Yolk River North

Phenominal. Blew every expectation of breakfast I ever had away. I am NOT a breakfast person; I don’t like breakfast food, but for my boyfriend’s sake I found a breakfast restaurant (Yolk) and off we went. First of all, the inside is adorable. The wait staff was friendly enough without being overbearing too early in the morning. The FOOD? AMAZING. It is more on the pricey side, but you get enough food to make up for it, and it’s delicious. Beautiful presentation, delicious food, I wish I had one in my state!

The food was great got there EALRY. Would have given 4 ½ stars if I could have the server got busy and was hard to wrap up our breakfast at the end but he was great and the food is always great when I come. I’ve been here about a dozen times and never had a bad meal

It was my first time in Chicago and I was looking for a great breakfast place. Found Yolk! Restaurant is bright and happy with a lot of yellow décor. Staff was exceptionally friendly and my service was spectacular.
Some of the best coffee I’ve had and their fresh squeezed strawberry OJ was delicious. Perfect for a hot summer day.
I got the West Coast Crepes. It was good, but would definitely try another dish if I’m ever back. Lots of beautiful dishes coming out of the kitchen.
My only complaint was that there were no vegan options. However there were plenty of vegetarian choices!
Would highly recommend!!!

Accessibility (Parking /​Wait Time)
¹⁄₁ Star: no wait
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Service (Waiter /​Cleanness /​Ambiance)
¹⁄₁ Star: great service
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Taste (0=Not Edible /​1=Edible /​2=Good (average) /​3=Must Try!)
³⁄₃ Stars: Red Velvet French Toast is a Must Try!
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Overall Experience
⁵⁄₅ Stars
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Last Words
Very loud in here

I came in early on a Thursday morning. It wasn’t too busy but quickly filled up. On the recommendation of my very friendly server, I got the chilaquiles and added chorizo. It was amazing and came with sour cream and a couple slices of avocado. The coffee was great too. Prices are moderate; my coffee and meal cost $ 15.
The service was really great, and my coffee was never empty. The servers were friendly and checked in but weren’t overly pushy. My food came out very quickly. It seems like a place you could easily get in and out on your way to work or go for a quick lunch.

Bright and friendly — absolutely loved the pancakes and syrup. Free flowing coffee (nice touch with flavored cream packets). Looked like lot’s of locals — always a good sign. Also served the bacon crispy — only way in my book! Servings are large. Would recommend for sure.

Love Yolk’s River North location! They sat us immediately at the bar, service there was speedy. Alexandra was one of the friendliest and attentive servers I’ve had in a while. I could not stop eating the Very Berry French Toast. Toast perfectly done, soft middle with golden crusts. Berries, Greek yogurt and granola topping added the right amount of sweetness that wasn’t too tart or overbearing.
The Works omelette was another hit with us, great flavor even with egg whites and a lot of food for the price!
The food at Yolk is always worth the wait for us!

Best thing about Yolk? They offer combo plates with both sweet & savory items! Never again will you have to deliberate over a breakfast of carbs or protein, French toast or eggs. They let you have both! Why doesn’t every breakfast place do this? The Yolk Street combo was perfect: 2 eggs, sausage, bacon, and French toast or pancakes. The best of all worlds.
I will say, the French Toast was just okay– definitely on the dry side (don’t you hate it when it’s just a piece of dry bread with an eggy coating?). But still happy that I got my carbs & protein in one sitting.
Service was fantastic for our very large group. Food came out fast and coffee refills were a’flowing. Definitely a breakfast hot spot for good reason.

I came here on a Mother’s Day afternoon and was surprised to find that we were seated right away.
The menu had lots of exciting brunch selections and it was really hard to choose. I decided on the chicken and waffle with an extra egg (+$ 1) on top.
Our server was very friendly and service was great overall. The restaurant is very loud and busy.
I was with a group of 9 people, but we ended up having to split due to the lack of seating for large groups.
Food came out fast overall and the portions were huge!
I had a hard time finishing my entire plate and left with a big food belly.
I would definitely want to come back again to try other items on their menu!

This spot reminds me of First Watch in Florida. It’s a breakfast spot but I don’t feel much of a vibe.
The service was fabulous, truly enjoyed our server but the meal wasn’t entirely memorable.
The latte was in a coffee cup so it was tiny. Maybe I am spoiled by large, grand lattes at breakfast spots but it just didn’t justify the size to price ratio for me.
I went for the South Beach which was a ½ pineapple filled w/​goodies: strawberries, yogurt, granola, and walnuts. While it was presented beautifully with a #FoodPorn stature, it just didn’t deliver for me. I felt like the pineapple pieces were overwhelming to the rest of the plate and there wasn’t enough yogurt or granola.
Overall is was okay but not sure I would return quickly.

