Dove’s Luncheonette

Really cute, no tables, only slightly uncomfortable fixed stools which either are at a counter or at a communal table. My favorite thing was the Back to Life Cocktail appetizer, fresh seafood in a sweet-​ish marinade. The pimento cheese was also a good one. I had the chicken fried chicken, and it was so-​so, the chicken had weird stringy hard bits in it, the sauce was hearty but just not anything special, and the dish was heavy on pearl onions. Water is served in a nice little carafe, and they serve wine and beers. The décor is nice, with old photos of Chicago throughout, and the bathrooms were clean and had a photo of Moon’s Sandwich Shop over at Western and Madison. My only complaint would be the music– it was so loud it was difficult to hear conversation.

Came for brunch last week; tried the Chicken-​Fried Chicken and the Brisket Hash, with the CFC being the big winner in terms of taste, portion size, and presentation. Prices at Dove’s are a little hefty given that you are basically eating Mexican diner food; my two entrees with tax and tip came out to $ 38, which feels hefty given your other options. Not sure I need to go back, but I’m glad I went to finally see the space. Now, only one more One Off Hospitality spot to hit… Blackbird, which I’m hitting tomorrow!

Truly awesome food. I don’t remember when I’ve had such a well executed meal. The fried chicken was flavorful, moist and beautifully presented. I shared the pepper and potato hash with a friend and it was one of the highlights of our meal. The cheese, aoili, shishito pepper and scallions were a great combination together. We also shared the garbanzo hushpuppies and it was tasty, but nothing outrageously good. The vinaigrette on top was very delicious, though.
Highly recommend this place. I’d love to come back and try more items. It’s the type of place where you know the chef’s take pride in their craft. Come during off times, this place gets packed and it’s very small inside. We were seated at the counter and it was elbow to elbow.

Great «diner» space. Nice people. Fantastic music. I would love to love this place. But it gets a «Meh» from me. For 20 bucks, you’ve got lots of better options for a weekday breakfast.
Seeing the place at 9am after an early appointment in Bucktown, I thought it looked like a perfect breakfast place. You really have to search for «breakfast» on their menu.
I am sure that its great for a weekend brunch, but lack of an honest to god breakfast menu will keep me from coming back.

One of the best brunches I’ve had. The bloody was excellent and the Latin vibe with the food makes for a great brunch. Tip: anything that you order can have an egg on it. Take them up on that!

A welcome addition to the city. The décor was really cool and it just had a great vibe to it.
The food had great flavors but the menu was rather limited and I could imagine this place isn’t for everyone. But it certainly is delicious.
My wife and I split the brisket taco norteno, which had a great flavor with a buttermilk avocado purée. It was a perfect balance of salty and spicy. We also had the garbazo hush puppies. They weren’t as good as the taco noreno as I wish the temperature was hotter — but the seasoning and flavor were still fantastic.
We went in between lunch and dinner around 4pm so it wasn’t crowded at that time, but I think this place is typically packed. This is a solid 4 stars and I will definitely try to get back and I would recommend it.

Food was nice
I ordered the special of the day which was a Mexican sandwich (not a torta)
Ordered the beets on the side
Dark matter was the coffee
Too many screaming babies

Came for lunch on New Years Day. Wait was about 45 min around 1130am, but they take your number so you can leave, and text you when your table is ready, since there is not a lot of space inside to wait.
I loved the vibe of the place, typical Luncheonette counter seating, very cute. When we were first seated the waiter was very attentive but that slowed down after we got our food. Waited a long time for him to come back to ask for the check and took awhile to take the check.
The food was sooo good. My roommate order the Pastrami Hash which she said was life changing, I order the Chicken Fried Chicken an added an Egg, which was also amazing and everything I could want on New Year Day.
Overall Good spot with good food, I would definitely recommend for brunch.

I’ve been on a bit of a fried chicken kick lately and was happy that Dove’s hit the mark. I wasn’t very surprised, but you never know. The chicken fried chicken plate was all I ordered, but the dish was incredibly filling and delicious. The chicken was perfectly moist inside, with a tasty crust, and the gravy, peas and pearl onions all were wonderful. I tried to get a little bit of everything into each bite.
The service was great and the atmosphere was fun. Nice place to stop in for comforting food on a cold winter’s day.

