Yolk - Lakeview

Yolk is the perfect spot for a delicious and satisfying breakfast or brunch! The menu has something for everyone — from fluffy pancakes and perfectly cooked eggs to fresh salads and hearty skillets. The service is always friendly and fast, and the atmosphere is bright and welcoming. Whether you’re starting your day or catching up with friends, Yolk never disappoints!

The server was very kind, but I asked him to bring the pancakes last, and he brought it out first (with everything else). The Graham crackers on the pancakes were stale. The potatoes tasted like they came from the freezer and were not completely hot/cooked. The eggs benedict were okay. Nothing special. It was my first time at this location and I was looking forward to it but I left disappointed. I was surprised that the food didn't come out better, especially since my friend and I were the only ones in the restaurant.

We made a quick stop at this spot for breakfast on our way to Diversey Harbor. Friendly service. It seemed like the people working were all friends & got along well, which is nice! Tasty breakfast food- you can tell that the guys in the back kitchen were working very hard. It seems like they have a busy takeout/delivery business for breakfast. The food was good and so was the coffee. The only exception was the cinnamon roll which tasted like it was at least a day old. The awnings outside definitely need a cleaning and brightening up, that would make the place look much more inviting. I’ll go back!

I'm originally from the 757 (Norfolk VA) and have heard so many wonderful reviews about this restaurant, but to experience it here in Chicago and on my birthday 4/15, was absolutely amazing. The food was delicious, the waitress was so nice and attentive, the service was beyond a 10+ I would recommend this location to anyone looking to have a delicious breakfast or brunch. 10s across the board!!!

Update Aug-8-2024: My wife and I have become regulars at Yolk Lakeview. The service and food quality hold up every time. I would rate them 6 stars without a doubt! Original review, May-2021: My wife and I are new to the Lakeview area. We walked into this Yolk location for the first time and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and a very friendly service from Rachel, who raised the definition of “welcome” to a whole new level! Delicious food, awesome coffee and just an amazing experience. We will come back for more, for sure!

It was okay. Funny mildew/dirty mop smell at booth. I had the Eggs Benedict. I substituted crispy bacon for Canadian bacon-bacon was good. Hollandaise was watery and had too much lemon. I had the breakfast potatoes. I did not enjoy those. Taste like they are from frozen. My companion had the French Toast. Large portion was served with syrup and powdered sugar. She enjoyed it. She was missing a fresh fruit garnish. Coffee was good.

The food was cooked to order, arriving hot and delicious. Krystal was very friendly and attentive. I recommend cornedbeef hash and eggs. I prefer shredded potatoes, not diced, but they were cooked perfectly and seasoned well.

Ate here twice in a row because we loved it so much! The breakfast mac and cheese was gooey and delicious, the French toast was also sweet and delicious. The second day I had the eggs bennie capreese which was also super yummy.

Sorry to seem them go. My first review was about two years ago, which I gave 5 stars. I continued to go because food and services continued to be good. It was a go-to breakfast place. Recently, they changed around the menu, deleted items I liked and jacked up prices, the last I can understand given Biden's inflation. The menu changes were a turn-off, but I still liked the place and am sorry to see them go. Not sure why, seemed to be busy. Notice posted on the door said they are looking for another location in the area. Maybe landlord/rent issues that are screwing over a lot of small businesses these days.

I love their food but at times their ambiance, vibe, service can be off....like today. Me + my guest were greeted promptly by a female in plaid. We were asked if we wanted a booth or table...booth of course. The server, Miranda, came over about a minute later and took our drink order. She was ok, kinda stiff. We noticed how cold it was in there. No wonder why it was empty. Who wants to eat cold eggs??? Maybe that's why the server was stiff, she was cold. I ordered the kale & cauliflower scrambler w/egg whites and turkey sausage + rye toast and potatoes which was good. I could only eat 1/2 of it because it started to get cold. Took the rest home. The coffee was blah even with flavored creamer. Bathroom was decent. My partner had the cheese & tomato omelette which was good, had to take 1/2 home due to cold room temp. I overheard the server telling another patron the thermostat reads 80 degrees but it felt like 65 degrees. They should have placed a sign on the door indicating that their heat was not working to let folks know if they wanted to come in or not. Plus the server's stiff attitude made 4 an average visit. The water girl had more personality than she did. Would I come back? I think it's best to move on to something else in 2025.

