On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: American (New), Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: EdgewaterGranville (Red)
Mon-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Loading...
I really want to love this place. Edgewater. Great vibe. Sidewalk seating. Cute, friendly indy waiters.
Unfortunately the host and the food just didn't live up. There's no room to wait for a table inside, so my friend and I waited outside. The host passed over us and seated 3 other later arriving couples in front of us before I reminded him we were still waiting. No apology, just "It'll be about 10min." Indoor seating is a bit crowded and had more of a college hangout vibe than brunch spot - tiny tables, rickety chairs, etc.
Waitservice was attentive and friendly. Coffee was fantastic. Banana pancake was good, but nothing to write home about. I feel like they should bump the price a little and have it come with a side of fruit or something. That's what I'll order next time.
Oh and yes, they apparently have mimosas, not sure how I missed that.
I'll give you a 2nd chance, good luck bananas foster!
A few words:
Treating a Trotter's-trained chef like she is a minimus is a big no-no; continuing to treat her like that is really stupid, and then manipulating her friends into thinking it's okay to mess up her culinary career is the worst.
This place, for all intents and purposes, is a career suicide waiting to happen for anyone unfortunate enough to look at the owner the wrong way. His philosophy is "eff the customers" and when that doesn't work, he tries to eff his employees - sometimes literally.
The panko breaded chicken is great, though - eight dollars for forty minutes worth of oversimplified british snobbery on American soul food soil. I say chuck it in the bin, ask Gordon Ramsay what he thinks, and stop insulting Michelin-star earners who really know how to treat people with respect.
Aside to everyone there: It's not all about money, mofos.
:[ I wish I could've written a good review. It looked so promising. Boyfriend & I decided to go on a breakfast adventure and drive down Broadway looking for a breakfast place. But coming here got me extremely depressed.
There were a ton of people and a lot of wait. But soooo slow... our waitress was really nice and kept filling my coffee cup... but honestly.. the food portions were so tiny and the food was just meh. Unfortunately not worth the calories at all.
The cardamom waffle looked SOOOOO promising and the waffle part actually tasted really good.. but it was COVERED in cream and it was a flimsy flimsy tiny pancake sized.. just a bit thicker than a crepe :[
The full irish breakfast wasn't anything special. The bacon was overly salty.. some blackened mushrooms.. a baked tomato that looked really sad.. and the beans were just a spoonful out of a can. The only really nibbled on thing was the toast with an egg... but.. COME ON, it's EGG ON TOAST... you can't REALLY screw that up too much right? But we could've done that ourselves at home. and it would've tasted better.. and been COOKED (the egg whites were still GOOEY.. ew)
I would not recommend this place, altho some of the reviews rave about bananas foster... it's not worth being this depressed. I wanted to throw up and start my day over... a bad breakfast is a bad way to start the day.
Great food and service! WONDERFUL BANANA STUFFED FRENCH TOAST!!! The tall English gentleman that runs the place is wonderful! I called about 6-8 of us coming and he explained they don't take reservations. He suggested best time and said the host would do his best not to keep us to waiting too long. The big table was ready when we walked in!! We also let the server know we were on a time crunch and she had us out in time. The group all loved the place and we'll be back again.
So this corner has seen its share of various owners and Bananas Foster Cafe seems to be just the ticket for success! With it's cute yellow awning and large windows, I couldn't help but want to stop in everytime I passed it. It always seemed full, or maybe it was just because the cafe is so tiny!!
Speaking of small, the tables ARE small, that my friend and I could barely figure out how to fit everything onto it. But luckily, we can make do anywhere as long as the food is good! Plus, we had a friendly server, so there wasn't much to complain about. We were there for Sunday brunch and had just missed the big rush, so our food was served fairly quickly.
I must not have felt very adventurous that day, because I ordered my typical omlette. I'd tell you the exact one if I could pull up the menu right now, but unfortunately, it won't load on the site. Uh oh! What I can tell you is that it was satisfying, but didn't have the oomph! that other noted brunch places give. But I will give an A for the atmosphere, especially when it's a sunny day!
Overall, it was a pleasant experience, but nothing to die for. If I were to live in Edgewater again, I'd probably stop by a few more times since it's just too cute to resist! But of course, there's always competition...
Went once last year for breakfast on a Saturday. Service was bad, and they had run out the first two orders requested, as well as clean forks.......really?
I hate to do this...and somehow feel I'm betraying my lovely Edgewater neighborhood that is trying so hard to bring fresh, innovative and exciting businesses to an area that desperately needs it. First let me say that if I was just rating the food, it would be 5 stars!
My husband and I stopped here after church last Sunday as we had been dying to try it.
The good:
It is a CUTE place! We sat outside in the sunshine and the boxed plants and umbrellas made for a very cozy and relaxing atmosphere. The inside looked adorable as well - fresh, bright and cheery.
The FOOD was fantastic. Hot, savory, perfect portions and reasonable prices. I loved my banana french toast and my husband's panini was perfection. The coffee was delicious, too!
