Azul 18 is a very nice casual brunch and breakfast restaurant that is located in the Pilsen Area. Nice colorful decor, great service and good food. My first time coming here or even hearing about this place. After Me and My Good Friend Chante finished up volunteering. She suggested that we come here for brunch. She had come here before and recommended that it was a nice place for brunch. Let me tell you I was not dissatisfied at all with this place. It's kind of small but yet comfortable enough to sit down and enjoy some delicious flavors of American mixed in with some Latin Cuisine food. I like that fact that it's BYOB (Bring Your OWN Bottle). So grab your girls or guy and favorite bottle and enjoy a nice weekend brunch. It was crowded but we didn't have to wait very long to be seated. I couldn't help myself from looking around each time the host was bringing out food to the other tables. Everything looked so delicious. I couldn't even make up my mind on what to order. It's a must that I do come back and try the Chilaquiles tortilla hash, two eggs,Azul housemade turkey chorizo, roasted tomato sauce, pepper jack cheese, salsa verde, sour cream and guacamole. I had a sample of it and almost melted in my seat. Burst of flavors and seasoned so well. I ordered the sandwich waffles with two scrambled eggs and bacon minus the cheddar cheese. Which wasn't bad but I wished they would of browned my waffles a little more to make it crispier. The Coffee was not the greatness. Honestly, it was very hard for me to chose a dish on this menu. Just so many delicious variety of food. I like the fun presentation of food that was on each plate. Our hostess Judith was well trained, professional, all smiles and friendly. She was attentive and engage with us and made sure we were giving the best customer service. Yes, I will be backkkkkk. read more

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We went for brunch and thought it was mostly just another brunch place. There was a small bar in the back. We didn't end up getting drinks, but we got coffee which was served to us in Intelligista mugs. (Unclear if that's where the coffee is from but pretty good coffee) I got the garbage omelet, which is pretty good just some largely chopped veggies and meats tucked in eggs. The service was just fine. Friendly wait staff with a little bit of wait because it was busy on a Saturday brunch time slot. What was standout was a stack of pancakes we got for the table to split. We got the house pancakes with caramelized banana and caramel sauce. It was delicious and we devoured it in minutes. read more

Azul 18 - The house pancakes - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I picked up brunch for my boyfriend and I on a very hungover Saturday morning. I ordered the chipotle chicken wrap, green chilaquiles, and house pancakes. Everything was so good, fresh, and quality ingredients. The chicken wrap was so tasty and came with fried potatoes that my boyfriend loved. (Hangover healing) The house pancakes had caramelized bananas on top, tasted delish and really pretty presentation, even as carry out. The food was packed with care, I also ordered some coffee drinks and they wrapped my hot coffee up so it wouldn't spill on the drive home. This places cares about the food they serve and it shows. Highly recommend, plus you're supporting a local small business! read more

Azul 18 - House pancakes - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Azul 18 is near and dear to my heart. I love this restaurant and it's my go to Mexican brunch place. The coffee is delicious and the service is always good. Don't listen to any low star ratings. If you come here, you should know what to order. You MUST order the chilaquiles, it's probably one of the best I've ever had. I don't order Chilaquies anywhere else because of Azul. I usually come with one other person and one would order the chilaquiles and other would pick something off the daily special menu. You should always try to get one item off of there because it will blow your mind 9 times out of 10. That menu is located right next to the drink bar, no matter what you get it will taste good if not amazing. This restaurant deserves a visit, you will not regret it! read more

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FYI, they don't take reservations here but you can call ahead on the day of to check how long the wait will be. They have outdoor patio seating on their sidewalk with umbrellas to protect you from the rain! I got the green chilaquiles with cochinita pibil and poached eggs for brunch. It sounded really good on the menu, but it was alright in real life. I like spicy food, but this dish was mild even though it said it would be spicy on the menu. I had a lot of the sauce and condiments, but not enough of the nachos to eat it with. The portion is very large and I couldn't finish it. But I think I would have eaten more of it if I had more nachos. I should've asked more of the nachos as I think of it now. Our waitress disappeared on us after we had our food. We didn't see her again so we asked another waiter for our check. She came and apologized and gave us the handheld credit card machine. I inserted my credit card and filled everything out and she disappeared again so I left the handheld credit card machine at the table with the message still on it saying "payment completed". Shrug. read more

