Lou Mitchell's is very good. Local Politicians & biz folk frequent Lou's.

But for more local flavor, try Sweet Maple Cafe - 1339 W Taylor St, Chicago (near Univ of IL, Chgo) or
Wishbone Restaurant - 1001 W. Washington Blvd, Chicago (about 2 blocks from Oprah's Harpo Studios)

Sweet Maple Cafe. - http://is.gd/cTcY
It's NOT a chain restaurant (like Bakers Square), and the food is fresh and home style home made. They serve more American / Southern style breakfast. Omeletes, eggs, pancakes, waffles, bacon, ham, grits, OJ, Seattles Best Coffee and the like.

Sweet Maple is a small neighborhood joint, and the lines can be long. Lots of nearby Univ of IL students and faculty also frequent Sweet Maple. Diverse clientele. The decor is really plain-- and borders on the trashy chic (with not much chic.) Decor needs a major facelift. But the food is solid and the prices reasonable. ($7-12)

Sweet Maple too is frequented by a lot of Chicago celebs, dignitaries, aldermen (city council types), politicians, etc. The last time I was there, CNN's Roland Martin was having breakfast w/ his family.

Or consider going to WISHBONE Restaurant, 1001 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago near Oprah's Harpo Studios. It's actually not too far from Sweet Maple.. another 2 miles or so. Wishbone can be a bit higher $ than Sweet Maple. Lines here too can be long. http://www.wishbonechicago.com

Wishbone also serves a more southern/american fare-- similar to Sweet Maple. Wishbone serves breakfast, but more of a cajun style serving red beans and rice, cornbread and a few other traditional southern food staples. It's a morning fav of Oprah's and probably one reason why the Big O slips off her diet regimen. Either place is good.

O'Hare & Midway Airports are a looong way from either of those restaurants. But you could get a Hotel bus, transport bus or maybe even take the Subway / El into the area, then take a short cab ride to either restaurant from the Subway/El station. That would save you a lot of money vs taking a cab. My guess is a cab ride to downtown Chicago is over $55-75 each way (?). But I could be wrong about that. Much cheaper to catch the subway (train) or one of the transportation shuttles into the City.

Wishbone and Sweet Maple are more of a local flavor. Yolk has a lot of trendy out-of-towner types. The Food at Yolk is OK, but I prefer the neighborhood haunts.
Allow at least an hour each way. More if weather is bad.
O'Hare is really on the far western edge of the City Not close to downtown at all. Neither is Midway Airport.
Source(s):
Sweet Maple Cafe. - http://is.gd/cTcY
Wishbone Restaurant - http://www.wishbonechicago.com

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