The Bongo Room

I love this place!
You’ll have to wait for a while on Sunday’s but it is totally worth it. Coffee is amazing and all the food is to die for.

Went here a few weeks ago on a cold Friday morning. Despite the signs saying that they won’t seat your party until everyone is present, they were very accommodating with our party since we didn’t know how many were coming and when the rest of our party would be there.
The food was delicious — I got the banana pancakes that came with a maple cream I could bathe in. My only complaint was that there wasn’t enough for my three giant pancakes.
The reason for my star deduction: It was a little off putting when the food came out. Two plates came out. Wait two minutes. Then two more plates came out. Wait another minute. One plate came out. And everyone around me had their dish for almost 5 minutes before my pancakes came out.
A little awkward and a little frustrating considering how hungry I was.

We came for the pancakes and left super satisfied… Must try the exotic pancake flavors. You can just get one instead of a large order so we picked a few of them and shared… They only have the chocolate tower of French toast on the weekends for brunch. Great customer service too.

If Yolk earned three stars from me, The Bongo Room has to earn four! This was hands down my favorite breakfast during the trip and a wonderful start to my day.
The Bongo Room is a breakfast joint and bruncherie with a few locations scattered around Chicago. Their menu is rather limited. However, TBR compensates for this scarcity of menu options by offering well-​made breakfast staples featuring their own little twists. This is especially evident in the seasonally-​changing pancake and french toast menu. Customers will occasionally encounter interesting creations such as heath bar pancakes and cranberry/​orange pancakes with vanilla cream and crumbled gingersnaps.
I personally prefer my breakfasts savory rather than sweet. I initially wanted some sort of benedict. Much to my dismay, TBR only offers that during weekends. I ended up with the vegetarian croissant sandwich and some cheesy house potatoes (
) The sandwich was super delicious! They split a toasted croissant and crammed it with sprouts, tomatoes, spinach, cheese, and a fried egg. The cheese is typically melted muenster but they gladly substituted goat cheese upon my request. I loved the contrasting textures and the taste was also very good. The only real drawback for me was that the sandwich was on the messier side. As for those herbed house potatoes, I loved them. The white cheddar cheese was a nice touch as well.
My two friends ordered pancakes and liked their orders to a degree. I tried a few bites. The health bar pancake legitimately tasted like a heath bar but it was too sweet for me. As for their red velvet pancake, we all thought it wasn’t sweet enough which was odd.
Service was just ok. People stopped by infrequently. They weren’t even busy that day…
Customers that require alcohol will be disappointed. This location is the only one that doesn’t serve booze.
Regardless, The Bongo Room is definitely worth checking out. I loved my experience here and will happily come back on my next trip to Chicago… whenever that is. Hopefully sometime soon!

This place seems to be a super popular brunch chain in Chicago, so my friends and I decided to try it on our trip. My first impression of the restaurant really reminded me of a kindergarten classroom. The tables and the chairs all felt really small and the furniture was really colorful. The place was clean and quaint and the waiters provided good service.
I had done my research and had already decided to get the white chocolate and caramel pretzel pancake. I also decided to get a side of potatoes to balance out the sweet pancake. The potatoes were not good at all and were too overcooked and mushy. However, the pancake was SUPER GOOD. The pretzels added a nice crunchy texture to the pancake and the white chocolate and caramel layer on top of the pancake was heavenly. It wasn’t terribly sweet so it was very manageable to finish the pancake. I like how I was able to only order 1 pancake but was disappointed that they charge ½ price for 1 pancake, ¾ price for 2 pancakes, and full price for 3 pancakes. Nonetheless, the pancake tasted really great and I would come back again for this special pancake if I am ever back in Chicago.

Achieving expectations
All the hype we heard about this place may have caused us to be let down a bit.
That is not to say that this place is not good, it most definitely has tasty food. However in comparison to the other amazing breakfast spots Chicago has to offer, there is some opportunity for improvement in order to obtain an above expectations review.
We arrived around noon on a Saturday and luckily the wait was less than 20 min. We were seated in an underwhelming diner style area. The waiter was prompt and hospitable. We ordered 2 different styles of eggs Benedict and loved both of them.
I wouldn’t say I’ll never frequent this spot again, but I would want to try some other epic breakfast spots first.