And now, the ugly:
Having waited tables in a previous life, I know the brunch rush can be chaotic. I know that things slip your mind as a server and that nobody is perfect. That being said, I have never experienced such sloppy, disorganized service in my life. Though we were seated right away, we waited an eternity for our coffee and even longer for our meal. We watched as our server dropped money, ran his fingers through his too-long-for-working-with-food locks, bumped into chairs, into the young man who I assume was there to assist him and just create unecessary havoc.
We bonded with the tables around us who were watching the wheels fall off the wagon along with us. The table next to us asked for ketchup at the start of the meal, only to receive it when he had three bites left. (When he went to open it, it was a new bottle and he decided to just forget it)
Conversely, I asked for syrup only to receive it 3 times by 3 different people. The guy behind us remarked, "I feel like I should help him."
My husband had to feed the meter twice, as we were there for nearly an hour and a half. Not because we were lingering over a leisurely brunch, but because we were FORCED to linger while we waited forever for our meal.
Again, I soooo wanted to love this place in our hood. And I did love the food. The front of the house just needs an overhaul. Perhaps some 'team serving' or maybe have two servers on the patio? Even having a condiment, coffee, water and silverware station out by the patio would've saved a lot of the running around. And would bring in more money as they could turn tables more quickly.
We'll be back, but perhaps for take-out next time.
My sister and I were looking for a new breakfast place to try this past Saturday morning, and we remembered seeing this place up on the corner.
We went in and were seated right away, which was great! We were seated right in front of the place where they plated and garnished the dishes, which we thought nothing of at the time.
The waiter came and took our order in a reasonable amount of time, we were ready with both our beverage and our food order at the same time. He left to fill our orders, the coffee (a cafe au lait and a latte) took about 15 min., which I found odd as the coffee station was right next to us and we basically watched the guy not make our coffee but stand next to the coffee machine talking to the other gentlemen working there. I was ready to forgive this as it was a pleasant place to sit, and I was having a good conversation.
Then the food. I noticed our food coming up, and then noticed the worker who was plating and garnishing the plates. He was using his bare hands. No gloves, nothing. He touched money and then he touched the toast. He palmed them and then picked up the little fries/breakfast potatoes on the plate. All the while wiping his hands on this dish towel laying on the counter.
Not wanting to make a big stink we just asked to have new non-fondled toast and let our waiter know our reason for the change. It was done, with A LOT of face making, whispering to one another and eye rolls. We were only about 5 feet away from them, so it was a little ridiculous as we could see and almost hear everything they said.
All of that was quite offensive, but what put it over the edge and made me decide to write this review was what happened next. The guy who appeared to be in charge came over to our table and asked what was the problem and when we told him he basically told us that we were wrong. He tried to tell us that we did not see the things that we saw. We told him that we saw it, so that it did happen.
Basically it was a horribly offensive experience, but the food was quite good.
I must say, I was impressed with Bananas Foster. I have heard good and bad things about this little spot, so I wasn't sure quite what to expect.
Imagine a hungover, starving chick meeting up with two friends for a last-minute brunch Sunday. It's lovely outside and we scored a sweet table outside to bask in all that sun while slathering on the SPF. What can I say, we're a pale-skinned bunch! No, truly, 3 applications in as many hours.
OK, so back to the review. Coffee? Tasty and strong! I always worry when I come to a brunch spot whether the coffee will be rank, mediocre, or actually worth drinking. At Bananas Foster, it definitely is worth drinking. While still not as strong as I like my coffee, it was flavorful, brewed fresh and hot. I almost felt human after a cup. BTW, the cup is huge! No more of this needing a refill after three sips business. Here, when you ask for coffee, you get coffee. Oh, and the $5 mimosas are tasty, too.
We sampled the menu. The warmed pecan coffee cake - divine. We asked for another slice on three separate occasions. Good intentions fly out the window when you are presented with a slice of bundt generously overflowing with pecans, cinnamon, and brown sugar this good.
The banana and walnut pancakes were light and fluffy. Not my cup of tea; but then again, I'm no fan of mashed bananas. I do recommend the orange marmalade and whipped cream-cheese stuffed French toast. As a sucker for all things tart, I appreciated that this concoction did not seem overly sweet. The side of sausage that I ordered? That was yummy, too. And, it filled this starving missy right up.
All in all, $15 (including tip) for my share of the brunch bill. I satisfied. Nom nom nom.
I've lived in this neighborhood for 10 years and never had any inclination to go inside that corner joint. It's changed hands too many times and it had too many health code violations.
When Bananas Foster Cafe arrived, I though they won't last more then few months. When I passed by one day, I was shocked the place was packed.
Still very skeptical I read 10-15 Yelp reviews. Most complains were directed at the service. Almost everyone loved the food.
Now intrigued I decided to give it a shot.
We went on Saturday early afternoon. We were instantly greeted, seated and served. Food didn't take long at all. Our waiter was very nice and very attentive. We loved the food and can't wait yo go back.
