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    Harding Cafe

    4.8 (88 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 3:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Harding Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    HARDING CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Classy
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Harding Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos

    Pancakes with chocolate chips
    JoAnne R.

    I'm getting over the flu and it was my first day out of the house. Having been on a soup diet over the last week, I wanted something solid for a change. I wanted something soft, easy to chew, and sweet. Not being from around here, we had to idea where to go. Every place we tried to dine at was a fail because we couldn't find parking and ended up in narrow streets, traffic, and got hangrier by the minute. I consulted Yelp and found Harding Cafe, which had fantastic photos of their food. Gave it a try and found it refreshingly simple but amazing. We were greeted the moment we entered the restaurant, seated, and served by staff who were genuinely there to serve us -- not because it's their job and scheduled to be on the Saturday shift. It's the little things that really impressed me. Going back to my restaurant days, our manager taught us that the customers should not be able to hear the kitchen staff or the workers or noise -- just be able to enjoy the ambience of the restaurant, some light music, and conversation amongst diners. That's what I witnessed and heard. It was extraordinary! The menu was a simple one-pager for breakfast and lunch on the flip side. There were many choices on the menu, but I much enjoyed looking through the photos much more to decide what I was going to order. The server had to come back three times before I could make up my mind. I settled on chocolate chip pancakes and my husband on the turkey club. Both were excellent! I had not even realized that I never added syrup to my pancakes. They were so light, fluffy, and delicious! My husband swears that was the best turkey club sandwich he has ever had, and he was even surprised with the presentation of the fries. The chef clearly put some time with the preparation of our food without just throwing it together on the plate. This was exactly what we needed today. Simple. Elegant. Casual fine dining. A getaway from the hustle and bustle.

    Andrew G.

    A really nice cafe to grab breakfast if you're in the area. I found this place by chance because I was looking for a breakfast spot near the pickleball clubhouse. Servers are very attentive and kind. The place is clean and bright with big windows. The food is tasty and pleasantly surprised.

    California turkey Panini
    Matthew M.

    I've been to this place twice now and both times the food and service were spot on. The first time I ordered the California turkey Panini and it came out quickly with a side salad. I had it with a cold brew coffee, which was also very good. Second time I came, I had a veggie omelette, which contained broccoli, zucchini, spinach, and feta. The combinations were evenly portioned & it tasted great! I honestly love supporting smaller businesses in different neighborhoods like this. I think as a whole many people get fascinated by the hottest, newest thing when there are so many smaller companies that you can discover when you're in different neighborhoods. I stumbled upon this place first when I was in the area for a meeting and then came back a second time when I had another meeting in the area. Highly recommend this business for breakfast or lunch and I also recommend sitting at the bar for the fastest service. This is a BYOB place so if you are looking to drink alcohol, I recommend bringing some with you. I didn't check the corkage fee, but that may exist.

    Amazing place, the staff is incredibly nice and remembered us, we have come here for two birthdays and they were so sweet and accomodating. The music is so casual and calming, this place is a staple for us.

    Berry French Toast
    Lefai K.

    Our go to spot after church service at nearby Anthem Church. This place is family-owned, with the father as owner and chef, uncle as the coffee runner and everything else, son as the waiter and server, and mom keeping the counter. Really good food, friendly staff, and great vibes

    Avocado Clucker Sandwich & Chilaquiles

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    2 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Delightful atmosphere, excellent quality, food, wonderful staff. We have brought friends here for lunch numerous times and they all love it.

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    4 months ago

    Amazing! Quiet atmosphere, good prices, and maybe the best breakfast skillet I've ever had

