Best Bets for Mother’s Day Brunch
Mother’s Day marks the biggest brunch day of the year, a day for bottomless mimosas, omelets, and waffles. And there’s no better way to celebrate mom than with an elegant, befitting brunch filled with all the best. The throes of holiday brunches out there can be more than a little overwhelming, though, so here are some surefire bets for brunch this Mother’s Day, May 10.
When making Mother’s Day brunch plans, you’ll feel right at home in a family-run restaurant run by a mother. The Solis family helms the sunny Latin-tinged Nana in Bridgeport, where organic and locally sourced ingredients mingle with spicy stylings. The restaurant is named for the mother of the family, Maria Solis, who regularly makes the rounds through the restaurant in between baking pastries and desserts. Keep it casual on Mother’s Day by indulging in their beloved weekend brunch, which features novel dishes like avocado fries, huevos rancheros, coconut-stuffed French toast, grilled shrimp and fried oyster po’boys, and their signature Nanadict, an Eggs Benedict made with pupusas, chorizo, eggs, and poblano cream sauce.
Another familial spot is Eleven City Diner, a nostalgic slice of deli and diner lore in the South Loop (there’s also a newer outpost in Lincoln Park). To dine here feels like stepping back in time to diner yesteryear, a sentiment made all the more cozy by the palpable matriarchal presence felt by the mother of the owner. Her recipes make their way into the kitchen, and she’s been known to roll matzo balls herself, but it’s her charming, warm presence as she roves around the restaurant that really makes guests smile. Of course, the stellar food doesn’t hurt. Your mom will be in brunch bliss with customizable omelets, fried matzo Brie, challah French toast, latkes, Reuben sandwiches, and so much more.
If you’re looking to wow mom, assuming she isn’t afraid of heights, The Signature Room is sure to dazzle. The 95th floor restaurant is serving up a special Mother’s Day brunch as impressive as the view, with items such as spinach and strawberry salad, smoked salmon, baked French toast, and spring vegetable gnocchi, not to mention a prime rib carving station.
The Bristol is always a solid option for brunch, but especially when holidays are involved and you want to make a memorable impact with mom. Because there’s no way she’ll forget about the pastry board, the salmon with cucumber cream cheese and red onion jam, or the Cuban sandwich special with Catalpa Groe pork, pickles, ancho mustard, and egg. Mother’s Day brunch is a prix fixe affair, with each guest selection one entree off the brunch menu.
Your mom deserves a little glamour, a little pomp and circumstance. Look no further than the ritzy Gold Coast bastion, FIG & OLIVE. This glistening jewel of a dining destination, divvied into two floors of awe-inducing design space, is serving up Mother’s Day brunch and dinner this year, each one a prix fixe affair of coastal Mediterranean cuisine. Brunch includes dishes like truffle mushroom croquettes, rosemary lamb, and Koroneiki olive oil and nougat glace for dessert. Come dinnertime, the menu shifts to octopus a la Gallega, zucchini blossom and goat cheese ravioli, and panna cotta a l’Orange.
Things are equally chic at the West Loop’s venerable Sepia, where executive chef Andrew Zimmerman and pastry chef Cindy Schuman spearhead a lavish four-course prix fixe brimming with pastries, dishes, and desserts. After starting the meal with assorted baked goods, guests move on to dishes like spring herb zeppole, confit pork shoulder hash, crunchy French toast, and buttercrunch cake. Mimosas, bellinis, and Bloody Marys are also at the ready.
Nana
3267 S. Halsted Street, Chicago
(312) 929-2486
Website
Eleven City Diner
1112 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago
(312) 212-1112
Website
The Signature Room
875 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
(312) 787-9596
Website
The Bristol
2152 N. Damen Avenue, Chicago
(773) 862-5555
Website
FIG & OLIVE
104 E. Oak Street, Chicago
(312) 445-0060
Website
Sepia
123 N. Jefferson Street, Chicago
(312) 441-1920
Website
