Merle’s Coffee Shoppe

TODAY APRIL 30, 2011, at 2pm, without much notice and without any fanfare, Merle’s Closes Their Café Forever.
I happened to read the Unilocal reviews today to choose a nice breakfast spot. The Unilocaler Reviews on Merle’s sounded yummy so there I headed. When I finally found Merle’s it was about 10am. I was very surprised to see a little humble sign on the front door stating that today at 2pm, the place would be closing forever.
As I sat and enjoyed the last order of pancakes ever to rise from the Grill of Merle, I made plenty of friends. The reason for the sudden closing is hush-​hush and no one wants to discuss it. Someone overheard a rumor that the «other café» a few hundred feet away, had made life difficult.
I watched most of the neighborhood trail trough to buy one last coffee or pastry. one of the photos below is the last customer buying a muffin «for the road».
It was kinda like dining in a funeral home. Here I was visiting for the first time, and it was everyone else’s last time Everyone was reeling with the shock at this loss and if you read the reviews, the last 7 years have been quite good to this restaurant.
. Several women were in tears as they munched their bagels and grilled cheese sandwiches. As for me, I am still sitting here trying to figure out what they are going to do with all the leftover muffins, cake and fresh fruit, if they are really closing forever in a few minutes.
I decide that when they finally toss me out, I will circle back through the alley just in case.

I live in the neighborhood and have been to Merle’s a few times. One word: Meh. The coffee is okay and the food isn’t worth anything to rave about. I prefer to go to First Slice which is just on the other side of the Brown Line tracks. The food is much better quality.

I randomly went into this café at the Francisco Brown Line Stop to relax and grab a coffee.
I would say it’s more of a restaurant than a café.
I liked the overall friendly environment, and I also liked their drinks too :)
Nice place!

What a sweet find right at the Francisco Brown Line Stop. I actually brought a large group of people here on a Saturday morning before a walking tour of Albany Park. The owners were so accommodating to us, opening their large rear garden area for us! We enjoyed a nice light breakfast before our walk. We’ll definitely be back!

Great for breakfast and lunch. Pretty standard «american» style food, but well done and with good prices. Also the staff/​owners are really nice, and always remember you, even if it’s been a while since you were last there. A neighborhood treasure for sure!

Good food and a great price. Very small and quaint. The service was also pretty good. Went on a Monday morning and the traffic was light. I would go again.

This charming neighborhood coffee shop is literally just steps from the Francisco Brown line stop.
It’s just one of the many reasons my ‘hood is so charming and why I love it so much.
It has a tiny ordering area, but they have a beautiful outdoor area located in the back as well as a few tables outside in front.
Don’t let the small size fool you though. They have a fairly extensive menu of breakfast and lunch items — pancakes, eggs, french toast, sandwiches, etc. Prices are fair too.
And my favorite thing is that they keep a jar outside filled with dog biscuits. My dog knows this and always leads me in the direction of Merle’s during his walks.
My only complaint is that I’m an early riser, and on the weekends, they don’t open until 8. Sometimes a girl needs her coffee STAT, ya know?
A welcome sight in the Manor and I am always happy to support a local business.

Quicky review for a neighborhood favorite. If you’re coming or going from the Brown Line Francisco stop, definitely make time for a stop at Merle’s — even if it’s just for a cup of coffee/​cap/​moka/​whatever. The breakfast and lunch menus are wide ranging for such a small spot — and everything I’ve had has been tasty. Merle’s is small during the cold months, but when it’s warm there’s plenty of room in the back. I’m not all in for 5 stars only because it’s a bit small and doesn’t have the hangout vibe of a coffee house.

What an awesome find right off the Francisco Brown line stop! I met fellow Unilocaler Lisa A. for some coffee and breakfast on this rainy Friday morning. Lisa got there before I did and grabbed us a table in this little coffee shop. The seating is scarce so you will have to get there at the right time to dine in this little shop.
I had the buttermilk pancakes with bacon. The bacon was a little on the burnt side but the pancakes were phenomenal! They were nice and fluffy and the perfect size. The coffee is also very tasty! Merle’s has a deli case of pre made sandwiches, wraps, fruit salad, coffee cake, cookies (picked up the kitchen sink cookie) and soups. I noticed a lot of people popping in for coffee and some eats to go. Perfect place to stop on your way to work before hopping on the train. You can take a fresh sandwich with you to go for lunch that day.
The prices at Merle’s are very reasonable. My breakfast came to $ 8 and some change. I just added the cookie in so I could use my debit card as there is a $ 10 minimum. That kitchen sink cookie is delish! Our waitress was very friendly and accommodating. I will definitely be back to Merle’s. Such a unique neighborhood find!

