Omg best pancakes ever hahaha luv this place ill come back next weekend for another dosis of maple pancakes with strawberries :)

Every meal I have had at Sweet Maple left me wanting more and looking forward to my next visit. The wait staff is very attentive and always pleasant. read more

ok, so i live literally a few hundred feet from sweet maple, so obviously it is very convenient for me, location wise. beyond that, their food is always excellent. things to try: the chocolate chip pancakes, applesauce, oatmeal, and the way south eggs. all delicious. however, this places gets crazy packed on sunday, and sometimes during the week, so be prepared to possibly wait for a table. service is ok. small interior. if it's too busy, head to demitasse down the street. the food is just as good, the service is friendlier, and more importantly it is always nice and quiet at demitasse, in a good way. read more

Good . . . but not great. Actually, eating at this place has been a long time coming-- well before the dawn of 75+ Yelp reviews-- so a part of me was looking forward to a party in my mouth. Instead, it was more like a . . . children's piano recital. I went with three of my relatives-- and while there were a few good things about our brunch, there were also a few not so good things. The coffee of the day (almond joy latte) was quite good, the corned beef hash was pretty good, the home fries were so flavorful, and the service was great. But . . . the Taylor Sweet omelet was a bit dry and not as flavorful as I had hoped and the Sweet Breakfast Special tasted like something you could make at home. The worst part, though, was the Way South Eggs. It is the saddest, measliest plate of real food I have ever seen-- with half the plate covered in black beans and sour cream and one small, soaked tortilla filled with a tablespoon and a half of scrambled eggs with some cheddar and salsa mixed in. For $9+, that is really ridiculous. So . . . I don't know if we made bad choices or what . . . but, sadly, Sweet Maple Cafe was decent but not worth the wait (through the years or to be seated). :\ read more

absolutely love this place.i love breakfast places n sweet maple is one of my favorites.good portion.i hate it wen they give too much,its so wasteful. but sweet maple gives just the right portion.their biscuit is the best!.service is good.they're open til 2pm tho.im always wakin up late n eat breakfast all day.so i wish they were open later.luv it! read more

The buttermilk pancakes are so so damn good! Best I've ever had actually! The biscuit was okay, a little too thick, would be much better if it was lighter and fluffier. Turkey sausage was average. The host/manager is so damn annoying, he reminds me of a wanna-be Tiger Woods. His friends were dining in that day and they were one ahead of us in the line and he just yapped until I felt like screaming, dude, go and do your job! One thing I have never seen before is a host seat a party sitting down at a table with other guests. He just gestured with his hands to the party waiting at the door and continued yapping with his friends. There's always a 1st to everything I guess. He clearly has no hosting skills AT ALL. He needs to go in the back in the kitchen somewhere and hire a sweet pretty hostess who is more attentive and knows how to do just a SIMPLE job . Next time I think I will get the pancakes to go and eat at home. Otherwise Tiger is going to hear a few words from me... read more

ABSOLUTELY DIVINE! My husband and I love this place, its our favorite place to get breakfast in Chi. The owners are so sweet.

A quaint breakfast/lunch/brunch restaurant. I love going to places that feel like I'm eating at someone's home. The food and the service makes you feel like family. Carmen G's Scramble was great, and I was lucky enough to sneak a bite of my boyfriend's Holiday French Toast which was yummy as well. Check the board in the back for daily specials and other items you can order that aren't on the menu. Wish I would have saw the salmon cakes! read more

I went here yesterday for breakfast to catch up with my friend. Where the food was phenomenal, the front door service left a lot to be desired. I waited in line for about ten minutes before there was a table open for two people. My friend was not too far away and I asked if I could be sat and order for her. I was told that when she got there she would have to stand in line as an individual table and by no means could she join me when she arrived. To me, this is not a sign of a restaurant that puts the customer service experience first. Why was she not allowed to join me if I were in fact ordering for her?! I was so ticked off but I had invested time and energy standing in line so I decided to go ahead and wait. I had a Mexican dish she had the banana pancakes. We both enjoyed our food but the entire service experience with the greeter definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I would not recommend this small restaurant (only 15 tables) if the focus on customer service is not there from the minute you walk in. Get it together! 2 stars for food alone. Kuddos to the cooks!! read more