I chose Yolk due to some of my dietary restrictions which they were able to accommodate. Perfect almond milk latte and cortado followed by avocado toast and a kale salad. Our server could tell we were catching up and did not rush us to leave, which was appreciated. Will definitely be back.

I started going to Yolk on S Michigan 16 yrs ago and loved it. My wife and I would go 1-2x a month to different locations even stopping in Indy when traveling. The past yr prices of everything go up so you expect it but quality is now down. The 5 egg omelette looks like a 3 egg, home fries are now a cheaper hash brown. When I'm paying $25+ for breakfast it should be amazing. Sad to say I won't be back anytime soon.

My daughter selected this restaurant for mother's day brunch. We just have missed the rush as there were many open tables but they were in the process of cleaning them out. The place is quite big with seatings on 2 different sides of the restaurant. I ordered chilaquiles. Not too impressed as it was very dry. I asked for more verde salsa but it never arrived. Service seemed a bit off as 4 dishes, 2 of them the same came at different times. To say the least, we tried it, not satisfied, there are better options in the area.

A window table always helps, but they're a little slow today. The place is about 80% full staffing looks fine however. We had the 3 egg salmon scrambler and one banana blue crunch pancake. The scrambler is enough to feed almost 2 people especially with 2 pancake sides. The omelette was perfectly cooked - wet . The salmon was generous . The cheese in the cheesy grits give it a body and taste missing otherwise. The banana blue crunch pancake tasted "healthy". They did give us the recipe ASAP when we told them we were in a hurry. P.S the French cloth napkins was a nice touch

Very empty on Saturday morning. Got one of the scramblers and it was very good. Everyone enjoyed food but I wouldn't say it's outstanding.

I went on a Sunday during lunchtime and it wasn't very busy andy party was able to be seated right away. It took 5-10 minutes to get our drinks and then another 15 before we got our food. I thought service was a little slow for how not busy the restaurant was but if you dont have anywhere to be after, that's a plus. The yogurt was a little sour but I enjoyed the granola, fruit, and honey. I was given a choice of blueberry, chocolate chip, or a cinnamon muffin. I went with the cinnamon one and it was a basic cinnamon muffin that was a tad dry, fine with coffee though. Overall a good spot for a relaxing meal if you have a lot of time. The other members of my party got egg dishes and both thought they were decent.

Great breakfast choice. Shameless plug but we came here before heading to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is about a 15 minute walk and FREE . It was a Sunday morning around 11 and we were a group of 6, but got seated immediately. Our waitress took really good care of us and provided great recommendations when torn between two breakfast items. We were all very satisfied with our breakfast choices. I tried the cheesy egg sandwich, the chicken or the egg sandwich, the French toast, the lemon blueberry pancakes, and Hey Ricky! omelette. Chicken or the egg sandwich The chicken was very crispy and light but also juicy and flavorful. Maybe it was because I added their hot sauce (both were super awesome) but I couldn't taste the YTK sauce too much. The bun was soft. Cheesy egg sandwich It looked cheesy but it didn't taste too cheesy. The overpowering flavor was bacon which I didn't mind. I did notice that the cheese was melted but a bit cold so I could tell it had been sitting out for a bit. I wish it had more pesto sauce as I couldn't really taste it. The bagel was great, I was hoping it wouldn't be too hard since it was toasted and it wasn't. The french toast was plain but it was still so delicious. It was airy and not too eggy. The pancakes were amazing. We tried the lemon and blueberry and we noticed they were more on the cakey side which was different but a great twist. I would compare it to a lemon cake with blueberries on top. The Hey Ricky! omelette was also very good. It was impressive how they were able to shape such a big mix of ingredients into a neat omelette shape. They eggs were moist and you could taste all the fresh veggies.