To everyone who complained about the portions: I'm sorry your meal wasn't super-sized. I ordered blueberry hot cakes, which were fluffy and very tasty. I was already full after I finished one. Jason! Let's stick to facts; the vegetable and cheese panini is $7.50, not $12 and it's DELICIOUS!
You are getting delicious, nice quality food for a good price.
Well, I met a friend there for breakfast a while ago and I wasn't super impressed. While the prices are pretty cheap (for breakfast only) you don't really get tons of food. I ordered the Chocolate chip pancakes and a side of home fries. The pancakes were tasty, but small and I think I only got two or three. Not super impressive looking. But like I said, they were tasty.
I cannot say the same for the home fries. Now, our server did warn us that they were circles. Ok, that isn't so strange. Just a different shape. But what we got was still a bit strange. A bowl of frozen waffle fries. And what's worse, NO seasoning. At all. Geez, I would rather have the frozen shredded hashbrowns, those at least are more breakfast like. They even sell some at the grocery store with peppers and onions mixed in already. How much harder would it be to buy those instead? Then it has a semblance of a breakfast potato.
The service wasn't that great this time around either. It took forever to get our bill and the place wasn't full. Not to mention when we sat down the table was still covered in crumbs. And he just put the menus down on top of them.
I'm not sure I will be going back here. I really wanted to like this place, it's in my 'hood and I liked the idea of it. But when there is the Little Corner Restaurant down a block or so and is just as cheap for breakfast and much more bang for you buck. I've had breakfast there three times and have never been disappointed. Granted, it's a greasy diner but at least it's found it's groove and is stickin' with it.
BFC better figure something out and quick like!
My husband and I had been waiting, biding our time, for Bananas Foster to open up. We live near by… Read more »
I'm conflicted.
Indeed, I do not eat bananas...ever. Not once in my entire life. So, I must admit that willingly going to a restaurant that has a big yellow awning and "bananas" in the title...well, ya know. Not a great start, however I realize this is due to my utterly odd eating bias against the beloved banana.
Having said that, I am rooting for this place. Before it moved in, it was this very random coffee shop that never did very well and closed for weeks at at a time and never got it together. I want BFC to win. Yes, Edgewater!
The entire kitchen is exposed. Which is cool...however, the energy in the staff and kitchen peeps seems to be strained. People seem tense. The overall vibe is...stressed. Chill BFC friends, this is a brunch/lunch/dinner happy food spot...have fun!
LARGE cups of Lavazza coffee: a plus, but we need Splenda up in here right quick, folks. Right quick.
Server: VERY friendly, and seemed new. He did a great job despite seeming a bit flustered...even though it was 2pm on a weekday. I imagine brunch and busy lunch/dinner times is kind of a crapshoot...
Food: My salmon panini was good...with goat cheese and spinach, but....teensy. Very little filling, plain bread (not panini bread), soft goat cheese, salmon. It was A-Ok, not much more. The side salad was great though, and the white wine dressing was fab. MY gal pal's Shepherd's Pie was LOVELY though, and I snuck a few bites of her mashed taters with gravy and lovely puff pastry/tender beef. She ordered better...next time, I will too
Desserts: Carrot cake: B+. Chocolate Cake: C+. If you are going to be named after a dessert, the ones residing in your biz better be...AMAZING. People expect it. These were suitable, most definitely, but I left wanting something a bit more...inventive, tasty, delicious, etc.
Overall, a great spot to check out in Edgewater and I will forgive them the banana thing, if they just work out the kinks, get some Splenda, and revisit the panini construction phase.
This place is definitely a breath of fresh air for Rogers Park.
The Chicken Tikka Masala was very good, as was both the french onion and tomato soup. It seems they are still trying to work out the kinks though. When we went, they ended up bringing us the wrong soup, and the bill was incorrect at the end of the meal. However, the atmosphere is cozy, and the fact that you can watch them cook basically right in front of you is pretty awesome too.
Have yet to try the actual Bananas Foster, but I have heard great things from other people.
I don't think that this restaurant is for everyone though. I would warn picky eaters to stay away because they have a somewhat limited menu that is full of unique tastes and fresh twists on common recipes.
I want to like this place. Any place named after an iconic and oh-so-delicious dessert necessarily gets my heart. But before I can just let go and love it, these folks are going to have to address some issues that really kept my visit from evoking banana love.
First, this place is teeny. Cramped, actually, is a better term. I met a friend there on a Saturday for brunch and our 2-top was roughly the size of a postage stamp. Not only was the table overly small, but they had crammed too many overly small tables into a dining room that is too small to be listed as "cozy." You can tell this is a converted coffee shop space. Very tight on the seating.
Second: food. I had banana pancakes and they were admittedly delicious. Bananas right in the batter. The taste made me want to weep. Unfortunately, so did the presentation as there were my two pancakes, naked and with no garnish on an enormous plate. With nothing else. The price was right but I would prefer a little more included for a slightly higher price. Sides were available but they were expensive and, actually, didn't really seem to go with the options.
