Lou Mitchell’s: The first Restaurant on Route 66

Lou Mitchell’s is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It has been an institution for 94 years. Besides the delicious food, its location is famous for being right around the corner from where the famous Route 66 starts on Jackson Boulevard. The route was established two years after Lou Mitchell’s, making the restaurant a true classic.

Having Greek diner roots, the restaurant embraces all of the hospitality and love of food that accompanies that distinction. Owned by the same family for five generations, this restaurant maintains some sweet traditions. For instance, all women and children get a small box of Milk Duds upon arrival as a gesture of hospitality. In addition, all customers receive an orange slice and a house-made prune stewed in honey, brown sugar and orange juice to serve as an appetizer. All breakfast foods are served in skillets. Two people can easily share one breakfast since a two-egg breakfast with turkey sausage is served in an 8-inch skillet with what is clearly six eggs and half a dozen sausage links.

The restaurant is its own bakery and makes all of its own bread and pastries. The donut holes are fried fresh, sprinkled with brown sugar and worth every cent. They claim to have the world’s finest coffee — this is debatable, but it does put most diner coffee to shame. The staff is friendly and the breakfast is everything you want it to be, so if you are getting on Route 66 or just heading out to breakfast, stop by Lou Mitchell’s and save your Milk Duds for later.