Frances’ Deli

Had a very nice breakfast of their challa bread french toast, which was wonderful. Coffee good, bacon crisp as asked, but it was very thin. Kind of strange. Waitress very good. Name is a little deceptive and one does not usually think if deli’s for traditional breakfast.

Amazing customer service. Our order for pickup was messed up and we didn’t realize it until we got home. We called in and they delivered everything to our place and even offered a slice of carrot cake! The turkey avocado club was amazing as well as the potato pancakes. We got the peanut butter banana milkshake, also insanely good and same with the matzah ball and noodle soup!!! Great food great people will definitely be ordering again.

I’ve lived just a block away from this place for the better part of two years. The sandwiches are solid every time.

This is a must visit every year that we come to Chicago. The Omelettes are all great. The matzah ball soup is tasty. The sandwiches are generous sized. The wait staff is always friendly. If you sit by the window, there is fine people watching. You can get to Frances by using the 22 bus. Not a bad stop on the way to Wrigley. We were having breakfast yesterday, but I noted that on the chalk board that the Rolling Rock beers were only $ 1. I asked the waitress if that was an error and she said that it was not!

Jon and I were in search of weekday breakfast option that wasn’t named McDonald’s, and luckily Frances’ Deli was open for business.
Upon walking into the restaurant, you’re hit with historic nostalgia. Established in 1938, the deli is proud to display its long-​standing presence in the neighborhood. The tiled floor, no frills wooden chairs, vintage coca cola vending machines (anyone have a penny?) collectively age Frances’ Deli and bring you back to its roots.
I ordered the lentil soup and the garden salad, and Jon probably got some dish that offered corned beef hash. Unfortunately, there was nothing to rave about.

When I lived down the street from this place I’d usually walk the 2 blocks hungover on a Saturday or Sunday and I even found myself in there solo at a few off hours. While the food is pretty good if you’re looking for some good, old fashioned comfort food in the form of Matzah Ball Soup, Ruebens, root beer, etc, the prices are kind of outrageous for standard diner fare.

When I‘ve been drinking the night before– the next morning I just want some Matzo Ball soup and good ol’ fashioned carbs. I found Frances’ Deli on Unilocal Eat24 and decided to give them a try. To hit the delivery minimum I got a bagel with cream cheese, a side of sliced tomatoes (I wish I could have just ordered a slice on the bagel, I didn’t need a whole side), potato pancakes and some matzo ball soup. Feedback:
Bagel– Meh. Wouldn’t order it again.
Soup– Yummy! Would get it again, however I wish it was heartier. I enjoy a good matzo ball soup with lots of chicken & noodles in it. That being said– the broth & matzo ball were both good.
Potato Pancakes– Good. Nothing to write home about.
Delivery– Site said ~ 50 minutes and the food came in under 30. I was extremely happy about that, and the food was still nice and hot.

Great Matzah Ball Soup! Feels like home.
Generous portions! They even gave an extra matzah ball for free and challah! Lots of toppings on the side salad too!

I used to eat at this place a lot, but recently I’ve come to the conclusion that there are better places to eat in the area for a quick breakfast/​brunch/​lunch. First off, something about 3 bucks for a diet coke really gets me. Maybe I don’t order enough drinks anymore but that just feels so over priced to me. Second, the last time I was there I ordered an omelette with ham and cheddar cheese. Food came quickly but I found it extremely off when I took z bite of my omelette and discovered that the ham wasn’t cut, they literally just to piece lunch meat ham and put it in the omelette. I found this so bizarre and truthfully unappetizing. When I asked the waitress if I could please get another one, she was so confused as to why and almost fought me on it, saying something along the lines of «you got ham, what’s the issue».
I got her to take it back and a new omelette returned a few minutes later, so I appreciate that but I guess I’ve seen the moving Waiting too many times that I’m afraid to send food back, so I just sort of picked at it.
Lots of other options in the area, so I can’t say I’d be back.

I went there for a late breakfast and ordered an egg sandwich with fried potatoes. I asked for the sandwich to be grilled and it was grilled to perfection. Tasted really good overall and the waitstaff was very courteous and attentive. I can see why this place is always full whenever I walk by.

My boyfriend and I came here for breakfast several months ago. He lives down the street, and we had wanted to try it for awhile. I have to say I was not impressed at all. It wasn’t busy when we visited. I think it was a holiday weekend and a lot of people were out of town. I had one of the breakfast sandwiches and it was a complete mess. I couldn’t even finish it because it was so messy. We decided we have no desire to go back and try again. Sometimes we walk by on the weekends and this place is so busy, and other times there’s one or two tables occupied. You can definitely find a better place to eat breakfast in the neighborhood.

Frances’ has been a favorite since I first moved to Chicago over ten years ago. My first apartment was around the corner and Frances’ quickly became my go to brunch place.
I still try to go back when I’m in the neighborhood and the turkey reuben is consistently my choice. It’s amazing. French fries or potato pancakes as a side. They serve booze, too, so you can enjoy a beer or Bloody Mary with your meal.

