Where to get the best brunch in Lakeview

Brunch so hard mimosas wanna find you?  You’re in the right place.

Lakeview happens to be one of my favorite places to brunch.

From Southport corridor to Lake Shore Drive, here are six hot spots for the most important meal of the day.

Bakin’ and Eggs: A Lovely Idea

Everyone comes for the Bacon Flight, a drool-worthy assortment of maple pepper, jalapeno, honey, cherry smoked and mesquite slabs. Other top-sellers include the Breakfast BLT; Jalapeño Bacon Gouda Mac & Cheese; and Southern Comfort Bowl (house potatoes, aged cheddar, eggs your way, biscuit bites, and gravy).

Want more bacon? There’s a Bacon Dog (@bigforkbrands bacon cheddar sausage + caramelized onions + aged cheddar + pickle + tomatoes + giardiniera + secret sauce on lobster roll with a fried egg) and the bacon-free but still delish Chicken Pot Pie with a wiscuit (translation: waffle biscuit.)

For drinks, how about an Oatmeal Latte made with whole milk that’s been cold-infused with oats, brown sugar simple syrup, house made pear butter and espresso?

There’s also a caffeine-free Peach Lavender Tea Latte, house-crafted Irish coffee and mimosas (after 9 years in business, Bakin’ finally got its liquor license.)

Hit up the pastry case on your way out.

Fun fact: Every table here (except for the one in the front window) is situated at a church pew for banquet-style seating. That’s because St. Alphonsus, located just around the corner, generously gifted Bakin’ these pews from their basement in exchange for donated food to the church.

More evidence of Bakin’s giving spirit? Kids eat free Monday through Friday.

312o N. Lincoln Avenue, bakinandeggschicago.com.

Batter & Berries

With a perpetual line snaking out the door, Batter & Berries is the brunch bucket list spot everyone is looking to check off.  You can’t miss the sunny yellow awning and bright purple door while driving down Lincoln Ave.

Once inside, you’re tasked with choosing from mouth-watering, gut-busting options like Crown Royal Pecan Pie French Toast (pecan pie batter topped with pie pieces and Crown Royal Salted Caramel sauce), Oreo French Toast or the signature Cluck-N-Gaufre (pronounced “goof”) – a sweet potato waffle infused with fried chicken, topped with a big buttermilk fried chicken breast, house made nutmeg hot sauce and maple butter.

Chef Ken is big on themes: for Fat Tuesday, he offered Mardi Gras-inspired dishes like a Jambalaya Omelet (housemade shrimp-and-chicken Andouille jambalaya sauce ladled over an omelet stuffed with smoked gouda, peppers, caramelized onion and chicken Andouille sausage) and a Crab and Crawfish Bennie topped with Creole Mustard Hollandaise)

Valentine’s Day? Lovers nibbled on French Toast Flavor #167, Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Rosé, made with bubbly batter and crowned with hand dipped, chocolate-covered strawberries.

For the month of February, he “blacked out” the menu in conjunction with the release of Black Panther (Chef Ken is a big comic book fan), offering a Black Forest Waffle, Blackened Catfish and more.

Local celebs like Grammy-nominated adult contemporary R&B duo Kindred the Family Soul, Leonard Ouzts (from Master of None) and TV reporter Sylvia Perez have all stopped in.

B & B is BYOB (bring a bottle of Prosecco and order a carafe of OJ for mimosas) and offers bottomless La Colombe Coffee for just three bucks.

2748 N. Lincoln Avenue, batterberries.restaurantwebx.com.

Frasca Pizzeria & Wine Bar

Some of the most popular brunch items at this recently remodeled Lakeview mainstay: breakfast pizza (make it Benedict-style by adding prosciutto and hollandaise; a fried egg sandwich; and piping hot cinnamon and sugar donuts.

Omelettes are named after local streets: Roscoe Street (mozzarella, provolone, Italian sausage, bacon and caramelized onions); Pauline Street (bacon, wild mushrooms, mozzarella, spinach, hollandaise).

Frasca’s Bloody Mary comes spiked with a strip of bacon and you can also order salads or paninis if you’re in the mood.

Get your brunch on outside in the summer, or host a baby shower or other party in their semi-private dining area.

Make sure to walk over and gaze at the giant pizza oven in the back; sometimes you can even smell the wood, lending to the already warm and cozy environment.

3358 N. Paulina Street, frascapizzeria.com. 

Kanela Breakfast Club

Try a Greek-infused take on the breakfast + lunch combo at Kanela [kuh-nel-uh] (it means cinnamon in Greek).

They offer scratch-made regional delicacies like loukoumades (doughnuts made with honey and toasted walnut) and Greek yogurt with honey, berries and granola.

Stateside favorites like Avocado Toast and Chia Seed Pudding are here too, plus the killer-looking Kanela Breakfast Club (avo toast + smoked salmon + goat cheese + truffle-infused hollandaise sauce and the scene-stealing Kanela Roll, slathered in cream cheese frosting.

There are also smoothies and a full service bar…where the Bloody Mary comes garnished with a miniature grilled cheese.

The Lakeview spot opened in 2010; other locations are in Old Town, Wicker Park, Streeterville, Andersonville and (coming soon) Ukrainian Village. Free parking is available on non-Cubs game days.

Plenty of vegan, vegetarian and organic options are available.

Mama wants you to brunch here.

3231 N. Clark Street, kanelabreakfastclub.com.

Southport Grocery & Café

On its way to celebrating its 15th year in the neighborhood this August, Southport Grocery & Café is one part elevated brunch food, one part upscale market.

The owners believe that “brunch is just breakfast without an alarm clock,” and thus reward customers with all day yummies.

A breakfast sandwich features ginger-sage sausage, local butterkase cheese, pepper jelly, arugula and a fried organic cage-free egg and a savory omelet is packed with winter squash, bacon and herb-lemon goat cheese.

Sweet options like grilled coffee cake and cupcake pancakes are local favorites (yes, these are pancakes made out of gluten-free cupcake batter);

The grocery area offers luxurious packaged items of the sweet, savory, spicy, and everywhere in between variety. Think pasta sauces, spice rubs, dessert sauces, canned wines and homemade preserves (they even have their own preservationist on staff).

Don’t miss the homemade ding dongs and rice krispie treats, sliced and cheekily posted on Instagram with the tagline “this is how we cut carbs.”

3552 N. Southport Avenue, southportgrocery.com.

Yolk

With science now telling us that egg yolks are not nearly as bad for cholesterol as once thought, this Lakeview bright spot must be rejoicing.

The fifth of seven locations citywide, Yolk is known for their egg-y offerings – they served up more than three million eggs last year alone.

There’s Eggs Benedict, Bacon Chicken ’n’ Waffle, a hearty 5-eggCalifornia omelet and, for the still-yolk-shy, an Iron Man Omelet made by folding veggies into five egg whites.

That’s not even counting the Pancake of the Month offerings (Pecan Banana Foster; Strawberry Cheesecake, to name a few) or Nutella Crêpes (one of their most photographed dishes).

They serve their own private label coffee and are BYOB, although soon three locations, including Lakeview, will serve alcohol so you can get your mimosa on, worry-free.

501 W. Diversey Parkway, eatyolk.com.