Wishbone

Wishbone
3300 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Wishbone's website

We haven't really been out for breakfast that much in Chicago yet. Well, our search for our new favorite breakfast place did not take long.


Our good friends Brad and Lindsey told us we NEED to go to Wishbone for breakfast. So we did. And we were not disappointed. Our first indication that we would not be disappointed was the fact that it was crowded on a cold, snowy, sub-zero morning. I figured I would have a hard time choosing what I wanted for breakfast, but as soon as I saw the words "Crunchy French Toast", I knew I had to get it. Crunchy French Toast is french toast dipped in corn flakes and they were excellent. The crunch of the corn flakes and the soft chewy texture of the french toast worked well together. Jenn got the corn cakes: pancakes made from corn meal, fresh corn and scallions and served with a sweet red pepper sauce. Jenn liked the fact that this unique take on the pancake was not a typical breakfast food. She especially liked the red pepper sauce, which was sweet yet zesty. She also got a side of cheese grits which she loved.

Crunchy French Toast

Corn Cakes and Cheese Grits
Wishbone is a great place for breakfast or brunch and as we noticed when we were there, is very family friendly. The portions are huge and the prices are very reasonable. We are definitely coming back for more! We give Wishbone an 8.9 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.3
Value: 9.0
Atmosphere: 8.6
Customer Service: 8.7
Overall: 8.9

Lucky's Sandwich Company

Lucky's Sandwich Company
3472 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lakeview (Wrigleyville)
Lucky's website

Lucky's Sandwich Company in Wrigleyville is home of the overstuffed sandwich (common in Pittsburgh and Cleveland): a sandwich stacked high with meat (or veggies), coleslaw and french fries. Yes, fries come ON the sandwich. We first heard of Lucky's after seeing the Chicago episode of Man vs. Food (Watch the segment here). While Adam attempted (and succeeded) to eat 3 sandwiches, we each made a valiant attempt to finsh just one.


I got the turkey sandwich and Jenn got the veggie. The sandwiches consist of either fried deli meat or fried veggies, and are topped with tangy coleslaw and a heap of french fries. It is a memorable sandwich, but more so for the gimmick and less for the actual taste. Not to say that it is a bad sandwich, but we did have a few complaints. It is a bread-heavy sandwich, which makes it very dry. We suggest asking for a side of mayonnaise or mustard (which we should have done) to alleviate the parchedness. I wasn't too fond of the tangy coleslaw although Jenn gave it a thumbs up. One thing we both really liked were the french fries, which were fresh cut and reminded me of Norm's Famous French Fries (for those familiar with the Upper Peninsula french fry staple).

Turkey Sandwich

All in all, it was a pretty fun experience. The sandwiches were pretty decent, but again, Lucky's is more about gimmick than anything. Still, Lucky's Sandwiches offers a great value (only $7 per ginormous sandwich) and a fun, laidback environment. We give Lucky's an 8.4 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.4
Value: 8.9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Customer Service: 7.7
Overall: 8.4

Coobah

Coobah
3423 N. Southport Ave.
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Coobah's website

We walked past this lively Latino restaurant on Saturday afternoon and noticed that they served brunch til 2:00 p.m., so we decided to stop by. Coobah is known for its "Latino fusion" take on brunch and dinner and serves everything from breakfast burritos to fried calamari.


We stepped inside and it was a bit too loud and dark for us, so we decided to sit outside and enjoy the perfect late summer weather. The brunch menu contains traditional breakfast dishes with a unique twist. I got the french toast, which was topped with powdered sugar, strawberry compote and whipped cream and was served with delicious cinnamon butter. The french toast was good but what made it great was the cinnamon butter. Jenn got something called the strata grande: a layered egg dish similar to a frittata or quiche and consisting of layers of eggs, roasted potatoes, vegetables, french bread and chiuahua cheese. The dish is then topped with a tomato sauce and served with pita bread. The dish was excellent but probably would have been better without the tomato sauce.

French Toast

Strata Grande

Coobah also offers many exotic alcoholic fruity drinks and is also known for their mojitos and sangria. The service was friendly and fast and the bill was only about $20 (sans drinks) total. We were more than pleased with our brunch and will probably come back again. We give Coobah an 8.5 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.9
Value: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.6
Customer Service: 8.6
Overall: 8.5

Ian's Pizza

Ian's Pizza
3463 North Clark St.
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Ian's Pizza website

Ian's Pizza is a pizza place in Wrigleyville that offers thin-crust pizza by the slice, as well as whole pies. They also offer a decent selection of signature salads. We stopped by on a Friday night and as expected, several semi-intoxicated college kids were present. Ian's is cheap, fast and easy (like most college kids), so there's no doubt that it's a popular stop between bar hopping in Wrigleyville.


Although they offer whole pizzas and salads, Ian's is best known for its pizza by the slice, which is offered in a variety of unique topping combinations. They also rotate signature slices out on a regular basis. Some examples of the unique topping combinations include Chicken Burrito, Chili Cheese Fries, BBQ Pulled Pork and a pizza called the King Crab Rangoon (crab meat, cream cheese, wonton strips, green onions and sweet and sour sauce). They also offer many vegetarian slices, including guacamole burrito, kalamata mozzarella, and potato and broccoli cheddar. They even have dessert pizza like apple pie pizza and s'more pizza. I chose the BBQ Chicken slice and Jenn got the veggie slice of Portabella mushroom, spinach and tomatoes. Each specialty slice is $3.75 and for traditionalists, cheese or pepperoni slices are only $2.75.

BBQ Chicken

Portabella, spinach, tomato

The slices are pretty big and because of the numerous toppings, they're pretty filling as well. We were both satisfied with our slices and would definitely come back to try some more of the interesting topping combinations. The crab rangoon pizza has my name written all over it. Overall, Ian's pizza is the perfect place to stop for a quick, cheap slice of unordinary pizza in Wrigleyville. We give it an 8.3 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.7
Value: 8.4
Atmosphere: 7.8
Customer Service: 8.3
Overall: 8.3