Lively and delicious food for all in Rogers Park! (*Caution: You will bring home delicious leftovers.*) We found Honeybear Cafe while visiting Loyola for my sister's freshman orientation, and upon arriving we learned that it is hopping most days! The restaurant was packed on a random Friday morning with no less than three (3!) birthday celebrations. Honeybear Cafe is a BYOB establishment, so when a patron walked in with what looked like a bottle of port and the second member of the party pulled a bottle of wine out of their purse, it just seemed to fit the aesthetic. While I did find the music a bit loud at times, it was still a fun place to eat. Despite a packed place, our waitress was friendly and attentive the entire time. An unexpected perk was that our waitress followed a gluten-free diet as well, so she had some helpful insight into the menu's GF options! The GF pancakes that came as a *side* to my skillet weren't too grainy and had a wonderful vanilla flavor. The skillets and scramblers are naturally gluten-free for most options. I loved the balance of savory and fresh in my Achilles Skillet! The only adjustment needed to make it gluten-free was to swap the diced potatoes (shared fryer) for hashbrowns! Be prepared for yummy food and massive portions that won't leave you wanting (because you'll be satisfied all day)!

Super bustling brunch/lunch spot on Friday afternoon, but we were seated easily for a walk in. Friendly service and each meal comes with a free cheesecake bite. We ordered two of the more basic menu items, the strawberry nutella waffle and pancake breakfast. They were executed well, but a bit boring so I'd recommend trying their more special items since they are catered more towards extravagant social media worthy foods.

Okay this was kind of a hike from Lincoln Park but SO worth it. We actually saw this posted on the YelpChicago instagram and knew we needed to try! My friends got lunch food (came with soup and fries, huge portions, everything was delicious) and I got the French toast trio flight which is what they're best known for! Our waiter was super helpful with reccos. We also got the churro French toast for the table to split. All 4 French toasts that I tried (that sounds like a lot as I type it) were incredible and I'm looking for any excuse to get back up to Roger's Park ASAP!

This place is upbeat with a very vibrant interior! We came here around 12:30 and the place was nearly full. We didn't have to wait for seating. Our waitress was very nice and she took our orders in a timely fashion. I thought the complimentary cheesecake bites were a sweet surprise. Slightly disappointed in the extra small glass of orange juice that was served however the amazing food made up form it. The French toast was perfect!! The scrambled cheese eggs could've been cooked a little longer. The catfish and grits were absolutely the best thing on the table! I will come back just for another helping of that! Thank you Honeybear Cafe

My top fav things about this restaurant are: 1. Many different options for brunch 2. The cheesecake to start was lovely 3. I love that we can BYOB 4. I liked the portion sizes (very large) 5. The food tasted GREAT! My only complaint is our reservation was for 12:30 and 1/2 the party was there before 12:30 and checked in to be seated. When asked how far was the rest of the party, I said "15 min" and they didn't seat us. Our friends arrived at 12:30 and we still had to wait 20 minutes... it made no sense for us to be on time.

Update: Came back for the 2nd time and I didn't think it could get better but it did. The baja quesadilla was filled to the brim with eggs, bacon, and more. So tasty and the side of chorizo sausage gravy added even more savory flavor. Hash browns were super crispy. The other new thing I tried was the stuffed churro French toast flight. I can't think of anything better I have had than the cookie butter one. The first bite brought me to an euphoric state of mind. Challah was so soft but had a perfect crispy churro exterior. As we cut into them they oozed out with the various fillings. I personally don't like churros or French toast that much and this was amazing. While the cookie butter was perfect, the chocolate followed closely behind (nutella may have made it better) and the strawberry was still very good. I can only hope they make this a permanent menu item. This place never ceases to amaze me and I am super curious to see what the chef comes up with next.

Great food - great enough to come back for despite the poor service and very loud environment. Acoustics are bad, making for a very loud dining room. Kids get the typical crayons to color with, plus Playdough, which is a unique touch, but also kind of messy for playing at the table. I like that they provide some amuse bouches shortly after we got seated (mini fruit cups and mini cheesecake pieces), which were great since it took a while for our server to take our order, and then for the food to come. The menu is ginormous, with tons of omelette, skillet, Benedict, pancake, French toast, and sandwich options. Also lots of fancy latte options in terms of drinks. Entree prices are a bit higher than you'd see at other brunch restaurants. But portion sizes are also epic - expect to bring half your meal home in a box. My chicken fried chicken was cooked to perfection, with a delicious gravy - which they forgot to include originally, but our server noticed right away and immediately came back with some gravy in a bowl. You can upgrade a side of pancakes or French toast to a signature version - I picked churro French toast, which was two toast sticks (compared to the full entree size of 4 sticks). They were good - I've had both better and worse. Nice and crispy on the outside but a little dense and dry on the inside. There are several kids meal options that are free with purchase of an adult meal - like the Big Bear pancakes, or the Mac and cheese, which my kids devoured. Pancakes are fluffy and delicious. Service was a low point. After we got our food, our server practically disappeared for the remainder of our meal, and we couldn't even flag her down to get coffee refills. It seemed that other servers were being far more attentive to their tables. Bathrooms are less clean than I'd like. And lastly, the price of each item on our bill was slightly higher than the menu price. For example, while the menu says it's $3.99 to upgrade a side of French toast to a signature option, our bill showed $4.32. there were similar markups for the entrees themselves.

Second visit and continue to be impressed by the service, the atmosphere, and of course the amazing food. It may appear overwhelming the the 4+ page menu, but trust me after one visit you will be asking for even more. This time I started with a loaded cold brew, with vanilla syrup, and it was everything I wished for. My only "complaint" (lack of better words) is the pancake came out a little soggy from sitting in the coffee for too long, but did I eat it? YERP! The french toast was perfect, even without additional toppings. Crispy edges, soft middle with a little powder sugar and a dash of syrup made this a perfect breakfast!