During my trip to Chicago, my friend that I was visiting asked around his friends for the best brunch spot in the city and came up with The Bristol, a New American gastropub that has been winning praises for creative dishes and cocktail menus. On a gorgeous Sunday (unusually warm for the beginning of November by Chi-town standard), I thoroughly enjoyed the brunch at this place. I’m by no means a brunch aficionado, but the execution of dishes was great.
If you had had too much to drink the night before, you can’t go wrong with hangover breakfast dish in the form of noodles and vegetables in pork broth. It is definitely not an ordinary dish, but beats many other ramen dishes I’ve had before, with aromatic flavor that was very soothing without overpowering your palate. I don’t think I’ve had the Mexican traditional dish chilaquiles before, but the one with braised pork at The Bristol was simply amazing. Combined with fried egg, lime, cilantro and queso, I’m ready to declare this dish the best brunch dish I’ve had this year, with decadent flavor that somehow maintains nice balance without over-seasoning. I could seriously eat this dish for every brunch! Add in sides of crisply cooked bacons and duck fat fries, and your brunch has become suddenly wonderful. Cranberry coffee cake at the end capped a memorable brunch at the restaurant.
The restaurant has a full bar with some creative brunch cocktails such as bourbon sour (I haven’t tried just because I don’t like its flavor, but I saw so many other tables ordering their Bloody Mary). Getting a reservation wasn’t challenging, but it was nearly packed in the course of my meal, mostly with young, hip crowds looking to have a good time in the suburban neighborhood of Chicago (yes, the restaurant isn’t located in downtown). If you’re looking for a nice brunch option in Chi-town, The Bristol won’t disappoint.
KenScale: 8.5/10
- Creativity: 8.5/10
- Execution: 8.5/10
- Ingredients: 8.0/10
- Flavor: 8.5/10
- Texture: 8.0/10
Address: 2152 N. Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647
Telephone: (773) 862-5555
KenScale 