my boyfriend and i recently had breakfast at stages and it was all we could have asked for! we went there specifically because they have gluten-free pancakes (not always, as our server told us, but usually - so always ask because they're not listed on the menu). if anyone else is gf, you know that gf products don't always taste like real food - but these pancakes did. our server, madelyn, also mentioned they have fresh fruit and would be happy to make gf blueberry, strawberry, banana, etc pancakes next time we come in. delicious.
so my boyfriend had the pancakes and i had a broccoli and cheddar omelet with hashbrowns. it was a solid omelet, but i think next time i might get one with a little more substance in it (ie meat).
the place itself is nice and homey. friendly service, madelyn was very conversational without being overbearing and an accommodating server to say the least; she was great.
if you go here, don't expect anything fancy (it is next to a gas station), just expect a low-key, no-frills home cooked meal. highly recommended.
My boss and I go to Stages for lunch 2-3 (sometimes 4) times a week and we love it. Very generous portions of food at reasonable prices! They have the BEST homemade dressings, especially their Ranch and Thousand Island. They also have daily specials for both breakfast and lunch. My only request if for more cream soups, they are delicious! Enjoyed the cream of broccoli today! The owner is very sweet and always has a pleasant attitude.
Review Source:Being originally from "the neighborhood", Stages has always been a beacon to the creme de la creme and yet also a great place for the family that stops off for gasoline and decides to come in for a great meal other than the usual teen-made mystery burger! Â The waitstaff here are on the Top of Their Game as they always keep fresh coffee in your cup as well as the cooks with superb attention to detail and prepare yummy food for everyone. Â During the summer, it's also a great place to meet up for a skillet before going to see "the most recent local world series champions"!
Review Source:I just ordered delivery from this place today. I looked on yelp before placing my Grub Hub order at 7:45 this morning. No one seemed to hate it and the prices and variety wasn't bad. Again, I placed a fried chicken and waffle breakfast at 7:45am, so please tell me why the driver did not show up until 9:30am?? Plus he had no change. In his defense, I did have a $50 bill and the meal came out to be about $17. But in my defense, this was the ONLY time I have ever seen a delivery driver pull out a few singles in his pocket and say I don't have change. I used to be a delivery girl for a crappy downtown restaurant, and I always had $40 in cash on me. I had to call the restaurant and pay over the phone. I couldn't even get a receipt, unless I went to the restaurant.
Alas, it was paid for and I ate the luke warm meal. I admit there is still some left because the fried half chicken at 7.25 was crispy and very delicious. One belgian waffle at $5 was big and had  crispy edges which I really liked. I will eat here again, and maybe I'll have better luck if I walk the mile from my apartment to Stages.
Great neighborhood breakfast/lunch spot.
The owner & her family are just as sweet as can be.
Great food every time, they serve a good cup of coffee & boast a usually full dining room.
Their menu is huge & offers a usual selection of breakfast, lunch & dinner items you would expect in a Greek-style neighborhood restaurant.
I usually enjoy a breakfast skillet (you can substitute pancakes for toast at no additional cost when you're extra hungry!) I have also ordered their veggie omelet & I have also had just simple scrambled eggs, hash browns & toast. You cannot go wrong with breakfast at Stages.
I only ever order from this place for delivery, but I have to say the food is a good value and good quality. Â They also deliver breakfast, which is great when your starving first thing in the morning. Â The skillets and omelets are huge. Â And the Fried Chicken is really special. Â Even though its delivered so its not at its prime "out of the fryer" temperature when I get it I've been really impressed by the seasoning and delicate breading of their friend chicken. Â Great lunch delivery if your on the south side, not very fast though.
Review Source:OK I live just up the street from Stages and in the 3+ years of that close proximity, I'm embarrassed to say that I've only just gotten around to eating there... and i LOVE greasy spoons and diners! My bad. My loss. Â Why? Because they have the BEST pancakes I've had at any Chicago diner! Â Most diners I've encountered here--and my physique unfortunately displays that I've frequented way too many of them--make lousy or barely-edible pancakes. Is it written in some Greasy Spoon Training Guideâ„¢ that thou diner shalt make shitty pancakes?