Came here with a group of 5 for brunch on a Sunday at 11am. We put our name in and was told that itd be about an hour and a half/​hour and 45 minutes, but that it could be shorter. They asked if our whole group was present. ALWAYS SAY YES. It seemed like a silly question when our wait was almost 2 hours away. We went down the street to Links to grab a drink and stay warm. We checked back in at an hour and they told us 30 – 45 minutes.
Accurate initial wait time– CHECK.
We called the restaurant from Links at exactly 12:45 and they said our table was ready and they would hold it for 5 minutes for us which was very nice of them, as there was a huge crowd.
We got a big booth for the 6 of us, and there was lots of splitting going on. Between us we got:
2 Vegetarian Croissant Sandwiches — Fantastic, but extremely messy. Don’t eat if you’re around anyone who will judge you or on a date.
Breakfast Burrito w/​Breakfast Potatoes: Unlike the rest of the reviews here, I didn’t find the breakfast potatoes lifechanging (I‘m typically a hashbrown fan). Not worth the carbs. The breafkast burrito was large and good– comes with guac!
Chorizo Omlette– Probably the least loved dish at the table, but nothing against it. You can get it anywhere though– try something more unique.
White Chocolate & Caramel Pretzel Pancakes (special menu) — For the table. These were EXTREMELY sweet and slathered in the sauce. Nobody was able to have more than a bite or 2. But they were good.
Normal Croissant Sandwich & Breakfast Potatoes– Was devoured and a fan favorite. Just as messy as the veggie one– so beware of your surroundings.
Drinks– lots of alcoholic options: Baileys & Coffee + Black Raspberry/​Grapefruit Mimosas were the groups drinks of choice. Everyone was very happy– the mimosas weren’t too sweet.
Verdict: Brunch was enjoyable. I think that if you are a sweet fan then this is the spot for you. If you just like savory, then there are better places elsewhere that don’t require this long of a wait.

Had the lobster egg Benedict and it was pretty good, also ordered the beef and crimini mushroom and omelet. Not so impressed with the beef and crimini mushroom omelet, lacking flavor and the beef didn’t taste as fresh.

This is one of my favorite breakfast places in all of Chicago! I don’t like potatoes (I know, I’m weird) but their house potatoes are amazing! The pancakes/​hotcakes that I’ve had have been on the denser and dryer side but are good enough to try at least once. The Red Velvet pancakes are a good choice if you want something a little less sweet. The White Chocolate Caramel Pretzel pancakes are delicious and not as cloyingly sweet as I thought it would be — definitely get a half order or split a whole order with someone because these portions are huge.
My favorite entrée, however, is the Vegetarian Croissant Sandwich — DEFINITELY a must!

Bongo Room is one of the most awesome brunch spots in Chicago. The staff is hot or miss (there’s always 1 or 2 that simply don’t mesh well with others but nonetheless the place is great. They don’t make many accommodations so just a few words of caution before you arrive:
1. Make sure your entire party is there (no partial seating)
2. Arrive when the doors open to avoid a long wait
3. Parking can be a doozy
4. Try the special pancakes (WINNERS)
5. It’s small in case you’re claustrophobic
The décor is something magical. I enjoyed simply taking in all the art while waiting for a table to free up. One of the proprietors (can’t remember his name but very pleasant guy) offered me a fresh cup of coffee and pulled up a chair until our entire party arrived.
The Lobster Benedict, Carrot Pancakes and Pretzel Pancakes were nothing short of ahhhhhmazingly delicious! If your party consist of 5 or more I highly recommend trying at least 1 of each pancake; especially the specials which are only available for a limited time.
Lastly, they’ve got the coolest most eco chic restroom I’ve seen in all of 2015.
Give the Bongo a GO.
~Christy

