Puerto Rican Breakfast! Avena de Coco: Coconut infused oatmeal/porridge. Definitely on the runnier side (which is good!) and oh-so-sweetly-satisifying. It'll stick to your ribs, but with shiz like this...you want it stickin'! Puerto Rican Omelette: Holy heavens, one of the bestest omelettes in all the land, and it hails west of Western, folks. A whole lotta eggs, veggies...and soft, soaked plantains baked into the top. Served with what I'll call "PR toast points." Basically, french bread slices, toasted with aromatic punch that'll wake you up, STAT. All of this? $8.95. Yeah, less than a tenner. Go for it. *Closed Mondays/Tuesdays *Only open breakfast/lunch *Avoid the brunch waits in nearby blue line 'hoods, go to Nellie's. *pretty good coffee. *GREAT/friendly/fast service *inexpensive *huge portions *super easy parking Puerto Ricans apparently do breakfast/brunch extremely well. Proof in the avena de coco, yo. read more

Nellie's - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Nellie's has been on my bookmark for over a year now. Humboldt Park is going through some sort of transformation and diversity is gradually implanted in this area of town. Rosa J. has explored and visited many places and neighborhoods in Chi-town, yet she hasn't had lots of footprints in Humboldt Park. Perhaps she needs get on that CTA #70 bus more frequently. Hubby and I came for their AYCE breakfast/brunch. For $15.99 per person (as of 12/13/2015), you can sample an assortment of Puerto Rican yumminess. Yes, my understanding of anything Puerto Rican is "Zero," with a capital "Z." However, I am still "livin' la Vida Loca" with all the good food I can find in town. There were several highlights in my AYCE brunch date with Ms. Nellie: - pastelon: it is "sweet plantain lasagna" in English. I couldn't tell what it was with the first glance, but it didn't bother me since I take chances on everything I do in my life. It was more savory than sweet, so it's appropriate for being a breakfast/brunch item since my tolerance for sugar is higher before 1200 hour. - potatoes: they had a unique seasoning, which I couldn't precisely pin-point what it was. I was quite diggin' those sautéed potatoes though! - coconut cinnamon oatmeal: oatmeal and I are usually strangers and we don't converse. Nevertheless, coconut and cinnamon were the catalysts that helped me take a second look at that gooey oatmeal. Ummm...maybe he's just as attractive as an Italian supermodel. He just doesn't dress fashionably like other dishes on the buffet table. -made-to-order omelet: a friendly older gentleman was in charge of this station. He could oversee four (4) omelets at a time. I'm a sucker for omelets. I had mine customized with feta, spinach, onion, mushroom, and green peppers. The "youngest" young man was attentive. He was so cute when he filled our orange juice ALL the way to the top of glass. We didn't ask for more coffee because I was afraid that our coffee would be too full to have room for the creamer (jk). I will definitely come back again. Be sure to dress in layers so you can remove the sweater or cardigan since the venue is toasty warm, especially when you step into the buffet bar in the back room. read more

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In the "corazon" of Humboldt Park sits Nellies, a patriotic brunch cafecito that boasts to have the only Puerto Rican breakfast buffet in the city. Step through the colonial-looking door into your abuelas home with art of national heros, countryside and family back in la patria (the homeland). I wasn't hungry enough to get the $15 All You Can Eat Buffet but Nellie has got my back with the, you guessed it, Nellie's Breakfast Special. You get a taste of all the good stuff: The infamous avena de coco (coconut oatmeal), pan tostada (toasted bread), tortilla boricua (Puerto Rican omelet) and maduros (ripe fried plantains). Mmm mmm like coffee time at abuelitas. My boyfriend had the $4 ham, egg and cheese sandwich which was a bargain. The huuuge sandwich on fresh artisan bread with the additional side of avocado plopped on top made it perfection. I will warn you that even though the waitress was far from being a grandmother in age, she was slower than one! With the delicious island cuisine comes with its cultural additions. Come here with plenty of time to chill out with some fresh drip coffee and patience (the free, unprotected WiFi helps!). Yet, Nellie's is the perfect place to begin a Humboldt Park neighborhood exploration or sports day. read more

