Valois Restaurant
Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Hyde Park1518 E 53rd St
(between Harper Ave & Lake Park Ave)
Chicago, IL 60615 (773) 667-0647
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast
- Alcohol: None
5 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"My kind of town, Chicago is... And 676 is my kind of restaurant. Lucky me, I got to have two meals there. Lunch on a Friday and dinner on a…" read more »
34 Reviews for Valois Restaurant
Mmmmm I love Valois. I can get breakfast til 4pm everyday and if you go in there enough like I do, they start to know your order.
Also the coffee is good.
Prices reasonable. I get cheese eggs, grits, and turkey sausage for under $6.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Oh Valois... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
(1) I can sit alone in you and not be made to feel like a freak
(2) You have so many fabulous choices, dished out super-fast that I can take my pickiest friends to you and you have something for everyone.
(3) Grits served in enormous portions
(4) You are cheap (and I mean this in the kindest possible way)
(5) You are conveniently located
(6) If I need to drive to you (as in I've just picked up friends from Midway) you have a convenient parking lot in the rear although I have often found street parking in front of you
(7) You are kid-friendly, but your patrons have enough sense to control their kids and not let them run around like maniacs
(8) Your staff is polite AND efficient and keep the line moving, which I like because indecisive people drive me up the wall.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I love Valois like a family member. We've known each other a long, long time. I know its strengths and acknowledge its weaknesses. My love for this restaurant will never, ever die.
I adore: french toast, hash browns, eggs over hard on an english muffin.
I avoid: scrambled eggs and omelets (a little wetter than I prefer, plus they use american cheese in their omelets which I don't like). Pancakes can be a bit dry. Fruit topping on pancakes or french toast is not fresh fruit.
I love the ritual of this place. Waiting in line, being greeted, recognized and called "sweetheart" by the old Greek guys who run the place, placing my order and scooting my tray down the line with full faith that my completed order will land on my tray before I reach the cashier at the other end. The "toast or biscuits?" lady. The "something to drink?" lady. The fact that even though the restaurant is always packed I never have trouble finding a table or feel rushed to leave after eating. The tiny waters that magically appear on the table moments after sitting down.
They only take cash. The staff can be a little touchy if you don't know the routine-- make sure to take a tray, and be ready to state your order when you get up to the front of the line and a Greek guy in a paper hat shouts "NEXT!". Prepare to get hooked on this place-- I wake up on Sundays craving it now. The salt, the grease, the atmosphere-- there's nothing else like it.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
I have never had eggs done like this before. EVER. This is probably the best breakfast place in Hyde Park, and one of the best I've had in Chicago. It's simple, fast and downright good. I'm generally a sunny-side-up kind of guy, but it's all about the scrambled eggs here for me. There's something they put in it that just gives it this special taste. It's fluffy and not too dry either. At first you might be hesitant about the canteen-style food, but once you eat here, you can't, SIMPLY CAN'T, be satisfied anywhere else. The hash is also buttered up, and sausages, pancakes, french toast., the steak...OMG everything is just amazing!!! The regular hour dinner choices are also pretty decent. I only wish I had a car so I could go back to my college sunday mornings!!!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Valois has a the best french toast ever and it's convenient that breakfast doesn't end until 4pm.
It's Cafeteria style and the cooks usually try to rush you to decide on a meal because the lines are usually long. So, I would suggest standing to the side to look at the menu before walking up to them saying, "Uh..."
Another dish that's good is the Short Ribs of Beef. I've been eating that since I was young and it's still the same goodness.
The crowd there is diverse and random, so you never know who you'll run into.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
This place is bomb. Seriously. I love everything I have ever had here. My favorites are the spinach pies and roast beef sandwiches but everything is great. Hot and fresh. They have this bread you can get too - I don't know what it is - like a cross between white bread and a biscuit. Awesome. I have to drive out from the northwest side to get here (about an hour drive) but it's always worth it.
My mom has a tremor and bad arthritis and without her ever asking someone always pops out and carries her food to her table.
Interesting factoid about this place: I read an article in the Tribune about how many of the most groundbreaking sociological studies ever conducted at UofC took place at Valois. Apparently many of the older participants liked to take researchers from UofC to Valois while they were interviewed.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
You have to try it!!! Cafeteria style restaurant in Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago near the University of Chicago. I've been going to this place a long time. Way before they remodeled the place. Lines go out the door sometimes on the weekends especially for breakfast. The prices are unbelievable. The food is very tasty. The service is very fast. Great for take out also...
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
I've always been kind of scared to try this place, and I'm not sure why - probably the stress of not knowing the system that seem to be in place for ordering. Now that we live a block away, we decided to finally give the place a try.
It is a cafeteria style place - though not like the southern-style cafeterias I'm used to in GA. You place your order with a guy at the start of the counter, grab a tray, and start sliding down the line to the register. By the time you reach the cashier, you've gotten your eggs, potatoes, meat, coffee and toast all for around $4.50 - awesome! this is easy!
The seating is large and usually packed. The bus boys are very quick and helpful. The turnover is incredibly varied: most people will eat, drink their coffee and leave; however there is a large group of loveable old HP guys that take over a corner for a few hours.
Give this place a try. The place is clean, food and coffee are good, and the price is amazing.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
This place rocks! It's SO CHEAP and SO GOOD!! I love breakfast, so Valois is definitely on my good side. It's also REALLY fast. It's a cafeteria style breakfast joint and it opens at 5:30 AM. Last week I went here FOUR TIMES!!!! You can eat with just $4.01 That'll get you an order of french toast with a side of bacon and a cup of coffee. The coffee is pretty good here too. I like the atmosphere. It's laid back, but clean and relaxing. If you look up they have a cool scene that caves into the ceiling. You're in and out quickly unless you want to relax after your meal, and you might need to.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
The best breakfast in Hyde Park! Valois offers the smells, sights, and sounds of a true cafeteria-styled establishment. This is where they invite you to "See Your Food." It's located right off the corner of Lake Park and 53rd Street. This makes for a high volume. It is clean and the service is good. The short order cooks are extremely skilled at what they do. They remember what customers like to eat and will ask if you want "the usuall." It's exciting to see them at work at the grill too--cracking eggs, flipping that bacon, tossing those hash browns around. You will find a wide variety of people in Valois as Hyde Park is a very diverse neighborhood. I've only been to Valois for breakfast--usually on the weekends--and the food is great. My usuall? Pancakes. Eggs over medium. Grits with cheese. Canadian bacon. And a couple of coffee refills. A lot of the customers are regular and some of the older men like to sit around and talk sports for hours. A book entitled, "Slim's Table" is about the Valois experience.,
Four years of college at the U of C and I never once set foot inside this place. Man, I even lived right down the street. I guess I was never one for breakfast back in those days. It's a damn shame, too. As a born-again cafeteria lover, Valois ranks among the best.
In town for my 5-year college reunion, I decided to give Valois a try for a not-so-early breakfast with my fraternity brother, Ben. The kind man behind the counter fixed me a veggie omelet and hash browns in about two minutes. They're not kidding, you really do get to see your food.
I can almost guarantee that I'll be back here for breakfast the next time I'm in Hyde Park.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Valois is "that" neighborhood place with "that" breakfast menu (served until 4 p.m.) you hope you always have.
Cafeteria style, so grab a tray when you order to slide down the counter. They usually serve up the breakfast stuff (my jam: Denver omelette, comes with hash browns) real efficiently.
I particularly like going at the ass-crack of the morning when it opens (5:30 a.m.) because of the crowd: local regulars, policemen fueling up, a few bleary eyed students, etc... all enjoying Valois. Yeeeah!
