Cancel

Open app

Search

The Bongo Room

4.0 (1.7k reviews)
Closed • 8:30 am - 2:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

Order The Bongo Room Takeout or Delivery

The Bongo Room Photos

Business Info

THE BONGO ROOM ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids
Good for groups

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - The Bongo Room

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Molly C.

Cool art, cozy vibes, and incredible service! The food was a bit hit-or-miss, but Lola was a total rockstar and took great care of us. Worth a stop for the atmosphere and the friendly staff alone.

Stack of Blueberry Pancakes
Tanya R.

The Bongo Room was a hit for us for brunch! The service was excellent and the servers were attentive and checked in on us frequently (we never ran out of water) without seeming overbearing. We were seated in a booth towards the back of the house near the service area, but the noise level was perfect, allowing us to chat and still hear one another. My chai latte came in a double walled coffee mug, so it stayed warm for the duration of breakfast (really appreciated this!). It had the perfect amount of sweetness and spice. My avocado toast on sourdough was exceptional! I get this dish as often as I can when I'm traveling and eating breakfast out, and this was one of the best! Fresh sprouts, radishes, and arugula, made for the perfect bite! My friends ordered the blueberry pancakes and although I'm not a fan of sweet pancakes, I had to indulge. The pancakes were fluffy enough to take on all of the sweetness and were packed with flavor. This dish is one I'd definitely only be able to share, but it was quite impressive! I loved the quirky artwork and the flare that the Latin music added in the background-it me happy dance with each delicious bite! Overall, one of the best breakfasts we had while we were in Chicago!

French Toast with Pear
Chalandra G.

Had the French toast with pear and it was 10/10! I'm not usually a hot fruit type of person. But the meal was perfectly balanced between fresh and sweet. I was worried it would be too sweet, but it honestly tasted so fresh and light! Will definitely be getting this again next time I come!

Deconstructed Lobster Roll Benedict, mango iced tea
Devona S.

Service was top tier. Server was so attentive and the bussers were even more attentive. They were quick to give us napkins and help clean off the table due to a spill that was our fault. Food was PHENOMENAL. I can't even express how this might have been the best poached eggs on an eggs Benedict that's I've ever had. The portion size was huge. And I wish I would've just shared the plate. It was a super clean and welcoming and warm environment. Felt extremely welcomed.

Italian Breakfast Sandwich
Bianca V.

Bingo room never disappoints and is considered my favourite breakfast restaurant in Wicker! I enjoy their fresh juices, cappuccinos, breakfast and lunch items. I have had business lunch meetings here and dates with friends. The wait staff works as a team and the atmosphere is adorable and cozy. I have yet to have a dish I did not like. My all time favorite guilty pleasure is the white chocolate & caramel pretzel pancakes.

Vegetarian Croissant Sandwich
Antoine W.

A Wicker Park staple that I finally got the chance to try. Though a little bit of a wait, great service overall, with us seated in front of one of the windows so we could people-watch while we ate. A varied menu with great choices and multiple adult beverage options. The Vegetarian Croissant Sandwich, my order, was delicious! Buttery croissant, fresh ingredients, and a great portion for brunch. Definitely will return!

Breakfast Burrito
Abby M.

My husband and I came for brunch with our 10-month old. There is no room for strollers so may not be an ideal spot if you have a younger baby. It was very loud inside and packed but there was no wait which was great. We got our food and drinks pretty quick. The best items were definitely the ube latte and ube pancakes. They were not too sweet and had a nice ube flavor. The cappuccino and breakfast burrito were good but nothing special. The potatoes were okay. If you come here, I would recommend just going for the specialty items.

Identical twins Golden Birthday breakfast, 6 on the 6th celebration
Tim L.

Great but expensive, pancakes are tastey, omlette was excellent. Will come again on a special occasion

Mocha
Miguel M.

Our server was pleasant and friendly Our food was good and just know most dishes are not on the healthy side The plates are big so feel free to share

2 Egg and meat
Paige K.

Update 12/11/23 - I'm afraid this place is just a bit overrated. I like that they have fun pancake options and they're pretty good but $15+ and you can't make them into combos so if you want a balanced breakfast, you have to order two entrees. This time, my husband got the lobster Benedict and I got the ham and eggs and we shared the ube pancakes on special. They charged extra for ham and for egg whites. Our total after tip was $77 for two for breakfast, just kinda insane. My ham and potatoes were cold. Our potatoes were mushy and unappetizing. Especially after asking for extra crispy. Possibly the worst bfast potatoes I've ever had. The redeeming qualities: the ube pancakes were fun and different. Not super flavorful but good texture. My husband enjoyed his lobster Benedict.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Medi was our server and they made our day. Along with the food this service with amazingly delicious. As always bongo room was 10/10

Coffee
Araceli C.

I like their pancakes..... Party of 3 Food was ok Staff mmmm slow afther third person came she order coffee then the server forget bring coffee for her Wasn't busdy just 4 tables and I have to waited to get the server atencion so he can bring the check........

Aanchal B.

The vibe for this location is cozy and it's easy to get to from the blue line! Great food, especially the Ube pancakes (tasted like the latte) and their juices. The service was good, we were able to put our name down and they were very accommodating when some of my party was running late and I could sit at the bar as well. Surrounding the restaurant are so many stores in wicker so you can easily kill time while waiting for your table.

a bar with wooden chairs

See all

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Corinna M.
290
42
10

10 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Rita S.
0
118
0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

11 months ago

Our favorite brunch spot in the area! Service and food are wonderful. Wait times were accurate and staff was accommodating!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Nora S.
118
124
450

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 30
Thanks 0
Love this 33
Oh no 0
Photo of Kaii K.
53
129
362

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Jeff Y.
335
1158
6287

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Maria I.
215
10
6

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Eric F.
72
27
0

2 years ago

Have been going here since the early days . Amazing. Recommend but weekends can be a bit crowded .

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Excellent steak omelette and tasty Ube purple pancakes! Great service! Will come here again when visiting!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Desiree D.
1113
1959
4025

7 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

Page 2 of 44

The Bongo Room Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - The Bongo Room

Do they take reservations?

No, walk in

Do they have a gluten free menu?

No they don't.

Is there parking?

Just street parking!

Do they take reservations? If so is there an app or website?

They do not take reservations. I usually try to call ahead and ask how long the wait is.

Any vegan options?

No vegan substitute eggs, meats or cheeses, but fresh vegetables and home fries.

Is it byob?

No. They serve liquor. Two out of three locations serve liquor. The one that doesn't, doesn't allow liquor inside either as far as I'm aware.

I love the Bongo Room BUT why does the website menu read "Winter/ Spring 2017" at the Top???? What is the current menu offerings?

You have to go in to see updates menus

Do they take reservations on st. Patty's?

No. They don't take reservations at all

Are the entrance/bathroom accessible?

Entrance is a little tight especially when it's crowded. I don't know about the bathrooms though.

Gluten free pancakes?

Probably not.

View All 12 Questions

You might also consider

Cindy's Rooftop - Prawns Nayarit

Cindy's Rooftop

4.1(2.8k reviews)
3.2 mi•The Loop
•$$$

Beautiful, grand old school lobby that takes you back in time. Rooftop restaurant and bar just as…read morespecial with a great view of the park and lake. Great vibe and ambiance. Service was to be as expected, top notch. Small menu but enough to appeal to all tastes and needs. Decided to go light for dinner and I chose the caesars salad with salmon. Great flavors and toppings on the salad. Salmon was just ok. Coworkers had tuna tartare (excellent) and the beet salad also with salmon (really good). Split the roasted carrots which were delicious, especially the sauce.