Came here for brunch on a Sunday morning. We arrived just a bit after 9 so we snagged a seat immediately but there was a bit of a wait by the time we left around 10ish.
The chicken fried chicken is amazing here!!! All of the previous raves have been correct I am happy to say. I had it with some of the vinegar sauce on the table and it was wonderful.
We also got the buttermilk pancake which sadly was way too sweet :(I could only have a few bites and it comes pre soaked in syrup which I was unaware of. Sad.
Service was also pretty slow and we had to ask the hostess to find our waitress for us. But I will be back just for that chicken fried chicken!!!

Came for a early dinner w the hubs on a lazy sunday. We both had their warm and memorable hot chocolate and shared the hush puppies for starters. The Hush Puppies were quite a few pieces (maybe 6?) and were well seasoned and crispy.
I had the Chile Relleno which I found to be classic and innovative all in one! The hubs had the smoked brisket and really enjoyed it but did not find it to be very unique. We hope to return and try some more of the items on their fun menu!

Close to the Damen blue L line. I was really excited to eat here and even more excited to try out their sweet corn tamal when I saw it on their menu. It wasn’t what I expected. I really like tje savory broth that the meal was in along with veggies but there was way too many mushrooms. The corn tamal was uneventful as it just got lost in the flavors of everything else. I was hoping there would be actual pieces of corn but it was like eating a plain tamal with diced carrots.
However, I would come back here again to try other stuff. I saw a girl eat and rave that the pancake was the best she’s had. It did look delicious!

Yes! Yessss! Yaaassss! Yossssssss!
Greeted by the fabulous SARA (H?), I already knew this was a great place with surprising selections.
I told her I wanted to people watch, so I was seated at just the right place.
Went to the restroom and was pleasantly (and downright) surprised by my favorite Malin + Goetz hand-​care products. Who does that??? Well, apparently I met the person who selected it. :-)
Clearly this place is well-​staffed, with hand-​picked people. I love a good study in strength, character, and grace.
I never went thirsty. Three different people came to fill my glass each time I even looked at it.
What did I get? Blood sausage in a thick sour cream and olive oil, with what I think are sautéed yellow onions and fresh spring onions. Smoked whitefish with seeded crackers accompanied with a carrot and coriander slaw. Each excellent standouts on their own. I was too full to eat more.
Am I sad about it? Just a little. But I most certainly got what I wanted and needed. Savory, spicy, nuanced, nutty, seedy, tart, a little acidic, bloody, congealed, and substantially filling. Like a good night out, except it was day time.
So, so, so very happy that this place exists.
Yes, they serve stuff that’s memorable and wonderful, but so are the people. Hard to figure out what my favorite was.
Thank you for making my last few hours in Chicago so memorable! Had I only been there an hour earlier, I would have met your friend JoJo… Le sigh.
I need a non-​nicotine cigarette with lavender and chicory.

I finally made it to try this place out and it definitely lives up to the hype. In a sense it’s almost as if when you walk in you’re steppping into the past a bit. Everything has an old school vibe, from the bartender fliping jazz vinyls on the record player to the plates and cups that look like they came stright from the seventies. In this case that nostalgia is a good thing. It’s almost too perfect as it pays homeage to a bygone era without feeling old or in need of change.
The prices are pretty reasonable and I ended up trying out the the Chicken Fried Chicken. The chicken was so tender that I spent half the meal cutting through it with the wrong side of the knife. The skin was still super crispy despite being underneath a nice layer of tasty gravy. The peas provided a nice dose of color and freshness. This is defintely a place I’ve got to come back to.

Brunch hard at this spot. The wait wasn’t as bad — 30 min. & they text you when a spot is available. The place is awkwardly set up but they make it work.
Sitting by the window counter is great to people watch.
My friend had the Avocado Toast which was light & amazing. I got to try a bite & wish I had ordered it. Its not to say my Brisket Hash wasn’t tasty because it was! So many great options, I wanted to try each item on the menu.
As far as drinks, my friend had coffee but thought it was weak and even a bit burnt. I had a bloody mary. It was ok, maybe even too gritty. For $ 10, I wish it was better since I’ve been craving one for a while.
Our waiter Steven was super cool. He was pleasant, helpful & just the right amount attentive.
I’ll be back for lunch!

I hope three stars doesn’t come across as a harsh or negative review. My first Dove’s experience really was, in Unilocal parlance, A-​OK. Nothing wrong at all: a unique atmosphere, a fun (if a bit Wicker Park-​priced) menu, efficient service – heck, even their bathrooms and record collection feel very carefully curated. Everything here is very, very focused on a singular aesthetic, and in this way, it excels.
Four– and five-​star reviews seem to imply that you’ll return again and again. And though my dinner at Dove’s was perfectly pleasant, I don’t really think I’ll make it any sort of go-​to. Delicious enchiladas, tuna ceviche, and tamale, and a great stop on an early Saturday evening, but nothing I would withstand a half-​hour wait for. Ultimately, though, this place doesn’t need my repeated patronage. It’s got its diehards, and that’s (again) A-​OK!

The story of Dove’s is almost as amazing as the restaurant itself: that One Off conceived and executed this restaurant in the span of a few months is mind-​blowing. The beauty of the place is in it’s intimacy, designer diner-​elegance and high quality food and drinks.
Dove’s Mexican food is not the same level of authenticity that they are striving for at Rick Bayless’s restaurants: they are doing their own thing with the ingredients and flavors of Mexican cuisine, and it’s a good thing. The brisket on thick housemade tortilla with red chile sauce that hints at BBQ until the spice takes over is one of my favorites, as is Dove’s take on the Yucatecan pumpkinseed dip called sikil pak.
When you dine-​in, it’s all good from the ahogada to the seafood coctel. For delivery you have to be a little more careful and think about what travels best: I know Dove’s menu is always changing but you will never be less than 100% thrilled to have whatever smoked meat tortilla wrap delivered!

Magnifique! Le poulet frit est à se jeter par terre. Portion généreuse. Gouteux. Frais. Rien a redire

I realize Dove’s Luncheonette is very popular and most people love it, but it’s just not for me. I love the atmosphere and vibe, plus they have a good looking guy on the line. However when I was in, I was not feeling the hostess on staff at all. She kept exclaiming, «I’m so bored!!!» and trying to get the chefs to make up games with her. They didn’t seem to be feeling it at all as she would lay herself on the counter in front of them. Her very clear unhappiness to be at work just put a damper on everything for me.
Dove’s Luncheonette didn’t have a ton of menu items to choose from and I kept going over and over the menu trying to find something that called out to me. It’s a Tex Mex menu with a diner atmosphere. I ended up getting a steak dish and it was quite tasty. Just be warned it takes forever to come out and I was told that is because it was steak. The chicken fried chicken looked like a good dish that I think I will end up trying if I ever go back.
Dove’s dishes are $ 12 – 16 and I realize I’m biased as I didn’t completely enjoy myself, but it seems slightly overpriced. I feel bad but I just am not into Dove’s, however I’d absolutely give it another chance.

Fifty styles diner with identity crisis – is it tex next? American? Mexican with a diner twist? I can’t tell. Most dishes I’ve tried here are greasy and overpriced but it’s fine if that’s your thing. I’ve been here about 3 times… The sides often taste better than the mains. The hash and hush puppies are great but those are hard to screw up. I’ve heard the pork shoulder soup is outstanding too. However my daily dinner menu item of squash and pepper quesadilla was forgettable and tasted more like a panini.
The servers seem frantic and passive aggressive… One time they charged the wrong bill on my friend’s card and another time we had a party of four which they sat against some bar tables against a wall with no window. It made it really hard for us to talk. I don’t know, I don’t think this place is really for group dinners but if you want to impress your date with potent drinks and horchata pie… It could work.

Excellent portion. Priced according to neighborhood. Quality ingredients with efforts to provide value for $$.
Shared Appetizer + Main Dish + Shared Dessert = $ 30 pp with tip. Little or no brown bag.
TAMAL DE ELOTE CON CAMARONES ($ 14) — about 5 decently sized gulf shrimps. A hint of chili taste. Interesting combination. Dude portion. Serves 2. Unique tamal with collard green that seems house made as I don’t see it in retail. Hearty.
FRIED CHICKEN ($ 15) — chunky breading. Flavorful. Plenty of chicken. Perfect temp. Moist.
PEPPER AND POTATO HASH ($ 8) — you may add brisket to make it Brisket Hash. Addictive. Perfect crunchy edges on potato.
CAJETA ($ 4) — 3 scoops. Addictive. My first. A traditional Mexican dish made of caramelized goat’s milk. Simply impressive. Delicioso.
VENUE — loud. With music, louder. Ear trumpets and cones needed to communicate. *smile*. Great window seating.
SERVICE — diner type. No spiel. I was told specials on the board, but we later found out that it’s for dinner service. There goes my first choice. But, dessert selections are from the board. Confused? It’s nice to be forgotten by our girl for quality time and eliminating the rush feeling… but bottomless coffee is neglected. I should have approached the Busboy sooner.
NOTE: Weekend brunch is hectic and crazy. Prepare to wait.