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Uncle Mike's Place
Categories: Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Restaurants American (Traditional) Breakfast & Brunch, American (Traditional) [Edit]
1700 W Grand Ave(between Paulina St & Hermitage Ave)
Chicago, IL 60622
Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village
(312) 226-5318
- Nearest Transit:
-
Ashland-Lake (Green Line, Pink Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 5 am - 3 pm
Sun 6 am - 3 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
174 reviews for Uncle Mike's Place
Review Highlights
"Garlic sausage + garlic fried rice = breakfast of champions."
(in 33 reviews)
"Good breakfast diner with a Filipino twist."
(in 96 reviews)
"The marinated skirt steak is the best."
(in 11 reviews)
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174 reviews in English
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Review from Mike L.
Cook, IL
12/15/2011
Garlic Rice, Tocino, Spam, and eggs.... Best breakfast combo ever!
I think that says it all for this review.
They should open this place up after hours.
Prepare to wait a bit on saturday/sunday mornings..... -
Review from Romaine I.
Chicago, IL
1/15/2012
Breakfast so good, it makes you want to punch the dude that invented IHOP right in the dick.
My first foray into Filipino breakfast was satisfying as hell. I've always been more of a Steak and Eggs rather than pancake/waffle/french toast type of breakfast guy (read: I require cooked flesh of beast in the morning), so the combo breakfast of pork and more pork (Tocino and Longaniza) was right up my alley. Both are deliciously cured, just the right sweetness. Combine that with the vinegar-y pico de gallo and breath destroying garlic rice, and you have a breakfast of the gods. Only rating 4 stars because the eggs weren't really up to the level of the rest (maybe my fault for getting scrambled), and because the space is a bit cramped inside. And because this place is only open until 3pm. Seriously, if this place was open for late night eats, I would wake up smelling like garlic way, way more -
Review from kris r.
Chicago, IL
1/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
YUM! i love this place. uncle mike's is the one and only place i recommend for filipino breakfast. it's a casual, laid-back diner, so don't expect fireworks for decor.
our meal started off with lugao, a rice porridge, which was fantastic. my family and i all had the combo - loganisa and tocino, with eggs & garlic fried rice. it was amazing. and their cut of meat isn't as fatty as it normally is, which is good - still tasty - but you feel less guilty after.
my niece had the spam, which was great, too. yeah, i like spam, WHAT.
i also love that it's just right down the street from my 'hood! the best!!!! -
Review from Daniele N.
Chicago, IL
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Really good Filipino breakfast.
Service is quick. The longaniza was delicious. The flavor mixed with the garlic rice and the pico de galo was awesome. That brown thing that comes along with your food (seems like re-fried beans, but it's not) might be an acquired taste, but it was interesting to try.
good portion size, good prices, good coffee.
The reason I'm giving this place four stars is only because of the space itself. I found it a little crowded, but it is a dinner and I believe this is just my personal preference. I have an eye for aesthetics, and I thought they could improve the layout of the place a little. Clearly they broke some wall to have access to the back room , and the reform is still unfinished, but there were people eating at the back room anyways. But you know what they say - as long as the food is good, why look at the small stuff?
Btw I don't know if anyone says that. I just made it up. -
Review from Mark S.
Chicago, IL
1/28/2012
Love the huge Filipino Breakfast. I would give it 5 stars but had a couple of service experiences and once the food was not fully cooked. But, I can't stay away for long. Nine out ten times everything is just great. I think at times they get a little overwhelmed. So be patient if you get them on an off day. Overall it's worth it.
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Review from Hanbit Y.
Chicago, IL
1/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Who would't like a combination of fried rice, fried eggs and spicy SPAM? for breakfast? well. It was pretty awesome. Your Filipino style breakfast comes with a small bowl of soup of your choice beforehand and a cup of tapioca pudding afterwards. I left the place content and full. To be honest, though, their coffee sucked, but then I didn't go there for coffee, did I? ha! :)
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Review from L O.
