Tangerine Café

my friend had been wanting to try this brunch spot so we hopped on in the other day… i wanted to like it a hell of a lot more than i did :(
heres my #1 tip for the owners of this place… train/​your/​employees
we came in and were shouted to across the room by a waiter… here come sit over here… ok
get water from another waiter… no greeting
menus come out from shouty waiter who comes back no more than 3 min later… what would u like to order… not sure yet dude… slow ur roll
order nutella french toast and carrot/​tangerine juice… disappointed in both
ft was supposed to have strawberries… comes out w none so i ask the waiter who says with a scrunched up face… o ya were out but its ok i mean we only really use one strawberry and its just for decoration on the top of the ft… wth? o well too late now… comes back w blueberries for me (as tasty as they were theyre not the strawberries i was expecting)
juice woulda been awesome but it wasnt cold…
its pretty pricey for what u get and the service is just all over the place… if ur customers arent in a rush… u dont have to be either :)

This place should always stay in business… I am surprised that people actually complain and rate based on the noise of others in the restaurant or the wait staff didn’t give them the «Kardashian» treatment… that’s a little ridiculous! Cmon guys… rate restaurants based on their location, cleanliness, the quality of food and the demeanor of the staff… you know… the things that really matter.
The first time I came here with my Mom and my sister who came from out of town to meet me for brunch. The food was delicious! I’ve been back oh about 5 or 6 times in the last year and it is by far, my favorite place to go for breakfast. Parking is right next door and easy to access. The décor is beautiful and the staff is more than nice! I spotted the guy doing the most work and asked him if he was the owner… he said yes… I could tell… this guy works night and day to make his establishment what it is and I wanted to write this review to pat him on the back. he’s doing a GREAT! job!

Only four stars instead of five because of the service on our first visit. This place is pretty big and it seemed like our waitress had too many tables. There were a few big parties of 6 or more, we were only two so we were just a little neglected. It might have just been a fluke. Don’t let that keep you away though, it’s d-​e-​l-​i-​s-​h!
With that being said, this is a great place for a lazy breakfast! It has just the right comfy atmosphere that a breakfast place should have. Nutella stuffed french toast, pumpkin pancakes, great coffee. I love a place that has good carrot juice!

Tangerine is fantastic. You should go there.
No? You want more?
My experiences with Tangerine have been nothing but the utmost pleasant. My waiters have always been very informative about the menu, and I’ve used their suggestions twice to avoid making decisions, and both times they’ve come though. Also, while my waiters have been excellent, other waiters and even bus staff have come to talk with me, make sure I have enough water and that my food was all right. That blew me away. Not just the person who would get my money and the management, but everyone cared that my experience was nice. You don’t see that level of commitment at every establishment.
Food: Delicious. Fantastic. Supurb. Splendiferious. I’ve had a Wrap (Philly Style Hot Wrap), Panini (Rickey Ricardo), and Crepes (Chocolate Hazelnut). The Panini and Crepes were fantastic; and I’m very particular about my crepes. The Wrap was good as well, but it was a little greasy. Did not take away from the taste, but it was distracting.
Establishment: The café itself was warm and inviting. I don’t care too much about décor, but Unilocal does. It was very cool and sharp. The pallete was very very orange-​y (imagine that!) It has an original feel to it. When I enter tangerine, I feel like it’s a pocket that takes me out of downtown naperville and into a little pocket universe of breakfast. The décor is unique to tangerine.
Price: More expensive than IHop, better than IHop. Less expensive than Pancake Café, not as good as Pancake Café. Breakfast/​Brunch/​Lunch will all run you about 25 $ for two people with tip.
Tangerine is great, has great food, great staff, it’s reasonably priced, it’s a great change of pace decoration wise. Go there =)

I’ll definitely take this place over the pathetic Corner Bakery that used to be here!
Pumpkin pancakes were DE-​LISH, and all of my friends liked their dishes, too. Portions are huge (as you’d expect at a place like this), so you can even share and try a few things. Service was great, too. I’m pretty picky about what kinds of places move into Downtown Naperville, but I hope this one lasts!

