This brunch place has everything so be prepared for a wait! I enjoyed my shepherds omelette with goat cheese, pumpkin pancakes (only a small up charge, served with cranberries and pears along with a glaze so no syrup was needed). It was a great place for food and conversation. Keep the coffee coming! read more

Good food. Buoyant Asmus fear. fun time. lots of good people. Nice stop on a rainy day.

Great breakfast/brunch/lunch spot! Highly varied menu offers something for everyone, with endlessly combinable meal options. (Whatever magic they do with scrambled eggs, I will never be able to replicate at home.) Fast, friendly service and a positive vibe among diners and staff alike. An unexpectedly happy discovery! read more

I've been here one before and was in the area so wanted to give it another try . I got THE smallest omelet I've ever gotten at a restaurant. I usually take left overs home of how big they are but this one was so small . It was wet , and had very little of the veggies I requested . It was quite disappointing. I don't think I'll come again . read more

Stray Hen Cafe is a delightful brunch place on the south end of a delightful and quaint commercial strip of York St.  I find I am really liking this little stretch of Elmhurst.  They occupy a nice corner space of an ex Fifth Third Bank building, and on our first visit it was slightly confusing that an adjacent business (Pazzi di Pizza) had the same 105 S.York street address which must belong to the whole building.  There's a handy small parking lot on the south side of same building fyi. The small place is busy and popular.  I saw and used the waitlist feature on their Yelp page before leaving for our quick trip down I-294, and it was very handy for our Sunday as well as 4th of July brunch.  We saved maybe 20 minutes of waiting by putting our name in.   The popular patio dining had about a 30 minute wait and inside dining had about a 20 minute wait for reference. The inside space is loud.  The patio tables are nicely located in the shade at brunch time and on a roomy, quiet street running alongside the Metra tracks here.  They have a big menu and our brunch was delightful.  I got the hunter omelette with potatoes and pancakes ($11.50).  Wife got the avocado toast ($11).  We saw some Yelp photos of that dish with two eggs, but we subsequently learned after a mild "huh?" moment that about a year ago they went to one egg.  I would have gotten a better pic of the avocado toast but I got "the look" and that can mean blood if there were any photos attempted.  Also noteworthy is that this was our first outing in the "fully open" Covid phase during which we received at least "normal" service.  There were an adequate number of servers and our service was normal for a change, albeit not excellent, but that's progress! I'll go with 4.50011 stars rounded up to 5.  The main little drawback is the noise is trapped in their space and it can get pretty loud when busy and they're apparently always busy.  If we come back, we'll try to do so in nice weather and try the patio dining.  Note that I needed to take my rating to 5 decimal places and that was to display my amazing accuracy level.  Just between us, I'm vying for the Most Accurate Yelp Reviewer award next year, but there's another formidable competitor who has displayed similar accuracy, so it's not a cinch! read more

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Visited Stray Hen on Mother's Day weekend for brunch and we were fortunate to get seated. We ordered a number of dishes and none disappointed. My son had the waffle flight which he loved but was still hungry, luckily my other kid didn't finish her BLT egg sandwich. I went with a Southside scramble, very good. Mama got the Papi Chulo skillet and just about finished it. Great breakfast place in Elmhurst that I wouldn't mind revisiting and highly recommend if you're in the area or looking to try out a new place. read more

Stray Hen Cafe - Biscuits & Gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

The food here was absolutely delicious. We had a group of 8 and the server was polite and attentive. Everyone in my group enjoyed their food read more

Stray Hen Cafe - I got the pancake combo with hash browns instead of sausage and in the corner are the cinnamon swirl pancakes. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Excellent place! Great food and service! Would definitely recommend but, come early so that you can get a table!

Been here a couple of times for lunch. Decent service. Good food. Nice drinks. Great fun indoor and outdoor seating in the warmer months. Had the opportunity to sit both inside and outside. Getting in and out of their entrances was a little tricky but we figured it out eventually. I had their biscuit and gravy one time and the cauliflower rice bowl. Both were delicious and filling. The mimosas are refreshing and delicious. I like coming here for the savory and across the street for the sweet. If you're in the area like I am for work, it's worth the drive. Parking is pretty good in that area since the metra is right there as well. read more

Well, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was great as well. Even though we called in and joined the waitlist, they did take a little longer to get our table ready. Once we got seated, everything just felt rushed, Even if we had enough time to order and eat. We got there by 1:00 And finished by 2:00. The waitress never mentioned if we wanted to order anything else before they closed the kitchen. This was my first time here. How was I supposed to know they close the kitchen early ?? So I asked her if I can get 2 orders of pancakes to go because they looked so good and I wanted to try them at home. And she abruptly told me the kitchen was closed already. We literally had an hour before they closed. That really turned me off. Anyway, that's my review. I have to say I'm Disappointed, Even if the food was delicious, I feel that they could've made the pancakes for me to go. I wasn't asking for anything out of the ordinary. I'm a paying customer And honestly, if the waitress is Going to tell us, the paying customer, that anything more given than the tip that's already added on the receipt would be appreciated, That's not professional. Honestly, I would've given more, but I felt that she didn't really appreciate us even when the restaurant did not close for another hour there was no communication stating otherwise. read more