Chicago, IL
1/16/2012
GREAT service, great food. It's a simple place, just the way it should be. I know when I walk into a place that is completely over-done, I know I'm about to empty my wallet, so Uncle Mike's rocks in that regard. Today they even gave us a cup of complimentary chicken soup that was out of this world. There were people alone, couples, and groups. Glad we went!
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Review from Lucy M.
Chicago, IL
2/3/2012
This a good place to go to. I went ther for breakfast thinking of a regular all american breakfast joint. They are but I actually saw that they have philipino breakfasr(which i might of realize if I would have read some of the reviews or seen some of the pics) I was very happy with my surprise.
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Review from tinna h.
10/28/2011
There's regular breakfast, and then there's Filipino breakfast. Uncle Mike's Place serves both! This was just a quick walk from where we were staying, so before we began our exploring on Sunday, we decided to check it out. A quick glance at the menu for the Filipino breakfast, and I knew that was the menu I would be ordering from. Ryan ordered the Pork Chop plate. I ordered the Tocino [cured pork shoulder] and Longanisa [sweet sausage] plate.
Needless to say, it was a LOT of food. We love to share, so the plates were passed across the table several times. Since we were on the road, it was exactly what we needed to get our day started right - hearty breakfasts! -
Review from Dan B.
Chicago, IL
12/23/2011
best breakfast in town! especially if you are looking for an authentic Filipino cuisine. The longaniza is my fave!!!
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Review from Pooja K.
Chicago, IL
Saying we just like this place is an understatement...we really really loved it! It was a Saturday morning and the two of us were seated within 10 minutes.
my bf got the sausages( forgot what they were called) with garlic rice and sunny side up eggs. I got the french toast.. soo well made and the service was pretty spotty in the beginning , but it improved later.
Will definitely return. -
Review from Kristel S.
Manhattan, NY
Hands down the best filipino breakfast I've had that my family didn't cook. It beats all the NY joints--Krystals, Ihawan, Perlas, Renes, etc etc.
The staff is quick, but friendly and the food is plentiful and delish. Your order comes with a side of champorado, and sometimes, lugaw if you're lucky. Today, they were out of lugaw by 2pm--apparently, it's a hit!
Mark B. and I got a side of mashed camote and a small soup that tastes like nilaga, on the house because we showed interest in the food (and I'm sure I looked like I hadn't been fed in days). The camote was a big serving for a side. It was not too sweet and cinammon-y, which I treated as a nice dessert. The soup was a modified nilaga, with more veggies, and the serving was very small--it was only for us to try!
I'm sure the hit is the tocino and longanisa combo.. and i was so torn between that and the bangus! Luckily, the staff was sympathetic and allowed me to have a bangus and tocino combo. This combo comes with garlic fried rice, eggs cooked the way you want it, a bit of champorado and unlimited sawsawan! I suggest getting the eggs sunnyside up so you can break it down on the rice.
The sawsawan was simply a hodge podge of tomato, onion, cilantro, patis and vinegar.... but ughhhh I could eat just that that over rice any day--SO GOOD!!
Will definitely come back! -
Review from Demetrio P.
Chicago, IL
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came to Uncle Mike's to specifically try the Filipino breakfast items, and we weren't let down! The wife and I ordered the Combo breakfast platter with both Tocino (a marbled sweet marinated pork) and Longanisa (sweet breakfast sausage). It was pretty good. They first gave us for starters Lugaw, a Filipino version of Arroz Caldo or Congee. Wife had the regular chicken one and I had the one with octopus. Had to say, the small chunks of octopus were interesting and tasty. Next, our dishes came out on huge plates filled with our meat, fried garlic rice, eggs, toast, and Filipino Champorado. I was so full at the end of the meal, that I needed a nap ASAP! Will definitely visit Uncle Mikes again when in the neighborhood.
In summary, good food, good service, okay prices. -
Review from Andrea K.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 10/24/2011
Went back this weekend.
I ordered the
Philippino combo- langonisa & tapa w/ garlic rice. 2 eggs. It was good. But not as good as I remembered it last time. It seemed like something even I could heat up/cook at home.
BF ordered the skirt steak medium rare. Would not recommend. It had no flavor and the sauce it came with was A1 sauce!! I am appalled!!!