The Valois reminds me of the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld - in a good way! Cafeteria-style and oh-so-cheap, they make some of the best ham and cheese omelets I've ever had. You will see a true mix of people eating at the Valois - senior citizens out for breakfast, cops on a break, professors and students from the U of C, and families with kids of all ages. Know what you want before you get up to the counter, because they are efficient and need to keep the line moving fast! The staff, however, are SUPER nice - the last time I was there, I was carrying my friend's two-year-old son and couldn't manage my tray on my own - one of the bus boys came over and carried my tray over to my table, then got a high chair for the baby and a booster seat for his older brother.
I don't live in Hyde Park anymore, but if I have to be down there on the weekends - or I need a quick, good place to take my parents when they're in Chicago - the Valois is always at the top of my list!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
An excellent place for breakfast! Good food and very cheap. I've been going here for years.
A friend and I ate here for a total of $7.92 plus $2 tip. I usually either get the French Toast or pancakes along with hash browns. The omelettes are good also. You may see a long line in the morning on weekends, but it moves pretty quick.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I have only been here once, but it was the place I dawned in the day after New Year's Eve. This is definitely a community anchor and you get people from all walks of life, which makes it that much better! I had a good ol omellete, but any of this diner fair is decent, just make sure you are ready to go cuz this is fast paced typical Chicago. Another thing is for the price it is unbelievable. So darn cheap!
Next time I am in Chicago I will head down to Hyde Park and eat at Valois, and then hit up the local scene.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Greasy sandwiches and scary set up. I do not understand why people rave about this place. The food is mediocre at best and the facility is just scary. It resembles the prison cafeterias you see in movies.
I've lived in Hyde park for a long time and never really understood why the local people like this place.
I've never eaten breakfast here and may be that is why I don't appreciate the place. But, my lunch was horrible and dripping with grease.
People thought this was:
Useful (6)
Cool (5)
Valois is a fast paced cafeteria style restaurant that doesn't really allow new visitors to "See Their Food" before they order. You can tell this is a true local haunt cuz customers are expected to decide and move quickly once they hit the food ordering area.
So during my first visit, I was left to just scanning the menu on the wall and made an abrupt decision of getting simple over medium Eggs, Sausage and Hash Browns. While definitely not regrettable, once we moved down along the line, I finally saw their offerings and fell in love with this lone Chicken Pot Pie in a brown stone bowl with a huge muffin top style pie crust. Even though I pretty much convinced everyone behind the counter that I am a fat ass, I could not resist and ordered it anyway despite that they were already cooking a full breakfast for me on the grill.
All the items above came out to $9.58. Not only is this place cheap, the food is solid and trusty. Especially for super night owls who party all night long, they open at 5:30am.
P.S. If you like your French Toast ghetto style like me, as in ones that taste more like eggs than bread, Valois IS the place TO BE.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (3)
Cool (4)
Mmmm... Chow Hall food. Made me feel like I was back in the military. Seriously, I don't see what the hype is. Sure the food is cheap, but money ain't everything.
