- Sarah Nardi
Isabel's Restaurant
501 W. Diversey Pkwy.Chicago, IL 60614
Lincoln Park
773-281-8950
isabelsrestaurant.com
Hours: Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days
Saturday & Sunday brunch
Our Review
Isabel's describes itself as a restaurant, but the place is a diner at heart. All the trappings are there—the condiment caddies, the glass display cases, the single-serving creamers alongside your coffee. But the real proof of Isabel's diner DNA is in the clientele, and in quintessential diner fare like blueberry pancakes, corned beef hash, and a turkey club. The menu promises locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients (when possible), and recipes made "from scratch." Isabel's certainly delivered on the pancakes, light and flavorful, neither lacking nor overburdened by blueberries, and topped with pure maple syrup and vanilla-mascarpone butter. The turkey club came through too, with freshly carved, house-roasted turkey breast, crisp lettuce, and bacon on buttery toasted sourdough. The outlier was the corned beef hash, short on the corned beef and mushy, lacking any of the crispy bits that make the dish appealing. It was, however, topped off by a perfectly poached egg. In addition to breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch, Isabel's offers a dinner menu that's mostly Italian in nature, with items like chicken cacciatore, linguine with mussels, and spaghetti Bolognese. Pastas are house-made, and there's a heavily Belgian beer list. Isabel's also offers an affordable and surprisingly thoughtful wine list, sneaking in valpollicella among the expected Chianti and cab, and Soave among the pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc.
Price: $$
Payment Type: MasterCard, Visa, AmEx, Discover
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