Lou Mitchell's has been around forever and for good reason! The food has always been excellent breakfast and comfort food, always delicious, homemade, quick, and in filling portions. Cinnamon rolls are a must-have! They are so fresh, you'll get yours right out of the oven as I had both of mine on this visit. They are that good!! My breakfast mate had an omelette, with bacon and something else, and the order was quite large, cook to order, and cooked perfectly. At my recent visit I ordered fresh squeezed grapefruit interest, and while it was very expensive, it was fresh squeezed and absolutely delicious, and I felt like I was at my parents' home in florida. I've never been here when it's not crowded, this time, we did not have to wait, but just plan that you might have to wait. It'll be well worth it. You'll either get a tiny two-person booth or something teeny bit bigger. You might be able to squeeze a 10-person breakfast party in here. If you can sit at the counter, that's always a great experience. I encourage that. Wait staff here is always very friendly, very attentive and professional! This recent visit was no different! Bathrooms are in the basement, so just be prepared for that if you are not super able-bodied.

Virginia has worked there for 30 years A doll and made my birthday weekend extra special. I highly recommend

The quintessential greasy spoon that you don't want to miss. Go here, eat breakfast and don't feel bad about it! The donut hole was a nice touch!

Waited around 10 minutes on a Saturday morning (line moves quick). Great place for an authentic old diner experience - the Benedict is a classic and done well. The coffee is okay, they also give you a donut hole and ice cream during the meal. The prices are slightly high for their portions.

Took the train to Chicago to catch a flight at O'Hare. Wanted breakfast and it was snowing so didn't want to walk too far. Lou Mitchell's is right by Union Station, is open early, and had an authentic old-school vibe. The restaurant was busy! I was seated at the bar right away but I had time to kill so I wouldn't have minded waiting. I had bags that they asked me to leave up front--I wasn't the only one. I got my coffee quickly--good diner coffee. And I got a complementary donut hole with a little orange slice. The bakery items sounded tempting even if judging by my neighbors' portions I knew I wouldn't have room. I had the Greek cheese special omelette which came with fried potatoes like my grandma used to make, sliced thin. They use Greek feta and it had veggies and real eggs, you could tell. I got a thick slice of toast on the side with butter and house made marmalade. Again, getting full was not a problem but I almost wanted more toast so I could have more of the marmalade. By the time I left there was a line out the door. And this is on a blustery January morning. Would visit again if traveling through Chicago.

I'm very full after eating breakfast here. I ate nothing prior. It is a rainy foggy day out so I decided to walk over to finally dine here. I walked over the day before and there was literally a line out the door. It is the holiday season, so thus such. For locals like myself, who frequent walking past this street monthly, it is not always that busy. In terms of a line out the door. Yet it is usually busy in terms of the diner being decently packed. Anyway, today I got in, and surprisingly spacious area at the bar like area. Which is actually kind of cool, given its unique shape. Service here is quick and the tasty food served not long after either. It is very nice that they provided a powder doughnut hole with a slice of orange. The coffee is free refills which is great. The arrangement of condiments and other things at this bar area is nice too. Ambiance overall is great. Additionally at the end of my meal, they provided a small vanilla ice cream cup. Which was great. I didn't expect the doughnut hole, orange and ice cream ("free of charge"). That was nice. I ordered the Traditional eggs Benedict with a side of bacon and a cranberry juice cocktail. It was great. Overall tasty food and very filling. It has a nice old school look to the place too inside. I definitely recommend checking this place out.

There's almost nothing more Chicago than getting breakfast at Lou's. My family makes fun of me because I'm always talking about diners. I have a mug from the Golden Nugget that used to be on Irving Park right by I-90. I also now have a replacement Lou's mug after my original from 15 years ago fell and cracked in 2022. Diners are history. Lou's isn't 24 hours, but if you can find one (RIP Jeri's, but check Huck Finn's or the aforementioned Golden Nugget for the last of their kind) you can witness a part of life only a select few have. People who work graveyard shifts are a unique bunch. I did it for about three years until I decided I wanted a social life not dependent on meeting other third-shifers. Anyway, it's kind of a thing you have to do and experience to really understand. Imagine being in Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" painting and talking to those people. Imagine the stories they'd tell. Lining up out front may seem silly for a diner, but you must persevere. Upon entering, think of all those who have been before you. Take your time looking over the extensive menu over coffee. Order whatever looks good and for an hour or so, all will be well with the world and breakfast.

So this is your classic Chicago dinner staple. This place will be packed son if you're going in the morning there will probably be a line. We got in fairly quickly and sat at the bar. My husband has childhood memories here and was dying to go. He raved about the oatmeal and how nice the staff were. The staff was very nice, funny and attentive. With so many people, they got your orders out fast with fresh hot food. All the classics were good nothing amazing nothing bad just a good hearty breakfast. Now the oatmeal, apparently it runs out. It did the first time that we went there. The second time I took him back to get it before we got on our train they had it. We both got a bowl, for me I wasn't really impressed. It was very thick, sticky, made with cream because it was super creamy, but I didn't get the hype on why it's sold out so if you're going there, I suggest there any other yummy food options skip the oatmeal ;) Other than that a great place to stop!

Lou Mitchell's is an institution. It has been around since 1923 and has always had a great reputation. I've been coming here for many years, and I've never been disappointed. This past Saturday (12/7/2024) I stopped in for breakfast with five family members who have never been, and I'm here to say it is as good as ever! We arrived around 9:00 a.m. (after a short walk from Union Station). There was a party or two in front of us, but we were seated within a few minutes. By the time we left...the line was out the door and stretched a good 50 feet down the block. There were six of us so I won't go through the entire line-up, but some of the highlights were: The Eggs Benedict, The Chocolate Chip Pancakes, and the truly unique and tasty Apple/Cheese Omelet. The homemade bread is phenomenal. Service is swift and professional. Prices are reasonable. I can't wait for my next visit.

Great and fast service. Great portions. Very filling. The scrambled eggs were fluffy. The donut holes I took to go. The orange marmalade was very good! Can't wait to bring my family here Oh and the coffee was very good I thought. Bathroom is downstairs.