Kanela Breakfast Club

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  My sister and I stopped by for brunch on a Thursday afternoon.  There wasn't a wait, but already had a good amount of tables seated.  We were greeted by our waitress shortly and given menus.  She also asked if we wanted anything in particular to drink.  My sister just got water, but I got a peppermint mocha with soy (they offer soy and almond milk for my lactose intolerant friends.)  The peppermint mocha was delicious!!  Just the right amount of mint and chocolate combination.  
  
  We started off with the loukoumades (Greek donuts).  They were drizzled with honey and dusted off with roasted walnuts.  I have never tried loukoumades before, so I was expecting this to be a sugar fest in my mouth.  Thank goodness it wasn't.  The donuts were soft and chewy without the overbearing taste of sugar.  The walnuts gave it a nice crunchy texture.  My sister ordered the veggie egg white omelet and I ordered the red velvet french toast.  Her omelet was accompanied with seasoned red potatoes and pumpernickel toast.  From what she told me, she enjoyed her dish.  The red velvet french toast was just ok.  I thought it was a tad too sweet and had way too much cream cheese.  If you have a sugar tooth, then you might enjoy this dish.
  
  The only other complaint I have is that our waitress was not too attentive to us.  She was more concentrated on the larger tables.  But I do appreciate that the other waitress would stop by and ask us if we needed anything.  Overall, my sister and I enjoyed our experience at Kanela.  I definitely would consider coming back again to try out their freshly squeezed juices.

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  Posted on 03.11.13 Lisa H.

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  What is with Chicago and having awesome breakfast spots!!?  This place was buttertown all around.  The greek doughnuts to start should be on every breakfast menu.  The eggs & chorizo delivered a solid finish...everything everyone around me ordered looked awesome.  This is an awesome breakfast spot...make a reservation if you can, it was packed.
  
  Jealous that Philly lacks places like this for breakfast.

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  Posted on 03.11.13 Tyler L.

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  Loved it!  So I was walking home from the gym a week ago and couldn't help but notice a line of people hanging out on Wells Street patiently waiting for a table at Kanela.  Today I decided to give this place a try, perfect for a Sunday Brunch.  I called ahead to make a reservation knowing that this place was in high demand.  (side note you need a minimum of 4 to make a reservation ) So I rallied a few to join me and off we head to Kanela.  As suspected the place was packed so I was glad that I made the reservation.  When we got there, we were told it would be a few minutes.  A few minutes turned into 20 and I was getting a little flustered because I thought I had prepared to avoid this situation.  The manager ( I assume ) was overly apologetic, very nice  and made sure to make us his first priority.  We were seated shortly after that and boy was the wait WORTH IT!   I ended up getting the eggs benedict... it was to die for!  The waitress was very knowledgable about the menu and very attentive throughout our entire breakfast.  I don't believe they have a liquor license yet, but I did see a bottle of champagne on a couple of tables so maybe it was BYOB??  I am not positive on this so you may want to double check in case you were in the mood for a bloody or a mimosa with your brunch.  All in all it's worth a repeat.  If you are in the Old Town area and want a good spot for brunch.. check out Kanela!

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  Posted on 03.10.13 Rachel H.

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  Food is pretty good and they are BYOB.....BUT there's a $10 per bottle corkage fee!!! We didn't see it on the menu, there are no signs, and our servers never mentioned it. They didn't even open our bottles-we did! When the check arrived we were surprised to see $20 extra on the bill. When we arrived they said 30min wait but we ended up waiting 70min. When I mentioned the corkage fee to the manager he said they should have told us so he removed one of the charges. Nice but should have taken both. Especially for the wait time!
  We'll probably spend our money at Nookies down the street next time.

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  Posted on 03.09.13 D D.

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  Awesome food, great service, great brunch atmosphere!  The best parts of our visit: no wait for breakfast on a Saturday morning, fast service, tasty food and we were offered free coffee to go! Love this place.

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  Posted on 03.09.13 Katrina C.

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  Perfect 10. Excellent service at the breakfast counter from Kristin. Pete is always welcoming and friendly...food is as good as it gets! (Spicy feta omelette) is a must try.  Kanela is friendly, clean, and a awesome dining experience.  DINE HERE....

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  Posted on 03.07.13 eric d.

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  So I reaaaaalllly want to give this place 5 stars because it's BYOB, the menu looks amazing and it's in a great location....but I can't.
  
  Pros:
  I went on a Sunday around 11:00 AM and the host was extra nice and greeted us the moment we walked in. I asked if it was BYOB and he said yes so we went to the store and the host promised he would have a table for us when we came back.
  
  The menu selection looks amazing! I'm all about different and unique flavors...the menu has everything from a spicy feta omelette to chicken pesto sandwiches to monkey bread for my sweet tooth!
  
  Cons:
  So I ordered the spicy feta omelette and it wasn't that great :( The cheese was really thick and there wasn't a lot of flavor so the meal was kind of bland.
  
  I don't know what's up with the orange juice but it wasn't good and I thought it was freshly squeezed.
  
  The service was ok...not great. But I'll blame it on the restaurant being packed and it being prime Sunday brunch time.
  
  Overall, I would probably go back but it wouldn't be my first choice for brunch especially with better options down the street.

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  Posted on 03.04.13 Michelle L.

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  I was excited to eat here and disappointed on several fronts.  My companion and I both had the lorraine scramble.  We found the eggs to be bland and the potatoes to be over seasoned. We ordered the loukamades as a starter and asked that it come before the meal and it came just after our breakfast was delivered.
  
  They've done a great job with decor but not to address acoustics - ie the sound of a screaming baby carries through entire restaurant.
  
  The best place to be away from loud children is the front of the restaurant seated  at the higher tables since they are not highchair or small child friendly seats.

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  Posted on 03.03.13 Daniel S.

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  so glad to see another breakfast place in old town.  great service and menu selections

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  Posted on 03.02.13 Gigi D.

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  WOAH!  This place is phenomenal!  
  
  So excited to have them in the neighborhood.  We stopped in last Saturday and had such a pleasant experience that we came back for more this weekend.  We live in the neighborhood so we have never tried their other location in Lakeview.  Our server was so sweet and accomadating.  She was personable, well informed and had great recommendations.  Ironically we were served by her again this weekend (and she remembered us!)
  
  The Chef came out and talked with us and we recieved a full run down of the preparation of each dish...impressive!  A man who I believe to be the manager also stopped by to insure we were satisfied.  We started off with the Loukamades reccomended by our server...incredible and totally not worth sharing :)   I had the Spicy Feta Omellete and my boyfriend had the Chorizo...both out of this world!  We split the french toast flight special...warning, it is incredibly good and incredibly sweet!
  
  My only "complaint" is that they do not yet have their liquor license (but we were told it is coming soon)  so until then it is BYOB.
  
  Great food, great atmosphere and incredible service.  This place is as good as it gets.

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  Posted on 02.25.13 Chloe F.

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  Kanela Kanela Kanela!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  OMG!!!!! This place is awesome!!! They just opened across the street from where I live. We went in there on Friday, it was the first week it was open. The place is beautiful!!! Cannot believe it is the same place that the mexican resturant was. From the moment we walked in we were greeted by the manager who let us pick where we wanted to sit. Fred was our waiter, he seemed to know everything about the menu. We started off with Monkey Bread appetizer. IT WAS AWESOME
  We both ordered the same thing, Spicy Feta Omelette it was awesome. A little hot but so tasty, and  the potatoes were amazing. The service was great. The coffee is amazing. I am so glad that they are open. By far the best breakfast on Wells, best breakfast in Chi Town.

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  Posted on 02.25.13 micky m.