I had breakfast here today with my new Unilocal BF, Sarah L. I had heard great things about this little coffee shop, tucked away in Blago’s hood, the posh part of 60 618.
First impression: TINY! Maybe four tables, at the most. COZY for sure! Sylvia was our waitress. The menu has maybe 7 items on it for breakfast, and another 7 for lunch. If I lived closer to this area, I would stop in every day for coffee and cookies.
I ordered Pancakes and Eggs, with sliced tomato substituted for the bacon. The pancakes were light and fluffy, just the right texture, and just the perfect portion size. I had skimpy eggs, maybe two, they were cooked to perfection! The sliced tomatoes did not look very good, but once I took a bite, I was happy. They were refreshing.
I cannot remember what Sarah got, we were too busy talking nonstop and enjoying each others company, not to mention the awesome, fresh and hot, coffee! Sylvia let us chat away, undisturbed for a good 2 hours, even though lunch crowd started to creep in. I have a new friend in the 60 618!!! And she is not a crazy flight attendant!!!
Merle’s= Four Stars
Sarah L= TEN STARS**********

This place is pretty much the awesome sauze.
A few things though:
*their service can be a bit slow.
i wouldn’t recommend coming here
unless you have the time
*space is rather limited
*they close too early!
Otherwise…
I love love love their french toast.
I usually get the «frenchie» special
with yummy fat sausage.
it is quite tasty.
I’m pretty sure the rest of their
food is tasty as well.
Their coffee is good, their waitstaff is
awesome, and the place
is so darn cute and quaint!
check it out

Merle’s is not what I expected. When I first moved here, I used to take the train by it everyday thinking it looked like a total greasy spoon hole-​in-​the-​wall. Don’t get me wrong… I’m a fan of greasy spoon holes-​in-​the-​wall, so my interest was sparked.
Anyway, I now live a little further east than before so the Francisco stop is my hub to the rest of the city. While Merle’s is small, it’s totally country kitschy on the inside, not at all what I imagined. The food is quite good, can be healthy, and reasonably priced. I’m happy to have Merle’s in the neighborhood. Quaint and yummy, just like I like ‘em.

I am in LOVE! I live 3 blocks away from this place. My fiancé and I decided to check it out on a Saturday. I had the omelet with spinach, mushroom, broccoli, and jalapen-​o cheese! It came with some yummy fruit and hash browns. All this for $ 8.50! We also had the quiche ham and swiss cheese (made daily)!! Very fresh and the crust was buttery. yummy! We will definetly be going back to this place!

I didn’t expect much when I ventured into this tiny coffee place just off the Francisco Brown Line stop, but I was very pleasantly surprised! The woman behind the counter was so sweet and attentive, and even though I was obviously a first-​timer, I felt very much welcomed and at home.
This place is tiny, with 5 tables for 2, some extra chairs in a corner, and a little bit of outdoor seating in the front. But it’s definitely charming in its own special way. I had a very good mocha (tall/medium=about $ 3), and a tuna sandwich with chips. The sandwiches were pre-​made, but I was really happy with the taste with its chunks of celery and red onions. The tuna portion was generous and very much worth $ 4.95 (including a bag of chips).
There were allllll sorts of pastries and candy and muffins, etc. that I’m looking forward to trying. Especially the lemon bars.
I will be back every time I’m in the neighborhood!
(They do accept credit/​debit cards. There’s a sign that says $ 10 minimum, but when I asked, they said $ 5 minimum.)

Even after one friend kept begging me to visit her quaint neighborhood of Ravenswood Manor, she promised me that I must not go without Merle’s. She also warned me not to go to Merle’s without her… so I guess that’s why it took until now to discover what I’ve been missing out on! After all, I couldn’t have possibly visited and gotten off the antique, ground-​level Francisco Brown Line stop without hearing oldies music blasting from the neighboring coffee shoppe.
Merle’s is such a comfortable neighborhood place. The lovely Mexican waitress/barista/“Jaqueline-Of-All-Trades” knows everyone when they walk in the door, a rural farm theme is throughout the café, dog biscuits sit at the door, and a chalk-​written menu presents your food choices. Merle’s offers breakfast items all at great prices, but with little variety. I enjoyed the Merle’s Special which includes 2 eggs, oven potatoes, a choice of meat and toast.
Now, usually I try not to return to the same restaurant within a few months but with Merles, I was back the following day! Ok ok, it wasn’t for breakfast…
My boyfriend and I were having a bit of trouble finding a place to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day’s with an «Irish» Corned Beef & Cabbage meal (yes, I’m aware that it is said to be American after all). This surprised me with Chicago claiming to be sooo Irish! Well, it just so happened that Merle’s was offering dinner for a special occasion! They served Corned Beef & Cabbage accompanied with carrots, potatoes and soda bread for $ 8.95. It was wonderfully reasonable!
Now that I’ve talked you into visit, here’s a few things to keep in mind:
–It’s all laid back meaning you get your food or coffee and then pay afterward at your own leisure
–No credit card payments under $ 10
–The café is super small with only 7 tables exist (in other words not good for groups)
–No Wi-​Fi is available (only 2 unlocked ones that drop signal randomly)
–If you’re lucky enough, you may even get a glance at the cute cook.
While you visit, be sure to take a stroll down Manor Avenue to check out the peaceful parks and bungalow architecture.

