Slightly upscale breakfast place. Warm and cozy, but NOT a "bring your laptop and hang out all morning" kind of place. (oops!) GREAT menu, fast, friendly, cheerful, attentive service. I had the "special" fritatta (sp) - Swiss cheese, bacon, spinach, potatoes, etc. DEElish. Wonderful. Would give this the full five stars...BUT...the place lacked a key menu item for any breakfast place... A sweet / savory combo option! EX - French Toast -n- Eggs. read more

2nd time to Chicago . First time ran Into Melia by coincidence second time again there it was. Fate! And oh so worth it! Fresh juice and ingredients what more can you want?! I ordered egg whites w Feta (kept it simple ) and still do impressed by how light and all fluffy they make it. You won't regret trying this place! read more

wait for food was 2 hours and staggered. Got yelled at by the manager after they charged an 18% gratuity without our consent. Customer service was terrible. Portions were small and food served cold. Never come here!! read more

You can customize everything from fresh squeezed juice to omeletes, skillets, to pancakes, waffles, to salad, wraps! For example, I ordered a Salmon Omelete with 1 yolk, 2 egg whites, side arugula salad, and side Mutli-grain Berry pancake! I'm so amazed at how much customization I can do here! Love it! Interesting note: They have a very special honey! I never tasted this kind of honey before. The color is dark. The taste is very unique and good, comes with an interesting aroma too. I believe it is raw buckwheat honey, not really sure though. The butter is rare too, honey butter. You have to try both. Price: The food is cheap given the big portion that comes with it. Average dish is around $11. Comes with toast, roasted red potato, and fresh fruit. read more

Meli Cafe - Salmon omelette with Arugula side salad, Berry Multi-grain side order pancakes. Special, super high quality honey and butter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Loved that they had a designated vegan section on the menu. I got the tofu scrambler with rye toast. Now, it didn't have much flavor. However, the portion was huge. My husband and I had the leftovers for breakfast the following day. Another positive that I loved was that they had almond milk to go with my coffee. Also, they were so fast. We received our food at lightening speed! Definitely recommend this place. read more

I ordered the Vegetarian Benedict which was sh*t basically. The eggs had no taste, nothing really worked together for a cohesive taste. Tasted like all was cooked separately and then put together abstractedly as sort of an experiment or something made to gain the popular label of "vegetarian." . read more

Love this new location. Great design inside. More waiting room than Halsted. Kudos!

We went to Meli's Cafe for breakfast and I cant really say I was impressed. The place looks nice, and the wall to wall windows add to the places lighting. I however, did not necessarily like the food. It was just ok. They have natural juices, which should be very hard to mess up and next time I will stick to that. read more

Stopped in for breakfast before a barcrawl! Meli has a great menu, with all kinds of delicious sounding specials, and always hits the spot. This location is sunny, with yellow walls and an airy cafe vibe. We started with mimosas (fresh squeezed juice FTW) and then I got the Farmland skillet with chicken sausage instead of portabellos. It was delicious and full of goodness, sunny side up eggs cooked to runny perfection and lots of melty cheese. I couldn't finish it, I never can, but I had fun trying! There is something for everyone at Meli, and I love that they have lots of fresh squeezed juices for those of us who like to pretend to be healthy when we eat our big fatty brunches. We had no wait at 9:15 am on a Saturday but I mean....who goes for brunch at that time? Is that even technically brunch? I think it's really breakfast. read more

Meli Cafe is great as it's consistently good for brunch and there usually is not much of a wait compared to the other surrounding places. Love all the omelets and love the potatoes that come with the omelets. It's a family run joint, just a brunch place should be, and they don't try to over-egineer breakfast like so many places are these days. You can go in and get a home cooked, simple brunch and walk out feeling full and ready to start the weekend. I would definitely take a look at the specials page as there is usually a great French toast and/or pancake plate worth checking out. Love the coffee here too- they have Illy which is one of my very favorites. The service is always efficient and courteous and it's a really nice local neighborhood crowd. read more

I loved this place. We went here for Sunday brunch. There was at least a 30mins - 45 mins wait but it was worth it. I ordered the tiramisu crepes and my friend ordered the French toast. Both of these dishes were amazing! He also ordered freshly squeezed OJ and we both had coffee. The atmosphere is fun and lively. My only downside was that I couldn't eat much because I didn't know we were going to end up here so I had a small snack prior to brunch. read more

Meli Cafe - Delicious tiramisu crepes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Fresh ingredients, An impressive brunch menu, a superb River North location -- we've seen those before. All of those and an equally impressive juice bar? Now that's a differentiator and with this stroke of genius Meli has expanded the playing field. If I had to come up with my customer equation it would be something along the lines of Meli = Breakfast spread of Yolk + liquid - lite version of Jamba Juice + a generous heap of ambiance that is location appropriate. I was here recently for a late weekday brunch (a first!). I started out with a carrot,apple, ginger, pineapple concoction from the juice bar. It took forever to place, and get my order but it was so worth the wait. The second act in the main dining area ended up being a veggie frittata - with a few substitutions it was exactly what I wanted. Downsides -- a 2$ substitution charge for fruit instead of toast/fries..c'mon how does that align with the "healthy options" positioning? Service -- they need better operations at the juice bar..especially as they offer the option of eating at the "bar" too. Overall, I love the new addition to Wells and will definitely be going back to try more from the Meli menu. read more

This place was so mediocre, I'm getting bored just trying to remember my experience there. The food was all priced slightly too high, the portions smaller than you would expect for the price, and the service was neither great or truly awful. I came here with my bf for breakfast before my GMAT and we got the french toast and a hash. The french toast was kind of pathetic since the custard hadn't has time to soak completely through the bread, though +points fro using cinnamon challah. The hash was equally "meh" tasting. I had to badger our waitress for more coffee and the check but otherwise she was fine. Admittedly, we did not try their juices, which they are supposedly famous for, but I don't feel like I should pay too much for bleh food as a price for entry for a great $5 fruit juice. I really have no clue why people wait to eat here (I came at 9:30am so there was no wait). read more

Meli Cafe has a lot of options, you should know that before you go in! There are loads of versions of eggs, some made only with the whites which makes it simple to order. The juices and smoothies are fresh! You know how refreshing it is to have a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice after your morning run? Ah! I had the Egg White Scrambler which was properly loaded with all the vegetables mentioned - a very healthy option; and a side of toast served with strawberry jam and marmalade. Go for the day's specials, especially the smoothies. Almost anything you pick will be served to you within ten minutes, which is pretty darn cool on a Saturday morning when most breakfast/brunch places are packed! The restaurant itself is very nicely set out, with the juice bar to the right and same tables, while the rest of the dining is on the left with loads of space and sunlight. read more

By far the BEST brunch place around. Amazing FRESH food, accompanied by great service. Try the salads-I had the Strawberry and it was wonderful. And I'm NOT a salad person. We also had a chicken wrap. The portion was huge and it was not just filled with lettuce. There must have been 3 whole chicken breasts stuffed in that thing! I am counting down the days 'till I hit this spot up again! read more

I went this morning with a friend not knowing what to expect. It was a Sunday at 10am so I was worried we would wait in a long line, but only being 3 blocks from the place I thought it was worth the try. It was full, but no wait and I was really impressed overall! The menu is expansive but not overly so. There were a lot of classic options for breakfast as well as some different things for the more adventurous. They even have Gluten Free pancakes and Toast! All james and butters are homemade, and the juices fresh squeezed. Our food was delivered incredibly fast and was presented well. I ordered a veggie omelet with eggwhites (I actually got it with whole eggs and that would be my only complaint)... and my friend ordered another omelet as well. The fresh juices were great, coffee was good and our waitress was really friendly and prompt! We even stayed for more coffee after getting our check and our waitress was equally as friendly and continued to check on our table. The place is a little tight in terms of seating, but comfortable. They seemed to be really accommodating as they managed to reseat a large party at a bigger table and moved chairs for them etc which was really nice. While a bit noisy it was a Sunday morning, and its not as if I had to yell or anything. I thoroughly enjoyed my food and the atmosphere. I'm glad we went when we did because when we left at 1130 there was a line and it was getting really crowded. I will definitely be going back and recommending it to many other people! read more

Very disappointing. In Chicago for Lollapalooza & decided to get breakfast walking distance from our hotel in the loop. I have to preface my negative comments by saying that 3 out of 4 of the items were either average or above. But the tofu scramble killed it. My wife is vegan and we cook and eat vegan food all the time. So when we got a tofu scramble that consisted of lukewarm blocks of tofu and chopped veggies, we were not pleased. As for flavor, my god was it bland. Not even pepper on there, let alone salt. We told the waitress who seemed confused by the complaint & we came to an agreement to have it remade. The remake was at least hot, but still bland, still just chunks of tofu & grilled veggies. We've been in Chicago for 4 full days now and I've already seen better tofu scrambles at 2 other restaurants. If you're vegan, just take the train to chicago diner or no bones beach club if you want a good scramble. Side note: the maple pecan pancakes were good, as was the mango smoothie, hence the 2 stars instead of 1. read more

Meli Cafe - Tofu Scrambler (Eggless) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is yummy. Waffles are delicious, very friendly staff. I wish I lived closer to eat here daily. After head down to the Anticruelty society and adopt or donate please :P read more

I've been here a few times now for Sunday brunch and it is always jam packed. For some reason Chicago can't turn profits on Sunday mornings when all the young people are hungover and looking for places to eat filthy food. Xoco, Mixed Greens and an array of other places that I would love to see open just aren't. Meli's is great though, huge menu and great location provides a high wait time, all the way up until close at 3pm, so get there early. I usually grab a buzzer then head to Binny's for an hour and pick up some wine for the week. Also, for some reason every time I come here this place is filled with smoking hot ladies. Without fail. It's pretty awesome. You can't go wrong with their home made jams and juices, it's what they're known for. Being a brunch spot you have a huge menu with pretty much anything you can imagine. It's great service too, they're used to having a lot of people so it seems like they're pretty efficient with everything. I'll be back here pretty much every Sunday I'm able to go to brunch, there's really no other options but I'd probably still come here often if there were. read more

Yummy twists on all my breakfast favorites. I've been twice on separate visits to the city. read more

Service was bad manger was rude we waited almost 2 hours to be seated waited an hour for our food the food was incorrect when we received it and cold had to returned our food I will not be back here again read more

Yum! We got a table of 4 around 9:15am. The place was bustling but not packed. I like how they seat incomplete parties (or is that a NYC thing?). We started with some juice drinks - there are a ton and you can get wheat grass shots in them. I had a freshly squeezed OJ. I went with the jalapeno skillet. It was good and had a spicy but not too spicy kick. I wish it didn't have so many potatoes. The specials were all Hawaiian themed and I was definitely tempted. My friends were raving about the apricot(?) spread. We sat for a bit after the check came and they didn't kick us out. All in all a solid breakfast/brunch place with a very extensive menu! read more

standard kinda breakfast place, seems like there's always a line here. omelets here always seem a little more on the oily side, but the whole wheat naan is pretty awesome. tastes more like whole wheat flat bread -- definitely not the buttery kinda naan, but it's awesome still. nothing out of the ordinary, but i like that it's bright on the inside. service is a little slow sometimes, waiter-service isn't terribly friendly. read more

Our favorite Breakfast/Brunch place hands down! They have the best juice bar with tons of juice blends options. Huge portions at a reasonable price compared to other breakfast places (Brunch,Yolk, etc). Love the condiment plate they bring out for the toast- fresh jams, butter, maple syrup. read more

1st visit here, in town overnight. Our Concierge at the hotel recommended we try this place only a block from the hotel and we took his advice. Glad we did! The atmosphere was very warm and inviting. For a Sunday @ 10a, we were seated quickly, much to our surprise. All juices are made freshly squeezed. I tried the Orange Strawberry juice and I can't say enough about it. If it weren't for the $4.50 price tag, I would have had more than 1 glass, but alas, I contained myself. My friend and I ordered from the daily special menu; Omelette w/jalepeno bacon, tomatoes, jalepenos, black beans and mixed cheese...I had the Steak & Egg burrito with chihuahua cheese. Our meals were great. The portions are comparable to the price, no complaints. Outside of missing salt, the food was very tasty. The kids had Chocolate Chip pancakes which they raved over. They even make their syrup, jelly and ketchup from scratch in house. Definitely a must visit spot on my next trip to The CHI! read more

See all

OMG! This place is incredible!! Reasonably priced with great service, creative menu items, and delicious food!! I loved that they have a smoothie/juice bar too! If I'm ever in the neighborhood again, I'll totally be back! read more

The coffee is excellent. I had the chicken omelet which was good but nothing out of this world. It's large so I recommend sharing if you aren't super hungry. Boyfriend had the cloud 9 crepes that I took only a bite of. They were good but rich. He had the ghost pepper omelet which that had excellent flavor and loaded with various flavorful items. Very good and not exceptionally hot. He also had fresh juice that he enjoyed. Food is served quickly and establishment appeared clean. I wouldn't say this is a favorite but it is good with a substantial menu. Prices were 10$-18$ each item. read more

Meli Cafe - Chicken omelet with red potatoes. Is also served with toast. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Is Meli cafe under new ownership? Came in at 10:30 AM on a Sunday and the place was empty. Service was slow. Things that used to be great were "meh," for example: the whipped cream. It used to be made from scratch with vanilla bean. I could have eaten it with a spoon. It was this highlight of my pancakes. Today it was so bad it wasn't edible (Tasted like eating perfume). Sad that this place has gone from one of my favorites to nothing special. read more

After passing this cozy spot for years, I finally stopped in today for a falafel wrap which was easily the best I've ever had. Fresh, savory falafel, nice greens, delicious hummus and warm pita. And the prices are reasonable, too! When I'm not working, I plan to stop in and try their wine selection. read more

This place was packed on the Friday morning we ventured in. I'm pretty sure we took the last table available. But I'm not sure what all the hubbub was about. The vegan menu items are not all that interesting, but we had heard that brunch here was can't-miss, so we decided to give it a try. It was a total waste of money. The two juices we ordered were the one saving grace. Both my orange-carrot and my husband's beet juice mix were fresh and refreshing. But our entrees were quite terrible. The tofu scramble had more vegetables than tofu, but more grease than anything else. Gross. The French toast was dry, boring and bland and came with defrosted berries. read more

Excellent value for $$ and opens early for lunch. Yay! Chicken and Artichoke 3-egg Omelette -- serves 2. Plentiful of artichoke. Chicken is hiding as the entire omelette is ONE color and a bit bland that is highly contrasted with salty red potatoes. 1 piece toast (cut in half) from 6-7 kinds. Comes with entree. :-( Pumpkin Latte -- SKIP IT! For $4.75, you only get one serving on same cup with unnecessary calories, whereas bottomless coffee is $2.85. Brown Bagging -- they will bag it for you if requested. The bag your own food is none sense with the preface of "I [the waitress] don't want to touch your food." Touching is prolly a health code violation, whereas skipping one's job is laziness. *wink* Mimosa, Bellini etc -- all priced below $10. Yay! read more

Meli is a staple brunch spot in Chicago. Know that you won't get as good of food as Three Art Cafe or Sienna Tavern but Meli is fundamentally different. This place is a "classics" brunch spot - no bottomless Mimosas or Bloody Marys here. The scene is family heavy but the food is done well. Like most Chicago brunch spots, expect a wait unless you're arriving at 8 - 9 am. Service can be slow when it gets busy but that isn't unlike all the other brunch places in this city. read more

I'm a big fan of the Meli Cafe - both locations offer quality brunch options with extremely high standards for a decent price. Lately I've been gravitating toward the vegetarian omelet because Meli Cafe is one of the few restaurants that cooks the vegetables BEFORE putting them into the egg mixture. What a difference that makes! But the pancakes are also superb, and you really can't go wrong with their freshly squeezed (and prepared just for you juices). Even the hot chocolate is wonderful! This location is smaller than the one in River North, so the wait tends to be longer (get there early on weekends). They'll usually provide you with an electronic beeper so you can wait outside rather than the cramped restaurant. That being said, I find the University Village location to be much cozier, and I actually prefer it. The walls are painted in rich, warm colors, and the decor is a bit French bistro meets country charm (with a bit of Greek mixed in here and there). It's quiet and intimate, and I find it to be very pleasant overall. read more

