Little Italy, sometimes called University Village due to its proximity to the University of Illinois in Chicago, is a neighborhood on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. Taylor Street, where Sweet Maple Cafe is located, is charming – bringing to mind “small town U.S.A.”. Tipped off by the never-steer-you-wrong Anthony Bourdain, we made the trip out of downtown Chicago to enjoy a breakfast at Sweet Maple Cafe : )
Laurene Hynson opened Sweet Maple Cafe in 1999, and it has been going strong ever since! She started off with family recipes like her mother’s fabulous French Toast, and has built out a wonderful menu from there! Like Laurene, there is a warm and friendly family atmosphere waiting to greet you at Sweet Maple!
Laurene Hynson, owner of Sweet Maple Cafe
Our food was delicious! Just look at that biscuit!
Sweet Maple Cafe
Both the omelet with potatoes AND the pancakes and bacon were perfect!
Sweet Maple Cafe
The “no fuss”, hospitable atmosphere made for a very relaxing breakfast. Sweet Maple Cafe has the reputation of being a hometown favorite!
Sweet Maple Cafe
After finishing our breakfast, we took a stroll around Taylor Street. It was a cool April day, but definitely fun to see all the diversity of the area, with lots of traditional Italian stores and restaurants! Check out our photo gallery below!
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