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It's ten o'clock
in the morning on Sunday and you're just waking up to the sound
of your phone ringing incessantly. After a late Saturday night
of drinking and partying with friends, you've already decided
- again - to bypass a real church service and instead opt to
worship at the almighty brunch church with your mates. The only
decision, and the reason for the party-line wake-up phone call,
is to determine from which restaurant's brunch altar you and
your friends will be receiving your "sacramental bread"
and "communion wine" (aka Bloody Marys and Mimosas).
The list of Sunday
brunch spots in Chicago is endless: from fancy downtown hotel
spreads with prime rib, ice sculptures, and made-to-order omelet
stations to homey family restaurants offering sneeze-guarded
buffets with chafing dishes filled with too soft scrambled eggs,
breakfast pork products of numerous varieties, and Eggo-esque
waffles long since removed from the toaster. And while the food
on offer at brunch is important, the critical aspect of this
hybrid meal of breakfast and lunch is often times the alcoholic
beverage that completes the meal and helps cure a lingering hangover.
With so many
Sunday brunch options available in the city, BOI presents the
following limited list of places that we and our readers seem
to like the most.
 Ann
Sather
909 W Belmont
Ave 773.348.2378
www.annsather.com 7am-4pm
Before specialty Sunday brunch became popular, Ann Sather was
always the tried and true place to get tasty & hearty breakfast
at any time on Sunday. The bustling Lakeview hot spot is a traditional
Swedish pancake house best known for its fresh cinnamon rolls
as well as Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberries or Swedish meatballs.
[Other locations can be found at 3416 N Southport Ave (773.404.4475);
5207 N Clark St (773.271.6677); and 3411 N Broadway St
(773.305.0024).]
 Angelina
Ristorante
3561 N Broadway
St 773.935.5933
www.angelinaristorante.com 10am-2:30pm
No question about it: the coolest and hippest brunch crowd in
Lakeview - consisting of the types wearing the $250 pair of jeans
- hangs out at Angelina every Sunday. The brunch menu includes
Eggs Benedict, Fritattas, Croque Monsiuer and Mufalatta sandwiches,
absolutely to-die-for almond-crusted stuffed French Toast, and
the free flow of Champagne Mimosas. Brunch here is loud and raucous
and FUN! Insiders' tip: if you want to get a table without
waiting too long, it's best to arrive before noon.
 Crew
4804 N Broadway
St 773.784.2739
www.worldsgreatestbar.com 10am-12 Noon
Short and sweet, Crew's Sunday Brunch serves as the perfect run-up
to the slate of pro football games that get shown at this Uptown
sports bar and restaurants. Their new brunch menu includes goodies
such as Cinnamon French Toast, Crab Cakes, Biscuits 'N Gravy,
Steak 'N Eggs, and Alpana's Heart Attack Tater Tots Casserole.
As for liquid refreshments, they've got pitchers of Mimosas
and double Bloody Marys.
 Halsted's
Bar & Grill
3441 N Halsted
St 773.348.9696
www.halstedschicago.com 11am-3pm
Boystown's newest eatery is finding favor with those who want
to watch NFL football games while noshing on menu items such
as egg dishes (Scrambles and Build-Your-Own Omelettes), buttermilk
pancakes, and Tater Tots®. While the food is for nourishing
your body, Halsted's has a creative menu of 12 Stoli Marys to
help nurse any potential hangover you might have.
 Joey's
Brickhouse
1258 W Belmont
Ave 773.296.1300
www.enterthechef.com 10am- 2pm
Joey's offers "Thelonious Brunch" with live jazz &
eggs on Sundays featuring delicious menu items such as a Cajun
Scramble with andouille sausage, Pork Chop & Eggs, Crab Cakes
Benedict, and the ultimate hangover remedy: the Hobo Skillet
with eggs, 3 different cheeses, bacon, ham & sausage! The
alcoholic part of this brunch includes 15 varieties of 24-ounce
Long Island Ice Teas at a discounted price of $6.50.
 Magnolia
Café
1224 W Wilson
Ave 773.728.8785
www.magnoliacafeuptown.comm 10am-3pm
Dazzling it devoted clientele for many years with an inventive
dinner menu, Magnolia also has a well-received Sunday Brunch
that features a Wild Mushroom Omelet with Herbed Goat Cheese,
Smoked Trout Hash with Carmelized Onions, Buttermilk Pancakes,
and Traditional Eggs Benedict. This Uptown eatery also offers
unique sides such as Bacon & Chedder Mac 'N Cheese and a
Cauliflower Gratin.
 Mayan
Palace
2703 N Halsted
Ave 773.935.4200
www.themayanpalace.com 11am-11pm.
Not known specifically for a specialized Btunch menu, Mayan Palace
is known to be one of the very best Mexican restaurants in the
city and has become a Sunday brunch time gathering spot for those
looking for south of the border cuisine. A perfect place for
hangover recovery, the various platters have generous portions
and the cool Margaritas, dubbed "The World's Best,"
fill the prescription for having the "hair of the dog that
bit you."
 Nookies Tree
3334 N Halsted
St | 773.248.9888
7am - 12 Midnight
A regular haunt for the locals of Boy's Town and popular with
hangover recoverers, this upscale diner serves made-to-order
omelets, waffles and crepes and other brunch fare all day long.
And since they are open 24 hours on the weekend, you can have
your brunch whenever you want to. As for a cocktail; well, you'll
have to go to one of the nearby bars afterwards in order to scratch
that itch.
 Orange
3231 N Clark
St 773.549.4400
8am-2:30pm
This homey restaurant specializes in breakfast on a daily basis,
and thus it is the perfect brunch locale for those wanting morning
fare. Orange has truly unique menu items such as green eggs
and ham (eggs scrambled with basil pesto, roasted tomatoes, mozzarella
and pancetta), and frushi (seasonal fresh fruit rolled like sushi
in fruit juice-infused rice), jelly donut pancakes, Chai tea-infused
French toast, and pan-seared grit cakes. While this is a BYOB
establishment, there is no corkage fee so feel free to bring
your own Champagne and vodka in order to make the appropriate
libations. [There are two other Orange outposts: downtown
at 75 W Harrison St (312.447.1000) and in Roscoe Village at 2011
W Roscoe St (773.248.0999).]
 The
Chicago Diner
3411 N Halsted
St 773.935.6696
www.veggiediner.com 10am-3:30pm
This world famous vegetarian restaurant, in the heart of Boystown,
offers a Vegan Brunch with French Toast, Eggz Benedict &
Florentine as well as more traditionally named dishes such as
Biscuits & Gravy, 'Steak' & Eggs, and Green Eggs &
'Ham'. Of course the meat isn't really meat, but a protein-based
substitute called seitan, which Chicago Diner knows how to make
tasty and delicious. Even the alcoholic beverage are healthier
here with the use of Rain organic vodka for Bloody Marys and
Screwdrivers.
 Tweet
5020 N Sheridan
Rd 773.728.5576
www.tweet.biz 9am-3pm
This Uptown favorite uses hormone-free and antibiotic-free (and
organic when possible) ingredients to create brunch items such
as Buckwheat Pancakes, Danish Beignets, Belgian Waffles, and
an impressive assortment of breakfast burritos and egg Benedict
dishes. And since Tweet's owner also owns the Big Chicks next
door, the full bar is available starting at 10am.
 Wilde
Bar and Restaurant
3130 N Broadway
St 773.244.0404
www.wildechicago.com 9am-2pm
This relatively new restaurant has quickly become quite popular
and their expansive brunch menu is part of the reason why. Specialties
include Brioche French Toast, Molasses Glazed Corn Beef Hash
& Poached Eggs, Fish & Chips, Shepherd's Pie, and Paul's
Popover Pancake (baked in a cast iron skillet and dusted with
powdered sugar). Wilde's brunch drink menu includes an assortment
of Belinis and a Milk Rum Punch in addition to the traditional
Bloody Marys and Mimosas.
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