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  Excited for a new spot in the neighborhood.  Went for late brunch and were seated right away.  I still don't think many people know this place exists yet b/c we were seated by the front window and were counting the number of pedestrians passing by who would stop to look in and/or up at the sign.
  
  Negatives:  
  -We were too close to the door and would get a draft every time it was opened.  This was about every 30 seconds once they got busy.  The door would stick partially open so us and our neighboring table were taking turns to get up and lose it tightly.  They should install a winter canvas door for the time being.
  
  - Service. I am certain it will get better and I will go back and also review again, but it was very poor this morning.  Slow and we received items incorrectly prepared (her coffee requested with cream was served with whip cream on top, haha, wtf)
  
  Positives:
  - Great menu choices, somewhat similar to OTS, but a little more variety and a great coffee and juice menu.
  - Overheard the Manager say they will have a small patio in the summer.
  - Nice decor, fun environment and great location
  
  I would give it a 4 but the service was a 2 this time.

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  Posted on 02.23.13 Andy D.

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  It started with free parking, a friendly hostess, instant seating, and prompt service.  The waitstaff was knowledgeable, friendly and efficient.  My water glass was never more than half empty.  The flavor of my western omelette was amazing and the potatoes were great too.  I got a side of bacon and it was seasoned perfectly!  My Americano had the right amount if crema at the top which added some bitter espresso taste.  I can't say enough about this place.  I will be back!

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  Posted on 02.23.13 Jason C.

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  Came in for Brunch with my wife and niece. There was a wait at 1pm. Good sign. Do not hesitate to sit at the bar. Tim and Kristen will dazzle you. We will be back again.

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  Posted on 02.23.13 Stu S.

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  I am a big Kanela fan. I normally go to the northern location near Clark and Belmont but I was stoked to give the new location a try.
  
  Pros: good location on wells! Great food as usual. It's byob! :) not a long wait either.
  
  Cons: no liquor license so it's byob. Service was not so hot.
  No jam or butter served with toast? Had to ask for it. No flatware was on the table when our food arrived, was such a tease. Our waitress seemed confused and not so on top of it. No outer winter door has been erected so if you are sat by the door it's cold and drafty. Once the kinks of ops are worked out I think it'll be fine. Customer service should be stepped up a bit -- hostess and floor manager need to remember to be kind and warm to everyone (SMILE!!) I wish them luck going forward, but I will probably stick to the original location, until I see better yelp reviews for the wells st locale.
  
  Love me some Kanela!!

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  Posted on 02.23.13 Jessica F.

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  We are so glad that Kanela opened in Old Town. The breakfast was fantastic and we were pleasantly surprised with the perfect service considering the restaurant has been opened for only 24 hours!

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  Posted on 02.16.13 Girish G.

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  So today this place gets three stars but we plan on going back after they have been open for a bit longer. The decor is really nice and they have obviously done a lot of work in there since the days of our beloved Las Pinatas. It's bright and modern although the seating near the door gets a bit drafty.
  We started with a "monkey bread" it was just ok. Not sure what we were expecting but it wasn't quite it and for $4 dollars I expected something more than what looks like a muffin. I ordered the fried egg "special" and my husband got the two eggs scrambled with a side of bacon. The bacon was pretty awesome - that definitely earns them an extra star - he said his eggs were otherwise pretty boring. My sandwich was supposed to come on an "NYC" bagel...it honestly tasted like a bagel that comes in a bag from Jewel...I would not get that again. And Kanela, if you're reading this, then please invest in better bagels if you're going to serve that sandwich. The side of potatoes we both had were delicious and earned another star in my mind. We ended our meal with house made "donuts" that were compliments of the house - that was a nice touch, they were way better than the monkey bread (and we'll probably order those the next time we come) and they earned another star. We live in the neighborhood and are always excited when something new goes in (that isn't a bank). We wish them luck and will be back to see if a little time helps them iron out a few kinks (and get new bagels!!!)

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  Posted on 02.16.13 Lana Z.

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