This place is my go-to for a good hearty breakfast. I always do pickup and the food is typically ready within a reasonable amount of time and service is great. I usually get Countryside Skillet with Chocolate Chip Pancakes and my partner gets the All American with Red Velvet French Toast. Both are insanely delicious. The portions are big and I often have leftovers. Parking is a bit tricky in this area, but we can usually find a spot after driving around for a bit.

I came here on a Monday morning with friends. Lots of natural sunlight and street parking nearby. The servers were quick and attentive. I thought the food was filling but not too unique.

Good service and the food was fine (grilled Chicken Sandwich).. Mom and I enjoyed our meal(best Iced Soy Matcha I've ever had ) but it's Very Very Pricey....

This was the perfect spot for a quiet morning during the week. I imagine on the weekends it's more busy. The server was great and very helpful. I ordered the cheesy eggs sandwich. For the price I'd expect a decent portion of bacon. Seems like bacon bits. Not impressed at all.

Food ok, but now they are at $25.00 omelettes. Good Lord, I'll cook my own breakfast from now on.

First of all, let me start out by saying our server was great. She was nice, personable, and attentive. Now, let's get to the food. I had a basic breakfast. Something that was pretty difficult to mess up - eggs, sausage, potatoes, and pancakes. Yet, my potatoes were half cooked (as in, they still had a little crunch to them). Everyone at my table reported the same issue. The pork sausage was dry. I've never had a dry pork sausage before today. I ended up getting bacon as a replacement. It was nice and meaty. We did let the server know about the potatoes as we were about to leave. I think the cook(s) need to be retrained (because I don't care to see anyone lose their job). I LOVE breakfast food, but this Yolk location was a miss for me.

Yolk had a promising menu but execution was not there today. Long wait time for seating and serving. The breakfast was fine, but unfortunately, not memorable.

I ordered the breakfast burrito through uber eats and I truly could not be more disappointed in my decision. The salsa tasted like apple sauce with less flavor. It was very watery.

Another excellent breakfast at Yolk! Yolk is definitely One of the best restaurants for breakfast in the area. They have a great menu with options for everyone. I have never had a bad dish. My favorite is the countryside skillet and the corn beef hash and eggs. My friend had the biscuits and gravy for the first time; she really liked it. Yolk has cool different pancakes and seasonal specials also. Good service and good coffee. Highly recommended checking them out.

Staff is always friendly, I'll give them that! The food is consistently mediocre (at best), and a bit on the pricey side. In the ~ 8 times I've been there, I have yet to receive a plate of hot food. To say the potatoes are served lukewarm would be a stretch. I don't understand why it's so difficult to time cooking and plating so you serve your customers a hot meal. If you're wondering why we keep going back, it's half a block from our condo, and there are no other local breakfast options.

I ordered the Torero Scramble. This had chorizo and avocado among other things. It was topped with sour cream and came with a side of salsa. The salsa was delicious. I didn't not feel like the scramble itself was super flavorful. I went with the the breakfast potatoes, which were cubed and delicious. I also selected the pancakes. They were somewhat on the gritty side as if they had not been stirred thoroughly or not enough milk was added. The service was great and attentive. The venue was clean but smelled of sewer. I believe the sewer smell is more of a city issue as that smell is in a few of the restaurants on this block.

Every single bite was delicious! Located off of Lake Shore Dr in a quaint little neighborhood, Yolk exceeded our expectations! Our server, Rachel, could not have been more lovely. Coffee was on point and the strawberry orange juice was fresh squeezed tasty goodness! We got a beautiful egg white veggie omelette with cheesy grits and a side of the very berry French toast. Along with a pancake & meat combo with a side of potatoes and a blueberry muffin.Holy cow! So good! Every single bite!!

Hello, I was there yesterday with my family. The attention is great! mu choco cake was very dry and old and they gave me a refund for it immediately. My mom didnt like the mango ice cream because it has Zafron so they changed it right away for chocolate. The place is nice and the attention is and was the best. I recommend it . Just need to improve the cakes quality because for $8 a slice at least it should be fresh

Average experience at Yolk Lakeview on a Saturday. Honestly, I remember the pancakes being wayyy better. These tasted kind of doughy and didn't have that feel good buttermilk flavor. I couldn't even finish them. We had the corned beef hash as well and that was decent. The scrambled eggs that came on the side were a little too runny for being scrambled. The whole place was kind of stuffy, humid, and smelled like a used bathroom. The best part of the meal was the friendly and prompt service.