They gave complimentary small bowls of lugaw. It was good.
The place has seemed to lost it's magic on me. Servers are nice, but there needs to be more organization in seating customers and taking care of the tables.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/17/2011
Located right on the corner of Grand & Paulina. Residential Street parking.
I ordered the bangus with… Read more »
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Review from Gary E.
Chicago, IL
9/8/2011
Having just moved into the neighborhood I was super excited to find Uncle Mike's right up the block. After going in to pick up breakfast to go - I was already a regular the next day - greeted by name nonetheless by Ruby who is a doll and handles most of the takeout orders.
So far I've stuck to American options for breakfast and lunch - the omelettes and chicken sandwiches are awesome, made to order, fresh and hot! I definitely need to try the Philippine food and I think Ruby is starting to think I'm giving her the business by saying I will try it.
7 days in the neighborhood and I've been here 4 times already... -
Review from Kathleen A.
Denver, CO
9/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Blink and you miss it or you might think it's closed by looking in from the outside but trust you it is far from it. I should call this place Tito Mike's instead.
This place serves up some damn good Filipino Breakfast! They have a regular menu but we came for the Filipino goods. Growing up I rarely got to actually eat this kind of food for bfast and probably for a good reason since it would make me a very obese adult.
I chose the Tocino/Longanisa platter served with eggs and garlic rice. They also bring out a bowl of arrozcaldo to start things off with. The longanisa although tasty was just a bit too greasy even for my tastes, but the tocino was def the way to go here. The portions are huge and I ended up giving them to my friend who took me.
Service friendly, on-point. I am so jealous of you UK Village dwellers that get to eat this deliciousness all the time!
If you never had Filipino breakfast before don't waste any more time and get your ass down to Tito Mike's. -
Review from Phillip C.
Schaumburg, IL
What an awesome breakfast! I could eat some Tocino (sweet cured pork shoulder) any day of the week. Thickly sliced and served with a side of eggs over garlic rice, this is definitely one of my new favorite breakfast dishes. A delicious plate of porky garlicky goodness any time of the day. Their Longaniza is also really good, which is a anise & red wine chorizo sausage. Both can be found on their Filipino breakfast menu, written up on the chalkboard. I saw spicy spam on the board, so I'll have to try that next time.
They also have a large menu, filled with your standard diner fare such as omelettes, pancakes, and sandwiches. Plus they serve Intelligentsia coffee and have free soup on the weekend.
The weekends get pretty crowded up until noon, but by around 1pm you won't have to wait long for a seat. Go hungry, make sure you order some Tocino, and if you're extra hungry get the combo with some Longaniza. -
Review from Brian R.
Chicago, IL
12/17/2011
Good breakfast place, not terribly overpriced like most breakfast places seem to be these days. Staff was friendly, food exceeded expectations. Ordered the filipino breakfast, which included sausage (which was unexpectedly sweet but delicious), pork shoulder, eggs over garlic fried rice, salsa, and some sort of chocolate tapioca pudding.
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Review from Ryan L.
Filipinos are known for their, at times, "voracious" eating habits. I'm just as bad as everyone else. What I miss the most from my childhood was my mom's hearty breakfast dishes. For my parents and generations before them, a solid breakfast was needed for a hard day of work, be it in the fields or whatever industry they were a part of. Now, why do I eat such large-scale breakfasts? No reason, it's just good.
My family is from the province of Pampanga, which Anthony Bourdain called "the culinary capital of the Philippines". Needless to say, I've been spoiled like a Hilton heiress when it comes to breakfast. Uncle Mike and the crew do it very well here. I expected the Filipino staples (longanisa, tocino, steak), but was pleasantly surprised at the other options. Bangus (milkfish)? Seriously? And in two sizes - baby, and bigatin, which seeing that word on the menu made me chuckle.
I ordered the Hot N' Spicy Spam plate. Never imagined I would ever order spam at a restaurant, but for some reason that dish called to me. Garlic fried rice, eggs, lugao, it's all here! Wow, they offer something Filipinos call "sausauan" which is tomato, onion, and other veggies with fish sauce. Everything was very tasty and impressive.