Valois is amazingly cheap and amazingly delicious. The amount of food you can get for under five dollars is beautiful. The cash only policy sort of sucks, since their ATM seems to be constantly broken, but other than that, no complaints. A great place to get breakfast on the weekends and people watch. The french toast is pretty spectacular.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I'm not really a breakfast food kind of person but since I went to high school in the area, I was peer pressured many times to suck it up and go. They have SOME non-breakfast food there and is pretty decent. The burger that they have there is pretty greasy but it's delicious because of the buttered up creseant bun. They have good pot pies too. And I heard the soup was decent. The down side to order off the non breakfast menu is that there are no sides unless you always want a salad or a soup. When asked about it they always suggest hash browns. No selections of drink either, orange juices are small and the water after that tastes like lead. So if you're up for breakfast I would give it a 4 star. I want to give it a 2.5 stars otherwise but I gotta round up. At least the service is friendly (no offense, but the last comment is base on the staff's ability to speak english or lack there of)
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Very cheap cafeteria-style place with great comfort food. It has a large seating area which is always full everytime I walk in. Ordering is very fast paced so be ready to order when you're up. The cooks are ready to whip up whatever you want at the drop of a dime. The food is tasty (at least breakfast -- have never tried lunch/dinner options) with large portions. Some of the best pancakes I've ever had (huge ones, at that). If you're in the area and jonesing for a cheap breakfast, check it out.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Truly unique, last of a generation, but still vibrant and super busy old school cafeteria. Been going there for 25-years. Try the fresh corned beef on wednesdays and the ham on thursdays or the roast beef any day and of course the breakfast. The subject of a book called Slim's Table.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cafeteria-style Hyde Park institution. I tend to order way too much, the portions are huge. It can get really crowded, but opens at like 5:30 in the morning, which is pretty awesome if you wake up early. Good grilled sandwiches, BLTs, decent breakfast. I think there are better breakfasts to be had in the general vicinity (Original House of Pancakes, Salonica's, Daley's...). I've been disappointed with the biscuits and pancakes, but I seem to be alone in this experience. Stay away from anything with gravy.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Really good, cheap breakfast food -- cafeteria style. It's all fast-paced so don't dwadle, know what you want and order it. All the cooks are nice and funny. The later in the morning you go, the more crowded it gets so try to get there early if you don't feel like waiting in line.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
Great place for a quick cheap breakfast.
As one of Chicago's finest working midnights in the Grand Crossing district, it's nice to have this option so close to us in the morning, There are few places around here you actually want to eat at. The oatmeal is amazing, it's what I always get. I can't ever get get my oatmeal this good. The breakfast sandwiches are good also. I love the bacon here too. The staff is friendly and very quick. I should probably order something else, but I can't break myself away from the oatmeal. I also love how you can see the food and the food is always warm.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Manny's-style cafeteria food at about 1/2 the price and serves breakfast until 4 PM.
Fast service and a Reuben that rocks!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cheap, amazing breakfast foods a few blocks from my apartment. It doesn't get any better than this- omelettes, hash browns, french toast- 100% breakfast food nirvana. The biscuits are huge but I'm partial to the omelettes, or the best is when you go with a friend and split an omelette and the french toast. A Hyde Park institution.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
That's right..best breakfast..warm, fresh and the bacon is sooooo good. If you're a vegan you can request no meat in what ever you order. Just try it I don't think the chef minds.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
As a vegetarian, there's not a whole lot I can eat at Valois, but I still like the Cafeteria, "see your food" style of the place. so i get a coffee and some dessert and just read (the light is great). there is cool city-scape painting al around and this place is just hyde park.
Good food never had a complaint. The price for the food is very inexpensive. Nice place to go to get a well balanced meal. No need to dress up as I do construction. Great place to go to unwind and read the newspaper. Get there early on Sundays as it gets crowded.
when you're in the mood for yummy basic foods without any high prices this is definitely the place. it tends to get full on the weekends, but the line moves quickly. i really like the patty melts, pancakes, omelets, hashrbrowns, and coffee. the only thing they don't have is french fries but the hashbrowns make up for that.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
this is a very fast-paced place. i usually hit this place up for breakfast and for under 10 bucks i can have some fluffy pancakes, canadian bacon, eggs and some kool aid. i know this sounds a bit ghetto but this place is too good...toooooo good
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
My friend showed me this place. It's really great! Almost like a blast from the past or something. The portions are large so...watch out that your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Pancakes are huge...but fluffy and delicious. Canadian bacon...eggs...coffee...classic breakfast food.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
My Neighborhood
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,… -
Top (SMALL TIME)…
Some of my favorite dining destinations that I… -
Repeats- because they're…
You might see me here again and again (even if I… -
Oh he-ell no!!
Hell to the no!! You did me wrong...I ain't giving…
Hot and New
- A Nearly New Shop
41 reviews
Neighborhood: Lakeview
- Los Nopales
85 reviews
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
- Zed451
58 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
- French Market
6 reviews
Chicago, IL
- Cafe Orchid
24 reviews
Neighborhood: Lakeview