I’ve had this place on my bookmarks for some time, and finally made it here recently. Merle’s is both a great place to quickly get coffee, or get a breakfast/​brunch/​lunch meal, provided (and agreeing with the Unilocaler that said this) you don’t mind waiting just a little bit for your meal. But with the very friendly staff and that it beat my expectations, it’s absolutely stupid not to stop here pre-​2pm, when I believe they close each day.
Great breakfast and lunch menu, very fair food prices, and I’m sure they obviously have certain food specials here from time to time, such as their chili that I’ve yet to try. Like that it isn’t too far a walk from either the river park just north of Lawrence, or from Horner Park. And of course, it’s right off the Francisco ‘L stop.
It’ll be great to be able to check out their patio area for myself when it reopens next year. Till then, I definitely hope to be back again here sometime.
non-​Christmas Muzak radio test (new feature for my December reviews) — PASSED!

Generally, I would be selfish and keep this place all to myself, but tis the season and all that stuff. Merle’s is virtually unknown unless you actually live in the neighborhood, but thanks to a brunch search on Unilocal,this place popped up and I was intrigued. Only one stop over from the Rockwell brown line stop, Merle’s is directly next door to the Francisco el. There is a cute patio area that I imagine will be quite enjoyable once it’s warm enough and the exterior of the shop is welcoming.
Tucked away inside are a few tables and chairs but I was lucky enough to snag a small area for myself on Sunday morning during peak brunch time. Instead of wait service, you place your order at the counter and it is served to you when ready. There is a cooler full of assorted drinks, and beside the counter is a deli-​style section showing off various deserts, soups, quiche, etc.
I ordered the french toast with a side of ham not expecting anything extraordinary. Sometimes, it’s good to have your expectations raised. The french toast was made from french bread and dipped in an egg & Baileys batter then topped off with a light dusting of confectioners sugar. It was nicely served on a platter with a small portion of fruit — no melon filler — and a large serving of ham. All for under $ 7 — unbelievable. I didn’t notice a huge wait for my food, and I wouldn’t have cared if there was. The french toast was perfect. I stayed a little after finishing to read and never felt rushed or pressed to leave.
When I finally did give in, I bought some chili to take home and a kitchen sink cookie. The chili was SPICY but that’s how I like it anyway — perfect for a cold Chicago day. The lunch menu looks just as good as the breakfast menu, and I can’t wait to go back and try other things. If you’re looking for an alternative to the normal, over-​priced Lincoln Square brunch, it’s worth the train ride to Merle’s.

Merles is an extraordinarily charming coffee and breakfast shop. I love the building with its glass block wall, handwritten sign, and cute courtyard. The brunch specials are a steal (eggs and pancakes for ~$ 6). It’s fun to sit outside and listen to the brown line rumbling past.
This place gives me visions of living in an awesome brick bungalow in Ravenswood Manor and getting a dog. Sigh.

The food here is wonderful, and in fact they catered a neighborhood block party recently — everything was awesome. Their sandwiches are all terrific, and the service is great, too.
The space itself is way too small to have a nice relaxing meal. Much better to go there on a nice day, grab your meal to go, and head over to the picnic tables across the street at Ravenswood Manor Park.

Though it was a little slow for simple food, the wait was worth it. I’ve never had a better biscuit. My omelet was light, fluffy and full of delicious things. But the biscuit… oh my, the biscuit. And the folks who work there are kind and courteous.
The setting is a little challenging, however. Trying to enjoy breakfast when the El rumbles by at the conveniently close Francisco stop is a little overwhelming and because it’s a family neighborhood there can be a lot of screaming children. So maybe not the best place to go after a big night out, but if you are willing to eat next to the train, you’ll be rewarded with a tasty, tasty breakfast.
Note: This should be a 3.5, close to a four, but it’s very loud and a little slow.