The wife and I went here about 1 week ago, the restaurant looked nice. The booth we sat at had a divot that I fell into, they had to toss me a rope and pull me out. I didn't ask for another seating, I just sat to the side. The menu was large and I found myself comparing meals to see what the difference was between them since they seemed the same but there was a $1.50-$2 diff. The meals were ok but nothing to write home about. Coffee was not strong. It looked like prices were high.
Review Source:Upon arrival, my family and I received minimal service. Â The restaurant was only half full, and we still had to wait a few minutes before even being acknowledged by the hostess and seated. This service surprisingly worsened as time went on because, sadly, the kind busboy serving me coffee was the full extent of attention we received from the wait staff. During the duration of our wait, before walking out the door, about 16 minutes, we witnessed many other patrons get served before us despite the fact that they came in after us.
A simple acknowledgment from the waitress or a simple "I'll be with you in a few minutes" would have been appreciated. My family and I are unsure about trying again.
EDIT: Was looking through other reviews and noticed another customer received poor service which may have been due to their Asian ethnicity. My family and I are also of Asian descent.
The food is delicious and an early morning breakfast will keep you going all day. Thicker than an iPhone, the bacon is... OMG, WTF, OML and SYM fantastic!
Old school breakfast the all-American way.
I can't say I'm a regular at this place. I suppose if I were I wouldn't fit through the door. Still, don't be stupid by going to McDonald's, Subway or whatever fast food options offer breakfast.
Hell, they even make a large variety of great sandwiches. Nice owners and pleasant waitstaff as well.
So, if you're in the area, this is the place to eat like a real American... dammit.
I came here with my boyfriend and I had a lovely time. The restaurant was on the smaller side-I would say your typical diner in terms of setting:booths, round tables, tons of old people (sorry, old people!) super noisy, potential doilies, coffee-a-flowin, etc...
I was in the mood for an omelette and pancakes, and this place had a very large selection on both. In fact, the menu was immense; I felt like I drowned in a sea of words. I was really in the mood for something bold and spicy to invigorate my taste buds, so I decided to get the santa fe omelette with pumpkin pancakes (that had cream cheese frosting on them yummmmm).
The omelette  had spicy mexican chorizo, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cheese and side of salsa, talk about a beating. To make a long story short this omelette was awesome. it was the perfect amount of spicy and flavorful, and the pumpkin pancakes tasted just as delicious as how I envisioned them in my head- the cream cheese frosting blended so well in the "cake" ;)
Overall, I would come here again and again and experiment with more awesome breakfast combinations.
After the second visit here, the food is OK. Â If you're having trouble deciding what to have for breakfast or lunch, go here. Â Something for everyone. Â Their notable dish, the Spud omelettes is really a lot of hash browns surrounding the omelette. Â Seems like there's less eggs s and stuffing.
Review Source:A group of 3 of us. Â Two of us got "Spuds" meals, one got a breakfast burrito, but the waitress was perplexed when he asked to have melted cheese over the top of it and said it could not be done! (What?)
My spuds order was a garden spuds. Â It was ok- nothing spectacular. Â I was concerned mine may be soggy ( with mushrooms, spinach and cheese) happy that was not the case. Â The menu here is extensive and many of the dishes I saw passing by me looked good. Â My friend's order was Cajun spuds and she thought it was "good".
I'd like to stop in again, but I see serious issues with service here.  We visited on a Saturday morning.  Not particularly busy and I noticed 4 waitresses and one bus boy.  It appears that waitresses do not (or take offense to) filling up coffee mugs.  I saw the bus boy go by once during our stay but most often was busy cleaning so not running around with the coffee pot!  I'd like to say it was just our waitress, but no- because the couple across from us was waiting so long that he took to holding his empty cup in his hand and holding above his head to get service.  His waitress was different than ours so appears to be  a thing here - yet none of them were particularly busy.  I saw 3 tables that had to ASK for coffee refills.  On a weekend breakfast time, that is just not acceptable.My other dining partner had tea and that too was not refilled until end of meal upon asking. Â
My companions (whose drinks it took forever to fill- I had water, but I didn't see them refilling water either!) did not want to leave a tip but I mentioned leaving a small tip had more impact than leaving none. As when questions were asked of our waitress we found her rather snarky (could be Kathy Bates' sister). Â Big minus here for the waitress y dropping off our check before asking if we wanted anything else.