Food is consistently good. Service is the same, good. The ambience has a happy vibe. It does get loud when busy. The wait times are annoying but you can put yourself on a waitlist at home. Definitely recommend. read more

Delicious! He entrance was a bit hard to find because it shares the same building as the bank. The crab cakes Benedict was amazing! We will be back. read more

Good food. Fairly reasonable prices. (This is, sadly, really saying something these days.) Located in a cool 1930s-looking art deco office building, in the downtown, just across from the commuter rail station, this place is definitely worth a try. I got there early morning on a holidays Friday with most work commuters still off so it was wide open for me to select a nice corner table with a nice view out and of the whole place. The environment is bright, cheerful, and clean--not cold cafeteria like but inviting. I was thankful for a few minutes of quiet "me" time before my breakfast partner arrived--only, the friendly "good morning" with a hot coffee pour did not come and I actually, after waiting several minutes (actually more than several and considering at this point the place was not at all busy), got up to find some coffee as I thought, maybe I had misunderstood how this place works and I need to order at the counter. I was then approached by a server asking if I needed something and replied, at this point a teeny bit miffed that I had to go search for coffee at a breakfast place, "Yeah. Can I get some coffee?" The server apologized, looking a bit embarrassed, and promptly brought some hot coffee that was much appreciated on the chilly morning. My breakfast companion was running late so I savored the good coffee and very pleasant ambience for a few more minutes of me-time. So, setting aside this not great start, the rest of the experience was very good and the server that helped me out initially ended being our server--they were attentive, friendly, good sense of humor--and competent. Now, the food! I had The North Side Scramble. The eggs were done very nicely, not watery and rubbery which is also, sadly, saying something these days (if the eggs aren't right the whole thing falls apart). The potatoes were very nicely seasoned and tender inside with a slight crust on the outside--Très bien! By the time we were finished the place had filled up. So, the overall experience was quite nice and I will definitely give this place another try. read more

Stray Hen Cafe - the outside of the building - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

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Update: owner reached out with giftcard to make it right Ordered via Uber eats. This "latte" had no coffee in it. It was literally pumpkin syrup and whole milk. I couldn't even drink it read more

Stray Hen Cafe - Pumpkin spice latte - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Love this place for brunch. Have come here multiple times. Not very easy to get a table because it gets very busy. Nice location in downtown Elmhurst. Tried multiple items on here. The hot chocolate is just delicious chocolateness. Also had the salmon lux sandwich which also very delicious. The bagel is beautiful. Nice ambiance. Would definitely come here again! read more

Stray Hen Cafe - French hot chocolate! Delicious. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

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Ordered the veggie bowl with an egg and it was delicious! My husband had chilaquiles and that was delicious as well. Huge portions, so we definitely will have left overs. Only issue was the service. Our waitress seemed kind of checked out? She was nice enough, but didn't really speak a lot. Our food all came out at different times (my son's, husband's and mine) and she just kind of plopped my son's down first. Didn't say anything. 5 minutes later my husband's came out. Few minutes later, mine. Not a huge deal at all, but again, she didn't speak. It was just kind of awkward. It was okay enough, but I wouldn't make a point to come back. Solid 3 out of 5 stars. read more

This place is just ook. I ordered 3 eggs, ham, hashbrowns, and toast. The portions are Extremely small. They only give 1 piece of toast with your meal, and they cut it in half to make it seem like you're getting 2 pieces. I've been to soo many breakfast restaurants, and I never received just 1 piece of toast. The hashbrown portion is extremely small, too. The person at my table had to send their omelet back 3 times before they got it right, which is ridiculous. The pricing is not that cheap either. There are just too many other breakfast restaurants that are so much better than this one. So I wont be coming back anytime soon. read more

Stray Hen Cafe - Lonby entrance to restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Best restaurant we've recently visited! What a gem! We waited 40 minutes for a table on Labor Day, and the line didn't go away. Stray hen is popular! Boy oh boy, that pig and pepper Benedict was on point! The pork was so flavorful, juicy, and crisp on the edges. The second half of my dish went home with me, and the pork reheated extremely well. On my second visit, I had a grilled chicken skillet, and it came out piping hot with the cheese still sizzling. Yum! Menu is extensive, so there's bound to be something for everyone. I've also partook in a mimosa here, and it was much enjoyed and well worth the ~$7. I couldn't rave about this place more. I can't wait to come back for another serving of the pig and pepper Benedict. Well done, Stray Hen! read more

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I have been a true Stray Hen fan for quite a while now. A friend and I went there today and were shocked at how the omelette and pancakes have "shrunk"! The Gatherer omelette is our favorite, and it was a mere shadow of its former self. It is significantly smaller, had barely any vegetables and I did not detect any havarti cheese at all. The pancakes used to be about the size of the plate they were served on and now they are about a 4" size. We were very disappointed. On a positive side we had a very nice server and our service was good. I do not feel inspired to go back, sadly. This used to be such a good place. The prices have also increased. All around a disappointing experience. read more

I wanted to love this place so bad. It's cute and has an extensive menu. The food was actually good. There's even a cute mimosa flight that we ordered two of, but unfortunately to our dismay we found a hair in one of them. How absolutely disgusting. What made this place lose its higher star rating is it's customer service. The customer service lacks so much I just can't allow myself to give this place a higher rating. Our server did the bare minimum to check in on us. Besides that after paying our $210 bill, I will admit we sat for about an additional 20 minutes wrapping up conversations with family that live in the area (as we are located on the east coast in DC where world class customer device is not a dying art). Our wrap up conversation was nothing excessive, we kept our volume to match the environment and other tables were open they did not need the table. A member of the staff approached us as we were actually getting up to leave and told us we could only be at the table in total for 1hour. I found this ridiculous (such a short time limit) and quite offensive. As we left, that specific staff person moved back to the kitchen where other staff high five her for doing so. After dining at many establishments domestically as well as internationally, I find this to be quite the worse experience of customer service. Customer service is the backbone of a business, so I hope they help train this staff. I wouldn't recommend because of the poor customer service and obviously the hair found. Next time we're back for a visit we'll brunch downtown or in Schaumburg where other family live. Please go ahead and do yourself a favor and skip this one. You'll thank me later! read more

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Went to Stray Hen with my friend and ordered our usual ... the Gatherer Omelette with hash browns, and the pancakes. Usually this dish used to be huge!! Now the omelet was half the size, no havarti cheese and the pancakes looked like kiddie pancakes. To cap it off the prize almost doubled!!! But my pay rate in my job didn't double!!!! So this is ridiculous. I am completely appalled and disappointed. I doubt I'll go back. Maru C. read more

Quick weekend trip to Chicago and decided to do Sunday brunch with the family here. It was busy, so we did have to wait for our party of 8 to be seated, but it was worth it. Service was fabulous. My pistachio latte was good, and the food was delicious. We all kept commenting on how good the food was. I had the Papi Chulo skillet, and it was a hearty portion and very filling. So delicious. My kids got the pancakes and they were super fluffy. The fresh squeezed orange juice was definitely fresh. Overall this was one of my top breakfast experiences of all time. I would absolutely return and highly recommend it. read more

Stray Hen is always humming with all different types of people. We always put ourselves on the waitlist using Yelp to avoid having to wait when we get there. Service is always friendly and quick and being right off the train station in downtown Elmhurst makes for good people watching. Pancakes and skillets are what our family usually gets and they never disappoint! While it's comfortable, i would say this is more of a get in, get out, get on your way type of restaurant. If you're looking for a place to hang and chit chat over coffee, look elsewhere. We like to try new brunch restaurants on the regular but keep the stray hen in rotation :) read more

Would love the option to change mimosa flavors in the flights but it was still good. Location was hard to find while using GPS. Entry is in the bank. Big portions of food. read more

Always enjoy going there. Great variety and quality. Hi protein plate is amazingly reasonable and keeps within Keto diet perimeters.

Really wanted to love this place but it was awful. Ordered the gatherer omelette (veggies) and the black and white full stack pancakes. The pancakes were okay, but the omelette was watery and cold. There were also gnats and flies flying everywhere around the food and the silverware was sticky. Do not recommend this place and won't be back here. read more

Good food. Nice atmosphere. Great tea selection. Got the Gatherer skillet. Very good. Side of pancakes was very filling. Overall good experience. read more

I'd prob give them a 3.5 but I'll round up. This order was takeout through GrubHub. They had a $5 off $12 coupon which is always nice. I arrived at 7:23am for my 7:15am Pickup and they hadn't started my food. Normally this would be a slight annoyance but honestly for hot takeout, I'd rather it be fresh! So I was happy. I ordered the Cousin Vinny Omelette, sub egg whites and swap goat cheese for mozzarella. The omelette was huge and def tasty. I would say about average for a decent breakfast joint. You had the option of choosing specialty pancakes as a side for an up charge which I always appreciate! It was $14.50 for the combo which is def reasonable for Chicago. I got the maple bacon pancakes, they weren't listed on Grubhub but they were on the website so I asked in the comments and they came through! They were definitely tasty! They have a lot of good options so I'd prob try something diff next time but I'd def get them again in the future. The entree also came with potatoes. These fell flat for me. I prefer a crispy potato, which these were not. They were soft and kinda soggy. I threw them in the airfryer when I got home and that helped a little. I would probably opt for the fruit next time. Overall, good amount of food for the price. Solid pancakes and omelette. read more