Nellie's - Nellie's Facade - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I am about to feel so horrible with this review, but when I became ELITE I said I would always be honest and not read anyone else's review until after. I am SO DISAPPOINTED! No one sat us down (but than again no one was to be seen for over 10 minutes and I could of been a theif in the temple and no one would ever be wise), We ended up seating ourselves although the sign clearly says "WAIT TO BE SEATED". No utensils (I got up to get mine even after the waitress saw us). I was really hoping for a beautiful experience but unfortunately it wasn't. Thus far its been over 25 minutes since our order and we are on lunch break hello. The food took another 25 minutes to get here and so basically almost a whole 50 minutes has passed and its time to go. My co worker of course was really PO'ed since we are very funny with our lunch breaks! I asked the waiter and waitress for some water and some utensil's while I looked at my food. I just order the Nellies Special which consisted of Coconut Oatmeal (ummmm I didn't get the big deal to be honest) and eggs with red/green peppers and onions (typical omelet) except this one had plantains nestled in the omelet, again nothing really popped to me as special. I think that although it was 11:30 and only 2 other couples sitting, this place just seems extremely unorganized. Now we just over heard that there is no breaded steak? And this person ordered it over 20 minutes ago and they are just telling him no breaded steak? WHAT! The very idea that a restaurant can tell someone twenty minutes after they ordered that there is no breaded steak? Come on now, this is unimaginable. I am utterly shocked. Well the hour is almost up so I took two bites of the omelet (and it was cold when they brought it out) and I had to ask for a take out. This has been the worse lunch experience in a long time, and you all know that I don't like to bad mouth a business, and I am trying not too. I think that the waiter and waitress should get some kind of herbal tonic because they seemed to of been very unorganized and forgetful. This is definitely going down in my archives as really weird service. Sorry, but if you want better food and excellent service, I have to send you down the block to La Bruquenia since they are really into great service. read more

Nellie's - Nellies Special? Sorry, there wasn't much to say special. Honest review and I felt bad but hey, consistency. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love the coconut oatmeal and the pastries - service is friendly and you can order for takeout but no outdoor seating is available

This place is up the block from where I live. My sister and I used to frequent it for brunch -- and it is really good. Walk in, seat yourself ... everything is easy going and the food is fresh, hot and good. Try the oatmeal -- it's some sort of special Puerto Rican oatmeal -- coconut cinnamon something or other -- whatever the hell it is it's good. The OJ glasses could be a bit bigger. Coffee is good. Not a fan of the bathroom opening out into the dining room -- hence I take away a star. Overall very good! read more

I am someone who can be very frugal with my money so $16 for one meal has to be worth it. Well, the brunch buffet is definitely worth it! It's probably the best brunch buffet I've ever had. Whenever I have someone visiting from out of town, I always suggest this place. The brunch includes: An omelette station Pastelon de huevo Avena de coco (coconut oatmeal) French toast Pancakes Bacon Sausage Seasoned breakfast potatoes Toast Seasonal fresh fruit Coffee and orange juice Make sure you try the avena de coco read more

Nellie's - The brunch buffet is the best brunch buffet I've ever had - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Of course it was a must try knowing that this place is famous for their Coconut Oatmeal. Puerto Rico is in the house......my goodness this food will put you in food coma. I decided to come here for breakfast and boy am I happy that I did. The atmosphere is surrounded with beautiful artistry. My lovely breakfast choice was the Nellie's Breakfast Special. The breakfast special is enormous and delicious. This lovely meal includes an omelette with cheese, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, onions, sausage and sweet plantains. The meal comes with a side of garlic bread and cup of the most delicious coconut oatmeal you will ever have in your life. Nostalgia was present as I tasted each bite of this savory oatmeal it reminded me of the oatmeal my grand mother used to make growing up. I could not even finish my whole meal it was so filling. You honestly can not go wrong by ordering this special or just coming to this place period. The staff was super friendly and the food came out extremely fast. Overall, I had a tremendous experience! read more

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I would ever eat here again they sent me rotten avacado. Chicken instead of Bacalao and the veldura was so dry it looked like its been there for 2 weeks. Very disappointing I tried to support a small business in my neighborhood I will never come here again read more

