Justin brought me here for the continuation of my brunch culinary tour of Chicago. Sweet Maple Cafe is supposed to really popular with the locals, and it was – there was a long wait and lots of ppl standing outside, even at 9am on a Sunday. The wait was also longer than advertised, which got me really hoping that the food was going to be worth it.

Not quite. The ambiance of the place is super cozy, with faded white walls and old flooring and furniture as part of the appeal. Service was brisk and indifferent, which doesn’t match with how “homey” you’d expect a place like this to be. Food portions are big, but the flavor wasn’t all that.

Given the long wait and just “ok” food, I’d probably choose other popular brunch diners over Sweet Maple Cafe next time.

came here recently for breakfast on a sunday, and the wait was so loooong (+30 min).

food: it’s not fancy/trendy, but more your homemade cookin’. the food is good, but nothing to rave about. i wouldn’t wait (any amount of time) to eat here again.

ambience: small, unassuming, but charming in its own way.

service: quick, attentive.

i’m still puzzled why there were so many people waiting to eat here…

I heard somewhere that Sweet Maple Cafe was supposed to be good and the last time I tried to come the line was too long for me to wait so I had some pretty high expectations.

When you first step in the door, you realize how tiny this place is – it’s no wonder the line is so long. The decor is very down-to-earth and homey with nothing glitzy. Because it’s so small, we had to wait way longer than we anticipated (30+ min at 9am??).

The food appeared to have some southern influence so I was excited to order cheddar grits as my side order. However, while the omelet I had tasted good, it wasn’t top notch omelet-quality like Yolk. Yolk has ruined me for anyone else’s omelets.

Sweet Maple is good, but it’s not great. I’d rather go to one of my usual South Loop brunch places than drive to near the UIC campus.