Cindy's Rooftop is a light filled restaurant on the rooftop of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, and they are filling a big whole in the Chicago brunch scene by offering family style brunch. It's brilliant. I can never decide if I want a sweet or savory brunch. I tend to go with savory since a sweet brunch seems overly indulgent but then I am leaving brunch without satisfying my sweet tooth. This isn't an issue at Cindy's Rooftop, where they offer brunch platter for sharing. I joined some of my darling girl friends for brunch there on Saturday and we loved it so much that I am sure we will be back soon.
While I loved the food at Cindy's, they are also famous for having one of the best views. You can see all of Millennium and Grant Park, and Lake Michigan from the terrace.
And I will let you in on a little secret... Cindy's offers one of the best views of the summertime fireworks.
If you are celebrating something special, you might want to reserve the Lakeview Couches, which offer stunning views of Lake Michigan from a semi private space.
We were seated at a long table in the main dining area, which is covered with a glass ceiling, allowing daylight to pour in. It was just the dose of Vitamin D I needed in the middle of Chicago's typically grey winter. I refuse to believe that you can have brunch without ordering a mimosa, so that was my first order of business.
We started our meal with biscuits. They were fresh and warm and came with whipped butter, honey, and jam. They were crisp on the outside and doughy on the inside, and we kept going back for more.
We were told to order 3-4 platters to feed our group of ten, and this was perfect advice even though we couldn't stop ourselves from ordering more than that. The Chilaquiles came first. Tortilla chips, chorizo, corn charred scallions, and picked fresno chilis were tossed in salsa verde and topped with crema and fried eggs.
The French Toast was made with cinnamon raisin brioche that was topped with caramelized pineapple, tahitian vanilla creme fraiche, and barrel-aged maple syrup. This is the type of thing that I always want to try, but am not ready to fully commit to, so the family style portion was ideal.
See? All the portions are meant to feed 3-4 people. Their classic Croque Madame was made with Neuske's smoked ham, gruyere, and brioche, and topped with mornay sauce and fried eggs and served with frisee salad on the side.
My favorite thing was the Quiche Lorraine which came in a large cast iron skillet, and easily fed the entire table! The quiche was a very light custard with Neuske's bacon, caramelized onions, and gruyere topped with some frisee salad. It was just perfectly cooked, it might be the best quiche I have ever tasted.
My friends and I had a fantastic time at Cindy's. The food was excellent and I think that the family style portions are a refreshing twist on brunch. There are a handful of classic brunch items, like Eggs Benedict, a burger, and a BLT, available in individual servings too - so you don't feel like you need to gather a big group to dine at Cindy's.
I loved that we gathered 10 girls for brunch, and that the big occasion was simply having brunch. Next time we go I am going to make a point to save room to try one of Cindy's gourmet hot cocoas.
Thanks to Tasting Table for arranging brunch for me and my friends! Tasting Table has a new app called DINE, and it takes the guesswork out of picking restaurants with the ability to search for restaurants by cuisine, neighborhood, or other features. Plus editor's lists help you discover "The Best Weekend Brunches", "Hot Tables", and more! Download DINE here - it's free!
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