Palace Grill

I can never decide if I want the banana nut French toast or an American cheese omelette with hash browns and mini pancakes… Shannon will have to pick… Because she the best. Drive over here just to see her.

Best breakfast in Chicago! Christina –George and their staff are the greatest! Amazing egg bacon bagel sandwich!!! MUST go to The Palace when in Chicago! Wish I was there today!

This place is adorable. Came in for a late and hungover brunch with a group of five and were seated immediately, even though the place is quite small, It’s decorated to look like an old boxcar diner which we thought was cute.
We split blueberry pancakes as an «appetizer» which were yummy, but nothing breathtaking.
For my meal, I had the veggie omelette with feta cheese which was HUGE. I finished it all. It was disgusting (the amount of food I ate, not the food itself). The hash browns were really yummy and a good mix between crispy and soft.
A friend had the special chocolate chip an strawberry waffle and it was INCREDIBLE. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. It honestly tasted like a cupcake. So delicious.
Our waitress was sassy and joked with us, which we loved. Only downside was the price. I pad $ 20 for an omelette, a cup of coffee, and a few bites of shared pancakes. I realize $ 20 for breakfast in the city is almost nothing, but almost everything was pretty basic, so it seemed a little steep. The up-​charge for my feta was around $ 3.

Ordered a Swiss bacon mushroom burger… was great. The fries were pretty good too considering it was just fries.

Palace is about as good a diner as Chicago has to offer. The breakfasts, burgers, soups and all are consistently good. George & company run a tight ship and the staff has never been anything but pleasant and smiling. I need to get here more often!

I visited Chicago this past weekend and had the opportunity to dine here. It’s a very popular all day breakfast place dedicated to the Chicago Blackhawks and established in 1938. I loved the atmosphere and the service was amazing, very friendly and efficient. You definitely feel welcomed here and the place is buzzing with conversation. It is a pretty small place packed with tables to try and accommodate diners. As any good breakfast place should be, it was packed on a Sunday morning.
I went with the Denver omelette, «best omelette you’ll ever eat» with grits and toast. I had to get the grits because I had never been anywhere that offered them before. The hash browns definitely seemed to be the more popular option. The omelette was essentially a western omelette and I went with the sausage as my protein, with American cheese on top. It was very big and filling, and delicious. I would have preferred it if the egg hadn’t been wrapped around the filling so that all the contents wouldn’t just fall right out when you cut into it.
Overall, they offer a great menu with lots of hearty options and a great place to have breakfast with family and friends while getting a real Chicago experience.

Average food. Came here on a Saturday morning around 9:30. We were seated right away. However, aside from taking our order-​we were basically ignored and the waitress never came back to check on us until we had already finished eating. I’m not sure if that’s because they were severely understaffed or because we didn’t look like locals/​regulars-​so no pint in being attentive. As expected, I was trying to gather my stuff at the table, when the busboy was hurriedly trying to clean the table even though I was clearly still standing there (and it’s not like there were people waiting for a table). In sum, expect slow service and ok food.

The service at Palace Grill is fantastic. The owner, George, is the friendliest guy, and he knows how to run an efficient business. The wait staff is quick, knowledgable, and hospitable. The food is hot, tasty, and comes out from the kitchen really quick. Definitely a family friendly place. The heart stopper sandwiches are delicious. The owner was kind enough to come out and take our picture by the Stanley cup mural.

November 2015 .
No it’s all true. It was bad. I ordered it all to go and I must add that you guys were very busy.
I’m still a fan but will be staying away
From the food items mentioned.
I appreciate your response.

My Melanie and I went in for an omelette after an audition down the street.
I have had some — shall we say — not very good experiences in the past with this place — but my Melanie loves the Blackhawks so I knew she would get a kick out of this place.
The walls are covered with jersey and pictures — they even have some Patrick Kane autographed «stuff» for sale.
We started with coffee — she commented on how good the coffee was — which prompted me to order coffee. We each got an omelette — hers was cheese and onions — mine was cheese and avocado. We both got hash browns — well done. i got sour dough toast — she got wheat toast.
The food took a little longer than expected — there weren’t a lot of people — but when it came was quite good. The toast was room temperature and the butter was too hard to spread — but everything else was quite good. I really enjoyed mine and Melanie ate more than she usually does.
They had Frank’s Hot Sauce and Cholula. Having both is enough to get me back there. I can’t understand why any restaurant today wouldn’t have either of these and they had both!
Melanie also pointed out how good the hash browns were. They were the real deal — just like my father used to make.
The service was personal and charming. The owner (George?) was actively working the room to make sure that everyone was having a nice meal. I will surely go back there.
Service this good forgives cold toast.
(That should be someone’s slogan!)

Mediocre food, way too expensive. Had their Denver omelette, it was not very good. Home fries were bland and undercooked. Got coffee and juice and the bill came out to 21 dollars. I was really disappointed.
The waitstaff was really nice. There is a ton of Blackhawks memorabilia, so I imagine it’s a cool place if you’re a fan. Otherwise, I’d stay away.

