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Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Edgewater
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I've always had a good experience at Alexander's, and I'll take it over any of the high end breakfast/brunch places any day. Honestly, I've been to several of the boutique-ish brunch places and the food has mainly been good, but I've found more often than not that the service is very hit and miss. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect waistaff to fawn over me. Just treat me like a person is all I ask, but sometimes that's a bit too much to ask for at the "to die for" brunch places. That's never happened to me at Alexander's.
Their food is always good (though I'll mind Jenna N's advice and avoid the meatloaf!), reasonably priced, but the staff are the reason I will keep going back. The waitresses and owner are always gracious and genuine, they'll greet you without giving you the impression that they are doing you a favor by deigning to take your order. No bs, no ceremony, no Trotter-like aspirations.
I also recently went here for lunch with a friend in from downstate, which I hadn't done before. I had a really delicious Patty Melt with fries (again, really simple, just right, no huge frills) and would go back in a heartbeat.
If you like no nonsense diner food and don't need a lot of ambience or hipster platitudes, this is a genuinely good and friendly place.
Very solid neighborhood diner. A little small, no table for groups over four. But an added plus is Alex's next door neighbor, expecially if you want a beer with your breakfast. Go next door to Champions and order your food through the secret window that connects the two places.
This place is a great bargin! The portions and quality of food is well worth the price. They have great daily specials and a good variety on their menu. I love a good burger and fries and here its cheap and tasty. The service reminds me of my experiences with small town wait staff. They will strike up a conversation and flirt as much as you allow. I think the personal service is what keeps the regulars coming back.
The folks here are really sweet and nice. Everyone from the waitstaff to the customers -- all were very accommodating. We have a kid+car seat, and I believe the couple in the booth actually sped up the last bits of their meal to let us sit down. And I swear the owner is the same guy from Salonica's in Hyde Park.
Everyone loves being badgered every 10 seconds to order on Sunday morning, right? To the point where the lady comes back before you've even opened the menu again? I overheard several tables order while they were sitting down so I can see where this comes from but that doesn't make it any less irritating.
The staff was up in our grill on the good side of things as well. Water and coffee stayed topped off consistently and thoroughly.
Lexie's might have gone up to 4 stars if the hashed browns were the awesome crispy shredded Waffle House kind and not the sad pile of mush closely related to mashed potatoes kind. My corned beef hash was like Stacey's mom and had it going on.
Alexander's is a short walk from my apartment and a great place to order corned beef hash, eggs over easy, hash browns and a glass of OJ, and read the paper. The waitresses are motherly types who are attentive about refilling your water or coffee. On weekends, especially Sudays, you may have difficulty finding a place to sit
Total hole-in-the-wall diner, but I can appreciate that.
They have some really delicious biscuits and gravy...stay away from the meatloaf though. I like that they always give you a piece of fruit with your breakfast. The food...again, stay away from the meatloaf...is always very flavorful and they don't mind giving their dishes a tasty kick.
The waitresses have always been really friendly and they have actual conversations with you, as opposed to the "i'm just talking to you because it means more cash for me" waiters that you'll find in other establishments.
The food is also priced really well, so I don't mind giving a little extra to the staff because they really deserve it. Good food, easy parking.
The worst waitress experience I ever did have. I was ignored. My water was not refilled. My food came out cold. When I asked again if my hash browns could be crispy, all they did was nuke them and make them soggy.
The food is generally good but the service sucks. Avoid the older fat Caucasian woman who is too lazy to get off her but and do her job right. I will not be going back there even though it is around the corner.
I love Alexander's for breakfast. It's good, simple diner food that has never disappointed me. Wait staff is attentive, but not overly so. The Greek Scrambled Eggs are really yummy. Can't beat the price, either. Thumbs up for Alexander's.
I've been in mourning for Augie's, my neighborhood diner, since they closed last month, and searching for a replacement. Pauline's is a little too unpredictable, the Ravenswood is a little too far away, and the Golden Nugget just doesn't cut it. Based on other Yelp reviews, I decided to check out Alexander's.
You know the Seinfeld episode where Elaine starts hanging out with Kevin, Gene, and Feldman? That's what it was like walking into Alexander's. Same old Greek guy, but different model, taller and a bit more robust. Two older waitresses -- one his wife and one his sister? Or his daughter? Hard to tell. Much brighter than Augie's, but a similar style if a different vintage -- more 70s/80s than 50s/60s. [Actually, Alexander's looks likes a Baker's Square that has been repurposed into a Greek diner -- check out the sunken ceiling with the typical burgundy paint job.] Nicer counter, but in the wrong place. the whole thing kind of threw me for a loop.