Third: general atmosphere. They have an open kitchen which takes up more than half of the floor space in the restaurant. This is cool to watch but you also end up smelling like a deep-fryer. And it averages 1200 degrees in there. Actually, the whole operation is almost too "open" which means you can see that your orange juice came straight out of the Dean's gallon jug and that Bloody Mary you had your heart set on is actually 90% Mrs. T's mix. I know. I saw it all. And knowing that that's what I'm paying for, I'm just gonna buy my own gallon jugs and drink 'em at home...and tip myself well.
I give three stars because I think the potential is there. The food was prepared well and seemed quality. But the dining experience left a lot to be desired.
Hopefully, things'll get a little better with age.
For a Sunday morning breakfast, on a chilly day, this worked out for us.
It's bright and cheery inside, the service was pleasant. Our party of six all had a wholesome meal.
This is a nice location that's one of a few dining spots close to Loyola U.
After reading the Red Eye's article on Bongo Room-caliber pancakes, I thought - against my better judgement not to trust the Red Eye - I would give this place a shot. Besides, I do my best to patronize neighborhood joints.
I came alone on a Friday morning around 9:30. The place was fairly packed, but I didn't wait to be seated (no signs saying so); I found a table by the window fairly easily. An older gentleman wiped down my table and the waiter acknowledged me within 5 minutes. I asked for coffee and decided to skip the pancakes and go for a tasty banana french toast with pecans and 3 scrambled eggs on the side.
Then it all fell apart.
It took 16 minutes to get my coffee. The waiter said it was brewing; however, by the time he brought it to me 10 minutes after I ordered it, he took another 6 minutes to wrangle up some cream and a spoon (BTW: when he joked about it taking a month to get some cream, that should have been my cue to leave). The coffee wasn't to great either; McDonald's can outdo it.
When he presented my food, I immediately deduced that the only things upscale about this place were the plates. The french toast resembled 2 child-sized pieces of sweet, dry toast sandwiching a wet, helpless banana. The scrambled eggs were powdered...and didn't look like 3 eggs worth. The only things that made the meal palatable was my excessive salt and peppering of the eggs and drenching the sweet toast in syrup, which also took 5 minutes after my meal arrive to get a hold of.
I give the waiter credit for doing his best to take care of everyone by himself. But the food and drink was a complete disappointment, especially for a $10 bill. I would have liked this restaurant named after my favorite dish to deliver the same sweet and exotic flavor as its namesake, but I fear this restaurant will quickly go the way of the last tenant.
I decided to grab some dinner here tonight since it was a semi-dreary night. I remembered seeing they had Shepard's Pie on the menu which I love and is good comfort food. So I grabbed my book and walked around the corner.
They weren't full but there was a decent size crowd for such a small establishment. There was one server so was very friendly but seemed very busy. There were also two or 3 cooks out. One of the cooks came over and helped a table select a bottle of wine to go with their entrees.
It was a nice place and the food was good. There are still a few kinks to work out though. They're not making a few things on the menu anymore. I don't know if that was just for tonight or what though.
They got their liquor license so they have wine now which is nice. I didn't see anything I really wanted to sample though.
I'll be back, I'd like to try most stuff on their menu.
Went there this weekend with the girl. The place looks like it was snatched out of Lincoln Park by a big hand and accidentally dropped in south Loyola/edgewater area by accident on its way to Evanston. On a sunday around noon you'll wait around 20 min which isnt bad, and you can enjoy in or outdoor seating. The place inside smells great and despite that i have no idea what a bananas foster is, I was intrigued. For a good mix of foods, I'll reccomend the full irish breakfast ($13) and throw in a banana pecan french toast. Its kind like a banana sandwich and was very good. I liked the mix of crowd that this area brings and I look forward to coming back soon.
uh oh! We came here this weekend and it was a disaster. The food cant make up for the horrible service and ridiculous mistakes they made.
We had to wait for 3 tables that came in after us, to get their orders taken before us, and we never got a water refill.
We found literally half a whole eggshell in our eggs benedict, they forgot my toast and jam (after making a huge point about it in the menu) completely. I told them they'd forgotten, and they still never brought it out? I dont understand how long or how special this toast and jam is/was and I guess I will never find out.
So after all this, they messed up our bill, by charging us twice for this horrible eggs benedict- which they fixed but it took 2 tries and us talking to two different people.
Another thing was that happens with the Back of the house and front of the house dont match up, it is obvious in the table. The plates were beautiful, and the food was plated nicely- but the tables were too small to accomidate the dishes we'd ordered. They asked us if they should bring back a dish when we had more room on the table! WTF. I dont want my food sitting there for 15 minutes because YOU didnt plan your tables to be big enough for your plates!
So I dont know they will certainly have to get their shit together before i step foot in that place again
I so want this place to make it, given that other businesses haven't done well in this location. We went last Friday night about 6:45. We were welcomed at the door and told it would be a 25-30 minute wait for 2.
The server followed our gaze toward the table for 6 and said he couldn't seat 2 people at a table for 6. With a slight shrug and an "oh well," we left and went to Moody's.