Came in on Saturday during the brunch hour. It was pretty packed, we came in — checked in for 3 — waited about 15 — 20 minutes. The entry way /​waiting area was pretty tight!!! Today being my first time here; my expectations grew as I sat — waited — smelled. I’ve heard so much about the Bongo Room experience and thought better late than never! Right?!
Overall the food was pretty great! I kept my dish simple, went with a loaded veggie omelette with a side of potatoes. Yum! I gotta say, loved my omelette and the potatoes were pretty amazing! Seriously, the potatoes pack a big punch of flavor and the portion was pretty hefty!
Our table also ordered a side of the chocolate tower French toast… It was more than enough to share between the 3 of us and still have plenty leftover.
That being said I give this place 4 stars!
I’d give 5 stars but there were a few things I didn’t like about the service /​lack there of! Not 1 refill on our waters and coffees, no sort of follow up with our orders, and I had to ask for a fork?! Sure the place was busy but that’s no excuse! The service was so nice and sweet before we ordered and the minute our food was served we became invisible!
Now I understand why the «Tip» is already included when you order drinks from the bar… Not making enough in tips??? I wonder why?!

I’ve heard from several people that The Bongo Room is a must-​try for brunch, so my boyfriend and I opted to try it out while we were in the city. We had a very late start to the day, and arrived around 1pm on a Saturday. Despite the fact that we arrived one hour prior to closing time, this place was still packed.
Both of us enjoy brunch, but have always found it a little on the heavy side, so we ordered the BLT Benedict and one (very huge) red velvet pancake. I really liked how they offered an option for you to choose how many pancakes you wanted (ranging from 1 – 3), since I always tend to over-​order when it comes to brunch. I actually really enjoyed the BLT Benedict — the basil pesto hollandaise sauce gave the poached eggs and spinach just the flavor they needed. The red velvet pancake wasn’t very heavy, which I was grateful for, and provided the rest of our savory brunch with a good amount of sweetness.
Coffee here is from Intelligentsia — it’s also bottomless, so if you’re need of a lot of liquid energy, refill away!

I’m always drawn to the benedict selections when I’m out for brunch. Guess I’m just more of a savory person than a sweet. Plus, who doesn’t love the gooey yolk from a perfectly poached egg?! UGH YUM. Anyway, I had the most delicious lobster benedict for «brunch» (is 1:30pm still considered brunch?) today. Really hit the spot for my brunch craving.
All in all there are a couple things I look for in a restaurant in the city. Obviously delicious food, great service, and at certain times proximity (to where I live) and parking convenience. Parking is especially important to me during Chicago winters. Overall The Bongo Room satisfied all of these criteria for me. The waitress offering us a free coffee to go was really the cherry on top of a wonderful Sunday morning (afternoon?) brunch experience!

I always crave for breakfast/​brunch food, like french toast. Came to this little spot and ordered myself the cinnamon/​Apple brioche french toast. My hubby ordered the tenderloin scramble and my friend ordered the two eggs any style with bacon and ham.
For cinnamon/​Apple brioche french toast: it’s a good french toast. It fulfilled my craving. It is sweet, which is expected. U can taste the cinnamon and apple flavor once u take a bite. So good!
For tenderloin scramble, three of us loved it! I’m gonna order that next time! It has a lot of meat inside and other veggies. It’s HUGE! My hubby can finish that and be sooooooo full!
For two eggs any style dish, it’s like any other breakfast restaurants. No special about that.
The price is very decent. Service is good. Restaurant is clean.
FYI: The portion is BIG! So don’t order too much haha! And try not to sit by the windows. It gets really hot cuz the sun is blazing on your back. :/

Loved the bfast/​brunch options here! It did come with a 45 minute-​ish wait, but it was definitely worth it! There’s also a bar inside where you can order coffee, tea and other beverages while you wait and they’ll add it to your tab once you’re seated. (there’s no liquor here in case you’re looking for a boozy brunch)
Once my bf and I got seated, we already knew what we wanted to get so we put in our order with the waiter right away. My bf had the lobster benedict and I did the BLT benedict and 1 stack of the white chocolate caramel pretzel. We both enjoyed our perfectly poched egg benedicts and the rosemary seasoning on the house potatoes were delicious!
The white chocolate caramel pretzel was super good, but can get too sweet after awhile. I can’t imagine eating this as my main meal, but I couldn’t come here without trying it! There are even bitz of pretzels cooked into the pancake, but it was a little soggy by the time I got to it. Definitely worth the try still tho!
The service was quick, prompt and attentive. Our servers were always quick to come by in case we needed a coffee refill. I would come back if I’m ever in Chicago again.

