Buttermilk (Naperville)

This week we hit up Buttermilk in Naperville.

You will recall, each week, the person selecting the restaurant prepares a conversation-starter question. This week’s question was what would you wish for if a genie granted you three wishes. I will say this: if tasting the best French toast you’ve ever had is on your list, your wish is granted here at Buttermilk.

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QUICK STATS

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

Price Range: $$

Best For: Folks who want excellent, well-executed breakfast staples and a cozy farmhouse vibe

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BEHIND OUR RATINGS

Food Quality: ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ [4/5]

The food itself is extremely strong. Kay declared her French toast the best she’s ever had, and I would happily order my fried green tomatoes again. So why not a 5? The specialty drinks. I struck out not once but twice (see below), and Court’s latte was…an acquired taste. The coffee is very good though!

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

Our server Suzanne was lovely: warm and friendly. She wasn’t as engaged when we asked for advice on the menu (I realize that’s a trap for a lot of servers cause folks ask but taste by definition is subjective). I appreciated that she replaced my first drink when I told her it was undrinkable.

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

Easy on the eyes: black and white farmhouse with exposed gray pipes overhead and tasteful, industrious touches throughout. Lots of booths. Fabrics that help cut down on noise (they need it).

Now, you should know we were there on a rainy morning, and we sat in the splash zone of one of two drip buckets catching water dripping from the ceiling. You needn’t be a feng shui master to know this is not a strong experience for whomever is seated there. Please, Buttermilk, I know you’re busy on a Sunday morning, but just block those tables off until the time the ceiling is fixed. 

Noise Level: ⭐⭐⭐ [3/5]

We snagged a back corner booth and were sealed away in our own little cocoon. Even with the place packed, we had no trouble hearing one another. It’d be tough in the middle of the floor though. We said we’d wait for a booth and, if you don’t mind a wait, that’s your best bet if you don’t care for the noise

Value for Money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

Reasonable for what we ordered (we experimented). And you’re really paying for quality on the food items.

Wait Time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

The reservation link when we checked in tried to scare us off with a 60-70 min estimate for a booth at 9am on a Sunday morning. We nearly bailed, but the staff said the listed time was incorrect and seated us in less than 10 mins. We got lucky, but you should plan to come early or expect a wait. 

Kid-Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]

Kids menu, inclusive of birthday cake pancakes, plus great drink options like s’mores hot chocolate.

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WHAT WE ORDERED

Court had the Morning Madam French toast (i.e. an open-faced croque madame w/ scrambled eggs and a Gruyère sauce over the top). He called it absolutely wonderful and ate every single bite. His side of crispy seasoned potatoes earned its own round of applause. To drink, the regular coffee was a hit: bolder and a touch darker, slightly bitter in a good way—a hearty, leave-the-pot-on-the-table breakfast coffee. He also tried the cookie butter latte, which he initially found underwhelming and a little flat; once he stirred the foam and the cookie butter shots together, it came back to life a bit.

Kay went with the bananas bourbon French toast—creamy in the middle with a sauce that had her saying “oooh” after every bite. Her exact verdict: the best French toast she’s ever had. She tasted a few of Court’s potatoes (very good) and agreed the coffee was great.

I (Bridget) enjoyed scrambled eggs -prepared just right- and a side of fruit. I’ve previously declared that if a restaurant puts fried green tomatoes on a menu, I do not play. I will order them and judge them against the highest possible bar. Buttermilk chose to enter into this arena and I’m pleased to say they did a very nice job. Crispy / crunchy and seasoned well, with a good quality ranch on the side.

The drinks were another story. I started with a raspberry fizz float (raspberry purée, soda water, vanilla cold foam) and I did not enjoy it. There was no sweetness to it, just fizzy water with flavorless foam & raspberry bits floating on top. In a first for SSBC, I sent something back. Suzanne was kind enough to swap it for an iced raspberry matcha, but that also lacked sweetness (and flavor if I’m being candid. Entirely un-sweet specialty drinks are a departure from what most places are doing so I wasn’t expecting it. If that is the vibe, it should be clear on the menu or servers equipped to speak to it.

Sunny got the birthday cake pancakes (subbed for waffles) and declared them delicious. The portion was enormous. He also had the s’mores hot chocolate served with a mountain of marshmallows.

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THE BOTTOM LINE

Our Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]

What Made Us Smile:

BEST EVER bananas bourbon French toast. You must try it!

What Could Be Better:

We’re assuming the ceiling leaks are fixed ASAP, or at the very least they aren’t seating folks beneath them.

In that case, we believe taking some of the specialty drinks back to the drawing board (or at least a heads-up on the menu) would absolutely place them in the 5/5 category they deserve. 

Will the SSBC Be Back?

Again and again. We have a new favorite dish! 

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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.