Melrose Restaurant, Chicago

If it were not for the surrounding neighborhood, you would think you were eating at a gigantic truck stop. Melrose Restaurant serves simple food in large portions. Breakfast items served around the clock include eggs, omelets, French toast and the likes. During lunch and dinner, burgers are the popular fare. The wait staff is sometimes chatty, sometimes folksy and sometimes just plain strange, but, somehow, these factors align to create a trendy and pleasant adventure. The outdoor seating and prime people watching during the summer months don't hurt either.