Restaurant Review – Dash of Salt and Pepper Diner
A dash of salt, a dash of pepper…and a lot of heart! Just steps away from Oz Park, a community inside Lincoln Park, the Dash of Salt and Pepper Diner serves hearty, upscale comfort food and favorites in a space celebrating all things Chicago.
The two year old spot is run by best friends Brandy & Chassity They explain on their website how Dash came to be. “Our experiences from working and eating at some of the best Chicago has to offer (the Palace Grill and Milk And Honey Café among them), we proudly serve up a Dash of Salt and Pepper Diner with a whole lot of love.”
Breakfast offerings reflect Chicago’s diverse communities. Southern inspired Biscuits and Gravy–house-made sausage gravy served over warm buttermilk biscuits, stand next to Chilaquiles, a combination of eggs on top of tortillas, sautéed in green chile sauce, with sour cream, and mozzarella cheese, followed by a full Irish Breakfast, with two pieces each of Irish bacon, Irish sausage, black pudding, and white pudding served with beans, eggs, fries, and your choice of toast or pancakes.
Cleverly named, three-egg omelettes pay tribute to Chicago’s rapid transit lines and are served with your choice of hash browns, grits, or fruit and toast or pancakes (gluten-free options are available for an upcharge.) The Green Line combines spinach, green pepper, onion, tomato, mushroom, and Swiss cheese. The Pink Line isaclassic ham and American cheese. The Red Line pairs ham, salsa, jalapeños, onions, tomatoes, and pepper jack cheese. The Blue Line is a meat-lover’s delight–bacon, sausage, ham and American cheese.
More Chicago themes resonate through their sandwiches. Sweet Home Chicago celebrates Chicago-style bbq, with house-made shredded chicken, bathed in Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, and served on a French roll.
The Uptown Chick is a marinated grilled chicken breast with roasted red pepper, spinach, red onion, avocado, and feta cheese served on a bun or in a wrap. The Wicker Park serves the grilled chicken breast on sourdough with grilled tomato, bacon, lettuce, and bleu cheese. The OZ Burger has pepper jack cheese, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and grilled onions topped with BBQ sauce.
But…save room for their milkshakes and floats, which come in unusual flavors like Dreamsickle, Coconut, and Cinnamon, piled high in sprinkles and whipped cream.
One recent Google reviewer gushed. “Great food, amazing vibe, and friendly, charismatic staff. Impossible to not come back here” 😊
A Yelp reviewer was equally impressed. “Dash of Salt and Pepper Diner in Lincoln Park is such a hidden gem guys. They have cute Chicago-themed decor everywhere, great diner breakfast and lunch options, and a hot sauce wall!!”
Dash of Salt and Pepper Diner is located at 2201 N. Lincoln Avenue. They are open Sunday-Thursday, 8am-3pm, and Friday & Saturday: 8am-8pm. Their Facebook page offers updates on special menu items and hours. For more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago