Rainbow Restaurant & Pancake House

Hands down the most disgusting breakfast I have ever had. Completely baffled by the ratings this place gets. If poor service, runny eggs and shoe leather steak are your idea of four stars, then this joint is for you. Otherwise, run like hell.

This is such a great place! We came for breakfast on a Sunday morning and it was very crowded in the lobby. Despite the crowd, we were seated within 10 minutes; I was very impressed. The staff is so hard working and friendly! We both ordered omelets (highly recommend the Athenian). The pancakes that come with were so good! The hashbrowns on my plate were burned on the bottom, but I still ate around that and they were good. I highly recommend this place if you’re looking for a delicious breakfast!

First of all, the BEST belgian waffle I’ve ever had. It’s a basic food I know but the crispness and flavor has been consistant for YEARS. I’ve stopped ordering waffles eleswhere because I’m always left disappointed. The family and I also like to visit for dinner. The whole family loves the bread service with the delicious crossaints and tasty muffins. The wife loves the chicken parmesean (my wife and I agree this would not be considered «true italian» but their take on it is still quite delicious). I’m a fan of the hot open face turkey sandwich and daily soups.
Plenty to pick for the kids and crayons and activity page to keep them busy. Service is always really fast as it seems clear the goal is to turn tables quick. They pull this off without feeling rushed which is appreciated.

Pleading from a friend to meet at the Rainbow, I figured it was worth a try for breakfast, even though it was way out of my way. Same as not judging a book by its cover, the worn out diner on the outside isn’t the testament to much of anything beyond aesthetics, of which this place is missing a lot of. If there’s one thing that all restaurants should care about, it’s their bathroom facilities, and that’s the one thing Rainbow couldn’t care less about. At 10 a.m., the ladies room floor is puddled with pee, and the 2 stalls and small wash area are absolutely grotesque. Okay… use bathroom facilities somewhere else or pray you don’t need to use them. Yikes.
The food. Nothing to admire, or return for, but at least they don’t totally mess up an omelette, hash browns and pancakes, which are strangely gooey and stick to the plate — albeit, tasty. The omelette is supposed to have avocado, but I don’t see or taste evidence of any. Instead, I do see/​taste tomato, swiss cheese, zucchini and onion. It’s fine. Not brag worthy, but edible. The hash browns are fine. Once again, not brag worthy and not better than any other place that serves the same item for breakfast. Coffee, although plentiful and waitstaff always coming by to warm our cups, is the weakest form of Joe I’ve had in a long, long time. For the life of me, I don’t get why this diner is packed to the gills on a Saturday a.m. starting at 8 a.m., but it is. The prices are fair, although this place is by no means a steal. Any other area breakfast place will cost the same. Perhaps if the ladies room weren’t an overly grotesque filth cabinet, I may have found the nostalgia in a place locked 50 years prior, but I just can’t. Not a germaphobe whatsoever, I think I became an instant one while dining at the Rainbow.

Went to this restaurant for lunch because it is very close to my job. I pass by it when I’m walking and see a nice amount of people dining there so today was the day to try it out. First things first, this is the true definition of a diner and the waitresses are SUPER SWEET and nice. Very warm and welcoming which made me feel good. The problem I had was the guy ringing up my food. He was very rude talking on the phone and not even acknowledging that I was there. He just took my money and gave me my receipt and went back to his phone call. Now the food… wasn’t the best thing since sliced bread but partially edible. Pancakes were subpar, omelette was very much so under seasoned and the mushrooms taste like they were in a can (yuck)…now the worst part the hash browns. They were completely burnt. Now I like my hash browns to have some crunch but I don’t want it to be black. Totally unacceptable. Would I go back absolutely not worth my time and money. The saving grace for this restaurant are the nice waitresses.

My family used to come here a lot when we lived in this area. I came back today with my husband and the kids. I was surprised that they no longer give complimentary small glasses of orange juice and freshly baked bread. Our server told us that bread is only served with soup or dinner orders and orange juice stopped 2 years ago. Overall not as busy as it used to be. The food is still good, especially breakfast. The omelets are fresh and tasty and portions are decent.