Such generous service!! The food tasted amazing and everything was fresh! Thank you for making my new year start off great

Fun place to go with visitors. I like the seasonal pancakes and the drink options, but overall the prices are pretty steep for what you're getting. Also - the potatoes are not my favorite! Wish there were more options there. Staff is usually pretty friendly and there is typically a wait.

My favorite brunch place! Great service giving you a glass of water when seated. Very chill spot, not loud so you can have conversations while eating. Going to keep coming back!

If I could this place no stars I will!! The portions are super small and over priced!! How can a skillet be $17 pretax and not even cover the bottom on the plate! I haven't taken a single bite and u can see how small the portion is. After eating the food I can say that my rating is correct. Not only was it a SUPER SMALL portion but there was barely any bacon, nor sausage. There was suppose to be ham but i didn't see single piece. Also whatever piece of bacon or sausage there was it was burnt! I was literally eating potatoes with burnt meat. (The photo was taken before eating)

the restaurant messed my order up and and even after I showed the mngr they had messed up all she said was that I was screwed. she never tried to make the order right or offer an exchange she just said you got what you got. I never asked for money just make the order right not she refused and re-stated that I was screwed and there was nothing she could do. stay away there are other better places then this and this type of customer service is not right.

Staff was very friendly here. I got take out and it came out super quickly, within 5-10 minutes. Granted, I did not go at a busy time. I think yolk is a great breakfast take out option, I have yet to sit inside but I will!

Huge portions and hearty breakfast choices. The omelet I had was delicious! Gets busy over breakfast so expect slower service.

Busy | Quick | Filling Busy: Granted it was 4 July weekend, but this place was busy. Monica and I waited 20 minutes for a table for 3 people. On top of it being busy, the place was pretty noisey. Unlike Yolk in River North, this location does not have great table spacing. I could hear everyone's conversations who were within 1 table of us. The noise was not overwhelming, but if you are trying to have a private/intimate conversation this is not the place for you. Quick: The service was quick and efficient. Our waitress was nice, courteous, and knowledgable. Our food came out within 10-12 minutes of ordering which was impressive given how busy the place was. Filling: I had the Spicy Chicken Wrap with Seasoned Potatoes. Overall this was my favorite dish at a Yolk. I have been to three Yolk's now, and this by far was their best dish. There is a substantial amount of chicken in the wrap, it comes cut into two parts which make eating neat and tidy. The seasoned potatoes were some of the best breakfast potatoes I've had in a while. They came cooked with a bit of crisp and a combination of Cajun and standard peppers. Lost one star?: Yea the noise, close tables, and overall lack of wow factor make this a nice place to grab a meal but, not something you HAVE to do if you are in the area. If I never went back to Yolk I wouldn't be hurt or feel like I'm missing out. Pro-Tip: Even though it was July 4 weekend, there was a lot of street parking around the restaurant which is normally not the case in downtown or lakeshore east locations.

Good selection on menu and one of my favorite places for steel cut oatmeal with fruit and add ons. The service is good as well. The one I visit is on Diversey in East Lakeview near Sheridan. I've always had good food and service here. They also took care of my wallet when I left it behind one day.

After a full weekend of helping my daughter move, Yolk Lakeview's generous and delicious cheesy egg sandwich was just the thing to fuel me for my drive home. This is a big sandwich - it comes with two fried eggs, tomato, cheddar, pesto and bacon served between slices of a toasted bagel. With seasoned breakfast potatoes on the side, it was too much for one sitting but I enjoyed the second half on the road. We ordered our sandwiches as take out and got notice when the food was ready. Staff were masked and very efficient at checkout.

Yolk is always a convenient and delicious choice for breakfast/brunch. I recently got an omelet with potatoes--while the potatoes were nothing too special, the omelet was quite good, and the sauce that came with it was very good. Sometimes the wait for a table can be very long on weekends, even for just two people, but the food comes out relatively quickly and the coffee is refilled constantly. Note: some of the tables at this Yolk location are positioned VERY close together. So this is probably not the best spot for a first date or intimate meal.