Uncle Mike, thank you for the reminder of what my basement would smell like every weekend morning when I was young. Of course, it'll never replace my wonderful mom's homemade breakfast, but it's pretty damn close.Listed in: Ryan of the Day
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Review from Joshua Q.
Batavia, NY
1/18/2012
When walking in, I was seated fairly promptly. Also was greeted with a bowl of lugau, which is a type of rice porridge. it was nice to have when it was chilly. what seemed to be the front door had a sign on it asking people to use the other door (this will be significant later). I was with my brother sister-in-law and 2 cousins.
Atmosphere:
a nice atmosphere, seemed slightly busy but didn't seem chaotic.
Food:
I had the Steak. I was told to get it and I don't regret it. it was nice and tender. I also tried some of the other dishes like the longaniza and tocino... I grew up eating these great pork products and I have to say that it brought back some fond memories. They also had spam which tasted like... spam. there was a choice on if you would like it "hot to spicy" or plain... unfortunately, no one at the table got it "hot to spice".
Service:
Service was prompt and nice.
Price:
Probably more toward the middle price range. Each plate was around 9.99 to 13.99.
Overall:
I enjoyed it and my family enjoyed it.
As of the door with the sign that said to use the other entrance. They left it unlocked, so some guy came in through it and also left through it. slightly annoying when your eating then a cold wind hits you all of a sudden. also annoying, was the fact that he knew there was a sign that said to use the other entrance. my thing is that if you plan on putting up a sign like that, at least lock the door so people don't use it or can't. -
Review from Jay S.
Chicago, IL
7/9/2011 3 Check-ins Here
To me comfort food is breakfast food. Better yet is Filipino breakfast food. Now, there isn't many Filipino place near downtown so its good to see one in the westside of town!
The gal pal got the tocino and longanisa combo and I got the skirt steak. The tocino did not disappoint - and I'm not really a fan of tocino in general. The longanisa was good, not the best I've had, but pretty damn good. My skirt steak was done to perfection and tasted even better! The portions were pretty big and by the end of it all I was stuffed and satisfied. To be honest, breakfast is something that is hard to mess up for me.
This meal is something to harks back to the childhood days waking up to some sunny-side up eggs, Oscar's Foods longanisa, and some rice before heading out to school. So kudos to Uncle Mike's for bringing me back to those days. -
Review from Marjorie F.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 8/7/2011
A couple of years later and I'm still LOVING this place for Filipino breakfast. The options have expanded to include bangus (Bahng-OOSZ), a marinated deep fried fish, a skirt steak, and pork chop. I know that the fish sounds weird to have first thing in the morning, but it sure is tasty!
When it comes to Filipino breakfast, I am a creature of habit. I stuck with the tocino (sweet cured pork) and longanisa (Filipino-style chorizo) combo. It hit the spot as usual.
My friend M jokingly mentioned that it was our friend T's birthday. Thinking that no one heard this, we were shocked when the staff came out with chocolate chip pancakes covered in whipped cream and a lit candle, singing Happy Birthday!
Uncle Mike's satisfies my craving for Filipino breakfast when I don't have time to drive out to the 'burbs to see my folks. You know I'll be back!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/24/2009
I love small, no-frill diners. What makes this place stand out for me is the fact that they not… Read more »
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Review from Rod O.
Chicago, IL
9/17/2011
I solely go here for the Filipino Breakfast. I don't know if i'll ever try anything else here because it's such a solid place for Filipino breakfast. The go to dish here is the combo plate with tocino and longonisa. The combo plate comes with garlic fried rice, a fried egg, and salsa.
On the weekends they also ask if you want a bowl of lugao. The service here is always friendly and if Uncle Mike is there, he always seems to give out some freebies like fried adobo wings, meat loaf, stuffed cabbage rolls.
I would definitely recommend this place to anyone craving Filipino breakfast! -
Review from Sarah S.