I eat here at least once a week. The chocolate chip pancakes are out of this world! I’m a bit picky about food, and the owner told me they are made in house with buttermilk, eggs, sugar, and Belgian chocolate. They also have a really great blueberry pancakes. You can mix and match such as bacon chocolate chip or blueberry banana, etc.
Also a big fan of the skillets. You can get Amy’s all natural chicken sausage (again, that’s me being picky…) among other real meats, as well as add as many vegetables and cheeses as you want in addition to mushrooms, onions, and green peppers. The servings are HUGE– you will have leftovers.
As far as drinks, try the Bacon Habanero Bloody Mary. They also have fantastic mimosas which seem to use more champagne than orange juice (sometimes on mimosas at other places it seems more juice…).
Service can be slower on weekends when they’re very busy, so get there before 10am or go after 3pm if you can’t wait. It is also great during the week, when you can get right in.
The owners are also really cool! A few times when I’ve ordered delivery I’ve noticed they’ve thrown in a cupcake or a cookie.

Food: Really good
Service: Straight-​up awful
We arrived on a Sunday morning with a group, and the restaurant was obviously busy. No surprises there. We waited a while for a table, and when we finally sat down, waited another 20 minutes before asking to have our waitress come over. I will give her the benefit of the doubt and say it must have been her first day ever working at a restaurant, because taking our order was an incredibly arduous process for her. Drinks took another 20 – 30 minutes to come out, and when we asked another waitress if she could check on one she literally SCREAMED at us that she was not our waitress. It was scary and awkward. My drink did not come out until after I was finished eating, at which point I didn’t even want it anymore.
The food came out, a few things were messed up, and they charged us for a some things that we never received, but we were so fed up at that point that we just paid the bill. The servers were either rude, incompetent, or both. I’ll stick to take-​out from this place, if anything.

I came here a few months back. I ordered Breakfast, one of my favorite meals. I asked the server if the buttermilk pancakes were made with real buttermilk. She said yes, but didn’t really know. When I finally got my meal, I put the butter and syrup on the pancakes. The butter never melted. The syrup was not hot, nor were the pancakes — also, they were not real buttermilk pancakes. I called her over to tell her about it. She basically brushed me off saying I let them get cold. I asked the busser to see the mgr. And my waitress came over and told me that she was the Mgr. I told her I did not like her attitude and demeanor. Later the busboy came over and told me the owner was there. I spoke with him and told him I would never have someone with her attitude as front of house staff. He said he would talk with her. I will not go back.

Came here on a Saturday and was very pleased with the service and food. I had a big omelette and it was delicious. Kind of obnoxious that you have to pay an extra charge for every omelette topping, but w/​e. My sister got the BLAT sandwich and it looked great as well. They also offer spiked milkshakes which I hadn’t seen before but looked really cool!

Definitely not a deli, more like a greasy diner. Went for lunch and had the Grilled Turkey Avocado Sandwich. It was well dressed with veggies but I couldn’t get over the unseasoned meat. Used lots of hot sauce to compensate the bland. Not worth a $ 13 sandwich. I’d try something else if I HAD to go again — Probably something fried. But if it’s up to me, I won’t be returning. Plus the waiter accidentally dropped a dirty knife from the table onto my clothes. Poor guy felt bad, and did take off a whopping $ 2 for the inconvenience. #womp

My husband and I have been coming here for a few years now. Not as much as we would like to, however, because the parking situation isn’t that great and sometimes the wait is really long. But, if you do happen to have the chance to stop by and try it, PLEASE DO. BEST bloody mary’s…really, really great fresh food. The skillets are awesome, I usually get them with the corned beef (which comes from Manny’s). I’ve also tried the chicken soup which was great, the potato pancakes (yum), and the Reuben… SUPER TASTEY. My husband usually gets breakfast as well… the pancakes are REALLY GOOD! He has also had the «fatty melt», which is a patty melt made between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Yea, that was really tasty lol.
Like I said, if you are able to make it here, please do. They have something for everyone from breakfast, to sandwiches, to salads and soups. They even have milkshakes and alcoholic milkshakes which I haven’t tried yet, but will! Deducted one star just for the parking situation… makes it kind of difficult.

I took my spouse and parents here for Sunday lunch. I ordered the grilled chicken salad and everyone else ordered sandwiches. They look good but unfortunately everything was bland. None of the meat was properly seasoned. All 4 of us felt that the food was «eh…ok». Even though I was very hungry I found it hard to finish my meal. The coffee is also quite horrible.
I will say that the service is good and everyone was friendly but that is not enough for us to return.

Good solid breakfast/​brunch option that’s relatively cheap. The atmosphere is old school, which is welcome for a change. The food was good and hearty, don’t come here expecting a healthy meal. You could squeeze by, but the menu is already pretty small and mostly unhealthy. That was my biggest complaint of the place… the lack of menu. Still, the service was good and the food was great too. Good sized portions too. Overall a good, semi-​greasy casual place for breakfast/​brunch.
Atmosphere: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: 7.5÷10
Food: ⁷⁄₁₀