If I venture back for one more meal, I'll try one of their many skillets. Â Basically we all agreed it would be a definite return if not for such poor service.
The prices seem reasonable for the quantity of food.
This place used to be Grandma Sally's a long time ago and I used to come here more often then. There was nothing special about Grandma Sally's but it was typical diner breakfast comfort food at a decent price. Plus, the skillet portions were the size of my head.
Fast forward many years and I've tried Gail's a few times now over the years. Nothing has really changed much inside as far as layout goes and it still has that old fashioned diner feel to it; complete with a stool and bar area.
I only eat breakfast items in these types of places so I can only comment on that area, which seems to be Gail's specialty anyway.
I've tried several skillets, omelettes, and their strange hash brown wrapped omelette. Everything is standard as far as breakfast joints go with nothing really standing out except for that strange hashbrown/omelette football looking deal. At most, it's a novel idea and it looks tasty but you'll soon realize that wrapping your already delicately flavored omelette in something bland like potatoes really tends to dilute those gentle flavors. It takes healthy heaps of ketchup and hot sauce to bring it away from the edge of taste boredom.
I wouldn't go out of my way to eat at Gail's with so many other tasty breakfast places in the area but if I happened to be driving past and looking for breakfast, I would not be opposed to eating here again. Solid diner type breakfast food.
I absolutely love Gail's and have a hard time staying away. It doesn't hurt that I'm a breakfast nut and could eat it every meal of the day but I've been here many times and never had a dish that was less than delicious.
This is a popular restaurant and can therefore be packed to the gills at times with a long wait but the servers do a good job of keeping up, although the stress becomes a little more evident when you order an item that requires extra work (I feel guilty ordering a smoothie at those times but they're soooo good). The food still comes out great every time. I will say, if you don't like big crowds and/or expect to be treated like you're the only customer there, stay away on weekend mornings (and if you bring small children, for the love of all that is holy, don't let them run around loose).
One more bit of evidence that this is a fantastic place is the fact that there are often local firefighters and police officers among the patrons. In my book, it's a pretty good sign when you see the pillars of the community choosing a restaurant as one of their favorites.
I went to Gails this morning based on good reviews plus I saw it  on one of those food tv shows. I got the Denver omelette and it was eh. Not amazing, not horrible. It was just your standard omelette. Our waitress was very nice however the guy who seated us was a bit rude. He took us to our table, threw the menus on the table and walked away without saying anything. I just figured he was a grumpy man however noticed that everyone else that he seated didn't get the same treatment as us. Was is our age (20's)? I'm not one to pull the race card, but was that it (Asian)? When you see everyone else getting a "enjoy" or " your waitress will be right with you", you start to think these things. After reading some of the other reviews I came across another person who had the same treatment........
I mean this place made it on tv. I would think he would treat all customers with equal respect.
This place has just about all the qualities I like in a breakfast / brunch spot. They serve interesting and creative breakfasts, that happen to taste good as well. The portions are decent in size and the prices are reasonable.
The staff was friendly, the service good AND, the decor was kitchy kool, with chicken and rooster motifs in every nook and cranny!
I had the special Eggs Benedict. It was served with a layer of ham off the bone and avocado. The sauce was a light cheese. I really enjoyed it. Christopher had one of the specials as well. It was pancakes with bits of Heath Bars (his favorite candy) mixed in the batter. It was topped with lots of fresh strawberries and bananas. He added a side of bacon to his meal. The bacon was thick sliced and substantial.
We both really enjoyed our meals and will absolutely be back, even if it is a bit of a drive for us. It was well worth it. We are looking forward to trying other items both on the regular menu and the specials as well.
What can I say! Â Food was GREAT, place was clean as a whistle and if you are in a hurry your food comes minutes after ordering! Â Gail works the place at breakfast and is charming and funny! Â I wished I lived here so it could be my breakfast spot. Â Thanks Gail!!! Â Mark and the Brits....