I was looking forward to having breakfast here because I've gone to the other location on Division and it was fine so I decided to try the Lakeview one. However, once they seated me it took the waiter about 10 mins before anyone knowledge me and offered some water. Then I placed my order right away of the "Santa Fe" dish. I waited 40 mins! For the food it wasn't until I had to get up from my seat and go to the register to ask why it was taking so long to get my order. Then they finally arrived with the food for it to be under cooked. The potatoes were hard and pancakes were not even warm. I will definitely not be returning to this place.

Came here for brunch with my friends. Pretty average brunch place. Was nice that we came in and were sat down immediately. Ended up getting the pot roast benedict, which I enjoyed for a benedict because it was not the usual meats paired in one.

This was an ok spot for breakfast. Service was slow and a little lacking but got the job done. The food was standard fare. Nothing exceptional or interesting but not bad.

I came here on NY Day for a relative's request for brunch. I usually do carryout, but the Yelp Wait in line app was awesome! It told us how many parties were ahead of us, and when to head to the restaurant. Since they have virtually NO waiting area to speak of, and my other relative lives nearby, it''s a great convenience. We were seated and greeted by 2 servers, a 'shadow' and her host. We did BYOB for mimosas and ordered juice. (No corkage fee!) I have to go with Quincy R. on the Torero Scramble; I got egg whites, but both it AND the cheesy grits were rather bland. At least they have condiments to make up for it! I'm the opposite about bland food: it's easier to ADD good flavor than to remove extra salt or BAD flavor! I wonder if they hold back on salt to appeal to older diners with blood pressures issues.. I got toast on the side, as one of my party got the GINGERBREAD PANCAKES! They were huge, and we shared one. It was awesome! IT seems they do better with the seasonal dishes than the regular fare. The servers were attentive and informative, I hope I get them when I return.

First time ordering. Diced "Seasoned" Potatoes are anything but seasoned. Rye bread is ok, but seemed old and way too chewy. Bacon is very fatty and undercooked, but tasty at least. Scrambled eggs seemed preformed and maybe even precooked and reheated. Not the greatest by any stretch. Beyond Meat Breakfast Sausage Patties are just that. They might have been the best part of the meal. Nothing to write home about here and food is overpriced. In their defense, when a place is getting ripped from people that speak: "before anyone knowledge me and offered some water" maybe they deserve another chance. I can use better proper English than what I wrote here, but I chose not to.

Anthony, our server, was so helpful, nice and friendly. He made our first time experience at Yolk a memorable one. Food was also delicious, portions are big and very fulfilling. The peanut butter cup latte- tastes so unique and delicious! Thank you Anthony for everything!!

I have mixed feelings about Yolk. Some locations are fine but this location wasn't that great. We ordered a build your own skillet and Nutella crepes and both were just mediocre. The potatoes in the skillet were undercooked and the Nutella crepes really lacked Nutella.. Their cafe beverages are pretty good so I do recommend a latte with your breakfast/brunch. The service was great! Our server was super informative and really nice. Overall, the food was whatever but the service was outstanding.

I went to Yolk Lakeview today for brunch with friends. While the serve was amazing and the $3 lattes were great, the food and service were sub-par at best. Our orders weren't taken until at least 30 minutes after we sat down, my breakfast burrito had shells in the eggs so every bite I took was crunchy. Also, it was my friends birthday, we told the waiter and he said he would bring out something to celebrate her, he ended up not doing it at all and just giving us the check. Really disappointed, especially with the egg shells in my food.

AH-MAZING. Our server was Mari, incredibly sweet and perfect thank you so much! My grandmother and I split the Santa Fe Frittata, so yummy. Green-Ish color because of all the vegetables. It comes with 3 cheeses and sour cream; way too much dairy for me. Thankfully they were able to put it on the side. FYI minimum $2.50 split plate fee. My mom got the Greek yogurt and berries and honey. Came with choice of toast or muffin. They had chocolate or cinnamon. If you like cinnamon PLEASE get it. Yummmmm. Also the strawberry orange juice is everything

Love going to this cute neighborhood spot for a weeksay breakfast. On weekends it's a little too crowded and noisy for me personally, but weekdays its just right. As I live in the area, I'll also do takeout - wait is always quite short and food seems like it just came off the griddle when I pick it up. In terms of the food, it's good diner food but doesn't really wow me. The buffalo chicken wrap, breakfast mac and cheese, south of the border benny, and the sweet French toasts are great. Chilaquiles are okay. Salmon overpriced for quality imo. Some of the food could use more seasoning but overall I enjoy my experience everytime. Whenever I dine in the service has also been great.

