Violet

Oh this was such a cute space for a brunch spot! It’s a shame that they closed recently.
I will miss their toffee pancakes & great coffee.
I will not miss the noise, strollers & live breastfeeding action at the table next to us (talk about losing your appetite).

Closed.
Maybe I was right, but it is still a bummer to see a decent neighborhood idea die.

This restaurant has now closed.
Rest in peace. Violet had the most amazing omelet ever, and now it is gone. I went there tonight to try their dinner, because the brekkie was delish. Sadly, there was a sign on the door saying that the restaurant is now closed. The phone is now disconnected and their website is gone. You were yummy, Violet.

Had one of the best breakfasts/​brunches I’ve ever eaten here. My wife and I couldn’t have been more pleased with every single aspect of the meal. We weren’t sure if we wanted to sit down for a meal, but had heard vague rumors about a good new brunch place on Southport. As we were standing out on the sidewalk ogling the menu to determine if this was the one, my wife said «What do you think, should we go here»? We were surprised to hear the response of «yes, you should, trust me it’s really good». We looked over and there was the chef, out getting a breather from the kitchen. We told him we’d trust him and sat down in the nice outdoor seating area out front. Within a few minutes, our waiter arrived with a plate of 4 steaming-​hot fresh beignets. «Compliments of the chef», he said. I guess that pretty much hooked us (not to mention that they were delightfully awesome).
There seems to be a cajun/​creole touch to everything on the menu, and the waiters recommended the crab benedict (for me) and the cajun creole omelet (for her). Both were out-​of-​this-​world good, and didn’t take too long to arrive. The side of crispy fried breakfast potatoes/​onions were pretty darn tasty also. Overall the food was reminiscent of the amazing breakfast dishes (and seafood) at Mama’s Café on Washington Square in San Francisco.
Almost unbelievably, this place wasn’t packed on a Sunday around 11:30ish. We sat right down, and we had two servers who regularly checked on us, brought us soda refills, etc. I don’t know how fast the service would be if things were packed, so I can’t comment on that. What I do know is that this is going to be our new breakfast place when we want to show our visiting friends/​family a good time (surpassing Kitsch’n, Orange, Ann Sather, Wishbone, Pannenkoeken, and some of the other places we like).
Go here, you won’t regret it. This place needs to be supported by the community, who may have trouble finding it since it’s on the northern end of the «Southport Strip»

A really nice spot with interesting décor (blow-​ups of old fashioned comic books and advertisements). Now there’s finally a reason to go north of Grace on Southport!
Food was good, although my sister got a soup that was supposed to have some sort of ‘salad’ on top of it (panzanella), which we asked the waiter about. He didn’t know what it meant but she ordered it anyway. When it came, it was croutons. Apparently it’s a bread salad. Odd.
In general the food was very good, but not many people around on a Saturday morning. They need more people there; it has potential to be one of Chicago’s countless brunch hot-​spots.

My experience at Violet sounds a lot like everyone else’s. I was with a group of girls for brunch, and we had a great time. The food was delicious, especially the grits, and the location was lovely.
It was a little loud, especially for a larger group – I couldn’t hear my friend down the table very well. The service was a little slow, but we were chatting and in no hurry.
The prices are reasonable for brunch, and the menu had many enticing options.

Violet has a lot of things going for it – perfect setting for brunch (bright and airy, and for whatever reason there is never a long line on the weekends), great music and funky art (I love the Little Orphan Annie mural), able to accommodate large groups and reasonably priced. It’s BYOB and the house Bloody Mary mix is very tasty. The food is delicious: not my favorite brunch in the world but no major complaints. They get points for having so many ingredient options for make-​your-​own omelets. And the grits are really good too.
I’ve never gone to Violet for dinner but I believe they just revamped the menu recently… it’s sort of Ameri-​French. Anyway, check it out if you’re strolling down Southport — you won’t be disappointed!

We just got a new puppy and have been trying to find some places we can take her while she’s small (she’s a husky, won’t be small for long). Exploring some places in Wrigleyville (on a game day, smart choice), we stumbled upon this place that has outdoor seating.
Everyone here was pretty mellow, and didn’t mind my pup in least. I went for the «make your own omelet», and my boyfriend had the Blackened Ahi Tuna Sandwich (made with seared tuna). The service was great and the restaurant looked wonderful on the inside. I’d go back here for brunch or dinner, with or without my dog!

Eff me! I had to change my pants after eating the toffee pancakes. Holy hell.
My friends and I ordered the pancakes for a brunch appetizer, and the only reason I am giving the place 4 stars is bc the sandwich I ordered came out differently than how it was described on the menu and wasn’t super tasty.
Whatever, those pancakes were insane.

Eff me! I had to change my pants after eating the toffee pancakes.
My friends and I ordered the pancakes for a brunch appetizer (yes, that’s a thing), and the only reason I am giving the place 4 stars is bc the sandwich I ordered came out completely differently than how it was described on the menu and wasn’t super tasty.
Whatever, those pancakes were insane.

I couldn’t believe this place didn’t have a line on a recent Saturday visit. It’s on Southport and almost every other place I passed walking from the Brown Line had lines out the door. I’m guessing people might still not know about this place?
Nice modern dining room space plus a nice patio in the back as well as some tables in front along the sidewalk. Violet brews Metropolis coffee and has HUGE glasses of fresh squeezed OJ. The brunch menu wasn’t huge, but I was happy with what I ordered — whole grain blueberry pancakes. Delicious.
I’m looking forward to going back for dinner :)

EDITED: My husband just called me to say Violet has a sign that they’ve closed their doors for the last time. So sad. This place was so warm and inviting, yet it never got as popular as it should have been– guess the investors thought it wasn’t worth holding out.
So My husband and I have breakfast at Violet a couple weekends a month and it’s become our go-​to for brunch with friends or family. The décor is fun, stylish and inviting. The food is reliably good (and organic, local, sustainable), they serve very good Chicago-​owned Metropolis coffee, and the waitstaff is friendly and efficient (though mistakes get made from time to time). The kicker is there’s almost never a wait to get a table for brunch — which, if you’ve ever been to Southport Grocery or Julius Meinl, is a godsend. Oh, and this summer, they’ve added a cute outdoor patio. Try it!

Violet doesn’t get four stars for its food, but for its service. I had a vegetarian omelette and it was fluffy, but sort of tasteless and my eggs weren’t cooked enough. However, they did provide us with an ice bucket and a free carafe of orange juice for our champagne mimosas.
The waitstaff was on it. They didn’t miss a beat. It’s a great place to have girly brunch or a baby shower.

The décor here is really cute, I liked it as soon as I walked in. I also really appreciate that they didn’t cram in as many tables as humanly possible like many other chicago restaurants.
I just had the fruit plate which I know isn’t a great measure of judging a restaurant, but the fruit was delicious and it was plated really nicely. I think little touches like the plating go far.
Overall a good stand-​by for breakfast/​lunch, I will be back!

I’m a huge fan of brunch. I’ve been to Violet a few times, just for brunch, so my review is about that. .
The wait can get long but on average, it’s about a 20−30mins wait. Let’s be real though, any brunch place on the Northside will have a 30min wait on Sunday!
Parking sucks. it’s Lakeview.
The interior is fairly nice, modern and clean. Not dumpy, not super nice– just nice.
I do like the food. The potato wedges are to die for and the omelets are good (you can get them with egg whites for you healthy eaters).
The best, and my most favorite thing about this place is that it’s BYOB! Many people who go there have no clue. They usually look at our table like, «Hmm, is that champagne?!?». My girlfriends and I will go there for yummy Mimosa’s on Sunday mornings. We bring our own champagne and they supply the OJ… Sweet!
The place is a bit overpriced. the coffee sucks– unless you like dark heavy coffee (not a good idea for the hangover anyways) … the food wait is a bit long, but we never care b/​c (a) it’s Sunday, no work (b) We drink Mimosa’s
So, if you aren’t in a rush, you’re not a coffee fan, you’re walking and you like BYOB brunch, then this is your place! :)
I definitely recommend.

I really wanted to like Violet. The inside looked so cute and made me think that it would be the kind of place I’d enjoy coming back to. But unfortunately my food wasn’t very good. I ordered quiche. It was a little too jiggly. I did order pumpkin soup as an appetizer and that was good.
I would give them another try, but I’m not rushing to go back.