I certainly don't begrudge BFC for holding the table in hopes of a larger party. However, with such a small dining area, why let $$ walk away when a half dozen seats sat empty?
Here's a suggestion, BFC: don't hold a table for six unless a pending reservation holds the table. If the server had said, "It's a 20-30 minute wait for a table for 2, but if you don't mind others being seated with you, I can seat you now at the table for 6."
Then I have the choice to wait, be seated or leave. Imagine all the stories told to friends about the people we sat with at Bananas Foster Cafe! "Oh, where's Bananas Foster Cafe? I should try that place."
Friday night, our only option was to wait 25 minutes or leave. We went elsewhere.
God, I feel so bad doing this, because I hate giving bad reviews, but I had a terrible experience here. :( My family and I went in for a quick lunch after I graduated and it wasn't terribly packed, but they looked understaffed and stressed. We had a party of 5, not too big, right? Wrong. Oatmeal somehow took like, 45 minutes, my squash soup was lukewarm and it had a skin on it by the time I got it, and I don't know how anyone could manage to fuck up a salad, but I got the most fucked up salad in the history of mankind. Hardly ANY dressing, at least 40% pine nuts (haphazardly dumped on it, I felt like a squirrel), and tomatoes? Old and wrinkled and gross, pretty much gone bad. I didn't know if this was some weird trendy tomato that was somewhere between fresh and sundried, like, intentionally, but no, I'm pretty sure they were gross ass tomatoes.
My boyfriend's lasagna was like a salty mystery-mess-slab.
It just made no sense to be so understaffed. I understand it's a small place, and yes, it's gorgeous-looking compared to what it was before (dead corner), but they need to back it up with decent food. Service was okay, an apology for the ridiculous amount of time it took for the food to come out would have been nice, but nothing, not a "sorry about the wait" or anything.
If you're considering going here, and browsing to see if it's worth it, I say try it - as the saying goes, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating," not in the online reviewing.
Contrary to others:
- Wait time was normal for a larger party (4+baby) at 12:30 on a Sunday
- The coffee was prompt and delicious (cream did take a second trip)
- The food was great! (see below) and had everyone in our party remarking on how well done it was
- Service was consistently friendly and relatively prompt. The waiter obviously had his hands full, but was really nice - and there was no foot tapping or finger drumming at our table waiting for things to come out.
- Space is at a premium to be sure, but we were hardly bumping elbows with anyone.
People on Yelp seem quick to pass judgment on a newly-opened restaurant based on a single experience. I'd say this place has gotten its act together.
* * * *
Now the obligatory narrative:
My wife, two friends, and our practically-newborn baby stopped by here one Sunday recently at about 12:30. We waited about 10 minutes for the "big table" that was finishing up to clear out, and were seated quickly thereafter to a clean table. Coffee was quick in coming and perfectly delicious. I confess I don't have coffee often, but this hit the spot. Cream took an extra trip - and silverware came last of all - but the only bitter taste in my mouth was from the coffee beans.
As for our entrees, I can't recall what everyone else had, but I had the eggs Benedict, and added a side of the Irish baked beans. The baked beans were a little bland but the Benedict more than made up for it! The eggs were done perfectly and the hollandaise sauce held beautifully - something i can never get it to do at home... :(
The husband of the other couple had also checked out Yelp before we came, and we were both worried when we saw how busy it was, but an hour later, as we were leaving, we hadn't had any of the problems people mentioned.
Went here today and it was awful. The wait wasn't that bad but once we got our table it was all downhill. Like one of the previous posters it took at least 15 minutes to get the coffee we ordered because it was brewing. It is a breakfast place, you would think they would have enough on hand. Then it took an additional 5 minutes for cream to get to the table. Approximately 2 minutes after we got our coffee the food came but there was no silverware on the table so we had to wait another 3 minutes to get silverware.
But wait, it gets better, we had to wait for an additional 5 minutes to get salt an pepper. They need to invest in some salt and pepper shakers for each table so people don't have to ask for it.
Finally onto the food. I have been to a lot of restaurants in my 10 years in Chicago and this was by far the biggest ripoff of food I have ever seen. I decided to get a vegetable and cheese panini which was $12. It came out on some cheap white bread and 2 pieces of zucchini and 1 piece of eggplant on each side of the sandwich and a tiny piece of mozzerella on each. I would not have paid $3 dollars for that sandwich. This place is way way way way overpriced. The fruit plate was just ok nothing spectacular.
I will never be back to this place and I am telling all my friends not to go there do yourself the same and don't waster your time.
A word of advice to whomever owns this place. Invest in a busboy to help you clean and set your tables instead of having your servers do it. They place is small enough that one person could do it, hell, I could do it.
PS - They charge you a dollar for coffee refills in a really tiny mug. What a joke.
--Jason
We got hungry on the way to go grocery shopping this afternoon so we decided to pop in here. Getting seated was a bit awkward. We stood there for a few minutes unsure of whether to seat ourselves. Finally, we were seated and it seemed like the staff was just very busy and ironing out the kinks rather than deliberately ignoring us as our waiter was very friendly from that point forward.
