Sweet Virginia's Kitchen — Restaurant in Lake View Township

I'm so happy this place opened up in the neighborhood. It's as home-style authentic as it gets. While this place is delivering 5-stars across the board - ambiance, food, and service.

Ambiance It's perfect. The rustic home-style feel of SVK is not just imitated, but authentic. Every item seems to have a backstory around it - from the tung oil rubbed wooden fixtures to the chachkies on the wall. You can even read about the history of many of them by paging through the beautifully designed 'newspaper' which sites on each table. The light fixtures are cleverly converted antique kitchen gadgets and pans. It's a cozy, beautiful space. The tables are quite close together, so getting in and out of the seats along the wall might take a little bit of a shuffle. Music was a comfortable level. The seats along the front window have several outlets, making it a great place to plug in if you plan to sit and do some work. Wi-Fi is also available.

Food I have been waiting to try SVK's food and, even on opening day, they did not disappoint. I stopped by for both breakfast and lunch. Expect to spend $10-$20 for a meal with a side and a drink. Cold brew - SVK uses Metropolis coffee and I'm happy to report that they didn't skimp on the cold brew. It's strong and bold and you can taste the coffee. Exactly what you hope for in a cold brew. Size (16 oz) was very reasonable as well Winnemac Bagel - What a fresh experience! It is open face, bagel with some really amazing ingredients. The tomato, lettuce, and seasoning really came together. Not a grab a go sandwich, but if you can spare a few moments I'd recommend it Salsa w/ house made chips - The crunch on these was notable before I even tasted the salsa. SNAP! Salted, but not overly so. The salsa was delicious as it was surprisingly, but pleasantly, sweet before the heat from the medium salsa kicks in Shrimp Taco w/ citrus slaw - 3 tacos packed w/ shrimp, which is nice. They don't shortchange you. The citrus slaw also delivers big flavor. They serve it with salsa, but I think there would almost be too much going on, so I opted to keep it on the side. Tacos are of modest size, especially if you didn't get anything else. [Update: now served with 3 tacos, up from 2, which makes it more of a meal] Rice pudding - Just-right level of sweetness and cinnamon served in a convenient personal sized tin. This with a scoop of ice cream would be an amazing dessert to split [Update: no longer available] Bobtail ice cream - I had one scoop of the cookie dough and it was a very rich treat. I have not had Bobtail before. It's quite a soft ice cream. More like a custard than traditional ice cream. The cookie dough was a little limited on cookie dough and was more like vanilla w/ chocolate chunks. However, the flavor was good and with eight flavors to pick from, I'm sure there is something you'll enjoy. [Update: Bobtail sold to Johnson's Real Ice Cream; I've tried several flavors and they are quite good]. Rest of offering - The menu is rounded out with a mixture of pastries, fresh meals, soups, sides, and beverage options. A few bagged sweets are also on offer but they are tucked away on side of register.

Service A local place run by locals, so service is super friendly and the owners are very involved in both front and back of house. When I sat down for lunch, the food was brought out quickly and they offered to clear the spot when I was done eating. Water is self-serve from a cooler, by the well-stocked coffee bar. Tables were quickly cleaned and reset for the next customers. There are railroad spikes on the walls to hang bags and coats. If you want to use the restroom, you'll need to ask as it requires a walk through the kitchen to get to it. Food is made to order - plan for at least 10 minutes to get your food or call ahead to order for grab-and-go.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experiences at SVK and wish them the best of luck. They are a great addition to the neighborhood and I look forward to spending more here in the future!

[Updated Jan 2020 to reflect my many visits...

Found out about this place from friend who lived on the area. She casually asked if I had taste for French toast. I remarked that I had made some recently. Settled on Sweet Virginia mostly because of nearby convenience. While in the nearby park, we called order in for the 2-person French toast brunch, which would be ready in 25 minutes. We walked over to find a small obscure storefront where we had to ring bell. After about 3 minutes, woman came out with our order which was in two white boxes. Came with our ice teas in togo cups. The order came to $35.44. Woman asked if I wanted to add a gratuity, which I always do when dining in. As this was to go and from sidewalk at that, I declined. Anyway, walked back to park with our food to find they had provided us NO cutlery nor napkins, necessitating a 2 block extra walk to go get these. Obviously I was unhappy. When we finally got around to eating, the french toast was ok, but what I make at home is Far Superior. And the portions were quite small for an adult. Very expensive brunch not a good value. Would not go there 😕 again. Should have followed first mind and got the African Cuisine. VERY...

My partner and I just tried brunch from here for the first time and we were not disappointed! The staff was super friendly on the phone and the contact-less pickup process was seamless.

We ordered breakfast sandwich on a bagel with breakfast potatoes, viking nachos, the southwest chicken salad, and the cinnamon sugar fall donuts.

The breakfast sandwich had a perfectly over-medium egg, delicious thick-cut bacon, and nicely melted cheddar. The breakfast potatoes were beautifully well-done, just how I like them (don't give me those raw-looking breakfast potatoes). Viking nachos had a salsa that my partner was obsessed with. Salad was great with homemade dressing and homemade tortilla chips. But truly, the star of the show was the donuts. Warm, fresh, drenched in cinnamon sugar, and endlessly flaky.

This may have been our first time visiting, but it most definitely will not be our last!

Sorry, we ate all of the amazing food before we had a chance to take...