Well on Saturday I stumbled out of bed around 1pm and headed down the street with a friend to finally check this place out, because I was just too lazy to endure a car, CTA bus or train ride anywhere on a blinding, sunny day. Â And that was the beginning of my luck.
To be honest, the interior looks part 1989, Golden Girls condo kitchen and part Elks dining hall with puffy, Gregorius padding in the tiny booths not quite made for fat assen, but it kinda works. Â It's old Chicago that's gone "new" old Chicago. Â But the staff was extremely welcoming and quick to make sure that we had enough of everything we wanted or needed.
Now. About those damn pancakes! Â We poured over the specials and decided to order a Texas skillet which came with chicken, onion and peppers with an over-easy egg on top (my choice) and my friend ordered the California omelette which came with a truck bed of avocado and turkey sausage. Â 3 eggs my ass. Had to be a dozen on that plate!
But the highlight of this wonderful brunch was the pancakes. Â The batter was full of flavor, with a hint of Buttermilk. Â The texture was as smooth as a cute Thai guy's... um.. Yah. They were buttery and it almost seemed sinful to add any syrup. Yah. I'm going back!
---
UPDATE:
Went back today before filing taxes and got my veggie omelette with eggs whites fix on. Â Quite yummy and a tad greasy in the best kinda greasy spoon fashion. The pancakes were yummy, but just half a notch away from how good they were a week ago. Â Still a great time.
Found Stages on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgrubhub.com&s=c077f445c0f58c01f902dcc624c9eabb729cc1501e9105e88f0c900f5943d1fc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://grubhub.com</a>. and it was love at first order. Breakfast delivered to me? Yes please! Ham and cheese omelet was filling. I was a happy camper. Â
Since I was happy with Stages I ordered a second time from there using grubhub, I had the apple cinnamon crepes, not too shabby! I also ordered the rice pudding. Turns out that don't have rice pudding, so they gave me something of equal value, JELLO! If I wanted Jello, I would have ordered Jello. How about, call me, ask if the substitution is fine (it wasn't) or remove the $2.50 charge for something you guys don't carry instead of giving me Jello, which I can make at home and get more for the same price! Not to mention that my food took 1.5 hours to get to me! Stages was closed by the time I got my food so I could do nothing but wait til the next day to complain. The person who answered the next day was fantastic! Very apologetic and just easy to speak to. She even offered to comp me a dish next time I ordered. YAY!
Ordered a third time, no one knew anything about a comped dish and I had to keep insisting that it was offered, why else would she ask for my name and number? Â Finally the manager ok'd it and with my comped dish I got a bacon and avocado omelet. GROSS! Â BURNED hash browns?! I'm talking CHARREDand unedible!!! The omelet was browned, tough to eat and was just plain terrible! But on the plus side I was asked if I wanted pancakes or toast with my omelet, so I went for pancakes. At least I can have something edible, right? WRONG! I got neither pancakes or toast.
I give up.
I'm not even going to bother calling them to complain, or order from there for that matter.
The service isn't the greatest here, but the food is good. Â They kind of just seat you and then your off searching through the menu. Â So many things to choose from at very good prices.
I recommend the California breakfast wrap! Â you think at first it'll be a small little healthy wrap, but your wrong. Â its a huge ass burrito grilled on each side and cut in half. so good you couldn't finish it yourself but wouldn't want to share. Â its just a great comfy place to be and eat home style food. Â pancakes are good especially the fact that you can replace toast! yay!
Your first impression that this is not one of the world's top culinary entities will be confirmed once you experience the service, which will leave you wishing you'd gotten snacks at the gas station convenience store (which shares the facility) instead of attempting to eat here. The food itself isn't bad-- I was expecting non-dairy creamer and margerine, but they're both made from real dairy products-- but the service will make you weep. There's one protocol note I have to make. A few months ago I ordered stir-fry vegetables with rice, and about ten minutes after I placed the order the chef left the kitchen, walked across the restaurant to a door leading to the basement, and returned carrying a cardboard box stenciled with lettering to the effect that the box contained frozen vegetables. While I wasn't expecting organic freshness, I would have also preferred not to be reminded of the frozenness. Given this, however, the dish wasn't all that bad.
There aren't too many options in the immediate area, so this might be your only choice. If you set your baseline expectations correctly it won't be so bad.
stage 1:
pull into the gas station parking lot...wait, i thought we were going to breakfast? oh, it's inside the gas station? ok...
stage 2:
get seated, then wait FOREVER. seriously, we had to flag down a busser to at least get us some coffee before things got serious. me without a beverage first thing in the morning after a night of partying is not pretty.
stage 3:
our waitress finally arrives, takes our order in a big damn hurry, and shuffles off again.
stage 4:
food arrives. it was average all across the board. actually, it's almost identical to ihop's food. and the same price as ihop too. is that good or bad? eh, it'll do.
stage 5:
while we are eating, our waitress does a walk-by coffee refill, throws our check on the table, and we don't see her again. too bad, because it's also right around this time that i stab myself in the tooth with my fork and realize that the tines are all kinds of fucked up. not sure why i decided to share that.
stage 6
pay at the register on the way out, walk past the gas pumps to the car, and try to remember that the better breakfast place down the street is only open until noon next time.
I would have never guessed from the outside, but this little place is great! Â It is hidden in the corner of a parking lot and connected to a convenient store called JJ Peppers. Â This is a good place if you're really hungry, because you'll get a lot of food.
I was extra happy because our waitress always kept my coffee cup full. Â She would whisk by and refill my cup so it'd always be full to the brim with hot coffee, even if I'd only taken a few sips. Â I ordered the banana nut pancakes and they were so buttery and fluffy with whole walnuts and slices of banana between my fork. mmm... Â The order comes with 4 pancakes for $5.95.
My friends got the veggie omelet, the Greek-style omelet and the steak skillet, all which come with a side of toast or pancakes and hash browns. There was SO much food and the omelets were the size of humongous burritos. perfecto!
No problems at all with the food and the service is great, even on a slow Monday morning. Â It's an awesome family restaurant and the next time I go, I can't wait to try their biscuits and gravy.
Sta Sta Sta Staaagess!... this is a wonderful, no frills good old home cooked food style Bridgeport joint. Â This mom n' pops diner with their "Recession Fighter" menu, is the creative epicenter for myself and many of my cohorts whom participate in the lively arts (aka starving artists, actors, directors, comedians, painters, beatniks and the like)
I'm talkin whole meals such as Meatloaf, Veal, 1/4 Greek Chicken including sides, salads or soup AND a dessert (choice of Ice Cream or Jello) for just $6.99.. daily specials can start at $4.99.
It's relaxed atmosphere and friendly Southside demeanor will immediately put you at ease. Â While it's true they tend to have an older crowd, it's rarely crowded. Â A great place to meet up with a group, grab a table and have a lively discussion over a nice meal. Â
The staff is friendly and pretty speedy depending on your group size and they start you off with a big basket of bread and crackers. Â I've been coming here for years and will continue to do so. Â
My apologies if you show up while we are having one of these said "lively discussions".. we do tend to take over the place, but the fact you can do that is part of what makes it so special.
Great breakfast place! :)
My husband and I have been coming to Stages for a few years now for breakfast and it is always good. I always order the egg beater omelet with spinach, mushrooms, onions and feta cheese. The vegetables are extremely fresh! I've gone to other neighborhood diners and this place has the freshest ingredients. Other diners do not have such fresh ingredients. I've been there with family and their orders always look good. I have to be honest and say that I have only been there for breakfast or brunch. The service is always good and fast. Great place for a family. Not a fancy place and it is next to a JJ Pepper, but I don't care and I am not picky as long as the food is good, which it is!
What can I say? Its Stages! I grew up in the area and if you want some decent diner food in a no frills place, then this is it. I recently visited again for breakfast on a sunday and its not bad at all. Had some kind of skillet and the serving was appropriate for the price. Service was good. Food was decent. Can't expect much more from a diner.
Give it a go, you won't leave grumpy.
P.S. Does anyone know if they still have those recession dinner specials? :D
This place is totally under the radar!! Â If it was not attached to a gas station it would probably always have a line out the door. Â Great, consistent breakfast, awesome coffee and great staff. Â Omlettes are right up there with Walker Bros, Lou Mitchell's, Nookies, etc. The lunch/dinner items are very good as well, with the chicken kabob being my personal fave. Â The Athenian pita wrap is pretty awesome too. Â It seems to be a hangout for a lot of White Sox players for the ballgame.