The menu was simple but appealing. I ordered the orange French toast and my fiancé ordered the eggs benedict. The portions were about right for the price and the food was really good.
The place seemed to have a bit of an identity crisis going on. The food was very homey while the decor and fancy Lavazza coffee (which I quite like, actually) seemed to be aimed at attracting yuppies and the music was just embarrassing. As my companion said when "Wind Beneath My Wings" started playing overhead, "Bette Midler...gotta go."
Still, we will most likely be back.
I lived just down the street from this place for 3 years, but never went in as it kept changing hands (various incarnations of coffee shop). It seems that Bananas Foster might be here for a bit, so I decided to check it out with 3 guy friends (none of us had been there before).
It's a small place with small tables -- this is no place to bring a group bigger than 3 or 4 people. Heck, even with our 4 we were a little on the cramped side. Decor is simple but nice.
Our waiter was very good, nice guy, courteous, pleasant. I think he was the only one, and every table was full and people were waiting to get in, so I was pretty impressed with him. He made a small boo-boo when he brought the food -- switched plates so Tom got Jeff's plate and vice versa, but that can happen anywhere.
I tried the banana pancakes and the Irish eggs benedict. All were good -- the banana pancakes were not particularly fluffy or anything, but they were light and well done -- brown but not undercooked or overcooked. The banana taste is there, but it's light enough that even those who aren't huge banana fans would like them, I think.
Coffee was very good -- I think they either use Intelligensia or Metropolis coffee, I'm afraid my memory is fuzzy on that one. The large coffee feels good in your hand -- a nice wide mouthed coffee cup. Perfect for a Sunday brunch.
This restaurant uses an "Irish Loin Bacon" which struck me as being similar in taste to Canadian bacon. Tasty, but if you're looking for the strong taste of American-style smoked/seasoned;/peppered bacon, this won't be for you. I enjoyed my eggs benedict, and Jeff liked his panini a lot. Overall, everyone was happy with their choices.
I've seen other Yelpers complain about the prices here, but for brunch at least, I think the prices are average. $13-15 for brunch (including tax and tip) isn't bad at all. I paid a little more because I got the pancakes in addition to my eggs benedict.
Portions are not huge here, but I didn't feel cheated at all -- if you're looking to be a total pig, there are other places to go. I would say that price and portion-wise, this place reminded me of Lucky Platter in Evanston without the kitsch.
I hope this place sticks around!
It should probably be 3 stars......but their namesake dessert is killer. They use vanilla gelato, which automatically kicks it up a notch. Goddamn it was good.
The place looked really cute, had a relaxed vibe and open kitchen which was cool. (But please, please change the music..Tina Turner circa 1980..I don't even like classical music but just play it during dinner). We got the paella with "veggies" (peas) and the rice with lamb. Both were flavored nicely but overpriced, not terribly exciting. Go for their simple caprese salad, yum. They have a pretty full drink list for such a small place too, including some Cinncinnati beer for all of you Ohioans which my boyfriend seemed to appreciate (he said it's crappy, but got some home town pride out of it).
The only negative was our server was so stressed it made me stressed just to watch him. There were about five tables at that point but the poor guy was playing waiter, bartender, food runner, prep, etc. I had to go fetch our dinner menus, and later the drink menus, when no one approached our table after being seated. Maybe he was new. I don't know, awkward servers just make things uncomfortable. The owner/chefs sure seemed to know what they were doing though.. I peeked at the next table's dishes and they looked great. I'd try some other dishes there if I ever end up back up north.
I have eaten here twice. The first time I had no complaints. It was during the week, after the breakfast rush and the place was empty. I had a basic breakfast. The food and the service were good and I happily went on my way.
Yesterday I ate here around 1pm. The place was relatively empty (around 3 other 2 topped-tables seated). We waited about 5-7 minutes before someone brought us water. My buddy just ordered a milkshake and I ordered a Caesar Salad w/ grilled salmon. After our server took our ordered, he disappeared outside to converse with the girl passing out free watermelon slices to all the people passing by the restaurant. Inside, the rest of the servers and kitchen staff our busy having a fun conversation with one another. Meanwhile, 15 -20 mins have passed, my water is empty (I am thirsty because we have been doing a lot of walking) and still no sign of my salad. Again, there are only 6 other people in the restaurant. I had to ask for my water to be re-filled. Once they came to fill my water, my buddy said (very dramatically) "he has been waiting on his salad for an hour". The chef then looks over and gives me a thumbs up sign. After my salad appears, our sever (who still had not been back inside to check on us) made his way over to ask "is everything okay?".....REALLY??? WTF do you think?
Clearly, the staff is more interested in having fun with one another.
Skip it. Food was decent, but it took incredibly long, was over-priced, and the service was AWEFUL. Very disappointing.
I'm happy that BFC has finally opened because it's such a great location, and having a new restaurant in Edgewater is always nice. They're not perfect, but I write most of that off to being new. I'll probably end up adding or subtracting a star later based on how they wind up doing.
To start, the staff was phenomenal, if a bit slow. I was doing a bit of reading, so the time wasn't too much, and my coffee (which was also excellent ) got refilled almost as fast as i could drink it. Somehow the lone server and two cooks managed to singlehandedly take care of a completely full restaurant, which was pretty amazing. The level of staff does lead to slightly longer waits than at say, Standee's, but the food quality is good enough that it's worth it so long as you've got some time to really enjoy your breakfast. Also it's far enough away from the Red Line that people watching through the windows isn't so depressing.
As far as the food, the coffee was good, as I said, and the eggs benedict were amazing, as was the French toast. You get a good amount of great food for the money, at least for breakfast. I'll have to go back at some point to try the lunch and dinner menus, but if you can make great eggs Benedict, you can make pretty much anything.
I'm not a fan of the tables, which are good sized for one person, but quite the squeeze for two. Also, the layout tends to be kind of cramped when the place is full. Overall though, Bananas Foster is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and hopefully it lasts.
The place is really small and because of that be prepared to be bumped and pushed by the waitstaff while they pass by. Also because it is so small I felt very rushed to eat my breakfast and get out... other people were waiting....I just could not relax on a Sunday morning!!! Do not even try to bring in your Sunday paper.... there is just no room to open it.
As to the food...eggs are good but the orange toast is a joke. I thought it would be something like a banana bread/lemon cake....NO...the orange toast is two pieces of french toast with canned and wet TANGERINES in between the two pieces....What a disappointment. Also, if you like your bacon well done and crispy you must ask for it up front because it comes out little on the raw side.
Coffee refills are a $1 as it states on the menu and their cups are very very small. However they did not charge us for our refills.
I would say it won't hurt to try this place
I am SO glad this place took over what seems to be the doomed corner (and I hope to heaven that it isn't ACTUALLY doomed anymore).
I went here for breakfast one weekday morning with an out of town guest and was pleasantly surprised -- the menu is all very, very affordable (at least for breakfast). I, of course, got the Irish breakfast, which was the highest priced meal by at least $5.
It was also huge.
And really, really good.
Everyone does Irish breakfast differently, and they were no exception. Their toast is fried, their tomatoes wonderfully grilled, and the bangers and loin bacon really good. The puddings were missing, though (but most places here don't seem to do the fried toast, so I was okay with the exchange).
The service is also really great; I can't wait to go back and try dinner!
The interior is pretty cute, and it's amazing how many tables you can fit into a small space without causing problems. Everything was clean, and our waiter was a genuinely nice dude.
I have yet to go for breakfast, but the dinner menu isn't bad! Sure it's small, but if you're not too picky just choose at random, since it's too soon to have a favorite dish with this place yet. ^.^
The food didn't take very long to make, our waiter was very kind, and the bananas foster was good!!! Definitely have some if you're on a sweets kick.
Give it a chance. I already think it's better than the cafe that used to be there. Taste it for yourself, and please, eat the bananas. ^.^v
Ok, so I will try and be more descriptive than my usual brief to the point style allows.
I had heard about BFC from customers where I work, comments had all been upbeat and positive and don't really match those here on Yelp.
The tables were about 90% full at about 9:00 on Friday night. The service was just right, no pressure but never disappeared. We both had the French Onion Soup which was excellent. I had the Fried Cod and Chips, nicely done. My date had a Chicken dish that was also very good. Trying to keep the weight off we skipped dessert.
It was a very pleasant evening and we look forward to returning soon. I can confidently say that the kinks mentioned in these other reviews seemed to have been worked out.
This is one of those places where the portions are the right size so that you'll be satisfied but not bursting if you eat everything that you have on your plate. Seems well planned. Everything I had was tasty, and the service was good. Wasn't that busy when we were there.
It's on my list of brunchy places I'd go again.
Four stars because the flavor in my simple little CHEAP (and I use caps in an excited way) french toast was great. It didn't look like much on the plate, and wasn't offered with any sides, so perhaps expectations were low. But throw that toast in my mouth and wowza!
That's actually all I had, as I met someone for a meeting over breakfast and had already had my coffee for the day. But I can comment on a few other things:
1. CHILLY (and I use caps not in an excited way) as people came in and out. I agree with the reviewer who said an extra door would help.
2. Also concur on the small tables! Eek!
3. While service was super friendly, it was also unnecessarily slow. Like, waiting ten minutes for the check slow.
4. I didn't get to check out the lunch and dinner options since I was there in the breakfast hour, but breakfast pickings were... let's say deliberate? Not a lot of offerings but what they had seemed very focused.
5. Small space --what'cha gonna do? I wonder if they're trying to do too much in such a small venue, but I hope it works out.
6. Sat for quite a while and the water was never refilled, despite multiple stops for my buddy's coffe. They gotta get on this.
And really, the fours stars are because I do hope it works out. None of my issues were deal-breaking. Very curious to see how they evolve, as they've been open for just over a week. Kinks others mention, sure. So let's all get in there, support this local business, and help them work it all out!
I am LOVING me some Bananas Foster Cafe!!!! I've been for breakfast a few times, which has always been awesome. And recently went for dinner and had the Pomegranate Pork deliciousness. SO GOOD! My husbands filet was also tender and mouthwatering. The service is nice and relaxed. I could see how someone who wants to blaze through dinner would be pissed at the service being slower than other places, but I really dig being able to relax with my food. Savor the moment. Drink some wine. Eat some bread. You gotta come here to relax and take in some life.
The Bananas Foster Cafe had their grand opening this morning early ! and let me say that the neighborhood ( meaning ME ! ) has been anticipating this event since late last year when the windows were covered over for their remodel.
the Cafe sits on the corner of Broadway and Granville in the Edgewater neighborhood and boasts large picture windows surrounding the outside giving patrons an interesting view of the new apartment building across Granville I was greeted by a LARGE cup of wonderful coffee and an enticing breakfast menu. I chose the Irish eggs benedict which was delicious and not too filling I cannot wait to try their other breakfast items ! The server was nice and attentive and made sure that everything was perfect. The seating area is a bit small but comfortably spaced so as not to give a crowded feel . I even got a sneak peak at their take out menus that just arrived as I was sitting there and was struck by the rather ambitious selection of lunch and dinner items ! Inviting me to come again were selections such as stuffed meatloaf and potatoes and Chicken Tikka Massala and Chicken Chasseur . I cannot wait !
edit: i have gone back several times the meatloaf and potatoes were great ! french toast good ! but the benedict is the best !
It was good. The pancakes are on the small side. The coffee is good. The staff is charming. The decor is cheery. It was good.
Like many others, I was excited to see a new, promising restaurant in the area. Like many others, I was disappointed. Hopefully the problems are because of recent-opening kinks. I'm not so sure.
Right when we walked in, my immediate thought was that we were in an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. Both the floor and the kitchen areas were clean; it was just my intuition.
Our server (the only one) was good. Very friendly, if only somewhat attentive, but I'm patient and understanding. It took a little too long for a coffee refill (which he didn't charge for--good thing because it was colder than what was left in my cup).
Now I have to second someone else's observation about shoddy food-handling issues. One of the chefs (who has to be the same Tall Chef mentioned) began to prep for some ground beef dish. He was cutting onions and carrots, all while a bag of ground beef sat out on the countertop. Things got a little busy, and he had to pitch in to help cook entrees....all while the bag of ground beef sat out. All tolled, the beef was out for at least 15-20 minutes. Now, I am a cook, and I know that there probably won't be any harm done, but this is food safety 101, especially when it's being done in front of everybody.
The food was very so-so. I got Steak and Ale pie with mashed potatoes. Everything was completely underseasoned. My partner got fish and chips. Also completely underseasoned. They say they never freeze the fish, but the fish was watery and a bit mealy, textures that most often happen with pre-frozen fish. I don't have a problem with places serving frozen fish, just don't blow smoke up my a**. My unfortunate observation is that everything is heat and eat and nothing (at least for lunch) is made to order (maybe the sandwiches). Basically everything is prepped at some point in the unknown past and reheated in the convection oven (at least it isn't a microwave, small bonus). There is a flat-top and burner set there, but I didn't see it in use once while we were there.
Total with tip: $30. For reheated lunch in a neighborhood restaurant?
I live around the corner and was SO HAPPY to see that a new restaurant was in the hood. My partner and I have been there twice, although I will admit that both times were right when BFC opened.
I have to say, however, that I was a bit disappointed.
First visit: Dinner.
Waiter was trying very hard and was very attentive. Nice guy. No complaints about the sparce interior, and my partner loved to see the open kitchen concept. I ordered a chicken stew thing that was a little better than average, but something I could have made myself at home. My partner ordered the chicken tikka, which was very disappointing. We ordered a chocolate lava cake for dessert, which (along with the berry sauce) was the hit of the evening.
After the dinner, I would have given it three stars and we were encouraged to try back a week or two later for...
Visit Two: Brunch.
Oh, BFC. I was really trying to like you. I really was. Didn't mind the 20 minute wait in the cramped doorway because I was happy to see that you were busy on a weekend morning. Actually, the mocha I had was one of the best I've tasted, but unfortunately that was the bright spot of the morning.
"Orange filled French Toast" - really? Two pieces of Wonder bread with a couple of orange slices inbetween. Really? When it was delivered, I really thought it was some kind of joke. Cruel joke, because I love me some brunch.
And the pecan pancakes? Little pancakes that don't taste like much with a pecan on top?
I mean, I know that's what I ordered (French toast with orange and pancake with pecan), but I was hoping for something more... inspired. Truth is I could do better at home.
I've been lobbying my partner to to back and give it a third chance because I want to help the local businesses, but he reminds me of the horrible "French Toast Incident." He said it was embarrassing to see me eat it, like that kid in grade school who always had the crappy lunch...
Appetite Stimulus Package
Evanston, IL
Wednesday Dinner Deal!
Neighborhood: Uptown
Back in January [or maybe early February?] 2007,…
Eating my way systematically through each…