One of my favorite spots for breakfast and lunch. It’s a bit small and does get crowded on Saturday and Sunday mornings — so expect a wait during «peak» times. The food is excellent and they give you huge portions. Wait staff is very attentive. We love the food here and always come back. Definitely give them a try!

great, cozy breakfast place with awesome food (try the plain crepes). great service (try the crepes).

Really love this place. Been there with my friends on weekends plenty of times. Always a good atmosphere and the service is fast and friendly. Recommend the pancakes for sure. Looking forward to my next visit!

I just went here for the first time and I ordered the skirt steak and my boyfriend had the texas skillet and they were both incredible! Tanya was our waitress and she was seriously top-​notch. Also loving the halloween vibes right now with all the cute décor. Cant get enough of this place! They seriously make you feel at home as soon as you walk in. Best restaurant in Elmhurst, this will for sure be my new go-​to

Service is awesome, food even better. Portions are huge so take some home and still leave stuffed.

Your standard family diner with an impressive menu. There are so many choices… I don’t know how you can chose the best one. Enjoy the never ending coffee for a while. This place is crazy busy on Sunday mornings!

I never thought there was ACTUALLY gold at the end of the rainbow, but brunch today proved me wrong.
First impression: Originally, my family and I were headed to Egg Harbor, but with a crowd out the door we decided to try Rainbow for the first time. Although crowded, we were seated immediately. Almost instantly we had 4 waters on our table, a basket filled with bread, muffins and crackers, an abundance of butter and a lovely waitress who offered us coffee. Can’t beat that kind of service! We quickly noticed our option of international delight french vanilla and hazelnut creamers. And next to that, Cholula hot sauce. First impression = awesome.
The ambiance: You know how when you go drinking with your friends, there is always that one friend that gets suuppeerr drunk and starts saying crazy things like «let’s open a nautical themed breakfast restaurant together»? Yeah, jokes on you. There’s such a thing.
Giant painting of a ship, Greek mythology themed decorative water fountain, and little fish cardboard cutouts. All of this amongst the look of a classic breakfast restaurant. I… I loved it.
The menu: MASSIVE. There is a little something for everyone on this menu. It took us at least 15 minutes to figure out what we wanted. Typically when restaurants have a large menu, there is just as large of a worry about the quality of each item. That was not an issue here. I ordered a grilled cheese (adventurous, I know) hash browns instead of fries and a side of bacon. Bro ordered a Belgian waffle with scrambled eggs and bacon. Mom ordered some sort of skirt steak skillet with mushroom, onion, peppers, melted cheese and 2 eggs over easy. And my dad ordered a chicken stir fry (gotta pray for something like stir fry to be good at a place like this).
Quality: My father’s dish was the best. (The stir fry? I know! We couldn’t believe it either.) His plate was steaming hot until the second he finished. Moms skillet was on point! (Except it tasted like the mushrooms were from a can? Not 100% on that, but texture wise implied that they were). Other than that it was delicious. The steak was very tender (about a medium — medium well in temperature). And between my bro and myself — classic brunch done right. My hash browns were a little too dark on one side with more of a lumpy opposed to shredded texture, but were just fine. And the bacon. Oooohhhhh the bacon was delicious. Not too crispy, which is the way bacon should be. Perfect. Mmmm bacon.
Overall: Massive portions, friendly service, large parking lot, great area, and all of that food for $ 60. Averages to $ 15 per person and we all had food to bring home.
Rainbow — you had quite the challenge making up for a missed brunch at Egg Harbor Café. But you have not only exceeded my expectations, but exceeded the amount of food we would have gotten at our previous pick and cut the cost.
Two thumbs up from the comfy couch of a full fan.

Been here a few times. It’s okay, I mean it’s your typical diner. The food isn’t bad and it’s not amazing either. I don’t know why, but I ordered the same thing twice which was the turkey BLT which was good, but the turkey was dry and there was too much of it! I think I had breakfast one other time too. Service is always good, people are friendly, and the prices are reasonable. They have a large menu, so lot’s to choose from.

I was really looking forward to enjoying the dinner based on the reviews I read ahead of my visit. First impressions were ok w/​a friendly greeter and waiter. But the table was dirty (I didn’t mention it though). The menu is HUGE (like most Greek restaurants). I ordered one of the specials for the day, chicken parmesean. It came w/​a bread basket and soup or salad.
Service throughout the meal was fine and friendly.
The bread was ok. I ordered the garden salad w/​french dressing. It was fine too. For the entrée, I had a choice of spaghetti or mostacciolli (my choice). The sauce and pasta was pretty good. No complaints there. It was the chicken parm that threw me. The chicken was not breaded. I’ve never heard of it being served unbreaded. Let’s just say it look like boiled chicken. It was topped w/​the sauce (fine) and then cheese. For the cheese, it looked like they put 3 slices of Muenster cheese on top and broiled it. It tasted and felt like American cheese. Again was not what I would have expected.
I’m not opposed to giving them another try.

After passing this place for years I finally read the reviews on Unilocal and decided to stop in. I went alone one afternoon and had a delicious meal that was pleasing and reasonably priced. I passed on the bread basket and opted for a chopped steak, medium, with broccoli as a side along with a small salad — lemon wedges only. Everything was perfect. The salad was fresh and the waitress provided plenty of lemon wedges. The steak was perfect and well seasoned. The broccoli was fresh and nicely steamed. For about $ 10 I had a healthy meal that was satisfying and worth repeating.

Cheap Eats and Good Treats is the easiest way to describe Elmhurst’s breakfast staple!
This weekend I had the Chef’s crepes. Strawberry, banana and delicious. I’m going to try the dutch apple pancake next time.
Call ahead for the soup of the day. I’ve had their chicken dumpling and beef barley. NOt sure on which days but very good. PLUS you get a basket a bread! super cheap breakfast.
Currently they’re showcasing art. It’s not for sale, but it’s fun to watch the environment change. Gives you something to talk about.
OPEN all the time! you can never go wrong with rainbow for early breakfast or after an all-​nighter!

The Rainbow has been in town for many years and it’s a good breakfast choice. While we hadn’t been here for a long time we weren’t surprised to see it’s still as busy as ever. From a cost standpoint, this is one of the more reasonable options in town. I ordered the Denver omelet and I really enjoyed it. What I particularly liked was that the side of fruit came with a half of a banana. I sliced that up and put it on my pancakes. With the extra thick syrup they serve, it seemed more like dessert than breakfast. Yum.
As of this writing there are ninety-​six restaurants in Elmhurst. I plan on eating at, and reviewing, every one. Follow me on Unilocal

Very good family style meals and desserts. Reasonable prices and friendly service. Waitresses always have a smile and take very good care of you. They do have a variety of daily specials as well as having regular senior specials on their menu. There also is counter seating if your on your own and looking for a quick seat when they are very busy and most of the tables and booths are taken. Small parking lot along the side of the restaurant is available.
I live by downtown Chicago but anytime I am out west near here this is my go to place for a very good meal and an enjoyable dining experience.

Somewhere over the rainbow, delicious food will come to you!
My friend and I used to refer to Rainbow Restaurant as the most magical place in all of Elmhurst. Why? Because the food is great, it’s cheap and it comes out so fast you won’t believe it. You don’t usually get those three things together. Generally it’s pick one or sometimes two of the above.
The food is pretty much what you expect from any of Chicagoland’s greek family-​owned diners. An enormous menu filled with every option you can imagine awaits you.
They excel at breakfast, and the skillets are top notch. For dinner, I’m a fan of the chicken or veal parmesan. They melt a really nice cheese over the top, which gives great flavor. This isn’t upscale foodie cuisine, but for a good hot meal they can’t be beat. Soups are all fresh and really good too.
The wait staff is always friendly, and I have never waited more than 10 minutes for my food. I can be in and out in under a half hour.
Dreams of deliciousness really do come true…