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    Au Cheval

    Au Cheval

    4.4
    (9.5k reviews)
    6.6 mi
    $$

    After what felt like 5 years to try this place, I FINALLY got to try the famous burger here! Spark…read morenotes: this place is definitely worth the wait! My friend and I dedicated a day where we would just put our name down and however long it took we would wait haha. We drove into the city which took and hour and we put our name down and waited an hour before we were called. The weather was great so we just walked around the west loop area. We started with a half size of the green salad and a half size of the roasted bone marrow. The house salad is super refreshing. A lot of vinegar in the dressing which I personally really like. Also tasted some fennel which was an interesting flavor. The roasted bone marrow is the winner of the night. I would come back to Au Cheval for this alone. It was paired with a thick slice of Texas toast and a beef cheek marmalade and it is seriously the PERFECT balance of flavors. Fatty. Sweet. Buttery. Literally insane and this is a must order! Then came the famous burger. My friend and I each ordered a single cheeseburger with the egg and bacon added. Something to note is that the single cheeseburger actually has 2 patties and the double cheeseburger has 3 patties (3/4lbs of beef). The presentation itself is beautiful and makes you just not want to eat it haha. The burger itself is so decadent and hefty with the burger patties, cheese, egg and bacon. I'll be honest, I needed some more pickles or just something to cut all the fattiness of the burger. There were pickles in the burger and it is served with a huge pickle spear. But I still was itching for some more bitterness/acid to balance the flavors. It was so decadent, I couldn't finish it all. All in all, I would definitely come back and order the burger again and would recommend it to anyone! We ordered a side of fries which came with their garlic aioli. The fries were cooked to perfection. Super crunchy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside and piping hot! The garlic aioli is perfect and have no notes for it. We also were treated to a vanilla scoop with chocolate sauce which was the perfect cap to our meal! Our waitress was so friendly and my friend and I loved her! She was so sweet and genuine. Hog Salt restaurants never fail with their service!

    Au Cheval is likely the most coveted restaurant destination for out-of-towners…read more "Best Burger" "it's so delicious with the egg" "I'm glad you're ending your trip with Au Cheval". I'd like to throw in my own quote into the gauntlet: "it's ok". It sounds harsh but Our burger patty was noticeably dry. The bread... was also dry. The egg and bacon add-ons were good but as a whole, the burger was missing the core aspect. The bread being dry I can justify by knowing that Au Cheval makes it a point to make everything gluten-free (or so someone told me). I think that's cool but not necessarily what I came looking for. I actually noticed prior to our trip from photos that the buns looked noticeably arid but I gave them no heed because of all of the praise. And I can give them the benefit of the doubt that we were there on a Sunday night, so potentially not the most quality inventory (although I personally don't think that's a great excuse). The service and the ambiance were on point! If you're wondering if there's a required attire (no shorts or flip flops) I wouldn't fret, the atmosphere is a lot more casual despite self-describing as an "intimate" setting. It's definitely more intimate than a normal burger restaurant, with dim lighting and isolated booths but what you're wearing isn't going to dictate how other guests and staff feel. I would cover up anyways just cause there was ac running. I told my friend who moved from Nyc to Chicago and he said he felt the same. And one of our couple friends were surprised to hear the patty being dry, so... off day?

    Photos
    The cooks were very attentive!
    The cooks were very attentive!
    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash
    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash
    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

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    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)
    Little Bad Wolf

    Little Bad Wolf

    4.4
    (2.6k reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $$

    Easily one of the best burgers in Chicago…read more We both got the bad burger, except my friend got it with mac and cheese. The burger was juicy and the bun was soft; didn't feel like I had to unhinge my jaw just to get a bite like with some other burgers. The toppings for the burger paired harmoniously with the patties, with the pickles adding texture and bite. The fries paired with the burger were honestly whatever, but the spicy aoli paired with it elevated eating the fries. We also got an elote app to share. I did enjoy the cheese and corn and how warm and melty they were, but I think it could've gone without the avocado. The mac and cheese though, now that was absolutely delicious. It was gooey and soft, with the breadcrumbs and bacon adding texture and smokiness. The drinks I got, the sylvan and green eyes, were a little strong for me (I prefer sweeter), but nonetheless excellently mixed. If you like strong, classic flavors, these are for you.

    My husband and I walked in on a Sunday evening for dinner and were able to be seated right away…read more The atmosphere is dark and moody, and it made sense once I realized it was the same owners as Gretel. Loved the 90s female R&B playlist they had going! Little Bad Wolf has been on my list FOR YEARS to try the burger! My husband got the burger with fried onions and I got some Bao because those also looked delicious and were a popular menu item. Honestly the 3 stars are only that high because of the service. Our server was friendly and attentive + the food came out hot and quick. Unfortunately, the food was pretty disappointing. The burger was swimming in a puddle of grease and just picking it up made your hands greasy + was dripping grease. The fries that came with it were floppy, soggy, and sad...but at least warm? I personally wouldn't order this again. The Bao were better, but small for the price and honestly were just okay? It was nice they gave you sauces you could add, but I found the Bao's to already have enough sauce so I didn't need them. Overall I left feeling confused and disappointed. I don't feel the need to come back here - Little Bad Will was a one and done experience for me.

    Photos
    Fresh flowers
    Fresh flowers
    Shrimp Tacos
    Shrimp Tacos
    Bad Burger with fried onion strings

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    Bad Burger with fried onion strings

    Harding Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated June 2026

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