This place is adorable. It has a great atmosphere with very friendly staff. I ordered chocolate chip pancakes and they were good, but not as fluffly as I had hoped. I would definitely recommend it for families, friends looking to have breakfast, or anyone really.

Awesome place. We stopped in for breakfast and to look at the tons of Blackhawks memorabilia they have on the walls.
The food was wonderful and our waitress was very good. and funny.
The owner brought out a birthday waffle for my son.
Will definitely return on our next trip to Chicago

We got there on a Sunday at 11am for brunch. We walked in to find a host and ask for outside seating. The host had a smart attitude and showed us how to walk outside as if we were idiots. We told him we just wanted to be nice and check with him before grabbing our own seats.
The waitress was rude and brought the check while we were still eating without asking if we wanted anything else. There was another waiter who kept harassing us by picking up our plate without asking if we were done and it wasn’t even near closing time. Later on he came again to pick the check that was already on the table and said: «Here is the check in case you didn’t see it» and laid it on the table.
The food was OK but I don’t think I’ll go there again. There are way better brunch options in the area.

This place is quick service and always busy because it’s so tasty. I love the BLT club. Hits the spot every time. Keep in mind the restaurant is cash only!

We were headed to the first Blackhawks home playoffs game of 2015 on a Sunday afternoon but needed to grab food first. After consulting Unilocal,we decided to check out Palace Grill. For the same price as some crappy arena food, this was definitely the place to go. We had a little wait but that was to be expected. While we waited the owner came around offering coffee to anyone, and when one lady half jokingly asked if she could have a bloody mary instead, he obliged! My only complaint was people were waiting in line out the door so we hopped in line. It wasn’t till 2 groups had walked past us that the people in front of us decided to tell us they weren’t in line for the hostess they were just waiting. Well then why not wait outside/​not in a queue?! But that’s their fault, not the restaurant.
It’s definitely a small place, smaller than the pictures led me to believe. I had a breakfast burger which was perfect before a game. Great food, great service, I wish I lived closer I’d be back more often. Definitely will recommend it to anyone going to the UC.

From the wonderful staff to the delicious food, The Palace Grill is definitely a place to go to. The owner, George, took the time to chat and meet us as we awaited our food. He is super nice and great!
The food was wonderful and made in a timely manner. It was fresh and flavorful. My husband loved the breakfast burger!
We will definitely be going back. The place is a gem!
One tip: bring cash. It’s cash only.

My favorite breakfast and lunch spot in the West Loop. The Hawks décor is colorful and both the food and service are excellent.
My wife said the hash browns were the freshest and tastiest she ever had. My skirt steak was tasty and the fries were well made.
George the owner shook my hand and thanked us for coming. Overall great experience.

Made my second trip to Palace Grill yesterday (a Sunday morning around 11 AM); here’s my update:
1) Service is only so-​so, but ownership/​atmosphere are incredible. Especially if the owner comes by and chats you up (or any of the regulars, which there are dozens) or if you make the mistake of showing up in a Packers jersey for a Bears/​Packers Sunday! Definitely a very Chicago-​ish place to take friends from out-​of-​town or if you are a sports fan.
2) Prices, for the serving size, are a little high (of course, this fits the neighborhood). In fact, that’s the main difference between Palace Grill (on Madison) and White Palace Grill (on Canal) – at WPG, you can crush the place for $ 30 and feed 3 – 4 people. At PG, $ 30 probably only feeds two adults, three tops, for a very negligible difference in quality.
3) Skip the milkshake. Now that I’ve had it twice, you can do so much better elsewhere!
4) Skip the pancakes. I feel like Saturday/​Sunday mornings at diners are when the kitchen will really shine, and my pancakes yesterday were pretty plain (had a short stack). I like a good diner flapjack and this one was relatively forgettable.
5) My vote for what you should order when you go to Palace Grill? Anything with the hash – this is a must – then a skillet or the Denver omelette. I tried the chorizo/​peppers skillet (decent size for $ 11) and I would get that again; my Denver omelette during the first visit was only okay and management sent me a note after writing my first review daring me to come back just for that, so I know that item is a source of pride on the menu. My dining partner wasn’t raving about her basics (eggs, French toast, etc.) and I felt the same way so skip the normal eggs/​pancakes/​French toast if you come here.
Only had to wait about 20 minutes yesterday morning so they turn tables over pretty fast even when it is crowded.

Definitely a heavy hitter in my lineup of breakfast places. That is when I’m wanting eggs, potatoes, and some kind of smoked meat, Palace always comes to mind. If you’re a child, they feature your traditional sugary, syrup based breakfast items as well. Also if you’re a child, you shouldn’t be reading Unilocal reviews, because they let you swear. Shit. See? Now go play.
Palace Grill… or is it Grille? I don’t remember and I’m too lazy to check… anyway, they’re shamelessly Blackhawks centric. And why not? It’s close to the UC and The ‘Hawks are the toast of the town when it comes to sports. I don’t care about any of that. Look Palace Grill, just give me some breakfast, and all of it. I’ll worry about your little Blackhawks memorabilia later.
In search of breakfast before an afternoon event at the UC? Go here. Satisfaction guaranteed.