Amazing place! From the outside, it looks like a hole in the wall. But step inside and there is a surprisingly lot of seating. I thought it was just the front seating section but there is a whole 'nother space in the back with tables. Plus about 5 stools at the counter. Service is not overly friendly, except for the lady who owns the place. She is super nice! But man, the food makes up for anything Uncle Mike's may be lacking.
We got there about Noon and had to wait quite a long while for a table, leaned against the wall as a long line formed behind us. I think had we got here just a tad earlier, we could have beat the rush. We ended up leaving about 130 and there were some empty tables. So avoid the 1145-130 time slot and you should be able to quickly snag a table. They are only open until 3pm so be sure to not try to come for dinner!
Thank you fellow Yelpers for the awesome pictures! I knew exactly what I wanted when I sat down which was the Tocino breakfast. I love me some Filipino food and the food served here is just amazing! The tocino meal comes with two eggs (I got mine over easy so I could spread the egg yolky goodness all over the rice and meat), garlic rice and tocino of course. What is tocino you ask? Cured pork shoulder that is cooked to perfection and tasty beyond belief! Seriously, take a bit of that with some rice and egg on the fork...Holy Jeebus! Heaven on earth! The garlic rice by itself is fantastic, too! The meal came with some eggplant soup which had a good broth but was packed with veggies and as a matter of my taste, I'm not a fan of that. Service was good and prompt but as I stated previously not super friendly or anything.
I love the city of Chicago for having amazing food options like a Filipino Brunch joint! And a super delicious one at that! I will be back very soon for more Filipino morning goodness! -
Review from Kyle H.
Chicago, IL
6/23/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I am giving this diner 4 stars because they are the only place I've seen that serves Filipino tocino, the most delicious meat you will ever have on your breakfast plate. I also ate these delicious teeny tiny potato pancakes that were bite sized and delicious. I also LOVE that they have a variety of hot sauces, as I am incapable of eating breakfast that isn't slathered with hot sauce and get pretty sad when I ask for hot sauce and am handed a bottle of Tabasco (NOT WHAT I WANT).
If it weren't for those things, this is a standard 3 star breakfast diner, and there's nothing wrong with that. The world needs diners with greasy breakfast, and Uncle Mike's does it well. The service is friendly but pretty spotty, but judging by this MASSIVE pain in the ass old man I witnessed being waited on, I understand why. Anyone who can put up with an unpleasant old man who constantly tries to get your attention while you're at another table is a patient one, because I don't even work there and I was almost about to jump out of my seat and yell at him to shut up. Some people just really don't understand that they're NOT THE ONLY PERSON THEIR SERVER IS WAITING ON.
I will be back many times over. It is within walking distance of my house and is the ultimate in casual, cheap breakfast. -
Review from Nancy H.
7/24/2011
I came here for the Filipino breakfast and liked a lot of what I tried. My favorite was actually the "lugao" (rice oatmeal/porridge or congee) - served only on the weekends - which also happens to be free! It is so extremely flavorful because they put garlic, ginger, and fresh lemon juice in it, and when you spoon some fish sauce on top of it and mix it all in, it is the bomb! Other tasty Filipino treats was the "bangus" (grilled dried whole milkfish - beware of bones) and the combination breakfast of "tocino" (similar to Chinese cha-siu, aka sweet bbq pork) and "longanisa" (Filipino sausages). Oh, and they also make a mean spicy Spam that's red! Do they soak it in hot sauce or something? If you haven't noticed, these aren't for you if you're on a diet. These breakfasts range from $9-15 and comes with eggs (your way), garlic fried rice, and something similar to coconut rice pudding.
What I didn't like was that it took a while for us to get our food, and the "best marinated skirt steak" might have actually been the worst. First, it was overcooked, and second, did you say it was marinated? Cuz I didn't notice. Since the lugao was the only thing I loved, I probably won't come back because I would rather learn to make it on my own.
Lastly, it's not at all pretty in here. Street parking is pretty easy in this area. -
Review from Tim H.
Updated - 7/16/2011
I think I tried everything on the Filipino breakfast menu.
My favorites are the longaniza(sweet anise flavored sausage), tocino, spam.
I would pass on these in favor of the favorites mentioned above:
-The fish is a cruncy and salty fried dish. Decent.
-Skirt steak - decent, but nothing special
-Pork chops - dry and nothing special1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/18/2011
Fantastic Filipino breakfast! Great savory breakfast. This is my new favorite weekend breakfast… Read more »
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Review from T T.
Chicago, IL
1/1/2012
My Filipina friend from out of town suggested this restaurant because she had read the reviews here on yelp. I had passed by it a few times but didn't realize they served filipino breakfast. Was all for it as I had never had it before. My friend recommended the Longanica and thought it was delicious. The garlic fried rice was my favorite. We were seated promptly and the food came out rather quickly. I will definitely come back.
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Review from Ransel G.
Addison, IL
6/14/2011 1 photo
After only being here a few times, I fell for this place! Don't let looks deceive you! The building has been around for a while so it has a more old-fashioned setting and a smaller eating area in the diner. The weekends can get a little crowded but the wait is well worth it!
They serve American breakfast and lunch dishes, but then there's a little secret. It's not so much a secret anymore because there is a chalkboard listing the Filipino dishes that they serve and they serve a BIG portion! Which is good because I love Filipino breakfast food!
The staff is so friendly and courteous! -
Review from Jared B.
Portland, OR
11/7/2011
Great Food Fast! Very nice employees.
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Review from Jennifer E.
Chicago, IL
5/4/2011
It's a hole in the wall but the food will keep bring you back.
So much food in a plate thats bigger than an infant.
I wish they were open after 3 pm but you can't have it all :) -
Review from Marissa G.
Chicago, IL
5/15/2011 3 photos
I knew it was a perfect Chicago diner scene the moment we walked in and saw a full counter, four cops having breakfast by the wall, and a priest and his friends by the window talking low in Italian.
So what was not so typical for a Chicago diner was Tita Ruby who greeted us at the door (she was having noodle soup at the counter) and took us to our table and took care of us like we were her own kids, coming back home for the weekend for some good homemade cooking. "Do you want extra rice?" "Do you like suka (vinegar) with your bangus?" The only answer? Yes, Tita Ruby! Thanks, TIta Ruby!
The food was excellent, and included all the accoutrement of a proper homemade Filipino breakfast meal-- a lugaw starter (ginger and chicken congee), tomato salad made with vinegar and fish sauce, and a side of biko (kind of a coconut rice dessert flavored with brown sugar). Our table was greedy and ordered the tocino, longanisa AND the fried boneless bangus. For Filipino food newbies, you can't go wrong with the longanisa. For those Pinoys craving the tastes of home, get the bangus-- the only other place I've gotten it before is Unimart on the northside, and I often don't want to fry fish in my little apartment, so it was a real treat.
The place was packed by the time we left. Business seems to be bustling since the Chicago Tribune article talking about the owner Mike, and it's not just Filipinos! It was a diverse and happy crowd, exactly where you want to be to start your day. Service (other than Tita Ruby) was also attentive-- my coffee cup was never empty.
5 stars! -
Review from Kerosan L.
Roselle, IL
11/5/2011
Went there with the family for brunch, and specifically for the Filipino type of breakfast. We don't have this in the burbs, so I don't mind driving to Chicago for a decent Filipino breakfast. The service was good though we were seated in the back and it was cold!
I got the longganisa, garlic rice with an appetizer. It was ok, I was expecting more since I can actually cook those foods at home. But once again, we dont have this type of places in the suburbs. *hint,hint* anybody interested in opening a Filipino style brunch in the NW suburbs?
I would probably go back but not too soon...if I cant help it. -
Review from Eric C.
Chicago, IL
Awesome food... Fabulous owner.... What else can you ask for????
This place is great! Aside from the good food, the owner, Uncle Mike is wonderful. This morning, he surprised me when he started washing/cleaning my car. It's a very nice gesture especially coming from the owner of the restaurant. This place is very diversified and I can go for American breakfasts and so as when I have a taste for Tosino/longaniza and even daing na Bangus. I love this place..... -
Review from Jeanette S.
