Back In The Day Café

Heard that they had Chicken Fried Steak, so that was my reason for visiting. Alas, no CFS. Had a great meatloaf sandwich however. I sat at the counter and the woman behind the counter was super friendly and helpful. Would come back again when I have an urge for excellent comfort food.

I am SHOCKED that this place got anything lower than 3 stars! I can only assume they’re either really hard to please people or they don’t know fresh made-​from-​scratch modern and old-​fashioned food. Or they just were one of those fluke customers that had a black cloud over them that day.
I’ve been there about 6 times and every single time I’ve been extremely impressed by the service, the FOOD, the homey feeling. You get a good feeling about the place from the time you walk until the time you’re full. Everyone working there emits just positive vibes and is so friendly. The chefs should seriously have their own show on a food channel or something, they’re the real deal!
Look forward to many more good meals there! Mik

I came here for brunch a few weeks back and I was pleasantly surprised. I had the bacon and egg soup, which I had read about in the Reader. It was a great idea but the execution left a bit to be desired. The poached eggs that are one of the two title elements of the dish were way overcooked. I imagined the yolk would run all over the dish but was chagrined when that did not happen.
My fiancé had the pancakes which I tried as well. They were quite good and can, if you choose, come with some 100% pure Wisconsin maple syrup for an extra $ 1.50. It’s always worth it to me to avoid corn syrup.
The dining room is nice with a semi-​open kitchen and plenty of kitsch as well. The owners were both present and approachable. The service was fine and we left this place with plans to return. I just hope my eggs are poached properly next time.

Ive eaten there about 4 times and its pretty good including last sunday for breakfast. GET THE BACON AND EGG SOUP!!! Positively my favorite thing for breakfast now.
It does seem that when the owner is there, food and service is better. Like the saying goes,“When the cats away, the mice will play.”
One thing i love about Unilocal! is the variations in ratings.5star…1 star…3 stars… I think other restaurant owners in the area contribute to the ratings. Nothing like screwing the neighbor.
Oh yeah, i still think Q BBQ on Lagrange road sucks!!!

The food is great. The owners are very friendly. But, they are frequently closed unexpectedly. Weird.

I think anyone not impressed with the food here is of the ‘hard to impress’ variety. I’ve eaten there 2 times and had carry-​out once. They forgot something small in the takeout order – but the food is SOOOOO good! Especially the mashed potatoes. I hope they’re around for a long long time!

My wife and I had been meaning to go to this place for months and we finally did. And, boy, are we glad we did!
We’ve been here twice. Once for dinner and once for breakfast
Dinner was ok. Definitely a solid 3 stars from me, my wife would grade it a bit higher. I got the Steak Milanese sandwich and she got the Philly steak. We both wanted the Chicken Wild Rice soup, but they were unfortunately out of it. (It was only 5:30pm!) So that was quite disappointing.
My sandwich was good, though the steak itself was tough. The flavors were really good and I loved the marinara sauce, plus the bread is soft. That tough steak is a hard to ignore though. My wife definitely enjoyed her sandwich and ended up taking half of it home. The fries were ok. Thankfully they didn’t cover them with «spices» and left it up to us to salt them.
Breakfast, on the other hand, was a solid 5 stars.
I ordered the bacon pancakes and a side of the potatoes. My wife got the pecan pancakes. Now then, you «only» get 2 pancakes, but they’re larger and more filling than you realize. They’re more on the thin side, which I prefer, and very tasty. And believe me, when you get a pancake here that has a filling like bacon or pecans, it’s filled. It’s not just topped with it. As for the potatoes… YUM! Not frozen, definitely fresh, and seasoned exactly how I like it.
As for the service, in both visits we got the same server and she was good. Our drinks were kept filled and we never had to flag her down. No complaints there.
Overall, a charming little diner that will get our repeat business!

Everything is hand made on the spot. It was all delicious. YOU WILL WAIT more than the usual restaurant because they make everything hand made. But it is worth it. BYOB. Seat about 30. Everyone that worked there was nice and it made a nice environment.