I'm 23 and this is my 2nd bad review of a restaurant. I ordered chocolate chip pancakes. Never in my life have I tasted such terrible pancakes. It tasted like bread dipped in oil and topped off with chocolate chips. The skillet was bland and tasted like grass. It was super dry and the potatoes were hard. I added my own cheese to it and it still couldn't be saved. Never again...

This place was the worst. I came with my husband & 6month old in a stroller. The host tried to seat us and then a very rude server stopped her and had to ask their manager if I could bring my stroller. When they came back (without the manager) they asked us to break down the stroller and put it in our freaking booth with us while we ate... there's absolutely no way a manager would've come up with that stupid idea. I'm not sure why my family and I complied instead of just leaving.. but we sat and then asked for a high chair and the same rude server had "ask her manager" if we could put a high chair at our table. And came back again without the manager and told us we couldn't so we literally out our food with our baby on the table taking turns eating. NEVER coming back, they are idiots and the food wasn't even good it was just okay. Nothing special certainly not worth the trouble!

Ive never really been motivated to write a poor review before, Im generally very easy to please with food service. Firstly I have to say that the service was amazing, our server Sam was delightful and gave my husband and I excellent customer service. My biggest grief is with the food itself. It honestly just doesnt make sense. Breakfast is one of those foods that is hard to mess up, but somehow Yolk found a way to screw up avocado toast and croque madame. Two very basic self explanatory disbes. Part of the blame is definitley on my husband and I for not reading the fine print of the description of the food, but we were in a rush and we had had these kinds of dishes before and thought we knew what to expect. And I say all this with a bit of humor it was mostly just a funny unexpected experience but definitely wont be going back. First of all the 'avocado' toast should have been called 'Lox avocado toast' because it was essentially lox with onions and capers that happened to be on the most paper thin slices of avocado there ever was. So my husband was taken by surprise and really disappointed. I ordered the croque madame, again, pretty hard to mess up, but this came served on french toast instead of normal toast. Im pretty sure this dish alone is why the French scorn Americans. The audacity of this person who came up with this menu item who thought hmmm french toast, croque madam, surely they ought to go together. Im pretty sure there is a guillotine waiting for you in Paris. This was a breakfast abortion. The mix of sweetness mixed with the ham egg and swiss made me want to vomit not to mention the moisture from the ingredients made the french toast a soggy mess. The whole thing was pretty much a disaster Im pretty sure if you ordered an omlette here it would come between a stack of pancakes. My advice is to definitely read the description very thoroughly. Who knows, if you order a steak and eggs it might come out as steak tacos with french toast tortillas. I know Yolk is a chain and this particular restaurant isnt responsible for the strange menu items but management should reconsider the odd changes that were made to pretty standard menu items.

Last time I ordered from them not long ago, the California omelette was a generous, flavorful dish and cost $11 after-tax, big enough to feed a family of three. Today I ordered the same thing and it cost me $17. I had to wait another 15 minutes after the projected take out readiness time but the meal came out nearly cold. They didn't include a bunch of things I asked for in the takeout, the omelette itself is really small and taste like nothing. Potatoes are under cooked. Crossed of my favorites list. The Yolk rep just accused me of lying in the comment below, so I am posting the snapshot from an older menu. $9.99. I would like at least an apology.

Outdoor seating was awesome. The food, not so much. I had the breakfast burrito and it truly had no flavor. I added some tomatillo salsa and some of the "Yolk" hot sauce from the table and it just did not help it much. My Mom had pancakes and they were lacking flavor also. Was pretty disappointed with the food. The service was great and the outside seating was great.