Woodbury, MN
3/13/2011
Filipino breakfast specials were a treat!
Coffee cup was ALWAYS full :)
Service was pretty quick. Casual environment.
Kitchen was a bit noisy. Definitely going again!
If u're not curious enough to go the Filipino route, they have lots of other...omlets, pancakes, sandwiches and more.
Enjoy! -
Review from Euripides X.
ASTORIA, NY
3/27/2011
Thanks for helping me find this location Yelp. Wow, if you are a foodie, then this is your spot.
This was my first go at Philippine food, but I think I might move there after the fantastic meal at UMP!
Both the pork shoulder, and skirt steak were dynamite. Go for French in your toast selection, and arrive with a healthy appetite. -
Review from Peter R.
1/25/2011
I wanted to write this review while I was still here eating here. I mean technically I could have done it since I had my trusty dusty laptop in the car. I guess I know of this place because a bunch of my friends told me about the Filipino breakfast, but don't get it twisted this place is a full scale diner.
I looked at the menu and they got errrythang...from omelette's, to Monte Cristo's to skirt steaks. I plan on coming here often enough that I will have tried out the majority of the menu by this Summer. The prices are fairly cheap considering the quality of the food you get. The place itself is bigger than it seems once you are inside.
The Filipino breakfast can be described in one word...LEGENDSOME. That is "legendary" and "awesome" squished together. I had the Tocino breakfast or what we call "tocilog." The other is the Longanisa breakfast which is called "longsilog." I don't have time to explain so please Google it if you desire an explanation. They also have Spam, which is really more of a Hawaiian breakfast staple. They offer Skirt Steak, and Pork Chops under Filipino Breakfast as well.
OK, back to my Tocino breakfast...*buuuuuuurrrp* looks like I'm done. Tocino is cured pork, and it was the cure for my man-size hunger. The breakfast comes with eggs, garlic fried rice, toast, a side of tomato, onion, vinegar dip, and a small chocolate rice porridge or "champurrado." I enjoyed every bite of my meal, and I'm already plotting my return trip.
In case you are wondering, Uncle Mike is NOT Filipino...he is a Polish guy who married a Filipina lady and was exposed to our awesome breakfast traditions. Thanks Uncle Mike, I feel like part of the family already.Listed in: I Got FIVE On It, Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!!!
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Review from Marlo V.
Stockton, CA
1/3/2011
I, along with several of my friends, were here in Chicago last week for vacation out of California, and one of our destination spots for eats was this place.
To be honest, this place doesn't deserve 5 stars.... BUT 6 or more!!
The environment was calm nice and quiet with some background music (near closing they switch over to songs in tagalog), and the staff/waitress were kind and polite and so accommodating.
What we all had was the Tocino breakfast I think, two eggs, two links of filipino sausage, slices of pork, rice and a bowl of chopped tomatoes and onios, and either patis (fish sauce) or vinegar. I forgot.
We really enjoyed it.. and it can take a while to finish eating this plate, or we were just taking our time. Then without expecting we were given a complimentary plate on the house. It was some tasty grazed beef slices, forgive me I forgot what it was called, but it was good.
So we're were finishing that up as much as we can and given another complimentary plate of Spam, with rice sprinkled with dried seaweed shreds. And the Spam tasted unique with this hint of spice, and is better than the canned Spam or other Spam that I tasted, for example the Masubi at L & L.
So, again we we're finishing that up, and we were at the fullest already. Then given a complimentary plate of camote (sweet potato). I haven't had camote as a dessert that often, but again this was good and tasty.
We could not finish everything I still had some pork slices and beef and spam and rice and toast, oh yeah forgot also had toast on the side with our breakfast. So we took the rest home in a box.
And later we saw a gentlemen that would appear to be Uncle Mike himself. One of my friends just spoke and had quite long conversation, just talking about anything ordinary like filipino culture and where we were vacationing out of and so on, and if related or anything of that sort. Then we paid/tipped graciously and took a group picture with him.
Now, I don't know why given the complimentary meals and dessert (probably because I was Facebooking where I was and taking pics of the food), but we went on a weekday about near the last hour and a half before they close. I'd think we were lucky? I don't know.
We're unsure when's the next time we're ever going to be in Chicago IL again, probably not for a while. We went during the freezing time.
In conclusion, for you folks traveling to Chicago and that love filipino breakfasts and other food, look no further and eat here. Seriously. -
Review from Lala S.
Chicago, IL
3/6/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I feel like everyone should have an "Uncle Mike," but of course I don't, so I'll happily adopt Uncle Mike into my family. I've passed this place every M, W, and Friday for the past 2 years on the way to the gym and always wondered what this place was all about. One of my friend's went there last week and posted pics and I just had to check this place out.
The whole concept of the diner offering a Filipino breakfast seemed pretty different and we're adventurous people so why the heck not?
So we woke up bright and early this morning and made way to Uncle Mike's. Tip: Don't try to open the door at the corner, you'll look like a dummy like I did. Go to the side door.
We got in and it looked like there was a line but it was just a large party ahead of us. I was surprised at how big this place was because it looks tiny on the outside. Uncle Mike must be making a killing because it was packed in here!
The menu is rather extensive but I had been yearning to try this Filipino breakfast business. I got the Bangus and my bf got the combo (with sausage and pork shoulder). The Bangus was banging. It was very flavorful. The sausage and pork were also very tasty. I actually prefer the sausage here in comparison to the other one's I've tasted from the Filipino grocery stores. It had a much more subtle flavor and wasn't quite as sweet as its counterparts. I also liked that the sausage wasn't electric red like the other ones. The pork shoulder was nice and tender. The garlic rice was pretty good as well. (The meal was also accompanied with some salsa-type concoction, a chocolate tapioca-like pudding and we were started off with a congee of sorts. It started with an L)
I have to mention that the pictures posted on here do not give this place justice. The pictures on Yelp appear to be a normal size plate but what they bring you could probably feed a Filipino family of 4. The plate is, no-joke, 16"! It looks like a freaking wall clock.
Next time we go, we are going to try their American breakfasts. The plates looked redic! These plates were just as big. Can't wait to go visit Uncle Mike again... -
Review from Ian V.
1/29/2011
I've been meaning to try this place for a while with their Filipino breakfast, and it was worth a visit, probably repeated visits.
After meeting a buddy there we just grabbed a table and were immediately offered coffee, which is a huge plus since I needed it. And the servers were Johnny on the Spot with the refills because they frequently stopped by to enable my caffeine addiction. The decor in the front made it feel like a diner but the back made it seem like I was in a family member's fixed up basement.
My friend is a regular there and said I could get a combo of longanisa and tocino; so I got that with garlic rice, over easy eggs, and greek toast (they ran out of wheat and multigrain). You get complimentary soup, I got the lugao, and it was a taste of my childhood with warm rice porridge, chicken (albiet not much) and lemon to add some acid. A great start.
The food took longer than I expected, especially for a breakfast place, but when it did it was a huge portion. Lots of tocino and links of longanisa (locally made evidently), good amount of garlic rice topped with my eggs, and a fresh salsa with visible rocks of sea salt. The garlic rice was very flavorful and the eggs were done right. The meat was nice and fatty, which is how it should be and the salty salsa cut the fattiness of the meat just right. My friend gave me some of his skirt steak and that had a great marinade and it was nicely cooked and juicy.
Needless to say I finished it all but I probably should have taken a doggie bag since I was ready to burst. I really didn't know what to to with the bread since that's usually not part of a Filipino breakfast, but I ate it anyway since I ate all the garlic rice and had meat left. It was super filling, delicious, and reminiscent of my childhood. It even came with complimentary champorado (chocolate rice pudding sorta thing), but I wish they gave that to us after the entree instead of with it because it became very congealed and cool when I got to it.
It was tasty and authentic and I'll probably go again since I have to try the bangus (milkfish) Filipino breakfast, I didn't see that listed. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a hearty breakfast with attentive service. I even met Mike and he seems like a good guy; I was surprised he wasn't Filipino, but he knows his stuff.
