Restaurant Review: Wicker Park’s Café Robey’s all-day breakfast celebrates seasonal comfort food, Art Deco roots

My friend Amanda lives in Wicker Park, and we get together as often as our schedules allow. Recently, we decided to go to the all-day breakfast at Café Robey, on the ground floor of the historic, 12-story, 1920’s-era Art Deco The Robey hotel, to catch up. The resulting meal warranted a full review for Dean’s Team Chicago!

Amanda is a regular at Café Robey, which is just steps away from the Damen Blue Line and The 606 Trail. As she described to me, it really is the place to enjoy artisan coffee, all-day brunch, and cozy indoor seating with free Wi-Fi. They partner with local farms to ensure the freshest of ingredients. 

Café Robey boasts that “every seat is the best seat at Cafe Robey,” with double height ceilings giving way to the streetscape of Milwaukee and North Avenues. 

It’s also a fabulous option for working remotely, with those views and the free WiFi, along with multiple cups of their freshly made artisan coffee and friendly service. 

Settled at one of their cozy tables, with the restaurant decorated for summer in bright yellows and greens, I opted for Turkish Eggs which were an artfully arranged, Mediterranean-inspired taste combination of five-minute eggs, accompanied by aleppo pepper butter, herb garlic yogurt, za’atar (a cornerstone of Middle Eastern cuisine as a popular prepared spice blend), on toasted bread, and artfully topped with greens.

I will absolutely sing hosannas over the moderately spicy tang of aleppo pepper butter mixed with herb garlic yogurt. I suggest dipping portions of the eggs with the butter and yogurt for a tasty-spicy, unique combination of flavors guaranteed to wake up your morning palate. Follow that with a sip of rich, flavorful artisan coffee for a complete wake-up call!

Portioning was just right …the five-minute eggs gave me a great morning dose of protein and helped me feel full the rest of the day, and the garlic yogurt provided a substantial amount of dairy, while the greens rounded out my dietary needs! 

Amanda opted for their Salmon Toast, which featured tangy, citrus-cured salmon, paired with onion cream cheese, pickled onions and peppers on toasted sourdough, with everything spice and dil. The tangy salmon mixed well with the onion cream cheese on nutty, toasted sourdough. 

Like everything else Amanda has sampled at Café Robey, she pronounced it “great!” 

She also opted for one of their special summer drinks…The Daniela, a light, summery mix of Prairie gin, elderflower, hibiscus, and lemon, which Amanda pronounced “refreshing!” Additionally, we recommend their Bloody Mary, which really could double as an an appetizer. Made with gluten-free Three Olives Vodka, this slightly spicy Bloody Mary has a house-made mix, festooned with a large cheese and meat garnish. Highly recommended!! 

I wish we had room to taste more of their brunch (and lunch) creations.  At some point, we’re willing to test out their Banana Bread, unique in that Café Robey uses  brown butter banana bread, pairing it with an almond oat crumble, and  chocolate almond butter.  Or their Yogurt Parfait with honey- lime yogurt, granola, and fresh berries. BLT Eggs Benedict hasa five-minute egg, Boston bibb lettuce, heirloom tomato, bacon lardons, lemon hollandaise, and chives on an English muffin. 

Their Buttermilk Pancakes come with whipped butter, powdered sugar, and for an upcharge, you can add strawberry, blueberry or chocolate. I’m especially curious about their French Toast with citrus custard, whipped mascarpone, peach compote, and a sugar cookie crumble (wow!)

They also feature a unique Carrot & Peach Salad, made with arugula, romaine, peaches, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds, in a carrot vinaigrette. Finally, their Duck Hash has potato, poblano peppers, duck confit, charred onions, and sunny side up eggs. 

Amanda and I had no room for dessert this trip, but we’re coming back for their Strawberry Shortcake with a griddled biscuit, whipped mascarpone and fresh strawberries.Or, maybe their Cheesecake, with mascarpone, peach compote, and a white chocolate ganache. Yum! 

Café Robey is located at 1616 N. Milwaukee Avenue  Sunday to Thursday  their hours are 7am-9pm, and Friday -Saturday from 7sm-10pm. Reservations are HIGHLY recommended  and can be made by clicking here  

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago