Janik’s Cafe

This is probably my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood. Everything I have ordered has been great! Delivery is always speedy and food arrives warm. I will forever be a loyal customer and continue ordering from here :)

This is hands down the best place to eat in wicker park. Janiks has everything you could possibly want and the prices are insanely low. Sometimes the prices are so low, it feels like I am robbing them. But no where in wicker park is there this quality food with such reasonable prices! Which goes to show that not all good food needs to be overpriced.
My personal favorite items are either the breakfast bowl or the huevos rancheros. They also have great deals on cocktails and drinks-​cocktails range from 5 – 6 dollars and a pitcher of margarita or mimosas is only 20!
Also, the coffee is bottomless and sometimes they give you a full cup to take with you on your way out. Which brings me to my next and final point: the staff and atmosphere of Janiks is great. It is a relaxed environment and the serves are all really nice and attentive. Directly contrasting to all the other yuppie restaurants on division street, Janiks has a laid back atmosphere that is not pretentious at all. It is a quality dining experience all around.

I can only recommend this spot! Great omelets and potatoes! Fast and great service. Really good prices. All you want for a weekend breakfast.

Absolutely, hands down, my all time favorite breakfast place! Nothing on the menu disappoints. My bf and I have been coming here forever. We have moved out of the neighborhood and have started to try other breakfast places but they just never satisfy as much as Janik’s. We always come back for some awesome pancakes, which are my favorite. My bf loves the eggs Benedict. Breakfast bowls are great. Serving sizes are either just right or you will have plenty of leftovers to take home.
Sometimes crowded, but you can usually get a table pretty quickly. Artwork on the walls is for sale. Prices are very inexpensive. Owner is super nice and always walking around to make sure everyone is doing ok.
Love this place!

A local Über driver recommended the place to some friends and I. I got the turkey bacon wrap and the rest of the group got breakfast. The food was out quickly with no issues despite how busy they were at the time. The wrap I had was simple but came out with the perfect mix of ingredients. The service was excellent and professional — our drinks never ran less than half full for the entire hour we were there! I would definitely recommend Janik’s to anyone new in town. Quick, tasty, and affordable.

This place is amazing! It was a bit crowded when we got there, which was a good sign for us. The staff was really sweet and got us a table as soon as they could. I ordered the steak eggs benedict with bacon and it was absolutely phenomenal. The meat was cooked well and the bacon was thick! Also, the potatoes were great! They have their own flavor. Lastly, the nutella croissant is a MUST! We are here today for the second time and I couldn’t help but to order the exact same thing! Thanks for unforgettable food and service!

This is my favorite lunch spot without a doubt. We would drive from the West Loop to Janik’s for lunch. Now we are lucky enough to live about 50 feet away. The owner is so sweet. My daughter and I went in and ordered a pick up and she asked if my daughter would like ice cream while we waited. I haven’t tried something I didn’t like from there. The chicken and rice soup is the best.

Food was pretty good overall. Location was close to where we were staying at in Chicago and had plenty of seating for bigger groups. Waiter was nice and when they made a mistake they fixed it right away without question. The food did take a bit longer to come out then what I’m used as service is super speedy in Vegas.

I LOVE going here for breakfast. Their French Toast is to dieee for. But their whole menu overall is phenomenal. Sincere service, great vibes. Dog Friendly patio outside too!

The Nutella custard croissant !!! And cappuccino yum!!!
Plus you get to support a local business.
They have everything from sandwiches, ice cream, tacos and more

