Colonial Cafe

This week we hit up Colonial Cafe in Naperville. Remember that each week, the person selecting the restaurant prepares a conversation-starter question. This week's question was to name something you’d like to do in the new year. I particularly liked that it wasn’t framed as a “resolution” question, cause that can get all heavy and label-y. Maybe it’s truly just as simple as thinking about something you enjoy, or would like to try in 2026. Treat yo self!

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QUICK STATS

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

Price Range: $$

Best For: groups and families, serious breakfast folk

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BEHIND OUR RATINGS

Food Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

An extensive menu makes us nervous, as we’ve seen places get over their skis by trying to do too much. This, coupled with an underwhelming first impression, had us worried. That said, we love being surprised, and boy, were we ever pleasantly surprised! *ALL* of the food we ordered (and we really diversified) was outstanding. 

Their coffee, however, was simply…bad. It had a bit of an aftertaste and didn’t make us want to guzzle it down like we usually do. And my beloved espresso, while listed on the menu, was unavailable. While we’d love to give 5/5 based on food alone, we simply can’t overlook such egregious offenses.

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]

We enjoyed great service from Marilyn! She was friendly and very attentive throughout our visit. She also helped us move tables because our first booth was a disaster and we were forced to abandon ship. 

PS we’re big fans of the staff’s cool t-shirts!

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐ [2/5]

We love booths and always request one for privacy and better sound. These booths, however, make no sense. They have extenders only on the front and back leaving the inside open to the booth in the next room. This creates a bizarre coupling to the strangers in the booth next to you (“um, hey, what’s up, that food smells good”). What’s more, the acrylic panels act like shower doors so the acoustics create an echo chamber. We could barely hear ourselves think “we’ve got to get out of this booth.” It also was on a pretty severe slant - we amused ourselves for a while by placing crayons and watching them roll off.

The main restaurant is dated. They smartly lean into the historical, 4th generation family legacy thing so they’re making it work, but some strategic renovations wouldn’t hurt.

Noise Level: ⭐⭐⭐ [3/5]

I mentioned the booths were rough. Once we moved to a table, there was still a pretty noticeable / distracting din.

Value for Money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]

Seriously, the food was excellent and the portions were ample. Four satisfied customers.

Wait Time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]

Walked right in. Food arrived quickly.

Kid-Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]

Behold, children, the most magical ice cream menu thine eyes have ever seen!! (Makes sense, as this place has 120+ year old roots in the dairy / ice cream realm). My son waited all week for the (single-scoop version of the) dirt n worms. Verdict? He really DUG it!! 

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WHAT WE ORDERED

Court went with the cinful cinnaroll pancakes, which they describe as “the middle of a cinnamon roll in every bite.” If you like that kind of thing - and he does - you’ll be thrilled. Don’t expect a traditional pancake stack though: in order to get the pancake-to-cream cheese frosting ratio correct I think it has to be one single layer. One ginormous HUGE, thin layer of iced cinnamony goo. Naturally it was so rich and decadent he couldn’t come close to finishing it, even with our help. Take it from me: target the edges for a little bit of crisp to offset the thick frosting. 

Kay ordered the monterey avocado omelette and proclaimed it to be the best omelette she’s had in a long time. Let this be a strong endorsement to give the breakfast chef a raise. It had bacon and fresh slices of avocado on it, and she would definitely order it again. The side of fruit was good as well.

As for me (Bridget), I had the veg head skillet, sans onions, served over sweet potatoes. I love that they have the sweet potato option and I love even more that they were cooked to perfection - large pieces sauteed to the perfect sweetness and just the right degree of firmness. Seasoned perfectly, and prepared with havarti cheese - havar(ti) told you how good this is in skillets, btw? Three eggs. Most places use two. Again, you’re not leaving this place hungry. 

You’ll never guess what Sunny ordered? Chicken fingers and fries of course! He found the fries to be outstanding - the best he’s had on SSBC journey so far. He washed it all down with frozen strawberry lemonade which was very good. His dessert (PS why isn’t breakfast dessert a bigger thing?) was the yummy gummy dirt n worms. Also…excellent.

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THE BOTTOM LINE

Our Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

What Made Us Smile:

The food was excellent, as measured across a wide variety of menu items. It really carried the day when other aspects of the visit were mixed.

What Could Be Better:

We hope the coffee (and coffee drinks) are due for a glow up in 2026. Along with some sound-absorption for the booths.

Will the SSBC Be Back?

Colonial Cafe made believers of us, yes.

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Well, that's a wrap from your SSBC! 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.

If you'd like to recommend a place for us to visit, drop us a line on our contact page.