I love that this cute little restaurant is owned by the chefs and that it is filled with old movie/​tv memorabilia. Not only is this restaurant cute and Mom n’ Mom owned, but it has really tasty food as well.
The owners are so nice and so appreciative of the customers. They come out and talk to the patrons, make sure everything we have is tasty and just are super friendly and happy to have their patrons.
I have only two complaints. The first is that I went here for the b-​day/​baptism party for my best friend’s son and one of the servers was wearing leggins where her underwear could be seen thru her pants. That’s a little inappropriate I thought. I mean we had the whole place reserved for the party, they knew it was a little boys b-​day and baptism. How ’bout you wear pants that are not see through? Thanks. My other complaint is that the soup was tasteless. Don’t be afraid to use a little salt or other seasoning. I was pretty surprised it was so tasteless, because everything else I’ve ever had here has always been delicious.
Just one negative, it’s byob and the corkage fee is $ 5. I hate corkage fees. :(
I will return, this place is super cute, with the actual chefs cooking the food and the food is truly good.

Not good at all! We had breakfast and were disappointed in the food. The spinach in the omlette tasted like it was out of a can and the potatoes from a freezer bag. There are much better choices around La Grange.

Okay went here for the first time with my daughter and waited 1 hour for a chicken ceaser salad and a beef dip, now if the beef dip was to die for then maybe the wait might have been worth it because the cook and the male waiter got into a heated arguement which lead him to slip and fall in the kitchen holding someones dinner. It’s mean to laugh but it was really funny. Sorry waiter but the food was not good and how can you screw up a beef dip.

This restaurant is mislabeled as fast food. I think that those who go here should be aware that good food made from scratch (try aisle 13) may just be worth the wait.
One of my teachers refers to fast food joints as filling stations. Back in the day café has no business tempting us into their location with thoughts of greasy old burgers, rude but amusing servers, and segregated seating. Billy Joel said (sung) it best, «the good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.»
Now onto the food! OMG! I had bacon chowder. My twin 20 month olds loved it, even though there was a hint of something spicier than the black pepper. My wife thought it was cayenne, the waiter said red pepper, the chef said cayenne. Darn my wife for a know-​it-​all. My wife’s minestrone was one of the best I ever had, It should have had some bread to counter the saltiness, but it was still very very good. Now we had heard the soup was good, however there was no kids menu.
Our children are gorgeous, well behaved, not too picky and they sleep through the night however they should not have a platter of meatloaf and gravy. Simon, the soon to be three, older brother decided it was mac and cheese and nothing else (until his sisters ordered hot dogs). Mac and cheese is not on the menu, however, never say no to the customer was in effect and Simon got his mac and cheese. Though unfair, he was forced to share and I didn’t eat close to half. His sisters abandoned there fries for some of that cheesy goodness.
Our Anthony (11 going on jaded) was scarfing down his chicken Parma over spaghetti so fast that none of us got more than small scraps. I had a special in the menu being pushed by our genuine waiter. I can’t spell it but it was chicken with lemon in a white sauce over spaghetti. I had some garlic bread which was the only thing not superior, sadly it was only good crispy Around the edges garlic bread. My wife had the Philly cheese steak and when she starts talking about her moms cooking (being Sicilian and all) I quickly offered to trade tastes. This was a mistake. How could I decide on the spot how to wrest her food from her and eat it without seeming overly callous. It was her birthday after all. In a move that would have impressed my older and much larger brother, she gathered food and plate to her side of the table leaving me only
to wonder why the east coast (I saw puffy in new York production of raisin in the sun) never tasted so good.
I usually don’t have dessert because I am rapidly leaving behind that fit Marine corps body, but who can resist when ice cream and brownie come on the same plate? When I was a kid, some of the brownie mix would creep over the edge of the pan. It would be soft and gooey and crunchy all at once. This is almost as strong a memory for me as licking the spoon. Back in the day took me back to the good old days and added ice cream and fresh caramel. My wife had tiramisu that didn’t taste of sponge to me (I don’t have Italian tastebuds), it was very tasty. The boys has canolis (sp) with chocolate chips and real whipped cream. Maybe they had a Michael Jordon night where every shot went in. Or maybe it was a Cheers night and everybody knows your name. No customer I saw left hungry or unhappy. There are great things in the future for this team of teacher and student turned restaurant genius. At this rate Brookfield will rival oak park and hide park for culinary delights. The north side will be a thing of the past and I will be able to say, «it all started at back in the day café. «
dream a vivid dream of me