Azul 18 - Green Chilaquiles w/ cochinita pibil and poached eggs - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was one of my favorite brunch places in the area. For my first time there it was super simple to get a Sunday brunch reservation for 5. Once we got there we were basically immediately seated. I ordered the house lobster bendict and it was with two cakes. The overall taste was seasoned well and it was easy to eat and not too liquidy. The house made potatoes were delicious and had a distinct crisp to them. PSA there was No AC so it was a little hot but the overall place had several fans. read more

Azul 18 - House Lobster Benedict - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had breakfast and as I was getting ready to leave then saw a big cockroach on the wall. I was so grossed out. I felt so disgusted. I even told the waiter and said "oh I'm sorry". I paid my bill of 160 and left. read more

I couldn't wait to go to this place! Full disclosure we visited this restaurant on a weekday for breakfast. I'm sorry to say I wasn't impressed albeit the waitress was nice the food was lousy...: the pancake was too thick (doughy) the bacon was too fatty (needless to say I'm not a pork belly type of person, & that's what this bacon reminded me of). Perhaps if we'd visited on a busy Saturday morning for the HIGH brunch rush, it may have been a more pleasurable experience. read more

BEST restaurant I've been to during my stay in Chicago! Very home-y environment, affordable, excellent service, and most importantly, delicious and filling food. You CANNOT go wrong! I ordered the chilaquiles. It was super flavorful and I really could have shared my dish with someone else because of the big portion size (but thankfully I didn't because it was mouth-watering good). I also tried the beignets, which was a nice treat/appetizer! There are two sauces that come with it: raspberry, which has a strong flavor, and chocolate, which I preferred. The staff were incredibly nice and welcoming. A definite gem in the neighborhood! read more

Azul 18 - Beignets with chocolate and raspberry sauce jam - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I really like Azul 18. The standouts are the slightly smashed breakfast potatoes and the service. We ordered the omelette station with which you can pick your ingredients. Anything over 3 is an additional fee. Pretty standard. I'm a juice snob, so I don't prefer frothy fresh juice. And although there's too much froth for me, the flavors were still good. The velvet pancakes are nice, but their signature pancakes are amazing. A banana and salted caramel combo that's a party in your mouth. I love their take on breakfast and it's conveniently close, so I'll frequent Azul 18 a lot more. read more

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Underwhelming for the price. Had brunch and was pretty excited to try this place. The chilaquiles were nothing special. For what they charge and hype I thought they would be top notch. The place is nice but I care more about the food and overall value. read more

Azul has a delicious Mexican breakfast. The owner is there everyday. His favorite is the steak and eggs which is delicious! The spicy omelette is my favorite and has some Asian inspired flavors. The chilaquiles are amazing. Coffee is great. Juices are available freshly squeezed. I would definitely recommend! read more

BEST BRUNCH ! Thanks for the beautiful Al Fresco dining beautiful and great food even better service ! read more

Azul 18 - BEST patio brunch AZUL 18 intelligensia coffee beignets! Lobster & smoked salmon Benedict "next level sandwich" YUM! - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was really hoping this place lived up to the reviews, but unfortunately it was just blah. For starters the chocolate crepes that looked amazing in the pictures were a big let down, and they were for my six year old which. I was excited to get them for him so I could have some as well, he didn't care for them and he loves chocolate like any other six year old. Then when I tried them everything was off from the texture, some strawberries were still frozen, and the lack of chocolate flavor. My other kid had regular pancakes and something was up with the batter just like it was mentioned in other reviews. I had the BLT which was also nothing special. The only plate that worked out was the one my wife had which were the Chilaquiles, 1 out of 3 plates. Maybe it was an off day but am not coming back especially with so many other options in that neighborhood. On the bright side they are BYOB. read more

Azul 18 - Fresh strawberries would make such a difference. - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I'm giving the review 3 stars. We came here for the first time on a Monday for lunch. It was quiet but the reviews assured us the food would be good. My fiancé got the fried chicken sandwich, I got the BLT, & my sister got the black bean burger. My BLT can't really be messed up, but the lemon mayo/aoli was a highlight. I also believe charging $1.50 for turkey to be added to the sandwich is a bit excessive. My sister enjoyed her black bean burger, which was not very spicy and came with what seemed like half an avocado. My sister and I also ordered a small side of pickles - just the dill slices in a cup - and were charged $1.00 EACH. This was beyond us. The fries we all got as sides were delicious and memorable. I'm marking down a star because the music that was blasting was not suitable for the time of day at all. It was a playlist of dance remixes of throwback songs. Played at such a high volume during the lunch hour was just disruptive for us. Maybe we were sitting under a speaker but it was loud and unpleasant. I'm marking down another star because of the fried chicken sandwich. My fiancé noted that the chicken tasted like the oil it was fried in and seemed over-saturated. He ate what he could, giving it the benefit of the doubt, but was not pleased. He came home and was later sick overnight. I'm also tying in the excessive charge for the pickles into this deduction. I'd probably stick to the brunch menu specifically, as I feel the flavor and nature of the food is fitting for brunch, however, we will not be back for more. read more

