This week we hit up Darlene’s and boy, do we have thoughts. It’s worth noting that each week, the person selecting the restaurant prepares a conversation-starter question. This week’s question was favorite concert (spoiler alert: ABBA Voyage in London ran the board) but we actually spent the bulk of the time talking about the seemingly lost art of a true dining experience, inclusive of great service and what it means to also be a good patron. As you’ll see, Darlene’s was the primo setting for such a discussion. 

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QUICK STATS

Overall Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]

Price Range: $$$

Best For: Folks craving a true experience - high end food, atmosphere, and service 

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BEHIND OUR RATINGS

Food Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]  

Darlene’s is the intersection of creativity and craft. Baked items, imaginative savory dishes, libations (adult and PG) and gourmet brew concoctions simply enamored us. The standard stuff (e.g. hash browns, eggs benedict) was fine, but don’t come here for that. Life is short, just get the frickin waffle flight. 

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]  

It REALLY says something that you come to a place like Darlene’s and the thing that makes you rave over everything else is the service. The food and atmosphere is extremely hard to outshine but you did it, Josh!  While we’ve only begun to document our SSBC adventures, we’ve been at this quite a while and he is a “best of the best” server. 

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]  

Bright, crisp, witty atmosphere. Comfy couches for waiting, though we didn’t need them. Extra points for the Slay All Day rococo posters in the ladies’ restroom. PS they have a little gaming area, if you’re feeling lucky (we chose not to press our luck after having scored a good parking spot.) 

Noise Level: ⭐⭐⭐ [3/5]  

If we were in the raised dining room area, their busiest time would have been pretty loud. That said, we snagged a booth on the lower level and had a little sanctuary of our own. 

Value for Money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]  

Let’s say this: the experience is high quality, and you pay for that. But you get your money’s worth.

Wait Time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5] 

We had zero wait on a busy Saturday morning, despite the somewhat stern posted policies (party must be together before seating, etc.) that had us bracing for chaos.

Kid-Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]  

They passed the rigorous Chicken Fingers and Fries test with flying colors. Also our BFF Josh knew to put the kid’s order in early while we were oohing and aahing over the waffle flight.

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WHAT WE ORDERED

First, we absolutely crushed a waffle flight (and a cake pop from the bakery. Note: popular donuts sell out fast). We all agreed the blueberry & strawberry waffle was best, but it was a photo finish against the coconut chocolate decadence.

For my breakfast, I (Bridget) ordered a chai latte and the veggie house bowl. Chai latte was as satisfying in taste as it was in presentation. Sweet foam chicago, amIright? House bowl aka skillet was simply eggceptional (I’m allowed one egg pun per review). Mad props to Darlene’s for putting feta in the dish; I think we as a nation need to address how feta-deficient our breakfasts have become and put a task force on that.

Court chose the white sheep coffee and the chicken bacon ranch crepes. Coffee was good: very diner-esque. He felt the crepes were unique from the same old breakfast fare and a welcome, flavorful savory option.

Kay went with cold brew coffee & eggs benedict. Cold brew was good but strong. She let the ice cubes melt a bit and it was perfect. Eggs benedict were good, not great. It’s kind of a standard dish and we think Darlene’s jam is more stuff with a wow factor.

Sunny got the kids’ chicken fingers and fries. Get used to seeing that order, as he’s the finickiest of the group. The verdict? “Fries were an 11 out of 10.” Methinks, dear reader, that says it all right there.  

Oh and I grabbed a strawberry ginger refresher for the road. It was the perfect accompaniment for walking off our breakfast at the Orland Square Mall afterwards.

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THE BOTTOM LINE

Our Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]

What Made Us Smile: Josh 🙂

What Could Be Better: sold out of popular donuts by 9:15am. I guess the early bird is sick of worms and now swoops in for Darlene’s chocolate donuts.

Will the SSBC Be Back? Just try and stop us. 

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Well, that’s a wrap from your SSBC! Don’t forget to follow our breakfast adventures on the socials. And get some SSBC merch (holidays are just around the corner ya know). If you’d like to recommend a place for us to visit, drop us a line on our contact page.

Thanks for reading and please endeavor to be as gracious a guest as you expect of your establishment. Mind your manners, tip well, and if you linger during peak times (as we sometimes do), order lots and tip even better.