Good food and great prices, which you expect from a place like this. Sandwiches, a handful of entrees, and breakfast all day. Signature skillets, including a Ladies Skillet, for you girls who are watching your figures, for 7 bucks. Lovely laminated menus. Fast and friendly service. I had the Reuben sandwich -- because I didn't see the Monte Cristo, which was on another page -- and it was okay. This is not the kind of place you go for a Reuben, and theirs was more like a corned beef and Swiss cheese sandwich. Where's the Russian dressing? But the meat was good and the toast was crisp and the deluxe sandwich comes with fries AND a cup of soup, so how can you lose?
If Alexander's was closer to my house, I could see it becoming a go-to spot. But it's a mile and a half away, and for someone without a car, that's too far for a casual drop-in. But I'm sure I'll be back. And after a few more visits, I may knock it up a star. For now, it's on the high side of average.
EDIT: I knocked it up a star. But be wary of the vegetables. I was served corn on the cob that had been sitting in hot water since hot water was invented.
I grew up in Edgewater / Roger's Park and have been going to Alexander's for years... I remember graduating elementary school and one of my aunts taking me to Alexander's to celebrate over an ice cream sundae.
This place is owned, if I recall correctly by a Greek couple, both of which are very friendly. This place serves some surprisingly good food, although I have to say the quality has gone downhill a little bit over the years, that is common with most restaurants and is to be expected.
This is basically your usual , north-side, corner diner that serves your typical breakfast dishes (french toast, pancakes, etc) as well as sandwiches and entrees.
One of my favorite dishes there is the Monte Cristo sandwich with the powdered sugar on top. The waffles are good here as well. I have never really eaten there, always opting for Sunday breakfast instead. The coffee here is not very good, I know that's a big pet peeve of mine, when coffee is mild or watery. I really like my coffee to be bitter and flavorful.
The prices are what you'd expect of a place like this. $6.99 for pancakes with eggs and that sort of deal, which I don't consider to be expensive this day and age.
Now one of the best things about this place is the staff, they are freakin, awesome. They are very friendly, older ladies that have been working there since I was a kid and pretty much all of them treat you very well.
They DO NOT accept debit or credit cards here, so bring cash!
Parking usually isn't an issue.
Oh, I love this place!
What a nice diner. The staff is so lovely [even if they have frequent spats you can overhear] and the prices are fucking phenomenal -- just how a diner should be.
Last time, I went out on a limb and ordered some sort of cheese and egg item [that I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of... it's standard, though seems the fanciest thing a diner can have...]. The waitress kept coming back to make sure I enjoyed it [she never asked my friend how his meal was].
They're all sweet there, and the food is just lovely. Can't beat Alexander's for the neighborhood diner! Thank god it's a mere five minute walk away from me.
I've been going to this place for breakfast for a few years now, and no matter how much time passes between my visits, the waitstaff always seems to remember me. The food is nothing special, but they do have some home made specialties like some of their soups and the hollandaise sauce that comes on the eggs benedict, etc.
The place is always clean and the waitstaff has always been very friendly. (Expect a few "hons" and "sweeties" mixed into the conversation.) This is a neighborhood place. I've seen all segments of the neighborhood represented in the customers: young families, seniors, gay couples, high school kids, ancient regulars and multiple nationalities from the 'hood.
You go to Alexanders because you know what it is, a no frills neighborhood diner with basic food that is served with a smile and maybe even a little friendly attitude you're used to getting in a small town diner. Breakfast at a stop like this is my ideal, serving up the basics quickly and a cup of coffee that barely has a chance to get half drunk before getting topped off with a warm-up, even when the restaurant is packed.
The OPEN sign is never set to Closed, so judge by the lights being On or Off whether to stop. :)
The food was excellent, and we were promptly seated, but the waitress was not in a good mood at all. Even the rest of the staff seemed bothered by the clientel.
However, the coffee refills kept coming, and I walked away stuffed. Excellent food: 4*
Curt service: 2*
Overall: 3*
My boyfriend and I moved into an apartment a few blocks away in August, and to celebrate our first day in our new place, we had breakfast at Alexander's. The atmosphere was small and cozy, a typical cute diner. Our waitress was fun and attentive with a good-natured but funny/sarcastic attitude, which my boy and I can appreciate. The fresh squeezed orange juice was amazingly good, and the eggs Benedict were to die for. The chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and sausage were also perfect. The only downside is that it's not open 24 hours for my ridiculous food cravings at 3:00 am.
3+ This place is close and perfect for some quick breakfast. Love the old school diner feel. Over easy eggs, sausage, hashbrowns and rye bread. Cup of milk or OJ = ) Nice easy lazy sunday brunch.