«One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas… how he got in my pajamas, I’ll never know.» –Captain J. Spaulding
Where else can you find commissioned pieces of art**, delicious breakfast potatoes, and the world’s best banana smoothie? If it’s somewhere other than Janik’s Café then I’d really like to know.
On the heels of a couple very unpleasant breakfast experiences, I was more than a wee bit hesitant to try this Ukrainian Village hangout. But Anna T made a handful of claims that this spot was the bombdiggity, and after eating here on 3÷19÷16 I’m inclined to agree with her.
Once we got seated at the only unoccupied table, a waiter came by and I immediately decided on the banana yogurt smoothie. HOLY LORD was it good. Fresh, fruity, and fantastically filling. Sitting there and gradually sipping away at it (I didn’t want the goodness to end!), I felt that it was the tastiest smoothie I’ve ever had. Sitting here and typing this all out, that still holds true. Best. Smoothie. Ever. #nobull
In no time at all the food arrived and I feverishly ate my order. The ham & cheese omelette wasn’t much different than one I’d make at home, but it had plenty of meat, so that’s something. It came with toast and breakfast potatoes that were masterfully seasoned and almost didn’t need hot sauce. Almost. But with so many choices of stuff in the condiment caddy – 2 types of salsa picante (green & red), 2 types of ketchup (regular & spicy), along with butter, sugar, and an assortment of jelly – it seemed rude *not* to use them. Major kudos for the variety.
If I’m eating before 11am, it’s going to include bacon. So I was a little taken aback when my side order of bacon came out all meager-​looking. But then I realized I’d asked for ‘extra crispy’ (contents may shrink by 80% during cooking), and they delivered just that. Anna T’s Belgian waffle was superb, I wouldn’t hesitate to order that on a future excursion.
Bread = 4.5
Circuses = 5
**You’re probably wondering why I leadoff this review with a Marx-​ist quote (Groucho, not Karl). I was inspired by a piece of art hanging on Janik’s wall of the 2^nd-​most well known Marx brother, Harpo (the mute one with the top hat and curly hair, always doing sightgags).
There were landscapes, surreal paintings of eyeballs, other random stuff, but a portrait of Harpo Marx instantly caught my attention. I said to myself…“I absolutely have to have this. This is going in my apartment.” Our waiter gave me the guy’s business card, and a few hours later the artist and I negotiated a price (his name is Brett Whitacre, for those that are interested). As of this writing, I now have a 1-​of-​a-​kind piece of painted glass pop art proudly displayed in my entryway! :)
BIG thanks to Janik’s Café for a wonderful breakfast (especially the smoothie and potatoes), Anna T for the outstanding suggestion, and Brett W for being a gifted artist in his own right. Don’t worry my man, your work went to a good, appreciative home. I figure since I started this one off with a Marx brothers quote, I might as well end it with one:
«I could dance with you ’til the cows come home. On second thought, I’d rather dance with the cows ’til you came home!» –Rufus T. Firefly

I love Janiks café!!! I have had almost everything on their menu! I love the wicker park area, the friendly staff and manager, and the awesome food.
Everytime I go in there the manager (I am guessing) is always so nice giving helpful options. I love that they serve homers ice cream, moose tracks and mint choc is the best. I also love their quesadillas, salads, and steak sandwiches.
I will continue to come here!

In the modern day society, brunch isn’t quite right unless foisted with crabcakes, lox, duck eggs, etc. You’re not getting with the trend until you start downing those bottomless mimosas and discussing what’s the next best brunch place. That would be the least of your concerns at Janik’s, your typical community café with the unpretentious breakfast and lunch entrees. Grab any available table, seat yourselves, and order.
With five famished adults and a ridiculously inexpensive menu, we recklessly pointed our fingers across the menu like children, «I want that… and that… and this… and that!»
1) My corned beef sandwich was served on rye with lettuce, tomatoes, pickle, mustard, and Swiss. For less than $ 6, my sandwich was packed with generous slices of corned beef. To complete the meal, I also had a small side of standard potato salad.
2) For $ 2, you can have a plump piece of french toast served with powdered sugar and condensed milk. This can easily be shared between two people, especially if you want to have enough capacity for other items.
3) A good portion of the menu is composed of Mexican-​inspired items. Our chicken tostada had two sunny side up eggs with a pile of shredded meat, lettuce, tomatoes, rice, and sour cream. It was served slightly warm but the flavors were standard.
4) I like how a lot of breakfast items can be easily turned into a dessert. The pancakes with nutella and bananas are a perfect example. This platter had three thick pieces of pancakes that were crispy on the edges and fluffy in the center. In between each pancake was a generous spread of nutella and the whole stack was decorated with banana slices.
Overall, I think Janik’s was well worth the visit. We ordered over 10 items in total and it didn’t even damage our wallets. If you want to keep it simple, Janik’s is the place to go.

This place is AMAZING!!! So affordable, for the quality of the food. Easily one of the best corned beef sandwiches around!

I eat here nearly every morning. Wish the coffee were a little better, but everything on the «south of the border» section of the menu is soon of that I can’t keep away. Get the Huevos Racheros or the Breakfast Bowl (add avocado)

