Staff Picks: 9 Breakfasts We Love in Chicago

[Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger]

Breakfast doesn't get much love, at least not from us. Though many of the dishes are the same, brunch is an entirely different beast. Since it is (usually) only once a week, you can justify feasting in a way that you can't on, say, some random Tuesday. Though one can try, man cannot live on Bloody Marys alone.

Breakfast is a different story. As the first meal of a very busy day, it's the one we often think the least about. (Plus, taking pictures of food is immeasurably harder before a cup of coffee.) It's automatic, almost like a ritual, and personal. Even though we don't go out often for breakfast, when we do, we tend to gravitate towards familiar flavors.

Just a few of the breakfast offerings at Little Goat [Photograph: Huge Galdones]

Of course, what one considers comforting and familiar depends on the person. We're going to be covering as many of Chicago's breakfast finds as we can in March, but we thought we'd start with a collection of our staff's favorites, which run the gamut from heavy and hearty to light and healthy.

Check out the list by clicking on the slideshow, or you can check all of our personal picks below.

• Fat Elvis at Little Goat
• "Pop-Tart" from Interurban Cafe & Pastry Shop
• Sassy Eggs at Over Easy
• Amarena-Chocolate Croissant and Passionfruit Macaron at HendrickX Belgian Bread Crafter
• The Dual Quads at The Publican
• Blackberry Blisscakes at m. henrietta
• Biscuits at Bite Cafe
• Almond Berry Bowl at Protein Bar
• Rick Bayless's Mexican Mix Granola from Milk & Honey

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