My friend and I were in Chicago recently and stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association. Our…read morereservation was made using The Hotel Collection, and it came with a credit, which we used in part for a late night snack and drinks at Cindy's Rooftop. While I wasn't a big fan of the taste of my drink and dessert, my friend enjoyed both of theirs. Rather, the service was excellent and the views were amazing. My friend ordered The Rocher for dessert, which includes hazelnut cake, mascarpone chantilly, and smoked maldon salt. I ordered a Baked Alaska, consisting of citrus cake, lemon cream, toasted meringue, and salted white chocolate crunch. We both also ordered cocktails. I cannot recall the name of the drinks. I asked for my drink to be fruity and sweet, but it wasn't enough of either for me. The Baked Alaska was fine but too much of various flavors. I wouldn't fault the restaurant for the drink or dessert taste as I know others really enjoyed theirs. Our server was most attentive and very helpful. We found that making a reservation on Open Table only offered a certain number of time slots, and all of them involved having dinner and not just drinks or a dessert. Reservations can also be made on their website though we chose to speak to the front desk about a reservation. Going up to the bar is first come, first serve though. We ended up making an Open Table reservation and were told it was okay to only order drinks and desserts. Cindy's is named in honor of Marian "Cindy" Pritzker, a beloved Chicago philanthropist. It sits on top of the 13th floor of the hotel under a glass atrium and offers views of Millennium Park, Lake Michigan, and beyond. Cindy's Rooftop is open Monday through Thursday from 11 AM to 11 PM, Friday from 11 AM to 12 Midnight, Saturday from 10 AM to 12 Midnight, and Sunday from 10 AM to 11 PM. Go to https://cindysrooftop.com to see a live terrace view, menus, private dining information, and more. If you're staying at or in the area of the Chicago Athletic Association, definitely go up to Cindy's Rooftop for the experience.

Photos
Cindy's Rooftop - Espresso martini also #basic but also good.

Espresso martini also #basic but also good.

Cindy's Rooftop - Pink Moon Oysters* (Half Dozen)

Pink Moon Oysters* (Half Dozen)

Cindy's Rooftop - Heritage Brick Chicken

See all

Heritage Brick Chicken

The Dearborn

The Dearborn

4.4(2.8k reviews)
2.9 mi•The Loop
•$$

New favorite! Came downtown from the 'burbs for a show - my sweetie called ahead and we got a GREAT…read moretable just inside the door, perfect for people watching. Tasty drinks - the grapefruit pilsner was a perfect choice for a warm spring evening, and our server was funny and sweet. Sticky ribs appetizer was spot on, with just enough heat to keep it interesting. We shared the fish and chips - perfectly cooked, crunch and sweet, great fries! House made slaw and tartar sauce was out of this world! Gotta make one comment on something we didn't have. The next table over, two middle aged women order cheeseburgers. When they came out I almost regretted ordering the fish. They were huge, juicy, and looked incredible. This two ladies, drinking their Chardonnays polished them off, that's how good they were. Next time... Dessert? Why not? Sticky toffee cake please. Perfect with a cup of black coffee. Out the door and on our way - we'll be back! Thanks!

We dined at the Dearborn on a Saturday afternoon with my family. Our reservation was strategic we…read morearrived hours before we assumed it would become very crowded. The seating was tight. Overall I was having a good experience. The food was OK. The menu was limited. Oh btw, the special that day was a $70 wag goo burger. That interaction between me and the server reminded me of a car salesman trying to sale me undercoating for the car i just purchased. REALLY I can't make it up. The experience dropped to a single star as our dining experience was nearing an end. The manager of the front of the house. Made a conscious effort to make it clear that the table we were dining was needed by waiting customers. I've never ever experienced this before in any restaurant in the Loop. I can't and will not recommend dining here. This is why I'm giving 1 star. I my opinion The Dearborn maybe they need to be in a different location. Maybe located far west of the Loop. I would suggest instead of Dearborn maybe Halsted St. and probably change their name to The Halsted. Im not going back. OH btw good luck in your new location.

Photos
The Dearborn - $12 Martinis for Martini Mondays

$12 Martinis for Martini Mondays

The Dearborn - New Spring Menu

New Spring Menu

The Dearborn - Spring desserts

See all

Spring desserts

Gretel - elevated! butter chicken curry soup with cilantro + crispy paratha

Gretel

4.5(464 reviews)
1.4 mi•Logan Square
•$$

Stopped here after dinner for some drinks in their downstairs lounge. I've never gone downstairs…read moreand when I entered it gave speakeasy vibes, I loved it. I had one of the best espresso martinis here and enjoyed sitting on their cozy couches while chatting to my friends. The atmosphere downstairs was really calm and relaxing. Service was quick and our server was very polite.