Alexander's is very much a neighborhood diner. Lots of fat single men whom the waitresses greet on a first-name basis and who have been having the same lunch together every day since 1972. Comb-overs and big and tall khakis abound. If you really want to gross yourself out, count the flies.
Here is how my experience went. Before I could sit down at the counter my waitress waddled up and asked if I was here for breakfast (this at 4pm-ish) and if so did I have a look at the special. She nodded in the general direction of the window. No, I said I hadn't seen it. "Well you get three eggs, choice of meat, toast, coffee and a slice of pie," she said.
"That sounds like too much food for me," I said. She scowled and sighed at this obviously wrong answer. "But I bet it's a great deal," I added. At this she smiled and confirmed that it was a indeed a great deal. I ordered a bowl of oatmeal and coffee, an order which did not seem to meet with her disapproval. As I ate she cleaned out the jello bin in the fridge cabinet behind the counter, about 6 inches from my plate. "They made this jello too watery. Should I throw it away?" she asked as she poked at the contents of the vat with a plastic fork. This question seemed directed at no person in particular, and I wondered if I ought to respond. Silence was the right choice, because a voice coming from the kitchen chimed in "don't ask me." She piled the jello into little dishes and put them back in the fridge cabinet. God knows what became of the jello. I'll bet it's still there.
About halfway through my oatmeal, whose temperature prevented me from eating quickly enough, I met with a middle aged face even closer to me than the jello. It was another waitress. She was reaching down for something under the counter. "Hi, oatmeal? Healthy and delicious," said the face.
"Yes, I guess." I poked at the oatmeal a little.
"I love oatmeal. Swear by the stuff. Great for the complexion. I always save just a bit for my skin," said the face. She had a wart on her nose with a curly hair sprouting from it.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Smear it on. Helps the pores." She demonstrated by rubbing her face with her free hand. "Keeps you smooth."
"Oh. That's good to know." She finished rummaging around and left. The other waitress returned. She had a mustache and stud earrings and her hair, coarse and pulled back, with stray strands hanging from her bangs, was dyed a dull shade of red, almost the color of weak coffee. "It sure is good for you. You know vino's? The soap. They've been using oatmeal for centuries," the other waitress said. "Yes that's right," responded the first waitress, "Swear by the stuff. Keeps you young, you know?"
There was then an extended discussion of the merits of oatmeal as a moisturizer. I pretended to be occupied with organizing my wallet. I left a five dollar tip (didn't have singles) and left.
Great for a greasy spoon. The wait staff are all very nice and great chatters. Fast service with the food as well. We came on a Sunday morning around 9:30 am. The skillets were really good. And I couldn't finish - because the portion size was very generous. And the coffee keeps coming. So drink up!
Alexander's is a great neighborhood dive. The food is good and the staff is friendly. I have seen all different kinds of people here and they are all treated like good friends.
Almost everything about this place is outstanding for breakfast. OJ is out-of-this-world. Coffee excellent. Biscuits and gravy some of the best I have had in the city. Much better than the diner at Devon and Clark. Service wonderful. Pancakes perfect. Bacon great. Only thing wrong: no fresh jalapenos for the La Bomba skillet. Otherwise a great breakfast place.
This is the best neighborhood restaurant for breakfast that is inexpensive and fills you up.
The morning waitress, Linda, is a gem and is a professional.
I am always happy to be a patron of Alexanders.
Alexander's has good food and even better service. I have met the owner, an upstanding man running a great family business, and several waitresses who always make one feel at home. The food comes in large portions for a good value. It isn't the best cuisine you've ever tasted, but it isn't highway diner food either.
This restaurant gets four stars on the service alone! It's a good place to have lunch with friends or to have a bite to eat in the morning.
This is a cute little diner on the corner that caught the eye while walking in search of a Ruby Tuesdays. Greeted right upon arrival by friendly staff. The prices are pretty cheap for the amount of food. Soup came w/ my gyro meal and a whole basket of bread and crackers were brought out as well! I was in heaven!!! The food was good and I would definitely go back and try the breakfast!
Can't believe this place hasn't been reviewed more. The breakfast special ( Eggs, bacon, oj, coffee, hash browns, etc.) is the best! Nice little old school place. it gets crowded on sunday mornings besides that its filled with regulars.
This is a great little restraunt that has been around for ages. It's family owned and family run and the service is great. You can get a really great meal here for a very reasonable price. The restraunt is well-kept and the service is great. The restraunt never gets tooo crowded, but they do have limited seatings, so it's not really a place for a big group of people to have a meal.
Go there for breakfast. Eat anything. Good. Fresh. Classic.
The food is okay, the regulars are fun to see. The service is so annoying though, today we had the worst waitress! It wasn't a lack of service, too much service. I think she wanted to join us for lunch actually.
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