Eleven City Diner is EXACTLY what I need on a Saturday morning!
I work a few blocks from here, and my staff and I sometimes get a gigantic carry out order of brunch/lunch and assorted awesomeness.
I've never had a problem requesting substitutions or making slight changes to our order. They're quick to put it together, and always get it right! Love love love.
Wow, what a tasty treat!
Came here in the middle of the summer on a rainy day. Â It was an odd hour for lunch (I think it was around 2PM?), so there was no line and we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
It's a big, New York-style kosher deli, and beats the hell out of what I have available back home. Â I was really hungry from schlepping around the streets all day with the kids, so I went a little out of control.
I started off with the Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese fries, easily the best cheese fries I've ever had. Â The fries were perfect and fresh, and the cheese sauce... I didn't know whether or not to eat it or rub it on my body. Â It was so good, and I could feel my arteries clogging with each yummy bite.
Also, on the scale of going a little crazy, I chose a draft beer and a chocolate malt. Â Because this is America, and I can. Â Great chocolate malt, didn't even have to tell them I wanted it with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup, they already knew!
For my entree, I went with the "Number 24", the most decadent sandwich humanity has ever conceived. Â A corned beef and pastrami sandwich with chopped liver as a condiment (that really happened) and swiss cheese. Â I couldn't eat enough of that sandwich. Â I considered leaving my wife and kids for that sandwich. Â I started to lose sensation in my extremities while I was eating that sandwich. Â When I woke up from my daze, everyone was just sort of staring at me.
Really vast menu, lots to choose from for both deli, lunch, etc. Â And they serve beer and liquor. Â If I lived near this joint, I'd probably weigh 500 pounds.
I love pancakes. Like, LOVE pancakes. Prior to coming to Eleven City, I had just discovered that  my car had just been towed from the south loop to god-knows-where on the south side, lucky me.  So the pancakes were as much a mood-lift as a meal at that point.
So, despite the towed car, fatigue, and cold driving February Chicago rain, walking into this fun, quirky awesome place immediately brightened my mood. But to be honest, the 4 stars is almost more for the decor than the food- the pancakes had great flavor, but were so dense that I only ate a third of them. That's all I could manage! I felt extremely guilty leaving all of that food on my plate. My dining partner had eggs and hashbrowns and seemed to like them a lot...
I'll definitely come back here, I'll just try something different next time..;.
We've been here several times before. Â Last Sunday, I ordered the Tofu Scramble....I asked the server to leave out the 3 eggs, and to ask the chef to use very little oil when cooking the vegetables. Â First, she looked a bit confused, but recovered nicely. Â The plate came out, way too much oil, thankfully no eggs. Â But, sadly they chose to charge us full price for this dish. Â Not cool.
Review Source:This diner is definitely worth a look if you are a tourist or casual South Loop visitor. Â Having grown up around diners in the Northeast, I was looking for one within Chicago (found about 4) that would specifically stand out. Â Eleven City is about a mile from Manny's Cafeteria so it has stiff competition with the loyal crowd over there. Â Having gone to both, Eleven City stands out in quality and uniqueness. Â With a modern spin on old cuisine, Eleven City delivers on breakfast meals, and your traditional deli sandwiches. Â I will say due to the location, the prices are a bit overpriced, but in my opinion worth it. Â Manny's cafeteria is priced similar and you do not get as much, in addition Manny's is not near an EL station. Â Also you'll notice Manny's area is not as clean as the South Loop area. Â Try out Eleven City its great!
Review Source:We went to this cafe because the wait for Yolk down the street was too long AND Eleven City Diner serves cocktails with brunch. Â Our wait was not too long (about 20 minutes) and the our server was attentive even though she had a full load of tables. Â The entire diner is "Jewish deli meets Sunday brunch modern flare". Â Lots of college students and tourists were there as well. Â
I had the challah bread French toast with coconut and strawberries. Â It was really tasty. Â The portion sizes are huge and their blood mary's and mimosas are yummy too (but expensive-- watch it on the cocktails a blood mary was like $9). Â I would totally go back but probably refrain from the drinks only because they are expensive.
We stopped in for breakfast with friends on Monday and had a great breakfast. I had the corned beef hash with hash-browns and toast. My meal came prepared the way I like it, the toast was a little on the dark side, but all-in-all we had an excellent dinning experience! We also had dessert and it was fantastic, I had a huge slice of the chocolate cake and the wife had the red-velvet both were outstanding creations.