Review Source:I discovered Stages on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgrubhub.com&s=c077f445c0f58c01f902dcc624c9eabb729cc1501e9105e88f0c900f5943d1fc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://grubhub.com</a>. Â On one super lazy Sunday my sister and I did not feel like cooking or leaving the house. Â We hopped on line to see if there were any restaurants that delivered breakfast. Â We found Stages. Â
The food that we have ordered (limited to breakfast food only) has always been good. Â It has to be re-heated as it always arrives luke-warm to cold (I know what should I expect it's breakfast food). Â Once we substituted the hash browns for a "side of fruit." Â We were disappointed when the food arrived and the side of fruit was a few orange slices. Â I think that we have ordered from Stages 4 times now. Â They have only gotten the order right 2 times. Â However, when we call back they are always apologetic and will do whatever they need to do to fix the order.
We will continue to order from Stages and may eventually branch out to its lunch and dinner options.
This is a typical Greek-American restaurant with a large menu. Â Chicago has maybe 100 of them. Â Most of them are pretty good, and this one is no exception. Â They do a brisk carry-out business and sometimes offer delivery.
I don't go very often, because there are so many other quality options in the area.
Good Bridgeport restaurant! Â There are very few quality establishments in Bridgeport - wait, who am I kidding? Â There's like none. Â But for Bridgeport, this place is delish. Â
Someone characterized it as a typical "old-person" restaurant and I would totally agree - there's early bird specials and senior specials as well as decent three course meals for cheap. Â
The food is good and the service is OK - sometimes it's slow and a little hard to understand, but that's just fine with me. Â This is a good place within walking distance of most of the homes near Sox Park.
This place has awsum fries, yum yum...GreaT soup! local family restaurant, (theres like two in bport) )ive been coming fer years. good service, and if you sit in front by the windows its great for people watching the local porters going in and out of JJ's gas station-and loitering. its homie i love it!
Review Source:I actually like Stages. Â They serve a bit of Greek with standard American fare. Â
The fresh orange juice is awesome. Â I wanted to drink it by the gallon. Â
The soups are usually good. Â One that stands above the rest is the split pea soup. Â They give you a nice bread basket along with a nice toasted sliced bread. in addition to standard rolls and packaged bread sticks. Â
The coffee is usually good but they don't have skim milk to add to the coffee. Â That bums me out a bit because I find this to be true of a lot of restaurants in Bridgeport and McKinley park. Â
I usually end up getting the chicken fajita platter. Â It's tasty enough and a generous size for the price. Â I always have left overs and they are a welcome treat the next day. Â
I do tend to think that the prices are a bit on the high side but I also feel satisfied when I leave. Â
Speaking of the restaurant itself, it's not just an "old people" hangout. Â When I go, there usually seems to be a variety of people. Â It is a neighborhood place so you get the regular folk that live in the area...so it varies. Â
The service is overall okay. Â Little things like not refilling ice tea glasses really amazes me in this day and age. Â It is a nice thing to offer and I find that a good wait staff always keeps on top of that, like with coffee. Â So, the service varies.
My husband and I wanted dim sum, but it was already noon and the parking would suck, so we decided to have a good ol' American breakfast at Stages. First of all, don't be put off by the location in a gas station parking lot, because it's really a nice diner. The wait staff is friendly and helpful, bringing out the syrup and ketchup before your order is ready, and the coffee girls kept my cup full. Yeah, and there are only girls working the floor!?
I had the California Breakfast Wrap, which was a vege omelet with mozzarella wrapped in a flour tortilla, and it really hit the spot (I ordered it off their "health" menu). My husband had his eggs over easy with the corned beef hash and pancakes. Both our orders came with hash browns that were cooked to perfection.
They had the Bears game on all 3 TVs too, which rocked. I've giving this place 4 stars because it was clean, the staff was friendly, and the breakfast food was really good and reasonably priced.
Stages is a decent restaurant. It's pretty average in many ways. It's more like 3.5 stars or almost four. Becaues it is better than your average diner. The staff and service are both good, and the food was above average diner quality. So really I should give it four stars, but because I wrote this review thinking that I was going to give it three stars I would have to rewrite this. And while I did like my sandwich here, I didn't like it enough to rewrite a review.
Review Source:
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