Dunlay's On The Square

When Dunlay's on the Square first opened a few years ago, I really disliked it. The atmosphere felt exactly like the Lincoln Park location, which was staggeringly out of place in Logan Square. The waitresses with bleached blonde hair creeped me out and the food didn't really impress me. Fast forward several months, when I agreed to meet some friends there. Boy was I surprised at the change! The waitresses had been replaced with local, more-hip residents, and the food somehow tasted better too. Now I eat there at least once a month, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Their breakfast/brunch selection is just OK. It's a decent place to go when Lula is overflowing and you don't really feel like having a brick of grease in your stomach from Johnny's. They have pretty good fresh-fruit pancakes, which I recommend, and their bloody marys have all the fixins you could ever hope for.

Lunch/Dinner is always a good experience. They have just about the best veggie burger I have ever had, though I tend to order their specials a lot. Though their specials can be expensive (usually $20), I have never been disappointed by them.

I should also mention the decor. The bar itself is a gorgeous art-deco affair, and they always have pretty interesting art on the walls and tend to rotate them. During the summer, grab a seat on the front patio and enjoy a view of the Square.

Posted 04/14/08 | Report Abuse

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Dunlays is a pretty good restaurant but the real deal is the late night menu where some of their most popular items are pretty discounted--if you come after 10 you can get an excellent pizza for 6 dollars, and their delicious cookie dessert for 5 dollars. I usually love it here but I'm taking off one star because once I had a not-so-great omelet for brunch. Burgers are also generally great and I think on Wednesday they have them for 5 dollars all day (but it might be Tuesday?) Regardless, they have a lot of food/drink specials so make sure to check.

Posted 04/12/08 | Report Abuse

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