Orange: Pancake Flights

Orange fits the immediate central Lakeview neighborhood, which consists of several shops leftover from the days when it was perhaps more hippy-dippy and seedy. During the weekends there typically is a long wait (25 minutes in this case), which gives you the opportunity to smell incense from the headshop next door. The interior of Orange is earthy-crunchy and has a laid back vibe to it.

I ordered the pancake flight, which changes on a weekly basis, and there were four types of pancakes to choose from. The first I tried was the peach…it was just okay. The peaches were like the canned variety and it was with whipped cream and “peach simple syrup”. The second one, which was raisins with whipped sour cream, tasted much better. Third there was an apricot with an orange peel that was savory though syrupy sweet. Ditto for the fourth, which were pecan pancakes with a decadent chocolate and caramel sauce.

We also ordered the green eggs and ham, which was ham and pesto sauce with mozzarella cheese and, of course, eggs. We’ve had this dish before and it’s a worthwhile staple dish on the menu, and once again it met expectations.

Also noteworthy is the juice bar…similar to ordering sushi at a sushi bar where you pencil in your choices. I chose the orange/pinapple/strawberry combination. .They also have what they call “frushi”—it’s cute when they show it in front of you but it didn’t look like something worth jumping at.

Overall, a great experience. Orange is my third (or fourth) favorite, breakfast place so far, behind Wicker Park’s Bongo Room, Andersonville’s m. Henry, and just maybe, Uptown’s Café Magnolia.

Orange

3231 N. Clark

773-549-4400

Comments

[Rebecca]

They also have a great location in Printer's Row. Orange is fantastic. My favorite is the Huevo Rancheros. Oh so good.

[Jessica]

I have eaten at Orange several times. Once because I had heard so many great things about it, and the second and third times to give it another chance. But everytime I found the food to be average to bad. The jelly doughnut pancakes were just ok, but the ratio of jelly to pancake left much to be desired. I tried some french toast with supposedly european chocolate that tasted more like hersheys syrup on the second go-round, and a side of suasage that was completely dried out. My last trip netted an omelet that was very flat, no fluffness at all. I just don't see the Orange appeal.

[Brian Ziegler]

Jessica, I agree. I've been back a couple times after I wrote the initial review and found that Orange fell short of my expectations, which makes me think I could make better pancakes at home in the amount of time I stand outside waiting to be seated. Their juice combinations are interesting, but overall I am beginning to believe there are better options in the area. Magnolia Cafe in Uptown has a consistently-good brunch and seems worth the short hop on the "L" to get great pancakes and french toast. Lakeview has lots of brunch places, but I haven't found a really great brunch worth writing about yet.