M. Henry

NileGuide Expert tip:

Visit during the week to avoid long waits on the weekend.

Description:

• Despite spacey names like "vegan epiphany" and "mango bliss cakes," the inviting fare is down-to-earth and, for the most part, delicious. Lunch offers tempting options, but brunch is the real reason to visit: Crème caramel sauce oozes between slices of dulce banana rumba French toast, and granola-crusted pancakes come layered with warm blackberries and vanilla mascarpone cream. On the savory side, there's Florentine crab cake benedict and Fannie's killer fried-egg sandwich, all served with zesty house potatoes. Exposed brick and pastel green walls blend with vintage library chairs and salvaged stained-glass windows and doors, hung from the ceiling as makeshift partitions, in this contemporary space, where a mixed crowd of couples and brunch groups lines up on weekend mornings. Service is cheerful and bustling.
  
  
  

Awards:

Chicago Magazine

•  Best Dish 2007

CitySearch

•  Breakfast 2005 – Audience Winner
•  Breakfast 2006 – Editorial Winner