I really have to go back to writing more reviews. I’m a Chef and don’t eat out much but when I do I am VERY critical. So this review is well deserved. I had the day off and while cleaning and doing laundry I got hungry. I was craving Lox and Bagels. I am originally from NY but had my first Lox and Bagel about a month ago in Chicago. I know it’s not the best option to order from a café, especially take out but I was prepared to not be overly wowed. I ordered delivery on one of the coldest days in Chicago and my order arrived more than 30 minutes before the estimated delivery time.
First off, everything was packed Really REALLY well. Everything was separated, hot separated from cold, etc. My bagel was wrapped separately, I got a container of cream cheese and then a platter that was packed and air wrapped really well with Lox, capers, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, mixed greens, and feta. The spread was fresh, veggies were crisp and I loved the addition of feta crumbles. I really enjoyed Janik’s Lox and Bagel platter… really good. The only thing is. I wish the Lox was sliced thinner… but it might just be my preference.
I also ordered a side of breakfast potatoes and a slice of french toast with mixed berries to make my minimum. Now I got the potatoes because I read good reviews and they did not disappoint, great flavor. I am NOT a pancake or french toast fan at all but I thought I’d get something savory so I got a slice. First off, the mixed berry compote didn’t come from a can which I thought it would be. It was perfectly balanced with sweet and tart and was not overwhelmingly sweet at all. I french toast was delicious! I literally ate the whole piece right away. usually that’s not be at all.
I am so satisfied that I think an omelet or Benedict is in order for next week from Janik’s. They’re whole menu looks amazing and it’s totally affordable. Great job Janik’s!

I love it because I can get a table right away! I’ve only ever tried try breakfast chicken tostadas and they’re pretty good

DELICIOUS!!! Nutella waffles are amazing– huge salads great service. It’s a new favorite!

The coffee is amazing, the food is fresh and the variety on the menu is sure to please anyone.

The best biscuits and gravy ever! Just enough zest in the sausage, too.

I ordered the Florentine Eggs Benedict and a Bloody Mary. The Florentine came with a generous portion of potatoes, and was fairly good for the price point, although the spinach was on the soggy side. I was definitely pleased with the $ 5 Bloody Mary.
The staff was very attentive. My only qualm would be that I was given the check shortly after my meal arrived, which I felt signaled unnecessary urgency to finish since the place wasn’t full.
Overall decent quality for good prices.

Great food and great customer service! It was a relaxed type of customer service. I met the owner, Felipa (I believe), and she stepped in to help with service. She gave us great service and great recommendations. I would go back!

Solides amerikanisches Frühstück mit gutem Service und ordentlicher Auswahl. Kaffee wird wir nachgefüllt. Ich habe sogar noch einen extra to go bekommen. Sehr hundefreundlich. Auf der Terrasse (leider tut Straße hin) hatte ich plötzlich vier Hunde um mich.

Nothing to rave about. Food is just OK. Wouldn’t come here unless my options were limited.
The service is slow and when we asked them for straws and a fork they seem irritated.

I lived in the area for two years before seeing this restaurant online. I’m so upset I didn’t find it sooner! It’s now a weekly tradition for us. The Bloody Marys are absolutely amazing, not a whole lot going on with them, which makes them perfect. I have tried pretty much from every section of their menu: breakfast quesadilla, regular cheese quesadilla, all of the soups, subs, huevos rancheros. Everything is absolutely perfect and super affordable. The service is friendly, and we will be coming back for many years to come!

This is an AWESOME BRUNCH place that is QUICK & YUMMY! I’ve come here multiple times with a few friends to a big group. It usually doesn’t have too long of a line (maybe 10−15min on weekends). I really like their Nutella banana pancakes, and they have great savory dishes as well! It’s my 2^nd favorite brunch place in Wicker Park after the bongo room.

I love this place. It is SO CHEAP and has great food. This is our go to spot after a night of drinking. The outdoor patio is relaxing and great for people watching. I do like their drink specials. in case you don’t wanna stop partying from Saturday night, their bloody mary’s are really good on only 5 $. What a deal. They have plenty of items on their menu. I really prefer their soups!
/​/​chicken lime tortilla soup — $ 5 — very filling and limey! Great for a morning after drinking. I couldn’t really find it on the menu so make sure you ask the waiter/​waitress for the daily soups.

I am not a breakfast food fan so Janiks is the perfect brunch location to meet friends. The food and portions are great, service is top notch everyone works together. My friend got crab cake benedict for under $ 10. Everything I have eaten there, especially the buffalo chicken wrap, has been delciouso!
My one tip is to get the pasta salad over macaroni salad.

Delicious Greek Omelette. The feta is amazing. I didn’t enjoy the center of the omelette being under cooked. There was a good amount of egg white that was clear and uncooked, but I just ate around it since it still tasted bomb. Perhaps some prefer their eggs like this, so I’m not hating, it’s just not for me.
The fried potatoes that come with the eggs are amazing. A great cajon type flavor.
The toasted croissant was bomb as well.
The lattes here are a joke. Just get regular coffee, and don’t expect much.
Overall, this place is about their food. The rest is soso.

We came here because we were really craving brunch on a Sunday morning before I had to drop my girlfriend off at work. We were seated right away because someone was just leaving as we arrived. This seems like the kind of place where you don’t linger too much with conversation. You order quickly, they being the food out pretty quickly, and they bring you the check quickly. This had it’s positives and negatives. I enjoy sitting and savoring my food, maybe enjoying some conversation after I’ve finished eating. Here, I felt a little bit rushed to get or of there and free up a table. That’s really the only thing keeping this from five stars. It wasn’t fast food quality, though. Not at all!
My girlfriend went with the Nutella pancakes, which I enjoyed sampling. I was perfectly pleased with my substantially portioned skillet, though. The hash browns were perfectly browned and there was a good amount of cheese without being overwhelming. I didn’t notice there were fresh juices on the menu until right before we left. I would definitely try that the next time I come here.
Janik’s has great prices for what you get, especially for the city. It’s a solid brunch option in Wicker Park especially. Come here instead of milk & honey, which isn’t as good and often has a wait on the weekends.

it’s great! Great hot chocolate, great french toast, great waffles! I didn’t care for the syrup but the banana french dip they face with the French toast were good enough! eggs Benedict was delish pus also and u got a strong morning cocktail! great food, slow service. Still we be back though.

I was here for brunch with some friends on a Sunday afternoon and ordered the pancake combo (two pancakes, eggs scrambled dry, sausage and bacon).
The food was all okay — I think I could have made comparable food. The pancakes were fluffy enough, but I tend to like mine a little sweeter (so I don’t have to smother it in maple syrup), and the bacon and sausages were both very small portions, and basically what I could have gotten from a grocery store. Same with the eggs.
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, but it’s definitely not a food I would crave.

I went for brunch on a Saturday — there were two of us. We called at like 10:30 to see what the wait might be — they said they had open tables but was first come first serve. We finally got there around 11:30 and got a table no problem. It was full but the tables turn over quickly. I’m a neighabor but relatively new to the hood and had not yet tried Janik’s café. This place has a huge menu — so it’s great to accommodate a lot of different eaters. It can be your local diner with a layer of hangover grease if you so wish or it can be perfect for the vegetarian in your life with all the fresh breakfast & lunch items listed.
I had the breakfast quesadilla — I don’t usually order this at places but I was of the «diet starts monday» mindset. It was fantastic! Huge portion that I couldn’t finish. We shared two chocolate chip pancakes. perfectly fluffy and amazing. My boyfriend had the huevos rancheos which he loved and devoured.
It took everything in my power to not insist we go back the next morning! But I will be back… probably next weekend!

We decided to come to Janik’s Café on a Sunday morning to celebrate gaining an extra hour from daylight savings. This is a decision I absolutely do not regret (even if we did try milk & honey first, which had a 40-​minute wait). We walked into the café and were immediately greeted and seated. The place was happily bustling with people, but they still found a place for us. I abhor waiting, so Janik’s immediately left a good impression on me.
The menu is filled with a lot of really delicious options, so it was hard to choose. I knew I could not ignore the banana Nutella pancakes, so I gave into fate and ordered them! The wait was pretty short, so again, I was a happy camper. My banana Nutella crepes were really delicious. There were three substantially-​sized pancakes with a healthy topping of bananas and Nutella with powdered sugar on too. The part that impressed me the most is that there was a spread of Nutella and banana slices between each later. I had leftovers (yay for big portions!).
The only thing keeping me back from five stars is that service wasn’t particularly attentive and my water was empty for the majority of the meal. I’m forgiving, of course, because I know it was busy. Perhaps they were able to bring the food out so quickly because servers weren’t filling waters and making small talk.
We noted that they also have milkshakes and fresh-​squeezed juices. These definitely will be on our to-​try list for the next time we’re here! What a wonderful local café to have so close to the boyfriend’s apartment and prices are very reasonable for what you get. I look forward to returning, especially with the knowledge we won’t be left waiting!

2.5 Stars
I met a friend here for brunch yesterday around 12:30 and of course since they have outdoor seating it was a little pack. Luckily we only had to wait about 5 minutes and we were able to score an outdoor table. Side note: this area is perfect for people watching :)
Service and price point are great, but food is pretty mediocre. I ordered the French Toast. Tasted like I could have made it from one of those frozen food packages. The eggs were also really bland. Although I wasn’t impressed you did get eggs, French toast, sausage and bacon… all for $ 8.95. Not too shabby on the wallet. However it left me craving good French toast I’m use at other places. This is where quality over quantity comes into play. I probably won’t be coming back here. I would rather pay a little bit more and enjoy a really good savory brunch.