Nellie's - This was suppose to be Bacalao I got chicken instead and it was so dry it looked like 2 week old food and not to mention the rotten avocado - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The greatest avena de coco that I've ever tried. Great selection of food that always reminds me of my Abuela

I love jibaritos, so automatically this place was bomb! It can be a little crowded/busy. So if you are a big party, you might want to call first. Everything tasted great and authentic, the only thing I was not impressed with is the arroz con gandules. The rice tasted dry and a little cold...wasn't sure what to make of it. I eat homemade arroz con gandules regularly, so I admit I have a bias. read more

Nellie's - Jibarito - Steak - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love Nellie's. Great food. The coconut oatmeal is amazing. Jibaritos are delicious. Great service. Outdoor seating is lovely in the summertime. Highly recommend. read more

So we arrived her at 12:00pm and were seated at around 12:15pm party of four. Four minutes after being seated we ordered our food. No beverages just water. We ordered 3 sandwiches and mofongo. It's now 1:00pm and we still haven't received the food. Our server hasn't came to us to let us know about the delay. She had to be tracked down. The Resturant is full, but the majority of the people are eating at the breakfast buffet. Also, the electricity in the building is flickering and seems unsafe. Food arrived at 1:03pm Everyone received their food and I'm still missing The rice is good but not excellent The French fries are greasy and appear as though they have been refrained or that the oil was not hot enough and the fries sat in the oil for a period of time. El boricua steak sandwich is alright it's lacking salt though, however had potential of being a delicious sandwich. read more

Nellie's - Mofongo - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Years ago, my friend wanted to go to a place that had a brunch buffet. He came accepts Nellie's and we went. I've since brought numerous friends here and recommended it to my boss when he and his family visit Chicago. The atmosphere is quirky, they're so proud of their heritage and proud of what they're serving their customers. An authentic display of things you'd look for in a brunch buffet: made-to-order omelette bar, pancakes, French toast, and sausage and bacon. But then there are the purely Caribbean items: arroz con gandules, plátano, a Puerto Rican breakfast casserole with beef, cheese, egg, and plantains, and the shining star of Nellie's, avena de coco. I've tried making it at home, and it comes close, but it doesn't compare. It's the thing to get at Nellie's brunch buffet. Did I mention the best part? Bottomless coffee AND BOTTOMLESS ORANGE JUICE are included. It's BYOB, but I've never taken advantage of that. Stop in to Nellie's for the brunch buffet, it's worth every penny and I've never had a friend dislike our meal. read more

Nellie's - Nellie's Breakfast buffet... the main reason to come to Chicago - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fantastic Jibarito!!! Lovely place for breakfast and lunch! Has an outdoor patio (division is kinda busy).

Food was absolutely amazing! Ordered two omelettes, they came w/the most delicious AND seasoned potatoes. The orange juice tasted like Jesus squeezed it himself and the staff was very friendly, felt at home. Have told others about this cafe and I will definitely be coming back! read more

Nellie's - Poor photo but I was ordering for pick up and wanted something quick to go, blown away!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food here is amazing and authentic. Went here during these COVID times for take out. The menu is sufficient varied. The taste is on point. Delicious and fast. Would definitely go back and recommend. I had the jibarito, it was very good. read more

We came here for lunch on a weekday and I was really excited to try Puerto Rican food since I've never had it before. My friend and I split the Steak Jibarito and the Stuffed Mofongo with steak. I thought the jibarito was amazing! It's basically a sandwich that uses two large plantain pieces to hold the sandwich together instead of using bread. With the entree we also got the Puerto Rican yellow rice with pigeon peas which was delicious and full of flavor. The stuffed mofongo was a bit dry for my taste. The steak wasn't as juicy and the whole thing lacked the kick I was looking for. However, the soup that the mofongo came with was absolutely addictive. I kept finding myself sneaking a sip! It seems like the breakfast/brunch has good reviews so if I happen to come back it'll most likely be for that! read more