Review Source:I dream of this place. Seriously. As an out-of-towner, I come to the area to visit friends a few times a year, and I ALWAYS ask, can we go to Gail's? Please?!? Â And of course my friends need their arms twisted (NOT), since this place is a fav with the locals.
This restaurant is a down-home, home-cookin', best breakfast for your buck kind of place. Despite the busy atmosphere, the servers are attentive and friendly. Â The food is delicious and portions will more than fill you up!
Gail's Carriage Inn is hands down my favorite spot for brunch and breakfast. Order ahead and get the wonderful Dutch Baby... Savor every delightful bite of the crepes... Just come on in and  dive head first into bacon, eggs, potatoes, toast (oh, the perfectly cooked bacon!!!)... You'll be glad you did.
Laura, I think I need to visit. Can we go to Gail's? Please?!?!
Wow. What a amazing find!!!! This restaurant is amazingly good. I have order their "spuds omelet" (omelet encased in crispy hash browns) Wow. I have also had their pancakes, burgers and specials. You can't go wrong here with breakfast or lunch. Service is outstanding and love the homey atmosphere. The owner Mike and his wife Gail are so nice and really turn you into a regular before you know it. This is a great find and have been coming here for years  They were recently on Chicago's Best, Hungry Hound, and voted best breakfast in Chicago Magazine. Great place. Keep up the good work.
Review Source:I've seen the Chicago magazine reviews. Â That set my expectations high. The menu is imaginative and the kids menu is especially playful. Â Also, the menus are clean. Â I hate sticky menus. Â These were not.
My eggs benedict was a little bland. Â It didn't have any tang at all. Â And the asparagus was too fiborous. Â My husband's cajun skillet was "good but not great", he says.
But the service was excellent and the "after church" crowd atmosphere was just right. Â We'll be back.
Myself and my group of 25 ate here before a local Steampunk event at the antique centre around the corner. Â Gail's was chosen mostly because of the location, being close to our event, and the good reviews. Â For a small, non-chain restaurant probably not used to such large groups (especially one as unusual as ours), they took care of us pretty well.
The menu had quite a selection of unique and creative dishes, and I got tons of great feedback from my group members about the taste and quality of the food. Â The service was friendly, even if it was a bit obvious the servers were confused by our dress (my fault, I completely forgot to tell them what the gathering was for!), and there were a few people who had to remind our servers about their drink order. Â Coffee mugs were refilled quickly, though the quality of the coffee itself seemed to sway quite dramatically between refills. Â
I had gotten a very interesting dish which consisted of cheesy scrambled eggs with diced ham and half of a baked squash filled with raisins, cranberries, walnuts, and apples. Â Like I said, unique and creative! Â And pretty tasty, too. Â The eggs were perfect. Â The squash was good, certainly the talk of the table, but it was missing just a little something... a little drizzle brown sugar, cinnamon, or mildly-sweet syrup over the fruit, maybe, to bring it all together. Â
Other than very, very minor niggles like that, it was obvious that the restaurant was going out of their way to make sure our meal was pleasant. Â Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and their food. Â The next time we do this event, if they'd have us, I think we will come back.
We found this place through yelp when we were recently visiting the Chicago area. I had the "no butts about it" eggs Benedict as it was listed as one of the weekend specials. Who could go wrong with smoked pork butt, spinach, poached egg and h- sauce? Delicious and inexpensive! With home-made flavor and excellent service, this is sure to be our new favorite breakfast spot.
Review Source:Found this place using Yelp and we were not disappointed. Â The reviews are spot on. Â We were seated immediately and our order came out within 5 to 10 min after being placed. Â I ordered the Corned beef hash and poached eggs. Â Not the best corned beef I have had but it was still very good. Â I don't believe they make it in-house, the plate came with home fried potatoes which were fresh, toast or pancakes, and poached eggs. Â
Our table also ordered the Two cheese omelette. Great selection of cheeses to choose from.
My partner had the Patty Cake Patty Cake. Â The hollandaise was good.
Overall the food was good, the only thing preventing a 5 star rating is that it could be even better if made in-house, though I suspect the prices would have to jump to accommodate such a change. Â
Disregard the insert in their menu about the ill effects of coffee. Â This has been proven false by the medical community and recent studies have shown coffee is actually good for you.
My husband & I have been regulars since Gail's opened in this location. Â We continue to go back, week after week and are never disappointed. Â The menu selection goes on and on, but my favorites are the Dutch Baby, the Chef's Crepes, and they have the right batter for a Belgian Waffle. Â Once in a while I will treat myself to an Apple Pancake, which rivals a similar dish offered by another local restaurant. The difference here is that Gail's offers down-home, Mom & Pop food, with no pretension, like 'that other local restaurant'.
Service is always courteous, friendly, and expedient. Â My coffee is always full. Â Portions are generous and reasonably priced. Â We're always out in under an hour, even when I order a Dutch Baby. Â While some reviewers are hell-bent on bashing & trashing, I would be remiss if I did not mention that there are a few new on staff who have managed to quickly adapt to the pace of Gail's during a rush. Â If we ever do have a complaint, we let Gail or Mike know.
We readily bring our visiting guests here for breakfast, and always recommend to local friends. Â We will continue to do so!
This place was a MAJOR disappointment! There were way too many things wrong with my visit here and the things that were right were few and far between.
Our server was friendly but very forgetful we had to ask twice for our water and a few extra napkins. I ordered a chopped steak with the eggs over easy, hash browns, and raisin toast. My wife ordered an apple pancake. Our server told us it would be about 30 minutes for the apple pancake. Since we were both ravenously hungry, we ordered a short order of biscuits and gravy to split while we were waiting for our regular items to be brought out. She ended up bringing out my food and the biscuits and gravy together we ate the the biscuits and gravy and by the time the apple pancake was brought out, I was halfway done with my meal! Epic Fail on their part.
The biscuits and gravy were OK. The biscuits were fresh and fluffy but the sausage gravy was a bit bland but did have some big chunks of sausage in it. Everything on my plate was overcooked! My over easy eggs were over medium, my hashbrowns were well done but that is way I prefer them anyway. Parts of my chopped steak were nearly inedible it was so overdone. It was delivered to my table luke warn too. The raisin toast was great though as it almost tasted like a cinnamon roll. My wife's apple pancake was also overdone. The top was extremely crispy which I did not mind but the insides were very dry and was not the most appealing.
Although this visit completely sucked, I would definitely give this place another shot. Although everything was bad, it actually had the potential to be a kick-ass breakfast if it was only prepared properly.
Holy breakfast. This place is out of control with the whole 90-page breakfast menu. We were on our way back home to Minneapolis, and stopped on Sunday morning for some noms. The boy got the Meat You in The Middle Spud, and I got a special, the pecan loaf french toast.
After paying Chicago prices for food all weekend, this place was shockingly cheap. For $6.79 I got two pieces of french toast, eggs, bacon & sausage. And it was all pretty tasty too, especially the thick, not all fat bacon.
Our service was really great, and we are determined to go back sometime just because so many things on the menu seemed like they would be delicious.
You ever go to a place so often that you don't think to review it? Gail's is that place for me. It's by my work and it's usually our go-to, quick, breakfast for lunch place. You can easily get in, order, eat, enjoy your coffee and be back at work within an hour.
I think we've tried everything in this place. I usually stick to breakfast though. They have a daily specials menu that usually includes their combo which is some fruit topped french toast/waffle/pancake/blintz option with 2 bacon, 2 eggs and 2 sausages. That's usually the winner for me, but their regular menu is one of the largest I've seen and also quite good.
During the winter months, their corned beef hash omelet topped with hollandaise is ridiculous. The breakfast burrito and quesadillas with chorizo are pretty great too. I've picked from great scrambles, omelets encased in shredded hash browns, six different benedicts, eight different crepes, and plenty more.
They also have lunch, which my coworker enjoys. I think I saw a country fried steak triple decker club sandwich as a special the other day.
It's definitely more of a diner instead of a trendy breakfast place. I wouldn't recommend them over a Walker Brother's or other popular brunch places, but the portions are generous and the service is quick with their food and coffee refills. Their variety and efficiency puts them over the top for me, especially when some idiot schedules a 12:30 meeting that I need to rush back for.
It is really close to my house so I decided to hit it up to see what all the hype was about. Overall my experience was just okay. My server seemed like she had just taken a few muscle relaxers, because she didn't talk clearly and she was really odd. Okay, fine... I am down with the weirdos, so food experience commence! I got eggs and hash browns for way too much money. The browns were yummy... Manders enjoyed! The eggs were eggs, as George's girlfriend Daphne on Seinfeld would say! I would have enjoyed the breakfast more if I did not feel it was so overpriced. I like the layout of the restaurant. It is large and unpretentious. They had a few unique things on the menu that I would like to try sometime when I am not worrying about my weight ;D This place would definitely be a fatty's delight!
So overall, weird service and a little expensive, but yummy nevertheless :)
Ok this is a good place for breakfast with a lot of choices: omelets, skillets, fritata's, crepes, pancakes, waffles and some specials.... Service is always efficient and friendly with coffee refills always timely. Yet the food is nothing to rave about.
Went there a few times and today again for brunch. The omelet I ordered was actually quite greasy and tasteless. Â Coffee was hot but quite diluted. Â Pancakes had good texture and flavor.
When searching out a place for breakfast in the northwest Chicago burbs, you'll mostly find chains like Dennys, Bakers Square, and the hundreds of others any American could name. Â But thankfully I came across one like Gail's Carriage Inn on Yelp. Â Yes, the decor is nothing all that exciting (yet definitely "Carriage-like") with fake wood, countryesque set-up and, you guessed it, horse carriage art and stained-glass windows throughout. Â
I was excited to see that Gail's took average, greasy breakfast items and gave them a twist with a cute name.
-Siesta Omelet (large and stuffed enough to require a siesta after eating) with everything you can think of including cheese, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, salsa and the works.
-Original Spud (served with toast or buttermilk pancakes) is an omelet done on the grill and completely encased in shredded hashbrowns then filled with bacon, onions and colby jack cheese.
-With Holes French Toast is a sliced egg-dipped bagel grilled for delicious french toast and topped with bananas, strawberries and granola.
Oh I hope you don't just stop there because you're missing out on what I deem to make Gail's what it is...The OVEN CAKES! Â
If you have someone to share with, definitely order the $11 Apple Pancake that is oven-baked with large crisp apples and cinnamon sugar all in their special batter.
If you have a smaller appetite and enjoy the more common Dutch Baby (which is also offered), go for the German Pancake which is the stated as "the largest, lightest pancake you'll ever eat" and served with lemon and powdered sugar (See the photo I posted if interested). Â Don't feel guilty to add syrup like I did. Â Do keep in mind that the Apple Pancake requires 40 minutes and the German Pancake 20 minutes to cook thoroughly so order it right when you arrive.
Great place in the NW suburbs for breakfast. Â Very good service Ingredients were fresh, omelet was light,not greasy, whole wheat pancakes were very good and they are usually an afterthought at many breakfast places. Â
I gave this place a chance after finally getting sick of Omega. Â I will be going back.
WOO HOLY CRAP my favorite place for breakfast. Such a wide array of items, it baffles me. My favorite is a skillet/scrambler, but I can't remember the name. Something with "scramble on" in it.
Seriously.
A friend used to live just down the street, so we would go there for breakfast (They close too early :(), but he moved, so I don't go anymore!
had the apple pancake....it takes like 30 minutes......got to say it was worth the wait.
Tons of melted brown sugar, 2 tons of apples, 1/2 ton of butter mixes with some pancake batter, baked in a 9inch cast iron frypan!!!
LIFE IS GOOD!
it was enough that I took it home and had it for dessert.
haven't had anything bad yet and usually the service if very fast.
wow! I don't often get excited about eggs and bacon .....but Wow!
They have many different breakfast dishes to choose from. Â I chose the french toast dipped in egg nog with cherries on top, two eggs, one bacon and one sausage link. Â The food here is extroardinary.
My waitress brought her A-game. Â Coming back to check on us for coffee, water, etc.
The place was crowded with Sunday morning diners but definately didn't feel rushed.
Well worth the  trek into the burbs
I really love a good salad. Â A good quality, fresh ingredients and interesting salad. Â I mean an entree' salad that fills you up for the day. Â Our very friendly and fantastic waitress recommended the Cobb salad and it did not disappoint. Â I had more than half of it left over, which I packed up (too yummy to leave) and brought to my sisters house. Â My mother had a traditional breakfast and she enjoyed it thoroughly. Â The coffee was great and that was the cherry on top of our cake!