Went here on the coldest day of the year which was a plus since I was seated immediately… even without my friend who was running late. It was a bit drafty by the window so I order a vanilla tea which had steeped way too long by the time it got to me so I had to send it back. 2^nd time it was better but had to ask for a new cup since the old one was never replaced. when my friend arrived she got tea too and her cup came with a lemon wedge and honey packet… neither of mine did.
I like the Build your own omelet selection… my spinach, mushroom and canadian bacon egg white omelet came rather salty and was overpriced. I finished it but had to wash it down with 2 cups of water.
Overall the service was slow and the the wait staff seemed panicked. It wasn’t super busy so I can’t imagine how it would get on weekends without the frigid temps. I might give this place another try but I won’t be rushing back any time soon.

Not impressed. It wasn’t bad, but it was nothing great either. I liked the interior. The décor is really cute and it’s very spacious inside.
I was in for brunch today with a friend and it wasn’t overly busy. We were seated right away but for some reason it took the waiter 20 minutes to come over to take our order. I was kind of disappointed by the menu as they just didn’t have many of the options I like to see… no breakfast burrito, no huevos rancheros, only one kind of french toast and cranberry-​orange didn’t sound overly appetizing to me. So I was going to try the omelette but then the waiter informed us that they stop serving breakfast at 11. Wtf? And you call yourself a brunch spot?
So then the waiter stood over us as we quickly skimmed the lunch menu, which was even more disappointing than the breakfast menu. I asked about the quiche, and the waiter informed us they were out of that.
Ok then. Not many options left. My friend and I both opted for the croque madame, which was decent, but nothing outstanding. Service continued to be mediocre throughout the remainder of the meal.
With Southport Grocery and Deleece both within a few blocks of Violet, I doubt I’ll return here. It just doesn’t compete with the competition.

I was really stoked when Violet opened since you can never have enough brunch options on Southport. As much as I wanted to love this place, it is not going to happen.
The restaurant space itself is awesome and has plenty of room (You don’t feel crammed). The tea I ordered came in a tea press and it was excellent. The food was OK — not anything to go out of your way for, but if you are in the area and everywhere else is packed, you could eat here.
I rarely give such low ratings, but the service was horrendous. The host was rude when we first asked to have our name on the list. This was soon followed by my friend trying to order a coffee from the bar and the staff completely ignoring him. It took nearly 20 minutes to have our order taken and then another 45 minutes to receive our food.
If you are in the area, there are MANY better places to grab a bite to eat. I recommend steering clear of Violet.

The most interesting part of my Violet lunch experience was the hand-​crafted silver earing on the woman sitting next to me. It was beautiful, and that’s what got most of my attention.
The most annoying part: I was seated under the stereo speaker and they were playing Cher’s «Believe» album. Uch! I believe other reviews of Violet have complained they are musically challenged. Believe it!
The food: very average. I had a shallow bowl of decent chili and a smallish sandwich called «Adult American Cheese,» consisting of melted brie and blueberry compote on tasteless sourdough. A poorly executed good idea. My side choice was pasta salad; they served me bland potato salad. I just ate it rather than send it back.
The desserts in the case when you enter Violet look delicious, but not enough to pay $ 5 — $ 7 for one of them. So, instead, I just ordered a hot chocolate, which was pretty good.
The service: well-​meaning but ignorant. To me, it’s ill-​mannered to ask a customer if he will be needing change when if the answer were «no,» the tip would be 35%. So I just smiled and said, «yes, please.»
On the way out I noticed the very knock-​off Corbusier chairs in the lounge area. You better have a pretty small tush to sit there and WIFI comfortably in one of those chairs. Mine’s too big, but I didn’t have my laptop with me, anyway.
Julius Meinl right down the street is so much classier than Violet. At least there you can hear Mozart instead of an aging pop mercenary singing along to dated up-​tempo dance music while trying to eat a civilized lunch.

I’ve only been here for breakfast, and I wasn’t that impressed. It’s not that anything tasted bad, but nothing stood out except for the fact that the waiter brought the wrong kind of tea (I ordered black tea, and got something like jasmine or some other similarly perfumed tea). That should have been easily correctible, but he never came back. I had a cheese omelet (fine) with fruit (good), veggie sausage (not great) and water.
The décor is very cute, though.