I think its funny coming down to this area these days, with all the trendy spots lining Taylor and what not. For the longest time this areas was one of those places only a confident city dweller was comfortable coming. Generally it was to visit friends that lived in the area or were going to school at UIC. I've passed by this place several times in the last couple years, always noticing the maple leafs but never realizing what it was. I got the country-fried steak... meh, in all honesty it was way to tough and the quality seemed to be lacking- I've had better. But the spicy gravy, biscuit and eggs that came as sides to the steak were awesome. I also got a side order of grits which had the perfect consistency i was looking for. I would come back again but would not take them up on their brunch specials, I would probably stick to the breakfast items as everybody elses food items looked amazing. read more

Sweet Maple has its dedicated patrons. I am not one of them. We went here once a couple of years ago and weren't blown away. We tried coming back on various occasions only to be confronted with a long wait. During Christmas week, it was still busy but we got a table for our second try. The service was very efficient and very friendly. I had pancakes, eggs and sausage links. I thought that the pancakes were a little dense and the scrambled eggs a little overcooked. The sausage links were tasty, especially compared to hubby's sausage patties. He had eggs, a biscuit and cheddar grits. He really liked the grits and the homemade biscuit was nice. But I just can't say that I would wait 20-30 min for a table here on the weekends when I can go down to Stax and sit right down and probably have a more flavorful breakfast. I will say, however, that the prices at Sweet Maple are very reasonable ... safe to say you'll spend less money than at Stax. read more

I love this place! Purely for the biscuits and how nice everyone is. We moved to Chicago and knew no one. I felt like the servers genuinely cared and offered good new to chicago advice. They're also very friendly to my two toddlers. The kids usually get scrambled eggs and a biscuit and share. I usually get a egg sandwich on a biscuit. read more

Completely forgot to write my review on this place, came here about six weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood, small town feel of this place. It's almost as if this is a "regular" meeting spot for some folks and I don't blame them one bit for choosing this joint to do so. The one downside is that it's rather cozy in here so not much room for more than four to a table and even that could prove a little too close for comfort, depending on where you're seated. I had the daybreak sandwich which SUPER scrumptious, I finished that bad boy like a champ. The biscuit that is comes on is melt in your mouth; not sure if they're made in house but YUMMO. Uncertain of how crowded this place is on the weekends as I came here on a weekday but this place is worth a short wait for sure. Could also prove to be a nice, quaint little brunch date spot too. I would DEF come back to this home-feel joint in a heartbeat. read more

Not sure if I forgot how huge their biscuits are or they have been getting bigger. I split a biscuit with my wife and still had more than enough. Biscuit was great and everything else I had was good with solid execution. The thing that stands out here to me is how large the portions are. The omelette I ordered was basically falling off the plate given how large it was and how large the portion of potato hash was. You won't leave here hungry. read more

I am typically very happy with the food at Sweet Maple. But my last visit was so disappointing. I struggled with writing a review or not, but I felt compelled and hope that the owner is reading the reviews and making improvements. I ordered the Sweet Maple Special. My 2 favorites (the biscuit and potatoes) were horrible. I must've gotten the last scraping of that batch of potatoes because several bites were just crunchy skin and no potato. Frustrating, especially for me, because I usually can't wait to eat their potatoes and onions. So, as I'm putting butter on the inside of the biscuit, I notice it isn't melting. Well that's because it was cold as hell. So I asked the waitress for a warm biscuit. I sensed a little irritation from her which made me feel like i shouldve just kept the cold biscuit. So, she brings back a biscuit that is STEAMING! It was obvious that she nuked it before she brought it to me. Thanks, but no thanks. Placing a biscuit in the microwave for that long takes away from the integrity of the biscuit (not that I'm an expert). But it was super chewy and gross...but at least it was hot, right? I was so annoyed. I just wanted to leave at that point. Maybe someone needs to do a quick QA of the plates before they go out. I am paying for a quality meal so please give me that. read more

