Excellent experience all around. The wait time was short and the staff were bright, courteous and engaging. The dining room was clean; staff were always present clearing tables and spills. The restrooms were well maintained. Although the meals were a bit pricey and the portion sizes was moderate, I'd happily go again. The food was superb! Well seasoned but not salty. Definitely as close to home cooked dishes as you can get. For a first impression on a busy Sunday, they made it easy to boast about sharing my picky mother's birthday. Even the woman who would complain to the Lord about a cool summer day had nothing but praise. Thank you and hope to see you soon! read more

Waffles are good. Wait time was about 1 1/2 hours. We arrived at 1:00pm without a reservation for a party of 5 on Sunday. They don't take reservations for groups under 5, which is crazy to me. The place is small and should take reservations for that reason. The decor is lovely. Hopefully they will consider putting tables outside weather permitting. I will definitely go back and try the other items. read more

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I visited the restaurant with my parents on a busy Sunday morning, the weekend before Christmas. It took awhile to be seated, but with no reservations allowed, the wait was to be expected, although the system for checking people in needs to be revamped. The service was slow and the food delivery slow as well, but there were a lot of people. Overall, the food was tasty. We got two grit flights and one waffle flight with a side of grilled chicken. The grit flights were flavorful, but unfortunately mostly grits with minimal meat topping. The waffles were tasty and the chicken was well seasoned. My biggest issue came with the bill. We were up-charged for every item on our bill. When confronted, the manager claimed to not know how that happened. Based on that, although the food was tasty, we won't return. Make sure you check your bill, seems they're banking on people not checking. read more

Visited The Waffle Lounge today for breakfast with a group of friends who wanted to patronize a black restaurant on MLK Day. We are Black and want to support our community economically. We had 8 people so it took a little time to be seated and the restaurant was busy. Once we were seated the server informed us that two of their servers had called off today and that it would take a little time for service. We were fine with that and asked the server to bring us 8 cups of coffee and we would be happy to accommodate the service gaps. After 30 minutes we still did not have coffee and had to ask a couple more times before it finally arrived. Another 10 minutes later the server arrived to take our order. At that point we were informed there was no pot roast, or Ribeye steak available for two of the dishes on the menu - the grits flight and the grandpa breakfast. So we made due with regular breakfast and I order the maple fried chicken and cinnamon waffle. When my dish arrived- 10 minutes after everyone else was served, the waffle was over cooked to the point it crumbled when I cut into it and cold. The chicken was fried nicely. I asked everyone else at our table how was their food and they said it was ok but cold. After our bill arrived for $228 or $237 if you use a credit/debit card, we settled up and gave the server cash to cover the bill. The server returned 5 minutes later to informed us she forgot to put the coffee on the bill and proceeded to present us with another bill for an additional $30. Now I don't mind paying for what I ordered but I don't care for asking for money after I settle the bill. Especially since we were so patient during the elongated service time. It would have been in good faith to take off the coffee charge as a little thank you. Not sure this place is ready for prime time. I will never return. Here's my rating by category: * Ambiance - 5 Stars * Attitude / Persona - 1 Star - because the Owner/Manager was indifferent when we gave our feedback about the coffee incident. * Service - 3 stars * Food - 1 star - food is not good if it is cold. read more

I enjoyed this place today with family service was great the vibes in the building was on point. I will return with more family an friends. The food could have a little more seasoning for me but was good read more

I ate here with three others and the service was great and friendly, the food was very good. I will definitely come back again. I would have taken a pic of my food, but I smashed it too quick. read more

As an experienced foodie and chef who has dined at a multitude of restaurants in Chicago, I have NEVER been treated so rudely by the owner of an establishment. After being seated, we proceeded to wait at LEAST 15 minutes to have a server introduce herself and take our order. Never were we told there was a time limit on sitting at a table. Understandable because the service was SLOW. After the meal the owner decided to sit down at the table UNINVITED and proceeded to tell me that I had been at the table for over two hours and her server needed the table. What about the extra time that we spent waiting to even be acknowledged and then place our order?? No inquiry about whether or not we enjoyed the meal or a thank you for our patronage. Just "get up and leave because I need the table vacated" 30 minutes before closing. I was really looking forward to dining at this Black woman owned and operated restaurant in the future, but I WOULD NOT recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to enjoy a good dining experience with above average service on the South Side of Chicago. It's sad and unfortunate. read more

Food. Service. Ambiance. They were all great. The service was kind & polite. There was a party-like atmosphere. Very lively and inviting. Besides all that the food was soooo GOOD!!! read more

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Have been there two times. Appreciate free parking and plenty of spaces even during busy hours. The wait staff was friendly and helpful. The turnaround time from ordering to serving was fine. This is a place where you can appreciate time enough to have a good conversation while you wait. It's not an eat and run place. It's an expereience. The ambiance is very nice. Food was delicious and presentation is creative and very appealing, Great to have a well run, esthetically pleasing Black owned restaurant in the neighborhood. One suggestion is adding reservations for parties less than 5. This is especially important for customers who are seniors or disabled. read more

The food was Amazing. I had the chicken and waffle with a side of loaded Grits. I not one for cheese in grits but it was good. The house syrup was a bit spicy but it works. The was slow but I can't complain. The owner was able to seat me and 11 of my family members and she had 3 parties going on. The ambience was great old school R&B playing to the live DJ. BYOB people and enjoy. See you next time read more

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the food was good especially the grits and the steak my friend had was tender but the portions are very small for all of the money they ask for and i think the bacon should be thick cut and the sausages should be bigger but other than that i like it read more

I wish I'd taken photos of my dish. I read that the service hear wand bad, but it was recommended by a friend who mentioned that they had vegan items. They had only the vegan sausage patty on the menu, but the chef made me a scramble with crumble patty and it was top tier and well-seasoned. The server and host checked on me to ensure that I liked my meal. The coffee was great and they had a vegan oat milk as well as dairy creamer. My companion had the waffle flight and loved it. It was pretty packed, but our server was attentive. read more

I decided to try the Waffle Lounge after church service. I ordered the waffle flight and a side of bacon. The food was good and the service was - Meh The ambience was beautiful, but the service wasn't great. I noticed the owner went and talked to individuals that were known. However, I was never greeted or asked if I needed anything. I actually was going to get an order to go, but decided I would spend my money where I feel wanted or thanked for patronage. I truly hope this feedback is taken to heart so that you don't miss money on the table. You can have a great restaurant that is needed in the community. read more

Disappointing!. Blueberry waffles and shrimp grits. Yes flavorful however my grits were soupy and 5 med size shrimp with the tail still on. For 22.50 for grits the tails needed to be removed. Not to mention there was a piece of hair in the blueberry sauce. Yes.i received a new order.. very pricey!​ read more

Every menu item I had on April 19, 2026 was absolutely delicious. I had the croquettes, grits, small waffles and eggs. My party of four was thoroughly satisfied. We will be sure to bring our own bottle for mimosas next time. This is a destination brunch spot. The service was personable too. From the parking lot to the table and back, the whole experience was very nice. read more

The food was Excellent I will definitely be patronizing this establishment again. That chicken breast was fire!

I have dined at this restaurant twice. The first time we went on a Sunday and waited over an hour to sit. We were told when we sat down that they were out of grits. We ordered coffee but never received it because again they were out. There was also a long wait to get our food but the food was good the first time. Our server was amazing but the owner who comes out at time needs some Customer Service training. The second time we went on a Monday. The restaurant wasn't crowded. We stood at the front for 25 mins with multiple employees walking by before the hostess(I believe is the owner) came over an acknowledged us. Once seated the waitress asked if we wanted coffee but forgot to bring it. Once reminded she brought the coffee with Hazelnut creamer. She never asked if we wanted Hazelnut. My cousin has a nut allergy. It was about 20 more mins before she came back to take our order. I had the Grandma with chicken as my meat. Per the waitress there was an up charge of $6 for chicken. She advised it would be a boneless chicken breast. When the food came I had 2 pieces of chicken cut into small strips not a chicken breast. When I asked the waitress about it she replied rudely and said that's just how ours is. She did not come back to our table until it was time for the check. She walked by our table multiple times but never asked if we needed anything, how our food was, not even to refill coffee/water or bring napkins. The food on this day was absolutely TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE. The chicken had no seasoning on it and was fried so hard it was tough and dry. The potatoes had took much garlic salt, the grits were dry and clumpy($24 for a grits flight which is 3 very small cups of grits). I will NOT patronize this restaurant again. read more

I have one word to describe this restaurant ( Amazing ). I am a former Chicago native that has lived in Atlanta for now 32 years. I am also a chef known to many as chef Kamal so when I tell you that I was simply amaze by the Waffle lounge restaurant staff and the food. I ask my sister to pick a restaurant that I could celebrate my partner birthday on January 31,2026 . So little sister knows her older brother is a food snob! So she knows to scope it out and give big brother the 911 on the food before suggesting that we eat there. Well all I need to say is Chicago has a new star restaurant with the waffle lounge and I will definitely be letting all my friends know to visit this new star restaurant called the waffle lounge if visiting the chicago area. An thanks to our amazing waitress and the owner for their happy birthday tribute to my partner Daniel. read more

We (4 of us) came out on a Saturday morning about 10 a.m., there was a 45 min wait. I ordered the Grandma with fried chicken, soft scrambled eggs, grits and waffles with coffee. The presentation was beautiful. The food was delicious! The butter cream waffles, exceptional! The staff was friendly, kind and attentive. The place was pleasant and fresh looking. I can't wait to return. read more

Rami Brown was very unprofessional and has a poor disposition. First time visiting this location and do not recommend. When I walked in it was a wait and it took a few minutes to be checked in. I asked if the bar was opened and was told when parties are called she would ask if you would like a table or sit at the bar. After observation she never asked each party that was seated where they would like to sit. After 45 mins of waiting a gentleman and his friend came in and asked if they could sit at the bar and they were seated (and they did NOT have a reservation, I know because my friend asked him). I asked if she had an online reservation and her attitude was more she didn't liked being questioned. I started noticing that she was bouncing over her reservations list and calling parties out of order. After waiting an hour she opened what I assume was a private room and started seating people that came in after myself and other two parties that was waiting. After noticing how unpleasant and unprofessional she was I decided to take my business elsewhere. I absolutely do not recommend this business. read more