The Bongo Room is a breakfast spot with a few locations in the Chicago area that offers a standard varieties of vegetarian breakfast — the sweet, the savory, and everything inbetween. I was visiting Chicago with a vegetarian friend and had woken up at 4 AM to make the Friday morning flight, so I was pretty famished.
I ordered an egg white omelet (not omelette? I’m uncertain) with goat cheese and veggies. It came with a side of potatoes and my choice of bread. The omelette was good, up to a point. The ingredients inside were segmented in a way that made the front end of the omelet exclusively goat cheese, the middle stewing spinach, etc. Like imagine opening up the omelet to find it soaked in spinach water, with the pile of spinach still sitting there. It just wasn’t appetizing past the goat cheese bite. I didn’t even try to salvage it with Cholula — the vegetables and associated water had done the damage. The potatoes were quite tasty. They were very different, and reminded me of some potatoes I had had for dinner a few years ago. I believe they were seasoned with dill, which was interesting.
Overall, I’d return if I were in Chicago and in the area. This location is very close to public transportation, and very close to things I might go do — tourist spots, work, etc.

[Out-​of-​Towner Review]
This will be my first breakfast when I’m back in Chicago.
I love breakfast, but I am a crazy traditionalist when it comes to the delicacy that starts off your day. Two eggs, toast, potatoes, and coffee make me the happiest person ever. That or a breakfast sandwich, which is essentially half of those items put together to make a heavenly sandwich.
So, to be recommended to this little, very non-​descript breakfast spot, I didn’t know what I had in store. We arrived 10 minutes before it opened and we were third in line. I knew from that moment on, we were probably in for a treat. As soon as it opened the servers and busers were lined up to take each party back to the dining area. Again, if you were to look at this place, you may think it was a generic cafeteria. Everything is made with the bright, light colored wood (think IKEA), concrete walls, with splashed of blue and green. I wasn’t judging this book, by its cover… I was just taking it all in.
The menu isn’t huge, but now I know why it doesn’t have to be. I, as usual, went for the Croissant Sandwich. It is always what I’ll go with when I want to be a little more adventurous for breakfast. J loves sweet for breakfast, but he wasn’t too sure about pretzels in his pancakes. But after speaking with our server, she assured him this decision was what many others make on a daily basis.
I don’t do sweets for breakfast, but I probably stole more than my fair share of his White Chocolate & Carmel Pretzel Pancakes that morning. Event typing the name I feel like I’ll get a cavity. However, by some magical stroke of genius they’ve created a pancake that isn’t overly sweet, with just the right amount of sweetness and fluff! Seriously, these pancakes look like they are dripping in sugar, but once you take a bite, you are transcended into whatever pancakes in Heaven should taste like. The blend of the white chocolate and caramel, combined with the fluffy (not too dense) pancake, sprinkled with bits of pretzel is something that I can’t even begin to describe.
I also shouldn’t forget to talk about my actual breakfast, not go on an done about the one I kept stealing. The croissant was amazing, buttery and flakey, just how I love them. I opted for egg whites and they were not shy with their portions. I did not like the potatoes, they were too ‘wet’ for my liking, but had great seasoning and flavors. If they were crispy, they would have been the equivalent to breakfast crack! Sadly, I left most of them on my plate.
Both breakfast portions were huge, sadly we couldn’t finish either of them to their entirety. We both also ordered the Intelligentsia coffee, which we was also recommended to us by the same person. We enjoyed way too many cups of this caffeinated goodness, they even provided soy milk at no cost (follow suit CA)! It was basically packed since opening, but they have so many people working your coffee cup never gets empty, your food comes out fast, and their kitchen is killing it back there. It is a well oiled machine, that not only knows how to manage the breakfast rush, but their dishes already speak for themselves.
After 30 years, I finally truly appreciate the pancake after coming here…