Get there early or you will wait, but definitely go. My family unfortunately does not venture to Taylor St often; however I have a feeling we will doing so more frequently after our visit to Sweet Maple Cafe. The scrambles are a steal of a deal without potatoes or toast in addition to the muffins. Superb service - low key but attentive. Everyone loved their meals and an order of pancakes will fill up 2 adults in my opinion. And they have high hairs and it is kid friendly in addition to the free parking in the lot across the street. Major win! read more

Well, I finally made the trek to Sweet Maple. Waited 30 minutes for a table in this sorta shack -like place. I know, the "quaint" rustic feel is intentional, but I could handle the bear floors and lack of ambiance if the food had been good. But, it wasn't. At all. It was bland and dry (biscuit) and just plain. Like your mother-in-law who can't cook. The only thing worth eating were the grits and bacon. My companion ordered the peaches and cream pancakes and they were flavored with way, way too much cinnamon. Although, they were better than my scrambled eggs which were a hard mound -- tasteless. And, their authenticity was questionable. Everyone raves about the biscuit, but it was the most disappointing of all! It was dry and bland and...well, for y'all northerners -- this is not a good biscuit. Believe me. It may be good compared to some of the biscuits served "up north", but it is not really a good example of a biscuit. But do me a favor...take a trip down south. Anywhere. Then, order a biscuit. You'll see the difference. Biscuits should be flavorful, soft and crumbly. Not whatever. Oh, and the fried potatoes were...weird. The onion was still raw. The potatoes tasted like they were frozen and reheated. ...just all around, a less than pleasant dining experience. I definitely will not go back! read more

woke up early and decided i want breakfast food so i came here with couple of early bird friends. had to wait 25 mins before we get seated.. service was nice and friendly.. i ordered the bacon,eggs, and biscuit with a side of pancakes.. the bacon was cooked just right, eggs was kind of bland, the biscuit was eh.. kind of dry.. the pancake was gooooood.. very soft and fluffy... it sure hit the spot! the food I've tried so far was just average besides their pancakes.. don't know was it worth the 25 min wait but.. if i was to crave for pancakes early in the morning.. i would come back haha read more

Now ive been a believer for about a year now. Everything ive had since going here has been delicious!...but being a creature of habit, i cant beat my eggs my style with a side of ham and sliced tomato and an endless supply of coffee. I KNOW, Boring in light of the options, but the staff help complete the experience because my server Rich, floods me with coffee the minute i sit and knows my order without question. SO when my parents, who are IMPOSSIBLE to please where in town, i ventured on the chance that perhaps S. Maples simple charm and good food might make them believers. To no surprise, their first impression was slightly taken aback at the lack of decor and the long wait, (after i explained the concept of a small ma & pa place, their nose slightly came down). Keep in mind, I've taken my parents to all sorts of places and it never fails, my mother inevitably starts getting that look on her face like she just smelled a stinky finger. So the bar is set high. As her scramble was set in front of her, i began to see the stinky finger coming around, and my father sat with his fingers interlaced over his belly as his breakfast was set before him. I was prepared for this, so i ordered the lemon raspberry pancakes in advance for the table and encouraged my mom to try them while i told my father to try his biscuit. Not before long, i saw my dad dipping his biscuit in his coffee (this was a good sign) and my mother double fisting between the pancakes and scramble. SUCCESS! When i heard my mother ask for to go boxes , i finally exhaled. Thanks S. Maple, keep up the great work. read more

The best place for breakfast south of Roosevelt. Charming country kitchen feel with minimal decor and distressed walls. It's like the family restaurant you'd find in DeKalb, just much better coffee. read more

Rough breakfast here today.....usually pretty good, we waited 45 mins for our orders, they were brought piece by piece. Yes it was busy, I noted the long wait on the check and the waitress wanted to argue with me about it!!!!!! Someone spilled milk on the floor, soiling a diner's briefcase, staff saw it, discussed, left it for quite a while. We like the food, some is unusual, gray gravy on biscuits, dry hash, they give one tiny container of syrup for huge pancakes and charge a dollar for additional, yes it's maple syrup, prices are high already. Got some attitude asking for coffee refill too. Will go to Jut's and Stax down the street instead. read more

Not sure what to say. Every single thing on Sweet Maple's menu is a 5...except the pancakes, they are somewhere near a 27.

While the atmosphere is interesting, i felt pretty rushed while being seated. There were only three of us and plenty of seating space, however they felt the need to just throw us directly by the door on a 20 degree day. Service was quick so i guess that's an upside to being rushed. But honestly, I'd rather they turned us around. The food was oily, and the hot sauce was watery? And perhaps I overlooked the "one check per table" message on the menu, but the waiters explanation for this rule was lazy and ridiculous. "It gets pretty busy and this is a small restaurant, so we don't do separate checks." Did i mention there are only 6 people seated including the three of us? I won't try It again, maybe i picked the wrong day and time. read more

this place was freakjin awesum! ive never been here but tried it this weekend. there was a 15/20 min wait cuz they were pretty busy & its a small restaurant. but we didnt mind the wait. i had an omelette with basil, cheese, italian sausage & other stuff in it & it was sooooooo yummy! the homes fries & biscuits that came with it were also delish! i LOVE me some yummy biscuits! i wanted 2 try the pancakes 2 but i had no more room 4 them. my friend enjoyed her food as well. our waitress was really nice & kept checkin in on us! i wish i remembered her name cuz she was very friendly. i would definitely come back 2 this place again! read more

Black Friday and when everyone is shopping, the hubby and I are brunching. After discussing what the hubs wanted, I selected Sweet Maple Cafe since I knew it would satisfy both our wants. We walked in and waited about five minutes before we sat down. The coffee was delicious and we ordered the holiday french toast and the chicken livers with eggs and grits. I was exactly in the mood for the chicken livers and it was divine. The livers were not overly breaded and the onions were nice and sweet. The bowl of grits was hot and plentiful. The biscuit was the biggest I had ever seen. Obviously this was too much and I took food home. The french toast was inhaled and I am pretty sure he loved it. I absolutely love Southern cooking and this will satisfy any need. The service was great and very friendly. This is definitely going to make our brunch round. read more

a favorite... amazing food, the best cheddar grits and biscuits, good coffee, and a warm environment... downside is the hour long wait on sat and sun mornings, unless you arrive before 8.30am... very much worth the wait... read more

The food is consistently good (I like the Slacker Fries), the coffee is decent, and they're fast. If only it weren't slammed pretty much all the time. They don't have much room to wait (except for hovering over the people who look like they're taking their time, which is encouraged), so you can tell what kind of day it's going to be by looking at the crowd outside. read more

My husband went here this morning after wanting to try it for a while. We waited about 25 minutes to get a table around noon, not too shabby. Let me say this: you must MUST try the biscuits. I don't care if that is the only thing you order there. get the biscuits! They are like biting into a buttery cloud made of magic. Truly the best biscuit I have ever eaten. I have no idea how they get them so light and fluffy. Our waitress was friendly and helpful; the rest of the staff was super upbeat as well. The atmosphere is like your grandma's kitchen and I mean that in the best way possible. There was a diverse group of people there which made it even more enjoyable. I had the 18th Street Scramble with home fries and, of course, a biscuit. The scramble was not as flavorful as I had anticipated but the chorizo was yummy and peppers gave it the perfect amount of heat. The home fries were crispy and tender in all the right places with some perfectly caramelized onions. My husband had the corn and bacon pancakes and sausage links. Both awesome. I can't wait to go back! read more

