I’ve been to my fair share of brunch spots in Chicago. It’s often bugged me that I didn’t think of the name “Bitches Who Brunch” first (million dollar idea right there).

I tend to stay in the Chicago neighborhoods for brunch only because both my jobs are downtown so on my days off I like to forgo public transportation and let my feet do the walking. Of course, there are always exceptions to rules, and Beatrix is my exception.

Beatrix is a pretty unassuming spot. It’s situated on a busy corner in River North, but if you weren’t looking for it you probably wouldn’t even notice it. It’s not until you go inside that you’re transported.

The interior is open, bright, beautifully decorated, and full of fauna. It feels like you’ve stepped into a casual California eatery, no matter what time of year you choose to go.

My favorite thing about Beatrix is that you can go there just about any time of day and be happy. They have a small bar inside where you can grab a quick happy hour drink and not sit down for a whole meal. Next to the bar is a small bakery and coffee area full of crunchy scones, massive cookies, and an ever-changing list of delicious lattes. Their coffee bar is my favorite spot in the place, if we’re being honest. It’s smack dab in the middle of all the tables and comes complete endless coffee creations, showcasing two of my favorite Chicago roasters, Metropolis and Intelligentsia. You can stop by there on a whim any time of day and feel at home. But if you’re set on a more traditional dining routine, you can go old-school and sit at a table in the West-coast-mimincking dining space and order breakfast, lunch, or dinner.I’ve come here three times now — once for breakfast, one time for my birthday brunch, and once at 4pm when I was just in the area and needed a pick-me-up.

My go-to pick me up? Their honey-cinnamon latte — it’s one of my favorite gems in the city. Topped with sweet soy milk (my vice), I’ve gotten it every time I’m there.

So let’s crack open the food at Beatrix. My most memorable trip was for my birthday brunch this past January, when I was particularly happy to escape the cold winter air and pretend I was in San Diego celebrating the big 2-5.

It started out with a quick appetizer of their famous lemon pancakes, which quite honestly tasted like cake batter (in the most delicious way). It was out of this world, sickeningly sweet (definitely made to share unless your stomach can handle a sugar bomb!)

Breakfast was a heartier choice, the Spicy Chicken Tinga, with scrambled eggs instead of sunny side up (still can’t do the runny-egg thing). The pulled chicken is cooked with guajilo chili and served over a corn tortilla and avocado. Eggs on top. My favorite part about this dish is just how flavorful it was — you can always tell when a restaurant doesn’t just rely on salt to spice up its dishes, and this was most definitely the case here. Every bite was layered deeply with flavor.

And because the cake-batter-eque pancakes earlier weren’t enough, the staff at Beatrix brought me a piece of their famous caramel pie on the house, which was so unexpected and sweet as a birthday surprise.

That caramel pie is what dreams are made of. Thank goodness they offer whole pies to-go too.

Since they got such rave reviews in my book for birthday celebrations, I knew when I was in the area with Brigitte a few weeks ago after a grueling workout we needed to stop by to refuel. Eggs and coffee it was!

I stayed simple and got scrambled eggs, homemade chicken sausage, toast, and golden hash browns. With a pretty unique menu full of breakfast items like quinoa cakes and poached eggs or pepper and egg white sandwiches, it was nice to stick to the basics on that late Tuesday morning.

I haven’t been back for lunch or dinner but I have my eyes set on the Straight A Salad: Arugula, Avocado, Asian Pears, Asiago, Almonds. I MEAN! 🙂

Beatrix has spread the love to two locations in Chicago now, so you can visit either one and know you’ll have a great experience.

Beatrix River North:

• 519 N Clark St
• Chicago IL 60654
• (312) 284-1377

Beatrix Streeterville

• 671 N. St. Clair
• Chicago IL 60611
• (312) 642-0001