Mary's Cafe

Updating to say Mary messaged me accusing me of taking a picture of the gyro plate half eaten. Sadly they have taken the picture down which just goes to show that they do not want people to decide for themselves when seeing the picture. I have absolutely no reason to lie about my experience.

I even placed a fork there to show the size of the pieces of meat they give. It is so chopped up you can barely pick it up with a fork.

The fact is I placed an order for takeout.

I called them immediately when I got home to let them know this was not a gyro plate and was brushed off by the person answering the phone.

I then took a picture and posted a review to Yelp.

Needless to say I will not return to this establishment. I don't believe the value is there. I can pay $11 elsewhere and get twice the meat and not all chopped up too.

Sadly Mary misses the point of a bad review. Instead of messaging someone and accusing them of not telling the truth, they should take a look at the menu item in question and see how they can improve it.

THIS is the best someone could open up for the Streeterville neighborhood--a place that looks like a truck stop? This "cafe" (and they should use that word very carefully) isn't all that old, so why does it look and feel like a cheap diner? The waitresses were super friendly, but the cheap ceramic coffee mugs and tiny water glasses bring this place down...way down. As for the food: no better than IHOP on a bad day, and even IHOP's portions are larger for the same amount of money. I'm all about supporting neighborhood stores, but if Denny's or IHOP opened in this neighborhood, greasy spoons like this would be put out of their misery.

$11 for a "Hobo skillet"? That isn't a hobo price--more like a "let's rip off the tourists from nearby hotels" price. Since when did dives suddenly become so expensive? Breakfast at a restaurant like this shouldn't cost more than $7, but there's not one egg dish for less than $8. An average breakfast here, with drink, tax and tip, will run you at least $15. And they don't accept American Express.

We wanted to go to a place and grab a quick breakfast before heading to the airport. We yelped this place and it was right next to our hotel (Marriot). It was a 3 minute walk and it was a class diner, with not too much space. The service was pretty fast and they served your usual breakfast with a pretty large selection of omelets, meats and what not.

My brother ordered the Stack, which was hash browns, topped with two sausage patties, biscuits, cheese, eggs and lots of gravy. Basically a heart attack on a plate, but the biscuits tasted really good. It is reasonably priced and although nothing on the menu is really special, I think that for its location, the prices are good and you can get a great brunch and then continue exploring the area.

I have been walking past this cafe for years but I keep forgetting about this place when I'm looking to go out for lunch. The decor is a bit dated. Paneling walls and the tables are small and uneven.

The other day, I purposely went here for lunch. I really wanted to like it.
I went after 1pm so the restaurant was pretty empty so I was seated right away. The waitress was attentive and nice.

I had ordered the French Toast special which included two full slices of french toast, side order of bacon and eggs. The order was given to me in appropriate timing. I was surprised that everything came on one plate instead of two plates. I'm really not a fan of syrup mixing with my eggs. Not the end of the world.

I was surprised on the mixture of silverware. The fork was so different from the knife and spoon. I hope the fork was clean since it looked like that dry soapy film.

The meal itself was okay - nothing memorable. Both the eggs and the french toast were missing something - just blah.

I may try this restaurant again but there are so many great restaurants in the Streeterville area.

Mary's Cafe is an Everyman diner that is popular with nearby workers and news reporters too (at least the wall has some glossy headshots of them anyway). The sandwiches are big enough, but the bread on was rather soggy and ultimately disappointing. It came with a soup and fries. My colleague had a milk shake and did not care for it either. Breakfast is big here too, as the sign touts its eggs, pancakes and coffee.

Friendly waitress. First non-greasy breakfast I've had. Healthy cooking and good portions
But SOOOO EXPENSIVE
be warned this is not a cheap place to eat !
Even though the food was good I still give it two stars because the value is not good

What Happened Mary!!??? This place was sooooo good. Three years ago.

I used to go to Mary's Cafe regularly with some friends for Breakfast on Sunday. After a while we decided to switch things up, and I hadn't been back since the Chicago smoking ban passed in 2005.

I thought of Mary's when a friend of mine was in town last month for the AWP. I know he likes French Toast, and I remembered that Mary's had the best French Toast (and breakfast for that matter) downtown for the price.

Boy did I make a big mistake. First, the place was so crowded that we were rushed in and out like cattle. Second, the service was spotty at best. My friend asked for an extra slice of French Toast and was told that wouldn't be a problem. The extra piece never materialized. When we asked the server why he said, "I guess the kitchen couldn't do it." Say what? I'm paying for this breakfast, I should get what I want. Within reason, of course. And I think that one extra piece of French Toast is pretty freakin' reasonable. Then, to add to this comedy of errors, he spilled my friend's OJ all over the table. I know you're rushed dude, but try a little harder to act like you care.

Third, and this is the unforgiveable part, the food was cold. I ordered pancakes and they were like icycles. Yum, cold syrup on pancycles.

And finally, the price. $37 for this tragicomic experience. I know inflation is a fact of life, but since when does a breakfast item jump up to two or three times what it cost three years ago.

One reviewer mentioned that it is still a good deal for downtown and with the loss of the Cambridge House it is one of the few breakfast joynts left in Streeterville. But that's no excuse for the travesty this place has become.

A final observation and I'll end my rant/review, the glasses and plates are hideous and old. They are the same ones I remember from three/four years ago. One actually cracked in half after our waiter poured coffee into it. Since they renovated the interior a few years ago, you think they'd spring for new dishes. Yeesh.

Oh well, at least I have the memories of what this place used to be like. If you're downtown, travel a little and go to Orange in the South Loop instead.

John

Swung in on a random Tuesday morning for breakfast with my sister and nephew. I'm a fan of diner types of locations so figured this would be a good bet. Upon entering, we were sat right in the front with a view of the construction going on outside the window. Not sure why they weren't seating in the back away from all that noise, but we decided to just deal with it.

Our server seemed perturbed from the get-go to have a child at her table. She was not very friendly or offer any suggestions in the slightest. We ordered our food - pancakes, eggs, bacon, juice and coffee for two (my nephew just ate off of our plates) and the total for our meal came to $38 before tip. Are you freaking kidding me? For two breakfast meals? It was absolutely insane. The decor was also a bit dingy and the food nothing to write home about.

Maybe they were having an "off" day, but as there are so many options in Chicago, we will not be back.

Wow, can't believe the mixed reviews I see here. I first have to say I've never had lunch here so can't comment on that. But for a downhome, no frills, breakfast? Love it. Their biscuits and gravy by the way are great.

And Mary. Oh Mary. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. Thy personality floweth over
2. My belly doest grumble when I think of thee
3. Perfection is the name of your eggs on the side of sunny
4. You care not for pretention and the snobbery it imbues
5. You hasheth the browns perfectly
6. The biscuits which home hath made, snuggle against the breast of yon gravy and provide comfort to weary travelers
7. The winches of which you employ have stolen mine heart from me
8. You doeth protest too much when that American called Express seeks to ply its wares
9. Scribes of the news flock to imbibe upon your goods so as to provide inspiration
10. You steal the toast from the french, and make of it more

Arise fair Mary, and kill these envious buffoons. It is breakfast, and you are the sun.

Over-priced, uninspired, diner food. Denny's or IHOP is better...
Go to Yolk or West Egg instead.
We had the skillets here, I specifically had the 'stack' which they forgot to add their sausage gravy to, so I had to ask. It was dry, and had what looked like Kraft singles or worse on it. The other skillet thing was just as mediocre. It was fine and filled us up but for the 2 skillets, oj and chocolate milk we paid $40 after tip.