Mac's Restaurant — Restaurant in Norwood Park Township

Flippin' Fantastic. It's not just about good food but an little trip back in time. We just flew in from out of town and checked into the Springhill Suites by OHare Airport. We were looking for a good breakfast/lunch place that was local, not a chain. This did not disappoint!

It was only a 5 min walk from our hotel and nestled into this little corner of an unassuming shopping center. Shopping center next door has a brand new Dunkin Donuts, skip it and come here.We had our 7 month old daughter with us and her stroller. When we first walked in, I was concerned because it's not a big place and our stroller is not compact. The owner/manager (I think) a nice tall gentleman greeted us at the door and helped keep it open for us to come in. He directed us warmly to take the booth at the back.

We sat down and a friendly blonde waitress (wish I had caught her name) greater us with menus and two glasses of water in one swoop. She asked what we wanted to drink and my husband ordered coffee. She went and grabbed a pot and flipped over the ceramic coffee mug sitting on the table pouring a nice hot brew. That moment immediately gave me the flash back of classic diners. They have old style booths, a bar with classic diner bar stools and old decor. I loved it all. I'm in my early thirties but felt like I've been transported back to a simpler time. We ordered breakfast, I ordered the corn beef hash skillet and my husband the Mac's ham with hash browns and eggs.

Our waiter knew immediately when we were ready to order and took our orders. Less than 10 minutes later we had our food on the table. Classic simple ingredients and good old comfort breakfast food. You can even watch the whole kitchen and how they hand the food. The cook even had the classic diner hat on.

Food was delicious needless to say, simple, well cooked and tasty. Macs ham was juicy and not dried out, hash browns crispy on the outside and eggs were cooked how we asked. My corn beef hash was layered starting with hash towns, cornbeef, two slice of classic American cheese and topped with eggs sunny side up (my presence). It was salty, savory and delicious! We practically inhaled it since we were hungry and exhausted form our flight. If we have time on our trip we...

If I could give this place 10 or even 20 stars I swear, I would. I had the glazed pecan French toast (added strawberry topping) and it was AMAZING! My boyfriend had the meat lover's omelet (add American cheese) and his was good too but he said he wished he would have gotten mine. lol The manager (who as a side note has very cool tattoos, lol) greeted us very sincerely and warmly as soon as we came in. (Jake I think I was told his name is) My boyfriend speaks no English and on more than one occasion, the manager made an effort to ask him if everything was ok in the Spanish that he knew and you don't even know how much I appreciated that. (not everyone is this kind to someone who doesn't speak English so this really, really touched my heart.) Everyone was sooo nice and attentive. Our waitress was the sweetest and honestly, I think all the workers in the restaurant at some point during our meal asked if we needed anything and if we were ok. A cook even came off the line to put more whipped cream on my French toast without me even asking. Most unfortunately, we were only visiting Chicago as we live in MI so we will not be able to be regulars but if we lived here, we most certainly would be. As a side note, they only accept cash, but they do have an ATM at the entrance. It is a little more expensive than other diners but it is more than WELL WORTH IT. You have to try it. A special thank you to everyone at Mac's Restaurant. May God richly bless you all. You didn't just fill our stomachs, you...

Mac's Restaurant is a diamond in the rough when it comes to breakfast places - they have a charming and hard-working staff who bend over backwards to make your meal worthwhile, and the quality of food to back it up. The issues reside in location, payment options, and a lack of flavorful coffee.

I ordered a scramble with English muffin, and the food was exceptionally well cooked with ingredients that were all clearly fresh. The cheddar used in my scramble tasted like it had just been grated from a block, the ham was moist, and the eggs fluffy and flavorful. My English muffin had a satisfying crunch while avoiding the blandness that packaged muffins often carry.

Where Mac's falls short is it's coffee, location, and how you're able to pay. The coffee on my visit was honestly quite weak, which was extra-disappointing as I had been travelling and really needed that kick to get the day started. Located on a busy road and lacking decent parking, you're likely to find yourself navigating around other cars as you await an open space. Pray that your fellow drivers are paying attention.

Last and likely most important in my eyes, we did not see ample signage to suggest this was a cash-only establishment. The only suggestion, and one I should have realized, was the ATM in the entryway. That added unexpected cost to the meal in terms of ATM fees.

If you're lucky enough to catch a parking spot and have physical money in the pocket, Mac's Restaurant will give you a breakfast you'll remember fondly...