3rd Coast Café: Brunch in Chicago, Illinois

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3rd Coast Café is an American restaurant in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood popular for its all-day breakfast and extensive dinner menu. The neighborhood cafe, established in 1985, is one of the oldest in the area.

The building that houses 3rd Coast Café has been home to many cafes and restaurants since 1920. In 1985, 3rd Coast Café moved into the cozy spot. The name 3rd Coast refers to Chicago’s location on Lake Michigan.

For 40 years, the café has been a neighborhood staple, offering everything from brunch to dinner with a menu using local ingredients.

On a recent trip to Chicago, I was looking for a good brunch spot near my hotel. After reading all the great reviews, I decided to give 3rd Coast Café a try.

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Busy Interior of 3rd Coast Café

When I arrived at the restaurant, I wasn’t sure if I was at the right place. It was quiet outside and looked like an apartment building, not a restaurant. When I walked inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a door leading to a packed dining room. As it was a Saturday, it was a 20-minute wait, which wasn’t too bad.

The busy main dining room had tables packed closely together. It got loud with so many people inside and music playing in the background, but I never found it overwhelming.

On the opposite side of the main dining room, near the bathroom, was another room that was just as busy and packed with tables.

With the building dating back over 100 years, the decor had a vintage charm, with wooden accents, a coffee bar, and a tin-tile ceiling. It was beautiful and inviting.

On the walls were paintings of famous people, including Marilyn Monroe and Kurt Cobain, along with a dolphin and a wave. I don’t know how these fit into the vintage decor.

3rd Coast Café Menu

The brunch menu at 3rd Coast Café, Chicago, Illinois — The brunch menu at 3rd Coast Café

As it was a Saturday morning, my server handed me the Saturday & Sunday brunch menu.

On the 3rd Coast Cafe menu for brunch was a wide variety of egg-based dishes, sweet breakfast options, sandwiches, salads, and more. There were a lot of great options that stood out.

The first section of the menu had omelets made with three farm-fresh all-natural eggs and a quiche.

Sweet options included French toast, pancakes, granola, and scones. Mains included steak & eggs, eggs benedicts, and specialties like chilaquiles and pulled pork hash.

There were also sandwiches, tuna melts, B.L.T.s, and fresh salads like Cobb and kale quinoa.

There were also sides, including bacon, sausage links, bagels, and lox.

And while I didn’t try them on my visit, there was a good selection of desserts. They had options like apple pie, cherry crumble, carrot cake, key lime pie, brownies, cookies, and scones in flavors like blueberry, raspberry, and lemon.

The second page of the brunch menu featured various beverages, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic.

Non-alcoholic beverages included café drinks such as coffee, cold brew, lattes, tea, and hot chocolate, along with fresh juices, lemonade, milk, root beer, and sodas.

Alcoholic options featured sparkling drinks like mimosas, Bloody Marys, margaritas, Irish coffee, wines by the glass, and a selection of craft beers.

Eggs Benedict

Like I usually do at brunch, I went for the Eggs Benedict. It came with an English muffin, Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and their house hollandaise. I had the choice between hash browns or fruit, and I went with the hash browns.

While simple, the plate looked visually appealing. The eggs were large, with hollandaise coating each one, and the hash browns, though a small portion, had a nicely toasted top.

When I cut into each large egg with my knife, each egg exploded a perfectly runny yolk. Coating each egg was a house hollandaise that was duller in color than other hollandaise I’ve had.

While it was slightly buttery, I wished it had more butter to give it a richer flavor. And it lacked any acid to give it a brighter flavor. The hollandaise was bland and had a gritty texture, which I wasn’t a fan of.

Underneath each egg was a thin slice of Canadian bacon. The bacon was simple, tender, and salty.

The final part of the dish was the English muffin. It came from a bag, which I didn’t mind, but I didn’t like that it wasn’t toasted. It tasted doughy and undercooked, which I didn’t enjoy. A quick toast would’ve made a big difference.

On the side was a small portion of hash browns. As with the rest of the dish, these hash browns were underwhelming. While they were golden brown and crispy on the outside, they were soft and undercooked on the inside. And they were underseasoned.

Chilaquiles Rojo

Next was the Chilaquiles Rojo with spicy pulla chile sauce, tortilla chips, two eggs over easy, onions, cilantro, sour cream, and queso fresco.

The first thing I noticed about the plate was how sloppy it looked. One of the yolks had already broken and run out. While it wasn’t a big deal, it’s still worth mentioning.

Other than the one egg that broke, the other was fine. Under the eggs was a generous amount of tortilla chips covered in a spicy pulla chile sauce.

I didn’t like how the tortilla chips were borderline soggy. They were thick, too soft, and needed some texture. The chips probably sat too long in the sauce.

As for the pulla chile sauce, it was ok. It was smoky but not spicy, and I felt it was bland. Maybe it needed more seasoning.

Thankfully, diced onions mixed in with the chips added a much-needed crunchy texture. And the garnish of cilantro added flavor to the sauce. There were also spongy, soft, salty cubes of queso fresco.

A dollop of sour cream, hastily plated on the side, finished off the plate.

Service at 3rd Coast Café

I had no issues with the service on my visit to 3rd Coast Café. My food arrived quickly and correctly, and my server was around at the times when needed.

There are a few things worth mentioning. It was busy, and my server seemed understandably overworked, which gave me the feeling that she wanted me to hurry up and order.

After my food arrived at the table, she never returned once to refill drinks or check up on me until she brought the bill.

While these weren’t an issue for me since I didn’t need anything, if you expect a personable experience, you might be disappointed with the service, especially on busy days.

Conclusion

When I read the reviews about 3rd Coast Café and saw how busy it was during my visit, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The tortilla chips in the Chilaquiles were borderline soggy, and the red sauce was boring. The Egg Bene was forgettable with its bland hollandaise sauce and untoasted bun that was almost doughy.

Both dishes lacked imagination and were just the kind of meals you can find anywhere else.

The food wasn’t bad, just mediocre at best. The people I dined with also felt the same about their dishes. But if they made a few minor changes, it would make a big difference.

So, would I try 3rd Coast Café again? Most likely not. But considering how busy the restaurant was and how popular it seems online, maybe they were just having one of those days and might deserve another chance.