Azul 18 - BLT with Turkey - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The food was ok, but I did only get potato skins. No much of a flavor profile, I only ate one and took the rest to give to a homeless man outside. Our party of about 8 called a week in advance to make a reservation, we'd also called the day of prior to arriving, with only the question of splitting the bill. We were told that it wouldn't be a problem over the phone, but then given the run around once the check had arrived. It wasn't so much as the bill wasn't able to be split, but more so that we were obviously blatantly lied to in order to get us to the venue. It does say on the menu in fine print as well that they do not offer split checks, but that give me more reason to misunderstand why an EMPLOYEE would purposefully give us the wrong information over the phone then... I will not be back, due to the lack of flavor profile in the food and the lack of morality when it comes to providing the correct information and taking care of the customer aspect. Prices were great for what was offered though read more

Azul 18 - Mexican Potato Skins - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Had a fantastic breakfast here. Really delicious flavors. Friendly staff who work their butts off. Huge bonus: Liverpool/Man City game was on! read more

Great place for brunch! We ordered the steak (cooked a nice medium rare) and eggs! Would recommend. Portion size is shareable. Sharing is key so that you get the beignets! I don't know if they're really beignets but they were light, fluffy and delicious! I would eat again! read more

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Got the Azul 18 breakfast which ended up being $20 after tip. Interestingly the menu specifically says the biscuit is included in the meal item but the server insisted the biscuit was a side (despite not being listed as a side). Asked for over medium eggs. Eggs were cooked properly but without seasoning. Bacon was nice and crispy. The sausages came out cold but tasted alright. The potatoes on the side were crispy and nicely seasoned (definitely the best part of the breakfast). Overall, very pricey and food that didn't really blow me away. I would give a 3.5 out of 5 if I could. Certainly not a 4 though. read more

Went for brunch today and the overall experience was pleasant! I didn't LOVE it but I also didn't hate it. We ordered the Garbage Omelet and the Red Velvet Pancakes. My boyfriend and I both liked the pancakes better. They're not your traditional 'light and fluffy' pancakes but we actually preferred them like that! The Garbage Omelet was mediocre. Nothing spectacular - just your average omelet with a side of potatoes (with a Mexican twist). Tip: there's metered street parking right outside but a block any which way from the restaurant is free parking! read more

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Azul 18 is a very nice and cozy place to grab breakfast or brunch. We started with the tortilla chicken soup which was very delicious, the tortilla had just the right crunch and the broth itself had a mild spicy kick to it that went great with the veggies. It had a good amount of melted cheese and the chicken was nice and tender, I will definitely be ordering it again. I also tried the Chilaquiles which were very delicious too, not spicy at all, the sauce has a really nice taste. The chorizo makes a very good combination with the dish. I also recommend them. Last but definitely not the least, the chicken breast sandwich, the bread was nice and toasted, I had it with a side of cubed potatoes that were also great. The ambiance was very pleasant. I will definitely be coming back again. read more

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Have been to this place numerous times. Great food! Love the light beignets served with raspberry and chocolate sauce. Their potatoes are to die for. Crispy ass hell and delicious! All of their benedicts are excellent! Their juices are fresh made and yummy! They have capaccinos ans nice regular coffee. Low key, friendly and delicious. read more

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Azul 18, Food: "chicken chilaquiles" I truly hope they were having a bad day. I read the reviews and I was looking forward to tasting the " chicken chilaquiles" coupled with mildly spicy green salsa. The presentation appeared mouthwatering , I asked for extra napkins because I knew that this was going to get messy. After the first bite , I was disappointed. The chicken was too dry aka overcooked and bland. I like to keep my taste buds happy, they were not happy. read more

