Sweet and Simple Cinnamon Café
By Minna A in Food on Jan 24, 2012 8:20PM
Lincoln Square is a neighborhood with its fair share of breakfast places, each boasting an atmosphere and menu different from the next. But for a simple brunch with both sweet and spicy dishes, Cinnamon Café on Lawrence is your best bet.
Housed in the same location as the former neighborhood staple Ravenswood Grill, Cinnamon Café reinvents the American-style brunch with a Mexican twist. Inside, the restaurant feels like a comfortable diner, with family-friendly plush red booths and an old-school wet bar stocked with juices and sodas—it’s BYO on the weekends. The staff is incredibly friendly and keeps cups brimming coffee, both the regular stuff and a special house brew with a sweet addition of cinnamon.
The brunch specials often change, but we can assure you the selections are always going to be mouth-watering. Amongst our favorites are the Spanish hash, a healthy portion of potatoes, chorizo, beans and cheese swimming in a subtle chili-flavored red sauce, topped with eggs of your choice and a scoop of homemade guacamole, and the breakfast flautas with either chicken or vegetables over Mexican rice and topped with eggs and guacamole—a combination of flavors worthy of praise. To sweeten the deal, each savory dish is paired with a rich and dense homemade cornbread muffin with a hint of sweet jalapeno flavor.
For brunch diners with a sweeter tooth, Cinnamon Café has lots to offer. Diners can order the brioche French toast, sprinkled with strawberries and corn flakes and topped with a dollop of whipped mascarpone and drizzled with a homemade cinnamon dulce de leche, or the banana French toast with a vanilla mascarpone with a pour of rum sauce to seal the deal.
Cinnamon Café is open daily, but we think this treat is best saved for weekends.
Cinnamon Café is located at 1968 W. Lawrence Ave.