If you are looking for a quick breakfast in the river north area, this is a good spot. They have lunch too, but the food for lunch is not worth it. I have a hard time playing $ 25 for and simple breakfast. It’s always packed, so the service is very slow. I would take the food to go if you can! Average at best.

We came here for brunch on Saturday, April 17 and about 4 hours later four out of the six of us were sick throwing up within minutes of each other. This was the only thing we had eaten that day. 12 hours later were all fine, no more sign of any illness. We got food poisoning.
I called today to talk to the manager and let him know and he was very rude and unsympathetic on the phone. Having no possible concern at all about this and not believing we had food poisoning because we didn’t go to the hospital.
Would never go here again.

Came here on a whim. Food was just okay. My pancakes were burnt so it was chewy. My sunny side eggs were eggs, didn’t expect anything exciting. The diced red potatoes were good. Delish with hot sauce (isn’t everything?!) the syrup for my pancakes were obviously poured way earlier in the day. When my boyfriend poured the syrup, it didn’t come out of the bowl at all. Instead, it was hard at the top almost like it was brûlée lol. Quite interesting to see since I never eat syrup.

OMG wow. Sooo good. I was there from out of town on business and went here the two mornings I was there. Both times the service was outstanding and the food was amazing. Drooling just thinking about the perfect eggs.

Good breakfast spot!
The restaurant is simple, nothing special about the décor. The service is great, the staff is really attentive and organized. the restaurant gets super busy, but the wait to be seated is not that bad, 5 minutes or so. My husband asked for almond milk for his coffee and the waitress brought it to the table right away, she made sure to check with us a couple of times to see if we needed anything.
The food was really good, Eggs Beneditc perfectly cooked, potato pancakes really good too. The coffee could be better, but I must say I am a really picky coffee drinker.
In my opinion the prices are reasonable. The portions are good. Overall very good experience and good food in my belly. I like how kid friendly this place is, you can come here with a huge group and bring all your little cousins and nephews and they will feel at home.

I’ve been to other Yolk locations, but this was my first visit to this one. Knowing that they don’t take reservations, and we had a large-​ish group of 9 people, I was worried about getting a table in a timely manner. I needn’t have worried, as they had a table for us right away, and we actually had to wait for enough of our party to get there to be seated!
Our waitress was awesome; she saw our BYOB bottles of champagne and immediately recommended the strawberry orange juice (which was delicious!). She asked if we wanted our checks split, which surprised me because so many places in Chicago won’t do it even when you ask. She was attentive in checking on us while we waited for the rest of our group to arrive, and throughout the meal.
The food was delicious, which is consistent with the other Yolk experiences I’ve had. The food came out pretty quickly as well. After we were done she didn’t rush us out the door, either, which was nice.
The only downside I can think of is that it’s pretty loud in there. That’s about par for most brunch places, so it’s not a huge deal, but worth mentioning. Everything else was great!

My wife and I ate here this morning. We were both pleased with our meals. The only problem was that our waiter was extremely slow and would not refill our drinks. We had to constantly ask for refills. The food was very good though! We will be coming back here.

Went to Chicago for a quick weekend trip, and I wanted a delicious typical breakfast, and Yolk was brought to my attention. Great service, great coffee, the pancakes are a must have! I had their sweet potato hash and I wasn’t much of a fan, the potatoes needed to be cooked a little more and there wasn’t a lot of taste to it. But it’s ok the pancakes made up for what the hash lacked! Try it out!

I came down to Yolk reading good reviews. I had the all star breakfast that came with eggs, bacon, sausage and crepes. Personally, I wasn’t quite happy with the quantity as it left me hungry. Taste wise, the dish was ok.
My wife had Ricky combo. It surely tasted way better than my dish. Ended up eating half of her portion. Certainly recommend it for spicy folks!
Finally, coffee was one of the best I have had around.

It really didn’t impress me, the portion sizes are average, the food was lukewarm, it’s really expensive for breakfast and I didn’t feel any value for the money. Breakfast for 3 was $ 55 including tip. The wait wasn’t bad, service was good. The dining room was clean, I was impressed at the quiet efficiency of the bus people cleaning and resetting the tables.
It was ok, not great. I wouldn’t make a special trip to dine there.

Plain and simple food was amazing RED VELVET FRENCH TOAST… That is all
Cons server needed to be a bit more attentive on just asking if we needed anything else but she was nice and we were sat promptly.

My go-​to place for brunch in the city. Some of the best things to get here are eggs, get it yolk?! The restaurant itself is even shaped like an egg, really. Anyway, crony jokes aside I’ve had wonderful omelets and skillets here and the eggs benedict is great! The challah french toast is also wonderful.
It can get a bit crowded at times, especially if the weather is nice over the weekends but I’ve never felt rushed and have always been able to linger with my table no matter how busy it is.

Yolk never ever disappoints.
Every time I come to Chicago, I make it a priority to come to Yolk. Ordering breakfast/​brunch is not always the easiest for me because I like a little bit of everything. I can’t just order an omelette or pancakes. I NEED both. So sometimes I’ll make whoever i’m with share an two entrees so I can have both. But no need to do this at Yolk. Yolk makes this SO EASY!!! When you order an omelette, you get an order of pancakes on the side (or toast) AND fruit (or potatoes) — no extra charge! It’s just too perfect. I am also a creature of habit so i always order the same thing. I’m sorry but it’s just so dang good and perfect for me.
I always order the California (five egg) Omelet. OMG. Do yourself a favor and get this. It is an omelette with avocado, sautéed mushrooms, green onions, tomatoes, and garlic — topped with jack, swiss, cheddar AND sour cream. Add blueberry pancakes on the side and that’s pretty much all I need in life. OKAY YOLK. You win. I’m in brunch heaven. And don’t forget the coffee. They actually have great coffee too. Not even a little bit surprised.
Already can’t wait to go back.

We loved breakfast/​brunch here. The atmosphere is modern, but casual at the same time. The s’mores hot chocolate was so delightful and creamy.
I had the Hey Ricky! 5 eggs omelet with pancakes and fruit. While I am more of a waffle girl myself, I have to say that Yolk’s pancakes were wonderful. The maple syrup had a little smoke to it, which brought these pancakes to the next level.
If you visit Yolk, bring your appetite! The plates are big and the flavors magnificent.

what a scene… just for breakfast food. It is well worth it.
If you come here past 11 AM on a Sunday you may have to wait like 25 – 40 minutes while some people who live nearby take turns waiting to get some eggs while they are in their PJ’s
The coffee is great… and you will need it because its sunday and how else can you prepare for another day of mad drinking

Our first time here and it was great. The family really enjoyed their breakfasts. I had the smoked salmon scrambler with capers and a side of hollandaise. It was great. Our server was fantastic and extremely helpful. We were in at 9 on a Saturday and sat down immediately. It did get pretty busy as we ate.
We would definitely come back.

I like this location much better than the crowded downtown locations. Had a great breakfast skillet; feta, tomato, spinach. The coffee is brewed my Metropolis for Yolk and it’s delish. One of my breakfast companions ordered the breakfast poutine and I had a taste. Yum. Another ordered chocolate chip pancakes topped with banana and layered with peanut butter. I think it was called chunky monkey. Lots of options for vegetarians and even gluten free items as well. They have a great staff and food is always cooked well and fresh.

Can never get enough of this place; I’ve been to the West Loop location and just recently found out this one existed, only a few blocks walking from my condo. My girlfriend and I took one of our close friends here for a bday brunch on Halloween, it was surprisingly packed at noon during the downpour, however our group of four was seated immediately. I went with the classic skillet, a popular favorite, and my girlfriend with the very berry french toast. Both were fresh and delicious, and our waiter was extremely attentive with quick service. Will definitely be back soon —
Best,
Charlie

If you’re one of those people who goes to brunch places and can never decide what to order, Yolk probably isn’t for you. Eggs any way you can possibly think of, pancakes, french toast, waffles, the list goes on. You will definitely have a hard time deciding, like I did.
I finally settled on the Irish Benny — toasted english muffin, corned beef hash and grilled tomatoes topped with two poached eggs and hollandaise. I love poached eggs and I love corned beef hash, so I knew I had made the right choice. Or at least I thought I did. It wasn’t as good as I expected. The hash was very greasy, expectedly so. but that together with the hollandaise was just a little too much — especially for a first meal of the day. If you’re going to order this, I would suggest asking for the sauce on the side.
The good thing is that they give you huge portions, so a meal here is definitely worth it. My eggs benny came with some home fries and a good amount of fruit. The fruit really helped with cutting down some of the grease.
The pancakes here are pretty good. I’m not normally a fan of pancakes but I wouldn’t mind waking up to a couple stacks of those every now and then! If I’m ever in Chicago again, I would deffo stop by Yolk again.

This was our reward after working the Chicago Marathon.
Breakfast and lunch are served in the morning, so I opted for the buffalo chicken salad with coffee. The buffalo chicken salad had some kick and the lettuce was quality. Good portion.
Coffee was good and refilled often.
Pleasant and attentive service.

I try to stay far away from chain restaurants when it comes to Chicago food. According to locals, most chain restaurants are overpriced and touristy and the food is better in tucked away corners down unknown streets.
I was coerced into trying Yolk for the first time with a few coworkers. Upon entering we were greeted with a sunny smile and a warm welcome and that was great first thing in the morning.
There is ample seating at this location. so there was no wait. The menu is quite extensive and sometimes this frustrates me because it always takes me long to make a decision. It was between the red velvet French toast or chicken and waffles. I chose the latter because it was cheaper.
The waffle was delicious. Fluffy, savory because there was bacon in the batter, and buttery. Paired with the decent yet generic chicken tenders, it made for a great breakfast.
My two coworkers both ordered skillets. All together the bill came to just under $ 50. So it was relatively inexpensive for the portion sizes.

Great for breakfast! The portions are huge for the price! It was a struggle to finish my dish, keep in mind, I have a huge appetite. I ordered the Iron man omelette that came with fresh fruits (1 slice of pineapple, a hand full of grapes, 1 slice of watermelon, 2 slices of orange) AND 2 pancakes! Say what!!! I didn’t finish my plate. The pancakes were fluffy and the fresh were ultra fresh and sweet. BUT the omelette; it’s egg whites! I don’t have to be concerned about eating the whole omelette! It was so filling, flavorful and perfect. Hands down the best omelette I ever had. Now I request all my omelettes to be made out of egg whites. Thanks yolk river north!
The staff are ridiculously nice. They were so welcoming and friendly that I could ignore the grumpy cat across the table. He ordered the benedict and of course I had to rob some and all his fruits. The benedict was good? I was never huge on benedicts; I can only say when it’s bad.
Overall, if you’re starving, this is a great place to hit up.

I visited this location for breakfast and lunch while in Chicago. Solid customer service and great food.
I had the cheesy egg sandwich for breakfast with a side of fruit. For lunch I had the baby kale salad and added 8 oz salmon on the side. Both meals were filling and delicious.
I would recommend Yolk and look forward to visiting again.

Immediate reaction after eating: been here a few times with small and large groups and they are always outstanding, I recommend any Benedict (tip get the hollandaise sauce on the side) monster size ham steak, yacht club sandwich plus bottomless coffee and I always want to order crepes at breakfast places but I need protein in the morning so this place lets you get a dessert size one (which means only one crêpe which is awesome!!!) …
Bottom line: amazing breakfast, you will be happy with anything u order, lovely staff and great portions — adding to one of my favs

My friend wanted to go out for brunch in River North and since this place has good reviews, I suggested Yolk. I went on a weekday so there was no wait.
I ordered El Torero Scrambler which consisted of chorizo, avocado, tomatoes, jack and cheddar cheeses, topped with sour cream and served with a side of salsa. I thought it was delicious! The chorizo had a nice kick to it, but not too spicy. The portion size was big so I only ate half, but I could have easily finished it if I was hungrier. I picked a side of toast and fruit to go with my scrambler. The toast was a little burnt, but I didn’t mind it too much. I also got a cup of bottomless coffee which the servers kept filling.
This place has solid breakfast/​brunch food options with good service. Definitely come here!

This was my favorite brunch meal during my short 4 days in Chicago!
The plan was to come here before heading to Art Institute. I’d heard about the long waits and had wanted to come earlier but got off schedule waiting on a long line for doughnuts at Doughnut Vault. Don’t worry, we didn’t eat all 5 we got until hours after brunch, heheh.
We arrived around 11 to an estimated 25 min wait but were seated in 10 at the counter, yay. The open kitchen is an absolute madhouse with dozens of orders in queue to go out every minute. Despite the bustle, it was all so orderly! Very interesting to watch. Anyway, I ordered the egg white California omelette which came with fruit or potatoes and a choice of carb soo pancakes, obviously.
This 5 egg omelette was an absolute beast and loaded with cheddar, swiss, jack, avocado, peppers, green onions, tomatoes and mushrooms. Each bite was oozy, delicious and very satisfying. The side of fruit was fresh and plentiful. The pancakes were also very good. Fluffy and light. I enjoyed these pancakes more than the ones I had at the super popular Wildberry Pancakes & Café. I ate everything. The value for this supercharged meal was baffling — $ 12! What.
I’d definitely come back if I make my way to the Windy City again.