Azul 18 - chicken chilaquiles, photo taken by Dinah Ro - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We stopped in here for Brunch after a race in nearby Chinatown. We were happy to find it's BYOB, though there is a corkage fee. You can pick up drinks from a few nearby liquor stores if you forget. I ordered the House Lobster Benedict, which is a Lobster Cake atop an English Muffin and comes with Chipotle Hollandaise Sauce. My Husband ordered the Mexican Potato Skins and we split them. Both Entrees were phenomenal and I'd order either of them again. We were not as impressed with the S'Mores Waffles we got for dessert. We found them to be overly sweet, but I'm sure it's something kids would go crazy for, which makes it a good choice for a family meal. After coffees had been ordered in the beginning, we asked if we could have 2 separate checks for the 4 of us and were shot down. Apparently you need to inform them immediately or they can't/won't do it. They can split the payments but only accept 1 credit card for the whole bill, so be prepared for that. read more

Azul 18 - House Lobster Benedict - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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yummy yummy in my tummy. service was good. idk what ambiance is but it was good look at my breakfast is (they don't allow niger's with two g's btw ha) read more

Azul 18 - yummy yummy in my tummy - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The staff was super friendly & welcoming, the ambiance was lovely, I just wish the food was up to par. I was not a fan of the overall prices & with what I ordered: "Spicy chilaquiles con salsa verde cochinita pibil". Although it looked amazing the pork portion was barely a spoonful, I ordered sunny side up eggs but got over-easy, the green salsa tasted like a store bought one I've had before (barely any flavor & not spicy at all). I understand the staff was busy serving several drinks but we sat right across from the bar & they forgot mine after asking twice. I tried my cousin's "Azul 18 breakfast" and the potatoes, scrambled eggs, and sausage didn't have enough salt/flavor. The food is nothing special: super overrated spot. read more

Azul 18 - "Spicy" green chilaquiles with cochinita pibil, eggs over-easy - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is nice. Good service and my food was great. I had the steak and eggs and it came with beans, a little crema and guacamole on the side, and a bit of salsa poured over the eggs. Perhaps I didn't read the menu well enough, but I didn't think it would come this way. It was a nice surprise. The steak was slightly over cooked, but it was still juicy and tender so I didn't complain. The eggs were absolutely perfect! The leather couch where I was seated seemed old and wasn't very comfortable, and the music was a mix of 80s and 90s pop, which was nice, but it was playing through an outdated sound system in the ceiling that sounded like I was listening to it IN the 80's or 90's. All treble, no bass, and that diminished my enjoyment of the music. I like what they have going here. And I know that it's hard to maintain a small business. However, I think perhaps their prices are a bit low. My steak and eggs were only $15, which is great for me, but anywhere else, that same platter would cost about $18 or more. Also, an investment in more comfortable furniture would do wonders. And perhaps updating the sound system might help bring it all together. These are small complaints. But I like places like this and I'd love to see them succeed. I'll come back here for sure! read more

Pretty underwhelming food. Was really excited about the lobster Benedict but it was just a bit too fishy for me. Potato hash was really dry and lacking spice. Staff is friendly though and place has a cool vibe to its decor. read more

Azul 18 - Pork hash-dry and underwhelming - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We ordered takeout from here based on the recommendations from our friend. I did not enjoy the experience. Firstly, the eggs were probably the only thing that saves the Benedict. The bread felt burnt, and the lobster was not very appetizing. The potatoes initially was good with the greasiness but getting to a few other pieces, it became unbearable. A friend got carrot pancakes, and they were literally pancakes sprinkled with carrot shredded on top. Not sure if that was what they were going for, but we did not expect that. When u do takeout, u realize the quality. And it wasn't very good. read more

Azul 18 - House Lobster Benedict - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious food...but customer service and cleanliness could use quite a bit of work! I came here on a busy Sunday with a party of 7. We waited 25 minutes to be seated watching everyone behind us in the line to receive seating before us. They clearly do not have a policy of waiting for the entire party to have arrived before being seated...as a smaller group whose full party had not arrived had been seated in a larger dining space that we could have used...and just started ordering as we finally finished our meals. To make matters worse, many of our drinking cups had lipstick stains...and none of us wore lipstick. Yuck! On a positive note, the food was delicious, bit I most likely will not be back. read more

Azul 18 - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Geeeeeez! Only bad thing is that this place is too small and too loud and its not open long enough! However, the food and service was AMAZING!!!!! I usually don't get chilaquiles at restaurants because I'm used to my dad's, his are perfect, of course! I felt adventurous, I ordered the chilaquiles, SHAZAM! My dad has some competition! My wife had a chipotle chicken something or other wrap and that too blew my mind! Places like these are the reason we are moving from Printers Row to Pilsen (visit 1st Draft on PR, also AMAZING!). Def going back! Oh! Had chocolate waffles as apps....holy!!! That was super SUPER delicious!!! read more

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Went here for brunch this past weekend. It was not busy at all so we got seated right away. We ordered the beignets to start. They came with a fruit sauce and a chocolate sauce. They were super light and delicious. I tried an omelet with their house potatoes. They potatoes were really crispy and my omelet was good too. My boyfriend chose the blueberry pancakes and enjoyed them. We also ordered juices. The juices were definitely the best part of the meal. The strawberry orange was delicious and you can really tell how fresh they are. This place is also byob which I didn't know. Making mimosas with that fresh juice would be amazing. I would definitely come back if I stay in this area again. read more

Food was delicious!!!! Got beignets, chilaquiles, Bloody Mary, breakfast potatoes. Hit the spot! Very flavorful!!! read more

This place is a gem! The attention to detail in the creation of flavors and presentation is outstanding. I enjoy the ambiance, the restaurant gets lovely natural light and there is ample seating without feeling crowded. The owner and staff are attentive and friendly. I've tried both sweet and savory breakfast dishes and have been blown away every time. Today I had the house pancakes, and without exaggeration I can say they were the best pancakes I've ever had in my life. They came with brûléed bananas and a homemade caramel sauce. The texture and flavor of the pancakes themselves was a lovely surprise, as they were buttery and chewy, not bland and mushy like so many other diners. This is a locally owned restaurant and your patronage helps to support the Pilsen community. read more

Azul 18 - The House Pancakes (short stack). The best pancakes ever. I couldn't stop smiling as I was eating them. - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Just randomly chose Azul 18, and loved it. Great lil spot in the middle of Pilsen with a very diverse customer base. It's BYOB so bring some champagne for those mimosas. Ordered fresh juice with papaya, kiwi and orange with chilaquiles. Both were great. I usually find special juices costly and small, but this was large and not bad on the price. The chilaquiles were really good with crunchy chips and just enough to eat and not have leftovers. Leftovers are great, but portion control isn't bad either. When we walked in we sat down right away, but by the time we left there were just a few people waiting for a table. read more

The restaurant is very open with a lot of natural light coming in & the staff were happy to accommodate us immediately. Started with the beignets which is were light & airy like delicious deep fried clouds served with a nutella & fresh strawberry sauce then I had the lobster benedict which i would say was more similar to a crab cake benedict that came with a side of perfect twice cooked potatoes.Then my parents had the chilaquiles & steak & eggs dishes which they both enjoyed but the portions were huge! Depending on your appetite I think they would both be perfect entrees to split. Their coffee was so-so but it may just be because I prefer dark roasts. read more

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I recently came here for brunch. The decor insight is beautiful and the service was amazing. We had 15 people in our group and the restaurant cannot split checks which is completely understandable. Make sure your squad has cash. The location is BYOB so that's awesome! The reason I am giving it three stars is because i order the Mexican potatoes skins and I became violently ill. I mean it was on another level. Also, it's extremely warm in there. I mean your sweating while your eating. The food looked amazing but it was unfortunate that I got sick from the food. If you willing to take the gamble try it out. read more

This breakfast place is kind of cool and neat. They have really good breakfast options. I think it has a little bit of Mexican flavor wich is awesome!. I noticed they also have tipical common american breakfast options. I must say the coffee was pretty nice and strong. Coffee should taste like coffee and not water. This place has very good coffee! I had stake and eggs wich it came with refried beans. They were pretty delicious. My son loved the chocolate milk. People were very nice, attentive and prompt. Definitely recommend. read more

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Came here for brunch around 11am on a Saturday and there was no wait for 3 people. Great unknown brunch spot in my opinion that offers classic brunch dishes at very reasonable prices. I got the Florentine Benedict and my friend got the lobster benedict. Both were very good! Just note, they do not split checks and only accept 1 credit card. read more

Azul 18 - Top right is lobster benedict. Bottom is Florentine Benedict - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is one of our favorite spots, my spouse & I come about 1-2 times a month for breakfast/brunch. The service and food is always great!