Review Source:I like this place. Good to play catch-up with a friend or watch people while having brunch. Bar stools are fun. The bartender was polite without being pushy. The veggie burger was loaded and tasted great; same with the side salad. Expect a 15-20 min wait on the weekends as this place is popular with the brunch crowd.
Review Source:The quality of service at Eleven City Diner has improved tremendously since it first opened several years ago. Just reading my previous review prompted me to mention that I cannot recall having a less than awesome sit-down or carry-out experience from here since I first posted the review.
Review Source:On Saturday morning we made it out before the brunch rush which was a first for me! As a result we could only order off the breakfast menu as the kitchen was still prepping lunch items - sort of sad. I went with the lox and latke. Others ordered an omelet with lox, lox platter, another type of omelet, and matzo ball soup. We had a plate of corned beef hash for the table to share. My latke was more like a mashed potato cake vs coarse grated potato which threw me off. Plus it was dry. I would try something else next time. Their Bloody Mary is good - very spicy. I always forget how this drink feels like a meal in itself. Eleven City Diner uses high quality ingredients, has a friendly staff, and diner décor that is not tacky.
3.5 stars
Spoken by me, defiantly at the outset...
"I don't care if I am getting on a plane...I'm getting the lox platter!!"
This is a lot of food. You may need the seatbelt extension. Live a little!! Â Well worth it! Â Get the Bloody Mary while you're at it.
Doesn't matter what you get - the serving size is ample. The wait can be long ( 40 minutes, Sunday mid-morning, so plan accordingly.) The service is exceptional. The most recent breakfast...we were speaking to one of the owner's parents - impressed that that individual is out on the floor on a Sunday morning. If I want to nitpick, one hostess was a little snarky so that blemishes an otherwise perfect memory of all visits here.
Convenient to get on/off the Orange line en route to MDW, but also somewhat convenient to the Museum Campus if you want a little after-breakfast (lunch, etc.) walk to your destination.
There are a few good breakfast spots nearby (for example, Yolk which is also great & Bongo Room which I find cramped & terribly noisy, but to each his own). I like the big booths and bar here at Eleven City as well as the "little diner" section. It can get noisy here too, but I find the acoustics more accommodating. Â Menu is vast, prices are what you'd expect, more or less!
Eleven City Diner is right down the block from me, so I'm a frequent diner. I must say, it's a staple in the neighborhood and I'm happy to have it so close by. However, we must address the pros and cons.
Pros: Huge menu, has almost anything you would ever want. Their matzo ball soup is great-- and the matzo ball will be as big as your head, no joke!
Cons: Long wait times, annoying host, slightly overpriced menu items (brunch can run you $40 for 2 people). Always really crowded and noisy.
I think I was there on an off night, because I hear the place gets packed. With that being said, I didn't really get the service I had hoped for from my waitress. The food was fabulous, although I had expected portions that were more in line with their prices. Neat decor. I'd recommend it.
Review Source:Not impressed with the food at all. Â However, 11 City Diner has a great diner atmosphere with lots of character. Â Loved the sodas and candy section at the entrance. Â But, none of the food we ordered was worth going back for.
I had the tuna melt, which had decent flavor, but the cheddar cheese was barely melted and tuna was not even warm (it was still cold inside). Â Not exaclty what I had in mind for a chilly Chicago winter day. Â My son's chicken and rice soup was bad (sadly, Campbell's soup from a can has better flavor in their stock). Â Essentially, it was watery with all white rice with three carrot coins and not a single shred of Chicken to be found in the entire bowl. Â I couldn't believe my eyes. Â I almost sent it back, but my son wasn't throwing a fuss and decided to fish out all the rice and leave the rest. Â My partner's veggie burger was very mediocre.
With all the fabulous food to be found in Chicago, 11 City Diner is not really worth putting on your list.
Went today, but forgot my phone so I didn't check in. Â In this day and age, how in the heck can anyone forget their phone????? Â But, I decided to enjoy myself anyway.
I had the "Woody Allen" which is a double decker corned beef and pastrami sandwich. It comes with cole slaw and a pickle. Â For an $11 sandwich, it is actually a pretty good size. Â Having been to New York a few weeks ago where I got a corned beef at the Brooklyn Diner for $20, this is a great deal.
My eyes are always bigger than my stomach, so I'm glad I passed on the Matzoh Ball soup. Â But, with Knishes, Latkes, Kreplach and other Jewish delicacies on the menu, I could easily have eaten until I burst.
The Diner got my wife's burger wrong so without any complaint, they took it back, brought her a new one, and comped it. Â What a great service save!
Looking forward to the next time I'm in the south loop to visit again.
