Breakfast at Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe

Downtown Chicago's A.M. face-stuffing destination

When we went to Chicago for my mom's birthday, we made a day of it. That meant catching breakfast, a snack, and dinner in the Windy City — or in this case, the rainy city. While I'm sure there are plenty of places to grab a good brunch in Chicago, we opted for a spot that had great Google/Yelp reviews and was relatively close to the touristy main drags: Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe. We read a few horror stories about three-hour waits, but given the lovely weather we decided to take our chances. Despite the rain, there was a line out the door, and when they told us "30 to 35 minutes" my brother, especially, didn't buy it for a second. But within 20 minutes or so, our party of five was seated and sipping French roast coffee.

Now for the food. I'm the type of person who likes to mull over a menu before I even get to a restaurant. I like to weigh my options, not only because I'm indecisive, but because I love food so much that I will do everything in my power to make the best food choices possible - especially in a place with a reputation like Wildberry. But I hadn't perused the menu beforehand this time - and I was totally overwhelmed. Do I go for the signature pancakes? A "sizzlin' skillet"? An "eggs-quisite omelette"? Waffles? Crepes? Benedicts? "French toast creations"? I was practically delirious with wanting to eat everything but knowing I'd have to pick just one dish. When our waiter came, I panicked and ordered plain buttermilk pancakes. 

The pancakes weren't the wrong decision, but they weren't the right one (for me) either. If you're the type of person who orders pancakes at a restaurant and 1.5 cakes later thinks "Why did I order pancakes?", you'll react that way even at Wildberry. But you still should give the pancakes a whirl — they're pretty perfect. 

In the future, I'd plan on dining with friends/family and sharing plates: a plate of pancakes, a skillet, an omelette - the best of all worlds! The portions are ginormous (yet affordable), so you could easily order four dishes between five people. Everything I tasted from my family members' plates kept me coming back for more - though, in the end, we each said we wouldn't order the same thing again. But that's just because we all agreed we'd love to come back and sample more of the menu - a sure sign of a successful eatery. And did I mention the thick-cut bacon? Case closed.