I dig.
Any place willing to sell me pancakes the size of basketballs filled with artery-​clogging goodness like white chocolate has at least a few stars in my book.
But let’s be honest, I ordered the healthy dish– wheat/​grain pancakes with blueberries. I’m kind of a wuss when it comes to ordering dessert for breakfast. My friend ordered the chocolate pancakes and I made sure to have a bite of those delectable morsels.
My other friend ordered some awesome concoction of salsa, home fries, and eggs in one pot.
They had a pretty wide variety of items to choose for breakfast and I scoped out the lunch menu and it looks pretty unique, too.
I’d go back. Like I said, basketball-​sized pancakes, people.

Been here for breakfast a couple times.
Today was a quick lunch date. Great wraps. Veggie wrap was delicious and filling.
Outside seating was perfect.

Outside seating is a WIN!
The food was very delicious, wait staff on the ball.

Yum city!
So I stopped by Tangerine for a quick ‘working’ lunch today. They serve breakfast all day and offer a variety of large salad, sandwiches, wraps and burgers. I went with the ‘chipotle chicken’ wrap which was not only whipped up in a jiffy, but had the tastiest chipotle sauce. Calorie murder, I’m sure, but so worth it! Of course I counterbalanced it with a side of fruit… fresh and ripe strawberries, melon, pineapple and even my favorite, blueberries!
They serve a variety of orange and tangerine-​infused specialty cocktails… think mimosas, bellinis and so on. If you’d rather not imbibe, they also serve a variety of fresh-​squeezed juices.
Service is friendly and efficient, and parking is free and easy. Complimentary wi-​fi, too!

I was desperate for a new breakfast place and finally found someone who would go with me to try this place.
Good thing!
Everything was delicious. There seemed to be more of a selection than at the other established breakfast places in the area. My only complaint: refills on the ice water would have been nice, ICE being the key word in that phrase.
Table placement is a little unusual. the person at the table perpendicular to ours would have been sitting on the person in that chair at our table if that chair was not vacant.
However, I will return.

Welcome to my new favorite breakfast place in Naperville!
Okay, so I’m not exactly a breakfast connoisseur. I usually stay in for breakfast (despite my boyfriend’s pleas to go somewhere) because I’m perfectly happy with a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice. One morning last week, I gave in. But where to go? Unilocal led us to the Tangerine Café in downtown Naperville (in the spot where the Corner Bakery used to be), and what can I say? We weren’t steered wrong!
I was paralyzed by choice, as they say, because the menu had so many yummy-​sounding options that it made it hard to pick just one. I finally settled on The Runway Model, a bowl of oatmeal topped with granola and mixed berries, served with a side of skim. I know that oatmeal isn’t typically the kind of dish that «wows» people, but… WOW. The crunchy granola gave some nice texture to the warm, comforting oatmeal, and there were plenty of ripe blackberries and strawberries in it. The milk made the oatmeal just the right consistency (I like it a little creamier), and I was in heaven. My lovah got the Eggs on Toast, which was also great.
Next time, I’ll have to try the fresh juice. The cocktail specials looked really good too, but something seemed wrong about drinking alcohol before ten on a Monday. Or maybe I’m just uptight?
…Yeah, that’s probably it.

I’m a fan of breakfast places to begin with, but Tangerine had me already thinking of coming back before I left.
They had a nice size menu, not huge, but not too small. Too many options confuse me ;) I was in the suburbs visiting a friend and who has lots of food allergies, she was able to easily find something on the menu due to the variety.
Their juice selection is nice and made fresh. I was pleasantly surprised that my juice concoction didn’t come in a tiny little glass but instead a stemless martini glass.
The outdoor seating was next to a fairly busy street, which isn’t ideal, but at least they have outdoor seating with umbrellas.

Why would I give 5 stars to a simple breakfast/​lunch place? I don’t give them out very easily… a restaurant has to be a pretty big deal to get a 5 star review from me. But Tangerine deserves the 5 star rating. Here’s why:
1) They take reservations on Sundays. I cannot tell you how many breakfast places I have been in the area that will not take reservations making it difficult to dine with a big party — and hey, I always travel with an entourage.
2) They have drink specials for breakfast! There is nothing like an alcoholic beverage to put a little pep in your step. I had the Chocolate Heaven which turned out to be the best cup of hot cocoa that I had ever had. They also have several varieties of fresh squeezed juice for the less adventurous.
3) They have a great selection of breakfast and lunch items including specials. You can go to most places to find your standard eggs, bacon and pancake breakfast platter. Tangerine has something like this, but they also have really unique things like french toast with Nutella and strawberries. It was a struggle making a choice, but I settled on the Banana Walnut French Toast and a side of O’Brien Potatoes. Both were excellent. The other things that the rest of my group ordered all looked and tasted good too. The portions are big here and you won’t leave hungry, you may even have leftovers.
4) The service was great. Our waitress was very friendly, attentive and had no problem splitting the check for us.
The décor of the place is nice — bright and refreshing. I didn’t have a single complaint about this place and better yet I am left wanting to go back to try another one of their amazing breakfast items. The lunch items look pretty good too. If you are looking for something a little different this is a great place to try in downtown Naperville and it is right next to a parking garage so you don’t have a long walk to parking.

I was totally surprised by how delicious my brunch was. I was visiting from the city, but you surprised me dear Naperville.
My mocha was really small for the price ($ 3 and didn’t even fill the small coffee mug? hi, no) but it was delicious and my friend let me share her coffeepot, so all was well there.
My skillet was so special. 2 eggs over breakfast potatoes, bacon, swiss cheese, and spinach! They let you «build your own,» which is why I made the perfect one. It wasn’t too greasy, and it was one of the best brunches I’ve had in a long time. We also barely waited for a table, at 11:15 on a Saturday. A brunch place this good without a wait — it’s a winner!

The wife and I dropped in for dinner. This is mainly a breakfast place, but they started offering dinner about a month ago, and are also now open 24 hrs on Fri-​Sat. It’s an A-​Ok place for dinner — main positives are that the ingredients are good and fresh and it’s clean and convenient; main negative is that the dinner menu is limited, as one could expect, but no matter. Dinner entrees were like turkey breast, tilapia, Greek chicken, and mostaccioli, and we had the latter two. Dinner items were reasonably priced.
Service was good but not too many of us eating at 6pm. Their target dinner clientele are the late night North Central students, and downtown Naperville bar hoppers. They get busier between midnight and 5am — needless to say, I wasn’t there but was told this. I like that you can get breakfast items anytime. Good place to keep in mind now when say we return from a concert at 2am or whatever. I think Taco Bell or Wendy’s might have been the only choices in Naperville a few years back.

Very nice place. I love the orange hues on the walls – kind of cheery and says, «Good morning to you!» I like the breakfast picture art on the walls too. Cute.
The breakfast/​brunch menu is quite large – lots to choose from the sweet vs savory for your breakfast. I couldn’t make up my mind between the pancakes, french toast, omelettes or my usual for brunch – eggs benedict. I went with the eggs benedict – it came with a side of the skillet potatoes. The hollendaise sauce was very good and I liked how their benedict is served with slices of grilled tomatoes. The potatoes were kind of bland until I added Cholula. Cheers for the Cholula hot sauce on every table! (I prefer Cholula vs the regular Tabasco)
I saw someone drinking a very rich looking, bright red juice and I asked our waitress what it was and she said it was beet juice. Oh, I wasn’t feeling like trying it that day but maybe in the future. I did have their signature orange/​carrot juice – it was very refreshing. The coffee was very tasty and strong. Service was friendly and quick. I’d come back again and maybe try some of the pancakes or french toast.

A friend (not saying names, but she’s a Knock-​Out, if you know what I mean) and I brunched here today. I was in perfect nutritional shape after sharing crepes with lox and asparagus, and some freaking wonderful pan seared oatmeal with lots of berries and honey drizzled over.
And although I have never been impressed with coffee, I ordered a cappuccino. Loved it. I sense a new era.
It’s reasonably priced and parking is abundant and free.
Also, about a month ago, my spouse and I lunched. I’m impressed actually… most places do one or the other well, and Tangerine pulls it off all around.

What a bizarre brunch.
We had been looking forward to trying Tangerine ever since it opened, but this was the first and last time I’d dine here. Lots of staff working the busy brunch hour today, but the kitchen seemed to be the bottleneck, as it took a while to get our food. This was later confirmed by the manager who told us that 2 cooks couldn’t make it in today.
Understood, but that doesn’t excuse any of the following:
1. Cold corned beef hash. Especially when you charge almost $ 5 for a stingy portion of it.
2. Interaction with the waiter for not more than 52.2 seconds during your entire dining experience. This time included his taking our drink order while he was on the way to another of his tables, as evidenced by the juice he was juggling, and telling us the juice offerings since our table lacked that menu.
3. Being «served» our coffee and house special juice (half tangerine orange juice and half carrot juice — good, but nothing to write home about) by the waiter, who just plopped down the coffee pot and mug and juice glass on the side of the table. The one furthest from us. Without a word. WTF? And this was after we saw him walk by our table with our drinks, to tell the table next to us that their food was on its way. What? That about sums up the wacky service.
4. HAIR in your food. The surprise of my tuscan — provolone, tomatoes, and garlic basil — skillet was not the bland potatoes or savory flavors of the herbs, but it was a hair that decided to show itself in one of my forkfuls. Yes, this dish was removed from the bill, and I got a fresh skillet, but seeing hair in your food will put a bad taste in your mouth.
Nice warm, orange interior, but that’s about it.

Tangerine offers a decent, if pricey, breakfast experience downtown. Rather than immerse myself in the very orangey interior, I opted for a patio table to soak up what’s probably one of the last enjoyable summery mornings; you’re right on Chicago Ave. so there is some road noise, and the flower boxes seemed to house yellow jackets, which really showed up in force when I poured the syrup onto my french toast!
I went with the banana bread french toast and bacon, with fresh-​squeezed OJ. The french toast was light and had plenty of nuts strewn about the plate, and soaked up syrup like a greedy sponge. The bacon was thick, rather flabby (not well crisped) and greasy — it anointed my shirt front with an offering upon first bite (and I am a pretty tidy eater); still tasty though. The fresh orange juice was delicious, the proveribal sunshine in a glass. Tangerine has an array of fresh juices offered on their «juice bar» menu, including carrot, apple, celery, and beet, and they can be mixed; their signature is carrot and orange.
A lady at the next table started chatting with me and mentioned that she’d just had and really enjoyed the provencal omelette, but that she really liked the Tuscan skillet with garlic and basil. Good info for future visits!
This place has a large menu, but it’s kinda stiffly priced for breakfast; my meal ran $ 18 before tip.
In addition to breakfasts they also have lunch items: sandwiches and wraps, soups, and salads.
My waitress was not particularly memorable either way: not super outstanding, but certainly not horrible. She got the job done.
Overall, a good meal, but a higher cost than some breakfast spots.

I went with my parents after my boyfriend ditched me on breakfast so he could have 2 hours to get ready for a DIY home run derby with friends… jerkface.
Anyway, we sat outside on this über sunny Saturday morning and chose a table where the specials list (located on a sidewalk chalkboard) was in view. The service was quick and friendly from the hostess, server, and bus boy.
To drink I had Tangerine’s house drink which is fresh squeezed carrot juice mixed with freshly squeezed orange juice. It was PHENOMENAL! I’m totally hooked; they need to sell it in liters to go. I had the veggie fritatta with wheat toast– the wheat toast was forgotten at first but when I asked our server was prompt with bringing it out– no biggie. The veggie fritatta was yum-​may with fresh, diced tomatoes on top and mushrooms, rice, zucchini, and goat cheese inside. I could have used a little spice but I know when it comes to breakfast that not everyone is a fan of spicy things. I took advantage of the Tabasco and scarfed that thing down.
My Dad got my other menu pick of Caprese Benedict. It’s eggs Benedict except it has no meat (vegetarians rejoice) and is topped with fresh mozzarella, diced tomatoes, and the usual suspect, hollandaise sauce. It also comes with a side of diced potatoes that my Dad said were a bit dry but I liked them– for me, they were perfect. My Mom got the berry pancakes with fresh, never frozen blueberries. The pancakes were light and airy and the blueberries were so plump and full of juice… I’m generally not a pancake person but these take the cake.
All the meals are around $ 8.95 so it’s not cheap for breakfast but it’s damn good food and for the atmosphere and service it’s totally worth it. Oh– the lunch menu looks rockin’ too. (I think I may go back tomorrow). The menu is interesting and new and, in my opinion, a good compliment to downtown Naperville’s other breakfast Mecca, Egg Harbor Café. I’m predicting that in the future I will frequent Tangerine more often than Egg harbor because Egg Harbor is only open until 2 and Tangerine is open until 4 and my hangover alarm usually goes off around 2:30.