Brunch- becoming a major meal- don’t be confused- Brunch Cafe is the one!

It seems that there are many dining spots that only offer breakfast and lunch. Since the era of Covid, changing the restaurant industry, many restaurants have opted to eliminate the dinner business, keeping their hours down to a minimum. Back in the day, when you met someone for a meeting, brunch ( right after the breakfast rush, and right before the lunch rush) was a perfect time. Booths or tables were easier to find and there were far less people in the restaurant. I do think that the word brunch is “a late morning meal eaten INSTEAD of breakfast and lunch”. Growing up, it was on a Sunday when relatives would come over and we would have what seemed like a combo of meals, in one.

Today, I think it means the same, and that is why many restaurants are offering menus that do thus. In fact, there are many restaurants that have Brunch in their name or even as their name. I imagine there is a lot of confusion as people might say, “let’s do brunch!” and assume you are planning to meet them at Brunch. Be careful, as there are many restaurants that are known as “brunch”. The one that we have tried and have fallen in love with is called “Brunch Cafe” and there are a great number of these ( with more to come).

The one that we visited is in Kildeer. For those of you unfamiliar, Kildeer is just west of Long Grove, North of Palatine and south of Lake Zurich. From Northbrook, the drive was 18 minutes and well worth the trip, although they are opening another in Deerfield ( Lake Cook and Waukegan Rd) very soon and that will be 4-5 minutes from our home. They are also opening up in Arlington Hts ( Rand Rd and Arlington Hts. Rd)  and very soon in Carpentersville for those in the Elgin area.so the growth just keep happening.

The Kildeer location is 20393 N. Rand Road ( route 12) just a wee bit north of Lake Cook Road. There is plenty of free parking in the center and some great shopping opportunities including a Nordstrom Rack. The reason however to visit Brunch Cafe has got to be the food and the great ( and very friendly) service.

We decide, for the most part of try some of their signature “breakfast” items as it was still morning. Our server Kailie made sure that our coffee cups were always full and that we had everything we needed. I will tell you that it was great to see an almost full restaurant on a Monday morning around 11 a.m.- that is a good sign for the future.

The menu is humongous. Two full pages with almost every type of sandwich French Toast ( many ways), Crepes ( called Crepe Expectations), eggs made in almost every way ( some of the best tasting bacon I ever had) and all in all, something for everyone in your party ( or family, no matter how picky they may be). A complete list of salads and sandwiches as well as a special menu for the little ones.

We enjoyed the following items:

Blueberry Bliss pancakes, ( they call this section: hey batter batter). These were amazingly tasty- brunch cream, blueberries, a blueberry glaze and a vanilla bean glaze. They were amazing to look at, but even better, they were tasty to eat.

The strawberry crepes were a thing of beauty-

they also have banana, strawberry, berry/berry ( a combination of berries) and a very special California Crepe with a scrambled egg, diced bacon, avocado, spinach , two cheeses and a hollandaise sauce ( this is on tap for our next visit).

Of course we tried the Lox Platter with a lightly toasted bagel and all the: tomato ,onion, cucumber, capers and delicious smoked salmon.

Jane is very into Avocado Toast and claims that is the best way to judge a good breakfast place- not only was it eye appealing, it was tummy approved. Yes, even by me ( and I am only so-so on avocados) very tasty and with the side of fruit ( very fresh) even better.

Had to be an omelet from their massive list, so we had the potato crusted: shredded potatoes, chicken sausage, oven roasted tomato and pepper jack cheese- this was truly the way an omelet should be made( served with potatoes , pancakes or toast.  There are 9 others available, including one where you can create it yourself.

If you are Gluten-Free, a Vegetarian or have any food allergies, NO PROBLEM! Brunch Cafe has plenty of items that are perfect for you. The staff will go out of their way to ensure that your dining experience is one that will bring a smile to your face along with the great feeling in your tummy.

They are open daily from 7 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.  They also do catering

call 847-847-7120

visit www.brunchcafe.com for catering menu as well as banquet services and other locations.