Yolk - Marina City — Restaurant in Chicago

There’s something so very comforting for lovers of breakfast about the yellow color pervading Yolk in Chicago. We visited the newer State Street location for breakfast and we’re not disappointed.

The coffee was strong. You need good, strong coffee in the morning if you’re bothering to have coffee. The brew hear satisfied these requirements. They also have a nice selection of loose-leaf Rishi brand teas which you steep yourself at the table.

There are many options at Yolk suitable for vegetarians regardless of whether you’re in a sweet or savory mood – I had a skillet which, although not listed on the menu, is automatically made with potatoes and cheese. My choices otherwise were asparagus and onion and they, happily, made it with egg whites. Could have used a little more seasoning but was tasty enough. The potatoes were slightly underdone. They were able to do a biscuit as my bread choice and this was a legit southern biscuit with just the right texture. (They do automatically heat these up on the grill so it has sort of a “Texas Toast” vibe about it which you may or may not prefer.)

My gluten-free and dairy-free wife was disappointed that the Steel Cut Oatmeal could not be made without the milk, but pleasantly surprised that gluten-free bread for toast was available. (Also not listed on the menu.) She loved it with the smashed avocado she ordered with it.

Our waitress was super-friendly and accommodating. We’d definitely come back to try other things from this extensive menu and location which was very easy walking distance from our hotel, Michigan Avenue, and the river.

P.S. The berries looked great but were...

i enjoyed my food, it was exactly what i was craving for breakfast, and i liked the latin-inspired flavors. at first i didn’t realize this was a chain or else i probably would not have eaten here (i don’t like to eat at chain restaurants when traveling).

i wasn’t a fan of the ambiance. it’s just very… plain. it’s just yellow and white inside with very light wood colors so it feels too bright. i know it’s egg-themed and yellow is an important color lol but in combination with the other colors it just wasn’t great. we had a great server named adam who was super pleasant and checked up on us frequently enough even though it was busy inside.

i feel like the food was really overpriced… especially for chicago. the portions are massive with tons of sides and you can’t really go smaller.

for example, i initially wanted the hey ricky! omelette, but it’s a FIVE-egg omelette that comes with potatoes or grits AND pancakes. that’s enormous… and you can’t get the omelette by itself or even just smaller. when i make omelettes at home, i use like, 2 eggs, so 5 + sides is crazy.

i went with the el torero scrambler instead. that is still three eggs + potatoes or grits AND pancakes. i just told them to not give me any pancakes because i straight up would not be able to eat it. i did enjoy what i ate but it was truly massive so i wasn’t able to finish it. i did notice that i was still charged for the whole thing as if i did get the pancakes (i had a feeling that would happen), so fyi they won’t knock down the price if you decline them.

it was good, but i’m not coming back....

Get the day started right! I was here from outta town visiting.

This is my new favorite breakfast spot and once you read this review and try it for yourself it will be your favorite spot too.

Make sure you put your name on the wait list online so your set. You can B.Y.O.B. For the ultimate strawberry orange juice orange mimosas or Bloody Mary’s. And prepare to rock out to some of the best music!

The first day we had a spread Avocado Toast- smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, tomato and onion this is a great starter or shareable Grilled salmon and eggs- this is the best of both worlds! Eggs and potatoes will leave you ready to take on the day. The cheese my grits were pretty standard u till you add Yolks house made hot sauce. Red Velvet French Toast- you won’t even need the maple syrup and if you add it watch this FT melt in your mouth. Nutella Crepes- jam packed with Nutella, walnuts, bananas, strawberries and topped with powdered sugar and Nutella drizzle. Comes with a side of maple syrup I ordered a full and had breakfast for the next day. I asked the waitress if she could not only put the crêpe inside of a to go container but wrap it in saran wrap so I didn’t didn’t leak all over my bag it made it back to my hotel at 9 PM that night and one piece amazing!!!

Our second day We had the Red Velvet French Toast, the Salmon eggs scrambled with grits, grilled salmon and potatoes and a corn beef hash with a side of and Turkey sausage.

Pro: great staff, amazing food and atmosphere Con: there isn’t one back home in Minnesota :/

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