I’ve given this place 2 chances and both times it’s been horrible. The first time we came here I got the chicken salad sandwich and it had a funky chemical taste to it, as well as being really dry. We got some other food including a bland, cardboard tasting pizza, and also a flavorless sausage sandwich with very little sauce.
After that disaster we decided to give it another try based on what we saw on the breakfast menu. I mean, come on, how can you screw up breakfast?!?
I got the lemon ricotta pancakes that were supposed to be light and fluffy, but had the consistency of eggs (which I hate), and there wasn’t a hint of lemon in the whole thing. I’m amazed that this place has such high ratings.
Overall, while the staff is exceptionally nice, I’ll never be eating here again.

We have gone back a few more times, and the service seems to be much better. They still don’t have alcohol, and the are not BYOB. Some people brought wine and the server did a good job explaining that they were not BYOB yet. If I were them I would get on that liquor license, they are loosing business.

My new favorite spot. The young, talented chefs are creative and willing to accommodate special requests. Inexpensive and fresh, and their specials board makes sure there is always something new. My favorites are their Lemone Chicken, Lasagna and the Tiramisu. The Chicken Tortilla soup is also a winner (and I don’t normally ‘do’ soup).
Staff is friendly and very family-​ish — not fussy at all. Casual environment. For comfort food, this place can’t be beat.

We went back for another try last weekend — service seems to be improving and it looks like they might be finding their groove. Their soups might keep me coming back… and it looks like they’ve added breakfast on the weekends.

We ate there tonight and we can’t beat how close it is to our house. There were 5 adults and our bill for under $ 50 total for 5 entrees and 3 soups with beverages. I had the philly steak which is italian beef but either way was good. My husband had the italian beef calzone which is enormous, but good. Friends had the chicken parm which is also enamours but good, the breaded steak, and the lasagna. The soups were all really good, and the homemade bread was AMAZING.
Out waiter was great, he was funny and very attentive. They offered to make us a dessert sampler but we were stuffed and decided that we would do it next time.
Our waiter said they will do local delivery if they are slow but not if they are busy. They cater, but do not have alcohol yet.

We were not thrilled with Back in the Day Café. The service was pretty bad… extremely slow and not apologetic at all. I was not impressed with the food. The soup was good, but served lukewarm at best. We had a pizza, which was tasty, but nothing to write home about. My husband had an combo, which was not right and was only served with half a sausage… cheap on their part! I had a philly steak and was not impressed. We probably won’t be going back, especially with the horrible service.

I ate here with my wife and daughter on a Thursday night after a local paper had an article about the restaurant. The place was packed, but the staff was friendly and good natured, but a bit overwhelmed with the crowd. We weren’t in a hurry so this was fine. Being a new restaurant, I’m sure things will smooth out with more wait staff.
Everything is home made. My daughter and I had the chicken wild rice soup and my wife had the split pea. If nothing else we would come here just for the soup. We had chicken parmesan and spaghetti w/​meatballs for our dinner. The chicken was excellent as was the pasta and sauce. The meatballs were excellent. We got a big platter of garlic bread to share. The table next to us ordered burgers, which looked great, and one diner had gravy fries. I know what I’m having next time. Save room for dessert! The turtle brownie bomb and the pound cake w’berries were to die for.
The prices are very reasonable. $ 7.99 for the chicken parmesan and $ 5.49 for the spaghetti, including soup and garlic bread. I look forward to my next visit.

Food is great, everything is fresh. Service is awesome too. Huge servings when you order the pasta dishes! I cant say enough, we will be regulars.