My friends and I have started a burger crawl throughout the city, and we had to have Gretel on the…read morelist! First time here for all of us, but definitely will not be our last! We started with a bunch of cocktails (I wish I remember the names.. but they were all so good!). Food to start, we ordered the Charcuterie, and the House Made Pretzel. We were obsessed with both! The charcuterie did not skimp out like some cheese/meat plates do.. it was a satisfying amount that we kept going back for more. The pretzel was outstanding, twisted and hot, perfectly soft and salty. To eat, I split the Gretel Griddle Burger and the Fried Chicken Sandwich with my friend because although we were there for the burger, I kept reading about the chicken sandwich being fantastic. Booyy they were not wrong!! As much as I loved the burger, the chicken sandwich was my favorite! Perfectly crispy, with this sweet and spicy glaze and the crunchy Asian pear slaw... OMG. I'm still dreaming about this! One thing we were excited about were the Elote Riblettes.. but I wouldn't order these again. I accidentally bit the whole thing and didn't realize they kept the core in, and I had to spit it out. And even after eating it properly it didn't feel like I got enough of it from those little bites. Loved the fries though! We didn't see a dessert menu but we would have definitely been interested in that. After all the drinks apps and the chicken sandwich I was feeling so full so I couldn't finish the burger so I got it wrapped to go. But let me tell you even when I reheated that burger the next day.. it was fantastic!! Overall we may have been the loudest and most obnoxious group (we get a bit excited haha) our waiter and the vibe were all matched! Genuinely loved this place, and looking forward to coming back soon.

Photos
Gretel - Flowers

Flowers

Gretel - Outstanding butter & brine oysters from portsmouth maine

Outstanding butter & brine oysters from portsmouth maine

Gretel - Beautiful italian orange wine with great minerality

See all

Beautiful italian orange wine with great minerality

Au Cheval

Au Cheval

4.4(9.5k reviews)
2.2 mi•West Loop, Near West Side
•$$

so glad we tried this place! we actually only waited about 15 mins to get seated at the bar on a…read morewednesday night around 7pm. we came here for my boyfriends birthday and we were so happy we chose to celebrate here. the two people that helped us was antonio and issa and they made the experience 10x better. they were very attentive and friendly and just easy to talk to. gave us good recommendations and good vibes. we both really liked our drinks and were happy with the spread the food came out. we got to eat the bone marrow first which also came with this really good sauce it was almost like a meat jam but was so good on the bread and then put some of the bone marrow on for the perfect bite. now the burger, you just have to try it because it really is that good. the sauce in it was so good and it just had a really good flavor. it was just an elevated burger. we got fries as well and we shared the burger so it we were really full after. the server brought out ice cream with a candle and some sort of chocolate sauce too which just made the overall experience. we were really happy with the service and food and it just made my bfs bday that much more special and memorable.

Despite all the hype, it's really an average smash burger. This is a place that has capitalized on…read moresocial media hype and people wanting to say they've been here and thus are cool and trendy. But it is seriously just a greasy smash burger. Their fries are good, and actually stand out more than the burger. Everything is overpriced. I don't know why people complain about the wait; do some research like a responsible adult. I never just walk into a place and expect to be immediately seated, I call first - like anyone who has some sense. If they tell you the wait is 2 hours and you have 2 hours to kill, there are a bunch of bars in the area where you can have some drinks and an appetizer (and not feel like you're stiffing Au Cheval; they're the ones with the 2 hour wait, what do they expect people to do?) Not much to say about the decor or ambience; it's a typically loud West Loop bar with mostly 20 - 30 somethings all trying to one-up each other with their trendiness that instead makes them all basically clones of each other. It is crowded, and you're a moron if you think any place like this is suitable for your 5 year old. That's not the restaurant's fault - it's not Chuck E Cheese. Often I wish Yelp offered a 1/2 star option, because there are places that are a 4.5 or a 3.5. Not in this case. 3 stars is spot-on.

Photos
Au Cheval - The cooks were very attentive!

The cooks were very attentive!

Au Cheval - Crispy Fries & Potato Hash

Crispy Fries & Potato Hash

Au Cheval - Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

See all

Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

The Bongo Room - newamerican - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...