HOLY MOTHER OF BREAKFAST SANDWICHES! Get the El Coqui with a cup of coconut oatmeal. Thank me later. I think I may defect to Puerto Rico - oh wait - they are practically American so that probably won't work. The vehicle for the eggy goodness was the most delicious Cuban type bread which was lightly garlic buttered and toasted. I'm starting to drool just writing this. We originally planned to go to Bongo Room but it was a crazy 40 minute wait. So we Yelped 'nearbys' and Nellie's came up. You Yelpers are sooooo AWESOME! Great parking, cute place, good coffee which our server kept flowing almost non-stop. The buffet looked amazing and is dedicated to an entire room with a made to order omelet station. One of my favorite breakfasts in Chicago. read more

Nellies has great food but the only negative part here is when trying to place an order for catering you never get a quick service on that. I emailed Pablo Espinosa for a quote and it took days to get a response, I called to place the order in and and there was no one to take my order because according to Luke who is the manager there, they are too busy. Other then that, it is ok. read more

Nellie's is becoming more and more famous each day.... this restaurant has been a hidden gem for some time Now is getting crowded. Go and enjoy a wonderful breakfast, great coffee and enjoy some real Puerto Rican great food... coconut oatmeal... pan de Mallorca... the chef that made the omelettes in the buffet was the banquet chef at the drake hotel for many Many years.... now he is at Nellie's making good food. Go and be patient The waiting time the weekends is getting longer... but is well worth it. read more

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Went in on a Monday morning. The first thing you smelled was the entire seating area. It smelled like garbage. Like if someone left the trash open lid overnight. It was disgusting. They have these red chairs that look like they were picked up from the dump and they too are disgusting. They have stains of all colors on them and I cannot believe a restaurant would keep those chairs and actually have people sit it in them. They take way too long to bring the food to your table. We ordered very simple things right off of their menu and it was like 35 - 40 minutes later they started to trickle them in. All the meanwhile the smell of garbage fills the air. They have a good dish and here and there, but to sit there and eat is just plain nasty. Not going back. read more

slow service, waitress told us she would give us the condiments + sides we ordered but never brought it out, food came out cold, and the food wasn't good as usual... The tables around us complained + looked distressed as well I recommend ordering take-out IF you even want to try this place read more

Food is good but service is horribly slow. I've been here 2 times and both times multiple other tables sat down after us and finished their food before we got ours. Both visits food has either been cold and/or wrong when it did come. I don't recommend. read more

We got pretty much everything here and it all tasted great. Coconut oatmeal is properly as popular as it is. It's so good. The mofongo was crazy good too. And the plantain pork sandwich was amazing. Support this place read more

The buffet is a must if it is your first time there! I was blown away with the variety of dishes available during brunch. Being from out of town from California, I can truly say hands down ‍ it was one of the best authentic restaurants to go to when visiting Chicago. Excited to go in the near future read more

Good food. Great omelet station. Fresh veggies and yummy potatoes. And what's in the oatmeal? Crack? It was super good. The waitstaff, although friendly, were a bit forgetful and inattentive. We asked for coffee at least four times before we actually got it. No water refills or coffee refills. I understand it's a buffet but the coffee and water are served by the waitstaff, no? I'd go back and wear the elastic waistband in order to try the flan and other yummy items since I was pretty stuffed with the oatmeal, omelet and potatoes! Oh yeah, the plantain! Yum! Who can get that wrong? Very good. I'm hooked. read more

I have walked past this place several times and wondered what was going on in here. Today I walked over and was pleased I took the chance and opened the heavy Gothic door and walked inside. I think this must have been a Scottish pub years ago since the same heavy doors are used for the men's and women's bathrooms! Anyhow, the food: I took a pass on the $14.95 all you can eat breakfast buffet, but it looked wonderful and had a mix of Puerto Rican and American style favorites. I opted for the eggs, sausage, and sweet plantains with multigrain toast (two pieces of real toast, not the single piece in two!). Everything was perfect, and the plantains were fresh and mind-blowingly perfect! Yum in the tum! The menu had sandwiches from about $3 and most everything was under $10. My breakfast with coffee was under $7. They only seem to have regular drip coffee, which is a shame because Puerto Rican cafe is pretty darned good. I had a couple cups off the diner-style coffee and was happy, but thought that I might like an espresso or a cafe-con-leche next time. Now, I sat down then realized that depending on the waitstaff you might have to go up to the register to order. Since it was my first time, I got up after sitting for a few minutes and ordered. The place is very chilled out, and unrushed, so, take this into consideration. The place is run by a family and the kids came in to visit the parents, and there was a big table of people with strollers, so if you can get your stroller past the big heavy door, this place seems to welcome kids. They have free wi-fi and since it was a bar, the long bar might be a place to sit and drink a few cups of drip coffee and surf the net. There are tons of tasteful framed photos of Puerto Rico, and some very cool Puerto Rican national paintings on the wall. I could see myself skipping the places further East on Division and going here instead to try everything on the menu! They are open Wed-Sun. read more

