago food is too heavy for my California self. Anyways, I definitely recommend and will be back next time I am in Chicago! read more

Had the lobster eggs benedict and it was good. We also had the chorizo avocado omelette and that was also very good. Service was good. The wait was over an hour long. read more

I love coming here. The breakfast burrito and french toast is sooooo good. They have a bar too so get a mimosa or bloody with that brunch on a Saturday. read more

Still busy on a Monday morning, but worth the 10 minute wait. Tomatillo scramble was delicious!

Pretty much the best breakfast ever. We came on after a long night on July 4th, had a bit of a wait but it was worth every second. Not only did I have the most sensual experience with a pancake I have ever had but I also got to test out one of the most delicious eggs be idiots I have had. The home fries were super killer and well to be honest I love it here read more

Breakfast review. Friendly service. LARGE portions. Food was pretty good, but not memorable.

Super crowded on Saturday morning. Visiting a friend in Chicago and I wanted to see what the hype about this place was about. Got an omelet, portions are huugee. Definitely a different experience from SoCal brunch eateries, but a good impression of how Chicagoans do brunch. Would definitely like to come back to try other dishes. read more

The line is outrageous! They seem to specialize in Benedict style breakfast. The other plates were good. However the french toast was Amazing and worth the wait. read more

Great food and service. Just what you would expect for a delicious brunch. The place is nice but the atmosphere could be improved.

I always love this place when I come to Chicago but I'm shocked maybe the success has gotten to their heads but no substituting. Really? That's rough for us out of towners who don't get to come in a lot and want to try everything they possibly can in their short timeframe. Oh well still can't take away from the fact that it's always a good meal here. read more

This place has the best breakfast in the city. They started the fancy pancake trend in Chicago and no one does it better to this day. I used to go there when it was tiny and under the el tracks on Damen. The owners have maintained their high standards all these years later. read more