Review Source:I finally ventured into this place, which used to Grandma Sally's... Well, I'm mid-line on my review because I don't know how to handle it.
I should start by saying that we were seated, for whatever reason, as far from the door as they could get us when they were relatively empty, so that kind of annoyed me. Â Then it took over 15 minutes for the waitress to come take our orders... usually someone comes and takes the drink order right away. Â Well, the waitress tells us more than we needed to know - she didn't realize the other waitress was done for the night and that's why she didn't come by right away, and why can't anyone tell people when they're leaving, yada...yada...
Okay, so we order our meals and I'm there with my mom and my 3 and 5 yr old children. Â She brings big giant glass glasses of sprite for my kids. Â I say, "Oh, I should have mentioned that they need lidded cups."
Her response, "Oh, they'll charge you $0.50 for them." Â (now, please keep in mind they actually have a kids menu, which states that the meal includes a drink.)
WHAT? Â Who the hell charges for lidded styrofoam cups for kids? Â I told her not to worry about it because when my kids spilled all over the table and broke these big giant glasses that they cannot pick up with their little hands, I would be sure to give the restaurant the cleaning bill and would not pay for any of my meal... to which she brought me the cups I requested stating there would be no additional charge.
Okay, so we get our soups, and they were fantastic!  My mom ordered Cream of Asparagas while I got Chicken Enchilada... both were really great.  Then we had a basic salad, nothing off the wall, but they actually have more than house, French, Italian and ranch... we had a decent choice of dressings.  Dinner, my mom had Chicken served on a bed of rice and topped with a creamy mushroom and asparagas sauce, she said it was wonderful.  I had breaded pork tenderloin, which was yummy!  Most places have a tendency to overcook pork tenderloin, but this was perfect, crispy breading on the outside and very moist on the inside, side of zucchini (I think it was the whole thing... not just a  couple of slices) and real mashed potatoes!
While our food was very good, my kids did not enjoy theirs nearly as much. Â There was a pretty decent kids menu, with decent selections, but it did include one of my pet peves... everything comes with fries (except the pasta dishes). Â I really wish more places would give fruit to kids. Â My 5 yr old had macaroni and cheese, how can you go wrong? Â Well, she started out enjoying it, but after she got past the top layer, it was like Mac & Cheese soup! Â Then my son had mini corn dogs, but he really wasn't eating them, instead he was eating the pound of over cooked fries on his plate! Â Seriously, a normal dinner plate, with 5 or 6 mini corn dogs and the rest of the plate was FILLED WITH FRENCH FRIES! Â I asked my 3 yr old son, who is actually quite a picky eater, what was wrong with the corn dogs and he said he didn't like them... so I tried them... YUCK! Â They actually tasted like those nasty canned/jarred cocktail weinies you get in the grocery store, wrapped in corn bread! Â EW! Â Absolutely gross, I totally understood why he didn't want to eat them.
So, while I don't know what their breakfast is like, and others have rated the Mt. Prospect location with 5 stars for breakfast... I have to say, for adults it's worth the trip for a tasty moderately priced dinner, but not worth wasting time with your kids there.
It's unfortunate too, I mean the food was good for me, but I won't be going back because my kids didn't like it and the services wasn't all that great.
This is BY FAR my favorite place to go for breakfast. Â The food is fresh and delicious, the helpings are extremely generous and the waitstaff are wonderful. Â The prices are standard, what you would find in most other diner type places. Â Seating can definitely be an issue, especially on a saturday or sunday morning. Â They are trying to resolve that by opening up a new location in Des Plaines in lieu of the old "Grannies" on Algonquin and Elmhurst road. Â Sweet!
Review Source:Basically a  breakfast and lunch place, and while I've only been here for breakfast, its definitely worth it. Nothing like real hashbrowns. Not the usual shoestring stuff you get at most places, but real potatoes, with onions and green peppers. Its a cozy little place off NWHY, just short of Arlington Heights. Well worth the trip coming from the city.
Review Source: