Favorite Brunch Spot in Chicago

I'm not a Chicago local so I'm sure there are tons of great brunch spots in and around the city. This restaurant just happens to be one of my favorite places we tried out on our recent trip to Chicago. We both left the restaurant saying "Wow, that was probably the best brunch we've ever had!"

Bridge House Tavern is located at 321 N Clark Street downtown along Chicago river.

K and I actually just stumbled upon this place while walking around on the Sunday morning and decided it looked like a cool spot to eat outdoors on the river. We took the elevator from the street entrance down to the lower level and found a front row spot by those red umbrellas. Our server was a really cool guy who informed us that bloody marys and mimosas were only $5 on the weekends. That's always music to my ears as I love nothing more than brunching on a patio with cheap/affordable drinks.

K had the corn beef hash with eggs and I had chicken and waffles. I've never been a huge lover of pancakes and waffles but something about theirs was like the Krispy Kreme of waffles. I almost licked the plate.

This was the entrance from the street.

You can't beat the riverside patio on a sunny day watching the boats and cruise tours go by. Of course, there is also indoor seating for the colder months.

I'm definitely missing this beautiful city and hope to go back one day to experience many more great restaurants like the Brick House Taven.

Chicago locals and regulars out there: what's your favorite brunch spot?

Exploring Beautiful Chicago

What an amazing past few days spent in the Windy City. The people, the food, the sites and scenes. Everything was pretty fantastic and I'm so happy we finally got to experience everything Chicago has to offer. Being the typical blogger that I am, I took a million photos and there's just no way to include them all but I've created a few collages to ease the photo overload.  

Friday/Day 1:

- Arrived in Chicago around 1:30 pm

- Grabbed a quick lunch at Potbelly Sandwich Shop

- Met up with Kate and her husband at Plymouth Rooftop bar

- Toured the streets of downtown Chicago

- Checked out The Bean

- Hunkered down under a tent while it rained cats and dogs

- Got dressed for K's birthday dinner

- Grabbed a drink at The Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the Hancock building and enjoyed the beautiful views of the city

- K's birthday dinner at Ditka's Restaurant

- Rooftop drinks at Vertigo Sky Lounge

- Late night drink at Miller's Pub

 Saturday/Day 2:

- Met up with Kate and Nikki at Giodarno's for some deep dish pizza. Had a blast chatting and meeting Nikki for the first time.

- Walked to meet up with the guys at Rock Bottom Rooftop bar

- Took an Uber taxi to the Navy Pier

- Walked around the Navy Pier and grabbed a drink from Margaritaville

- Architecture boat tour at 3:15 pm

- Went up in the Ferris Wheel at the pier. Got some beauitful views of the city.

- Drink ar Three Dots and a Dash. (Very strong Hawaiian drinks)

- Dinner at Cantina Lareda Mexican restaurant (amazing!)

- Drink at Elephant & Castle (hotel bar)

We took the Shoreline Architecture River Tour which I highly recommend to learn some history and view all the beautiful buildings and towers.

Sunday/Day 3:

- Brunch at Bridge House Tavern on the river (best brunch ever and $5 Bloody Marys)

- Took the train to Wrigleyville

- Gift shopping in Wrigleyville and quick drink at The Dugout bar

- Cubs vs Pirates game at 1:20 pm

- Bar hopping in Wrigleyville. We checked out Cubby Bear, Vines and Sluggers bars

- Dinner at Elephant & Castle (the restaurant at our hotel because we were exhausted)

Monday/ Day 4:

- Skydeck at the Sears/Willis Tower

- Shopping on State St.

- Lunch at Giordano's (so K could get some deep dish pizza)

- Drink at Dick's Last Resort on the river

- Explored Eataly Italian Marketplace

- Drink at Harry Carry's Italian Steakhouse

- More shopping and exploring downtown

- Drink at the Berghoff

- Headed back to hotel to pack bags & get dressed for dinner

- Last dinner in Chicago at The Purple Pig

 

Thanks to Steph @ Life According to Steph for recommending The Purple Pig and giving me some really great tips for the trip! I love tapas style food and everything we tried was nothing short of amazing. Some of the items we ordered: Tuscan Kale & Romaine Caesar Salad, Milk Braised Pork Shoulder, Eggplant Caponata with Goat Cheese and a few other things. Everything was excellent!

Tuesday/Day 5:

- Rush to airport for 10:40 am flight

- Last minute gift shopping in the airport

- Stopped by Garrett's popcorn shop for some Chicago style popcorn

I loved every minute of being in this beautiful city and it was a really nice break from work, blogging and everyday life. Until we meet again Chicago!

 

Packing for Chicago in Fall

So this is what I'm packing and isn't necessarily what you should pack since I have never actually been to Chicago in Fall/Autumn before. However, based on some research and weather.com predictions (and maybe some luck), I should be good with these picks. I pray for sunny days and comfortable nights with as little rain as possible. I figured an umbrella is still handy for both sunny and rainy days, especially as we plan to do a lot of site-seeing outdoors.

I think layering might also be key with cardigans or lighter jackets but I'm not 100% sure what to expect especially for nighttime temperatures/winds considering it's called The Windy City. Any and all advice welcomed especially from Chi locals or those familiar with the weather around this time of year!

I can't wait to see you tomorrow, Chicago and I'll catch you next week friends!