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My son had a kicking session today and we were in the area looking for some grub. And we found this... Awesome, cool service and food to die for. Everything we got was nothing short of amazing and so delicious. AND they have pineapple water which I've never had before but it's really tasty. The bathroom was clean and there's street parking. Can't wait to come back to try all the different foods. read more

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My children absolutely adore visiting this place--it's a beloved spot for our family. I do understand the concerns raised in other reviews about the noise level during peak times, but that won't deter us. We simply love the food too much to stay away! read more

Service was great. Loved the coffee set up. I got the Zeus on Fire, delicious, but it was sloppy to eat. The insides were sliding out every time I tried to take a bite. Otherwise very nice and I'll be back again. read more

If I could give this place 100 starts I would, not to be dramatic but this was easily the best breakfast I've ever had, they have so many unique things on their menu we will continue to go back until we've tried it all! specifically their cinnamon roll French toast was to die for. The wait staff was so friendly and attentive, water was always full and coffee came out quickly! If this is on your list, definitely go! If it's not on your list, put it there! read more

Stray Hen Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

I order quite a bit from Stray Hen. My order today was so bad that I won't order again. I ordered a skillet with "soft" bacon and received UNCOOKED/RAW bacon. I threw it out because it was unsafe to eat. I should have taken it back but no time or desire. Very disturbing. read more

Stray Hen Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Intstant-gramable brunch spot with Wendy's quality food. Nothing we had besides the water was better than just okay.  Entrance is in the building lobby, we made a yelp waitlist on the way there and waited around 10 mins. Once you get in, the interior is very nice and the staff was great.  I got the habanero jack chicken sandwich and my wife got the crabcake benedict. The breaded chicken was tough and not crispy at all. Sauce was ok bbq sauce, only good thing about it was the thick bacon. The fries were flavorless, definitely worst of the fast food chain's level quality. The crabcake benedict tasted bad, fishy and not fresh.  They seem to have a lot of healthy options - protein plates/ breakfast bows, and the guy next to us was jacked and seemed to be a regular. So if that is your thing and you don't care about food actually tasting good then you may like it, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. read more

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This place was delicious! Parking was a hassle because it was street parking but that was fine. This restaurant is a breakfast, lunch, and brunch spot. The food is flavorful and they have a variety of everything. It is homey and the atmosphere is fun with a big group. It is also kid and family friendly! They have a good variety of sweets and savory items read more

Stray Hen Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

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Yummmmm, if you like fresh food with lots of yummy options, this is your place. It's a small little place so wait times can be a bit but it is SO worth it. Went with the breakfast nachos as an appetizer, followed by the O'Brien skillet and cinnamon swirl pancake upgrade on the side. They allow you to upgrade to specialty pancakes as a side for $2, great value. The breakfast nachos were spicy but soooo yummy, topped with chorizo, sour cream, guacamole and cheese. The O'Brien skillet was a decent portion, the corned beef is homemade and more of a shredded corned beef than the diced up version a lot of breakfast places have. I subbed avocado for green peppers and it was a great combo of flavors. The highlight of the meal was by far the AMAZING cinnamon swirl pancakes which are topped with the most delightful cream cheese icing swirl. Worth every single calorie and then some. There are so many delicious options on the menu, I can't wait to go back and try more. read more

Stray Hen Cafe - OBrien Skillet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

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My sweetheart & I had breakfast here this morning and the food was incredible. I have to admit that our visit did not not start off on the right foot with being given water without glasses, no silverware, no cream on the table or provided for coffee, then we realizes that like so many other businesses, they were shirt staffed. Our waiter was hustling and clearly it was no fault of his own that he was overworked. It was also uncomfortably warm. Today was a hot day and we were sweating (I also observed other customers sweating.) All of the above was redeemed once we received our food which was incredibly yummy!! The presentation was spot on and the food itself was soooooo good. The owner definitely needs to address the AC issue. read more

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Met a former colleague here for breakfast on Tuesday. It was a happening place. A lot of morning energy. Has the Mexican omelet. ( it had a fancier name but I forgot it). Highly recommend. read more

Stray hen is one of my favorite breakfast places in the area. I ordered the pig and pepper Benedict and it was delicious. The carnitas were tender and flavorful with a great pepper. The hollandaise was great and really brought the whole flavor together. The service was timely and everyone else enjoyed their meal as well. read more

Stray Hen Cafe - Pig and Pepper Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Food and service was very good! Buffalo chicken was very tasty and a good price. The server was very polite and we were in and out within about 30 minutes. read more