Nellie's - Nellie's Sunny Shot - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great breakfast! I gotta go back n check out their brunch buffet. Can't go wrong with the Nellie's special. Da avena de coco is da shiet! read more

Nellie's - "I don't always eat oatmeal but when I do, it's from Nellie's!" - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I used to love Nellie's and come a few times a month/order it online but in the last year I've had to worry if I'm even getting the correct food. Left my boxed food once when I was using the bathroom and they threw it out and said they'd grab it from the garbage for me which came off passive aggressive. I sent a message to management and never got a response. If I order through an app there is almost always an issue like missing items, wrong items, or not listening to the instructions. What a bummer knowing this place does have amazing food and I don't want to order it on the chance it won't even be my food, never mind that in person we've had to wait over 30 minutes for food in a not busy time. Just disappointed. read more

3 words: EL COQUI SANDWICH! Omg! It is sooooo amazing! Will definitely be coming back! read more

Very good breakfast sandwich at Nellies. Try the Coqui sandwich with eggs, avocado, and veggies in a grilled bun. Very tasty. Next is the delishes pancakes - man, super good. If you have kiddos they will love. Also try the avena con canela was good too. We ordered out the time I was there because the wait time was too long but would come back to eat there and try other dishes. read more

Nellie's - El coqui sandwich. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Just ordered thru uber eats..i loved this place years ago but now I'm disappointed the portions were for kids but the prices werent...they put salad dressing on the salad which mixed in with the rice and im allergic to vinegar so I couldn't eat that and the chicken tasted funny. This was a total waste of money I basically had to throw it all out. read more

On my way home from a delicious, satiating meal at Nellies I decided to go on my typical Sunday afternoon stroll. Out of no where the grin was stricken from my face and I was shamelessly groped my a twisted, crooked man. Not a passing grope, Not an accidental gripe...but a full fledged look you in the eyes,grunt and squeeze. Right at Chicago and western this truly sick man quickened his pace, passed me on the sidewalk, did a little about face twirl on his homeless shoes and stared me deeply in the eyes as he reached back and with force slammed forward and just mangled my Francis and berries beyond recognition. Then, as the sweat poured down his drug addled brow, he squeezed until I nearly passed out. He smelled of a Russian pig farm. Then as quickly as he came he was gone. He farted, Once, as he left to shame me. I was left broken, on all fours on the sidewalk, my member was a bruised and swollen heap. The worst part was people gave me wide hearth and refused to help. Oh the Nellies food was per the usual amazing. read more

Service was horrible! I showed up when the door opens for breakfast, the place was empty. I ordered 4 sandwiches and two coffees. I waited over an hour for my order. Mean while they keep taking orders. Over 10 people waiting 45+ min for their food. They don't have the staff to support the demand. read more

The steak sandwich is well seasoned and tender. Fresh ingredients, too. Just make sure you have some time before you order, it took half an hour to make the sandwich read more

This is an authentic Puertorican restaurant with memorabilia of PR on their walls. They offer a buffet on the weekends for brunch. This place is known for their coconut Avena (oatmeal). It's so good. The place could use some new tables and chairs. The staff is friendly and very professional. read more

Nellie's - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Awesome Awesome service. Came in on a Saturday morning and has the breakfast buffet. Totally good food. Plus they made my omelette per order I had the veggie omelette the bacon was cook perfect. And the oatmeal is the bomb. read more

I got pancakes eggs and sausage and not one thing tastes how you'd expect it to. Tasteless even. Not worth it. Also it took an hour to get the food. read more

1st time here, the cafe was good and strong. My boyfriend and I shared the Nellie's breakfast- enough for both. AND it was delicious! Speaking of.....the Avena de coco was amazing! Will definitely be back read more