I ordered takeout from this place when I was in Chicago. Â First of all, I was amazed to see good ol' mac and cheese on the menu, that too, with the options to add in certain toppings including spinach! Â So spinach mac and cheese it was for dinner on that cold November evening. Â Food hit the spot, no doubt. Â Very interesting menu with standard American fare; however, with some twists. Â The food was prepared promptly; the value tremendous. Â Check this place out. Â I'll try to sit down and eat here next time I'm in town.
Review Source:I really enjoyed everything - the environment, the staff and the food. Â Here's why:
Environment:  Eleven is a very much a Jewish deli - but with the comfort and style of a chill spot that  I want to visit frequently.  It's updated and cool.
Staff: Â the bar staff was friendly and engaging. Â Also provided good advice on ordering and food quantities, although I didn't follow it! Â Also a nice selection of liquor and strong delivery of my favorite brunch beverage, the Bloody Mary.
Food: Â I had a salad, matzoh ball soup and a pastrami sandwich. Â Yes, it was too much to eat but I was inspired enough to make a strong attempt on completion... Â And if you have a dessert focus, sit at the bar so you can see the luscious cakes - Â Chocolate and Red Velvet. I'll need a partner on that one!
I went here on a whim one workday because it was nearby. It's safe to say I will not return.
Waaay too expensive for what you get. Waaay too long of a wait for a corned beef sandwich. And when I finally got to eating the sandwich, there was waaay too much fat and sinew in the meat.
There are plenty of other (much better) places to go around here.
Stopped here for breakfast on "Marathon Morning." It was fairly busy, so I opted for counter service. I had been craving a lox and onion omelette, so needless to say, I was in the perfect spot to order one since this is a Jewish deli-type place.
The order came out quickly - big thumbs up on the service. The lightly toasted english muffin also arrived exactly as I had requested. The meal wasn't as pricey as I was expecting, but the order wasn't as large either, so that balanced it out. Omelette was good, but I've had much better. I'd go there again if in the area.
This is the epitome of Chicago Jewish Delis. Â [As opposed to New York delis.] Â I'm a good Presbyterian, but I know my corned beef. Â The "Jerry Springer", a corned beef/pastrami combo sandwich, is the best ever. Â Even the crusty rye bread is like nowhere else.
They definitely charge for the experience, but I appreciate the quality.
I went to brunch with some friends a few weeks ago, and let me tell you, Wow! This place is fantastic!
They have what might be one of the worlds best bloody mary's, and they'll even sell you a bottle of the mix to go! The portions are huge, just what you'd expect at a New York style deli, and the taste is second to none. They have a great menu with the likes of french toast with coconut and bananas to Chicago dogs, and of course meat piled to the ceiling.
Well worth any wait, trust me, you don't want to miss this one!
Had the beef brisket sandwich -- mm mm mm -- and a lovely milkshake. I also appreciate that I can get matzoh ball soup anytime!
Minus 1 star because the manager (?) actually chased after the mail carrier and called her a moron (possibly effing moron) at full volume in front of all the customers outside. He was so condescending to this poor woman. They always say you need to watch how people treat waitresses to see their true character; I guess the same goes for how people treat mail carriers! It just was not appropriate at all and left us with a bad taste in our mouths, which was a shame, because the food was pretty good.
Yum! Really enjoyed Eleven City Diner! The decor on the inside takes you back to a 50's diner, but not in an old, outdated kind of way. The servers were attentive and knowledgeable about the beer list and menu.
The normal Burger and Veggie Burger were yummy and we shard the Mac and Cheese. mmmm, it was a hit. Stopped by on a Sunday afternoon and were seated quickly.
Eleven City Diner had a good amount of brunch patrons for a Tuesday afternoon. (I think that's a good sign.) We were seated promptly without a wait in one of the booths. The menu didn't appear to have anything out of the ordinary. It was the usual breakfast dishes from pancakes to waffles as well as burgers and sandwiches.
We ordered the fresh squeezed orange juice, Eleven City Diner French toast, Belgian waffles, and Reuben sandwich. Â The French toast was superb. I especially liked how it was toasted challah and not just some white or wheat bread. It was also topped with strawberries, bananas, and toasted coconut. ECD is very generous with the fruit toppings compared to most places. That's a definite plus! The waffle, on the other hand, was forgettable. It was also generously topped with bananas and pecans but nothing particular to bring home about. I didn't get a chance to try the Reuben but it looked devilishly good. It was a huge portion that could be shared by two. I did manage to snatch a few French fries and it was very crispy and tasty!
P.S. The fresh squeezed orange juice should just be relabeled as orange juice.
Note: The menu has a variety of burgers and sandwiches as well as a few cake selections. They seem to be more worthwhile than most of the breakfast items. Will definitely return to give them a try!
Let's get the bad news out of the way first. If there's a large convention group staying at the Chicago Hilton, this place will be swamped and you should expect a wait. Â We waited about 30 minutes, Â the place was jam-packed, and too loud.
Now the good news. The food is great, and breakfast is served all day.  I ordered the Eleven City Diner French toast, made from challah bread, with strawberries, bananas, and toasted coconut.  It was delicious, and I didn't even use the syrup; it was unnecessary with all that sweet goodness.  My friend ordered the corned beef & pastrami hash.  The hash was about 80% meat and  the best hash I've ever tasted in a restaurant.  We also split a side order of the apple & gouda sausage. Another excellent choice...not too fatty, nice oozing cheese,  with the richness tempered by the apple. Â
They have phosphates, egg creams, Â and Green River floats! Â Unfortunately, I didn't order these but if I ever go back to this place, I may skip dinner and order dessert first.
Definitely worth the wait. Â I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Â I can only give it 4 stars because I don't think one visit is a fair representation of any place.
Just moved into the neighborhood and have already been twice. I had a ham and cheese omelette with the home fries. Best omlette and home fries I have had hands down. It's hard to explain but it was genuinely delicious. They also have the best fountain pop which is so rich but so good.
I came back a second time and had a turkey melt. It was good turkey like thanksgiving with tons of cheese! It was so good. I could not find a single thing wrong with either meal. So delicious!
Can't wait to go back and try more stuff! I am going to go broke in this neighborhood. So much good food.
I lived down the block from this place, and the food is alright, but the price tag for some of it is just a little ridiculous. Â I think the major delis in NYC like Katz's and Carnegie Deli, even 2nd Avenue Deli back in the day were cheaper than this place. Â Is it trying to be an upscale Jewish deli?
Don't get me wrong, the food is good, but I just don't dig the vibe in here. Â It is a little pretentious in a very subtle, somewhat off putting way. Â Can't put my finger on it. Â However, this place does come very highly regarded and it is loved by many. Â Part of me wishes I would have loved it more.
Stopped in here with family for lunch. This is the second time I have visited here.
Sorry to say, but this place is just not that great as far as diners/deli's go.
Our server was too pushy for us to place our order. We were looking at the menu and told him we needed a couple of minutes. After about 30 seconds came by again for the order, I told him we needed a few minutes. Finally placed our order.
Ordered sandwiches and salads which were pretty much forgettable. Just nothing special.
Ironically after receiving our food, the waiter then disappeared. Never checking up on us. Oh well.
Not the worst, definitely not the best.
Cheers to All
I was really disappointed with Eleven City. I'd probably hyped it up to myself too much and because I'd wanted to come here for so long. They have an awesome dining room area and there were tables in it available but for some reason we were taken to a tiny table in a different area next to where the used dishes get tossed loudly in the back. We couldn't even see anything of the restaurant except for the employees eating at the next two tables and the people bringing food back. It sucked. I asked if we could be moved into the regular dining area and after our waitress checked with someone we were - hurray! As I thanked the girl she said something like, "Well, I'm not your waitress so talk to her." Ok.
Now sitting at a great table in the center of the place I was happy again. No clanging sounds or confined seating so excellent. My husband orded the tuna fish and it was pretty gross. My corned beef was pretty dry. I did enjoy my pickes. I did not find the meal worth $40 at all. I've been stuffing my face at Bat 17 in Evanston for a year now so I may be spoiled when it comes to amazing sandwiches. I actually felt bad that I picked the place when there are so many other options. Our second waitress was very friendly but I can think of no reason I would ever return.
So it was 4th of July and pickens were slim. Â Nothing was open and we wanted to get to the beach for a few hours of sun before the crowds.
We settled on two bacon, egg & cheeses on toasted everything bagels from Eleven City. Â What a mistake.
1) When you pay $6+ for something that should cost around $3 you would at least expect it to be made the way you ordered it. Â Bagels weren't toasted.
2) Get some real f*cking bagels. Â Dunkin Donuts and Jewel has better bagels than this place. Â That's sad.
3) Both sandwiches had almost no bacon on them. Â Again, at $6+ you would expect the bacon to cheese to egg ration to tilt in the bacon direction.
4) The were greasy as all hell. Â Which is strange because there wasn't enough bacon to cause that much grease
I've said it before but this time I think I mean it, 'I will not be headed back there'.
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