Had a perfectly acceptable breakfast at Meli. I think it suffered from comparison to all the incredible meals we had in Chicago. I had the firecracker omelet (a special) and was disappointed that there was no detectable heat. Everyone seemed moderately content with their breakfast entrees. There are so many other amazing options in this city! read more

Mimosa Brunch? Yes please! Price: A little higher, but what do you expect for a brunch in Chicago? I paid $21 before tax and tip for 1 dish ($14) + 1 drink ($7). Parking: STREET... I think, but we walked here. Service: It was alright. All there servers are from Europe. That was pretty chill. Food & Drinks: I ordered a vegetarian scramble upon our server's recommendation. The serving size was quite large, but it wasn't really a scramble. There was a potatoes + veggies layer, then a cheese layer, then an egg layer. Ehh, idk how I felt about that. It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terrible either. Notes: Busy place with a pretty wide menu. I believe they serve smoothies too. The wait was pretty long, but we did arrive at around 11:30 AM on a Saturday. Overall: This place is alright. If I want a brunch closeby with a bud, I'd come again. Otherwise, this wouldn't be my go to place. I wasn't able to finish my meal, but it wasn't good enough to take home with me. read more

Came here on a Saturday morning for brunch with some friends and I was pleasantly surprised to see a wait out the door - the usual telltale sign that this is a good place. We were seated within half an hour and ordered the Hash Benedict, the Yuppie Breakfast Bowl, and Traditional Challah French Toast. The servings size was generous but I was surprised at how expensive each plate was. The Hash Benedict was delicious and unique - I never would have thought someone who combine fancier brunch food (Benedict) with more home-style diner breakfast food (Corned Beef Hash) but it was awesome. The French Toast and Breakfast Bowl were delicious from what I heard from my friends. The waitstaff wasn't the friendliest - our waters weren't refilled and after we got our food, no one really came to check in on us. Other than that, great place to come eat but expect a line! read more

Meli Cafe - Corned Beef Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Service was fast and friendly. We are here for breakfast. I had the Eggs Florentine Benedict and my husband had Maple butter banana pancakes. Both were amazing. We will defiantly be back here for breakfast! read more

Meli Cafe - Eggs Florentine Benedict was amazing - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

After spending $40 on brunch, it blows that the best part of it was the toast and watermelon. Grainy textur-ific whole wheat toast and juicy watermelon they were. Skirt steak - overly chewy, greasy, and sour-tasting. Fried eggs: fried eggs Hash brown potatoes: boiled, mushy, and tasteless. Tomato, celery, and hot sauce drink: it was served warm and there was no hot sauce. I'd rather have a spicy V-8. Bacon: it is standard to pat the bacon with a paper towel and not serve it super greasy. But not at Meli. Oh, and it was overly gamey tasting. Service was friendly but sparse. I suggest going to Yolk, Eggsperience or Orange nearby. read more

My friend and I are both YELPERS!!! Looking through yelp the night before to decide which restaurant is the best place for brunch... so we narrow it down to a few choices but we chose Meli because it reminds us of Siggy's in Brooklyn... One of the best organic brunch I have ever had.. Ordered Stuffed Strawberry... french toast with strawberry cream, and fresh strawberries on it... It looks really good.. I like it but not love it.. I am not a "cream" person... They put a little too much of the strawberry cream in it... I had to "scrap" them off a little.. I guess it's just me... I will enjoyed it more if the french toast is a little bit crispier.. My friend had a vegetable Benedict... It's not too bad.. nothing much to praise about... We also had strawberry, kiwi, and orange mix fruit juice... I don't find it a big deal because it's a really normal thing in Malaysia where I can simply get it for 3 dollars (it's probably less than a dollar if I convert it with the currency).. well... since it's different country.. I can't be bias... of course it's good because they blend it with fresh fruits.... We also ordered a vanilla latte... you can taste their coffee and even smell it... Wouldn't say it's the best coffee but it's good to enjoy!!! read more

I came here for the first time last week as a get together with some friends. I like this place as it has many options even for my friend who is a vegetarian. There is also a bar with liquor and a juice bar. We had a party of 10 and we were sat in 20 minutes on a Saturday! read more

See all