My friend and I had an all day meeting at U of Illinois Dental School. Traffic was a breeze and we arrived before the doors opened. We decided to get some breakfast in the area. While I was reading another restaurant's review. The reviewer mentioned how he loves Maples and their pancakes but it was too crowded to get in that day . I stopped reading it and I told my friend , we just have to go there to try the pancakes. This place is awesome . They treat you like family . The coffee was good, eggs were cooked perfectly but the pancakes were awesome and sooo delightful. The portions were huge. The pancakes were light , fluffy and delicious. The reviews do not do the pancakes justice. They are that good. This restaurant has become my go to place for breakfast now and in the future. It's yummy ! read more

Why are there not more breakfast/brunch places near the medical district? We night shift and post call people need sustenance! I was psyched when some residents and students told me about this place. I went one day after a night shift and was very happy with the experience. Save for some shenanigans with paying from the table at the end, but I was too tired to care. It's way too small given how many people want to eat there, but it's adorable. And the food is good quality stuff. Nice coffee. The omelet I ordered was huge. I highly recommend this place. Good quality food that won't make your stomach hurt when you go home to crash after call. read more

So my friend totally raved about this place! so this morning I was actually running "early" to work and had a taste for pancakes so figured I grab pancakes to go. They didnt have a pancake special on Fridays so the cashier offered to ring everyting up separately. so ok fine... 2 pancakes 2 eggs and 4 pieces of bacon and 1 small coffee= $15- and that was to go!! I feel like if you're gonna be a really good "hole in the wall" cafe then have really good cheap food not overpriced and mediocre- the pancakes taste like they're heavily sour cream based which I didnt care for, Bacon and eggs were super standard- I just cant understand why I couldnt have paid $7-9!! bottom line- the hospital cafeteria has better pancakes for much cheaper. read more

I love breakfast and this is one of the best breakfast places I've ever been too. The BISCUITS are the DIE for!! The pancakes are good, the monterray fries are good. I use to come here 1x every 2 weeks but I'll be a big fat pig if I continue that so I go 1x every 3-4 months now. Drooling just thinking about it!!! $10 per person! GO! NOW! read more

This place is just so great. I love that it is a quaint place with really friendly staff and delicious food. I've had a few varieties of their pancakes and their cheddar grits - loved them all. Oh, and the hot chocolate and coffee drinks are also really good. The people who work here are just SO nice, as is the owner. I had such a good experience, that when the owner was raising money for charity through shirt sales, I scooped one right up. I would definitely where a Sweet Maple Cafe shirt because the place just totally rocks! read more

Very solid. If the interior were nicer and the prices were a little lower I would have given it 5 stars.

I love this place. The wait can be long but the food has always been good. I love their catfish and eggs on Friday. I add the cheesy grits and a biscuit and pig out. It would be nice if they could add-on somehow so they can get more customers in. read more

came for a sunday brunch and waited shortly before being served by our lovely waitress, Lele. the place was full - seems like its a local favorite - and i could understand why! their food is spectacular and the service by Lele was exceptional. will definitely be returning. read more

a most incredible bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. plus, they have grits. they're expensive, but at least they're on the menu.

Very good, but not efficient in their use of tables. They have a line out the door and will seat a 2 person group at a 4 top moments before a 2 top opens... read more

It was ok, this place sounds good, maybe I just have bad luck. A breakfast rule I have is that the potato amount should not take the majority of the plate space. I ordered the 18th st scrambler and received a very small portion of scrambler (quarter of plate). The scrambler itself was ok . It doesn't have true 18th st chorizo, however. My wife was not impressed with her dish either. read more

Never been here before, it was a Wednesday morning about 10:30am. Small quaint on the inside. All I can say is that the food was GREAT, the biscuits and the food in general was GREAT! I live way North and the following week my daughter took my husband there and he thinks breakfast is breakfast. Well he LOVE it so much he wants to go back and we told our friends. read more