The Flower Flat

I want to live in this space and have this breakfast everyday. Super cute and the best eggies! The atmosphere makes it even better. Literally can’t say enough wonderful things about TFF. Five (million) stars.

I knew this location as a flower shop so delighted to find that it has transformed into a lovely place for breakfast. There is a sign warning you to have patience as one person makes all of the food. No problem… the omlette was seriously wonderful. The hot chocolate was as good as the best hot chocolate I have ever had. The chocolate was topped with homemade marshmallow and shavings of coconut. Yummy. I will be back. Very small with few tables which just adds to the personal feel when lucky to be eating there.

I love this place! It’s always such a treat and the food is so delicious and made with such care. The place is so unique! It’s short hours make it elusive but that just makes it more special. It’s one of my favorite places to eat in the city and I wish I could go more often.

I met a friend here for brunch for the first time just before the holidays. I have to say, I was a little worried by the interior, which was charming in a cluttered, needs-​a-​good-​dusting type of way. But the food was quite good and very affordable for the neighborhood. Service was very slow despite the small size. I would go back if I were in the area, but it was nothing to write home about.

«Quaint» is certainly an apt description of this place. You get the feeling you’re in an eccentric older lady’s house, which I happen to enjoy. The food wasn’t standout but the cute lil owner was so friendly and brought out an impressive assortment of teas to try. It’s a nice place to spend brunch.

This type of quaint mom-​and-​pop shop would normally be right up my alley, but the vintage charm of «Grandma’s basement» was executed all wrong, not even good enough for Etsy. Instead of cozy, it just seemed really off. Dungeon-​like, dirty, with sticky tables. The menu was uninspired. Nothing I couldn’t have made at home. I realize the «home-​cooked» style is for those who don’t want to make it themselves, but the food should really be unique too. And the service was also unimpressive, a touch dismissive even. The singing coming from the kitchen was annoying, not quirky. Like theater kid sorority. So sad, I’d wanted to go here for years and I got this.

Really cute place with french press coffee. The owner is very nice and said hi to me when I moved in next door.

I helped plan and throw a bridal shower for one of my very best friends at this cute little café. It’s very corky and fun inside with lots of nik nacks. It’s quite small inside with two rooms and a bathroom. We only had 10 guests and it was a squeeze. The food was quite good and the owner even provided to go boxes for the leftovers. Overall the experience was not bad, however for what we paid, this place falls short. The place could have been cleaner and was a bit cluttered. For over 450 dollars, a fee which included a private rental of the space from 3 to 6pm, there were multiple interruptions of our function by the owner showing the space to other possible clients. I found this to be highly unprofessional and offensive. I was already unhappy about the total cost to use the space. When the party for which we paid extra to be private was interrupted with strangers, I was livid. Many of the other guests also found this to be a complete intrusion into our function. I would not return to the flower flat for a future rental. And if you choose to use this café for one of your functions, make sure the privacy for which you pay for is observed.

Seriously the cutest find ever in Chicago. It’s one of those gems not many know about but the ones who do know are forever grateful.
Food is outstanding. And it’s the perfect place for small get together parties.
The owner — she is so wonderful and sweet.
Try it out. You’ll love it

I’ve been here many times and the food is always amazing! Never had a dish I didn’t love! Ever-​changing set menu that is sent to mailing list a week in advanced. Reservations fill this quaint space quickly so be sure book in advanced.

One of my favorite places in the city! Betsy is so accommodating, sweet, and a brilliant cook! We always have a great time, perfect BYOB place for a casual and inexpensive Friday night dinner. I love how the menu changes and she can always fit in our regular group of 6. Each of the menus have been surprising and delicious, we always leave full but still wanting more.
We have been coming here for years and I look forward to more fun nights and delicious, ever-​changing meals in the years to come!

Total hidden gem. Very affordable plus it’s BYOB, doesn’t get much better than that. Everything we tried tasted fresh and homemade and even the side of fruit I got was well above average and worth the $ 2 it ran to add it to my meal. Great coffee too! Love that they do it French press. This place is really cozy and has such a homey feel. It was a total stroke of luck that I happened upon it while walking to meet a friend for brunch elsewhere. It was a really great place to sit and linger for awhile, taking our time with that last cup of coffee so my friend and I could really catch up. The owner Betsy is a riot. She was super helpful as well as entertaining. I was there the same day as the Pride parade so Betsy kept running in and out of the restaurant so she could hand out free rainbow Popsicles to the masses! I cannot wait to go back for one of the Friday night pre-​fixe dinners!

Unfortunately, I have to give 1 star only. I really wanted to like this place and I love supporting small, chef-​owned restaurants.
The young kid working is not a great first impression as he was impossible to track down, could not answer either of my 2 menu questions, did not seem to know the difference between sugar and Splenda and took forever to come by my table. He only had a total of 6 guests spread out over 3 tables and he seemed unable to handle. Maybe he has never waited tables before, but at least make eye contact or look at your table as you’re walking by to see if they need anything. After he dropped my food, he never came by to check on me and I had to walk over to counter to ask for check. He then refused to take my cash and insisted on bringing me check first.
However, I would be willing to forgive the service if it weren’t for the food. I had a cup of coffee that was completely watered down and weak (and was delivered without sugar, cream or a spoon). I ordered the roast beef sandwich. The server had no idea if the sandwich came alone or with anything. It arrived with chips. My guess is Store bought kettle chip brand. Tasty, but I could have gone to the grocery store for a bag. The sandwich was also served with not ripe peach slices and a whole strawberry. The sandwich bread (ciabatta) was cold and chewy and the meat was the saltiest, most inedible piece of deli meat I’ve had in a long time. It looked like the machine pressed brands that are sold at a deep discount at a grocery store. The tomato was also not ripe and just added to the general unpleasantness of the plate.
So incredibly disappointing. I hope they figure this out bc the place is incredibly charming and has potential especially given the location.

I wrote an essay of a review because there were so many bad things about this place…
I don’t know what everyone else who reviewed this place is talking about. They are either friends/​family of the owners, are the owners themselves with fake reviews, or they have a completely different staff than they do on a Saturday. Which, if that’s the case, why would you put your B team during prime brunch time?
The décor from the outside looks nice, and is the reason I wanted to go (this is the only good thing I will say about this place).
When you walk in, it’s very cramped, almost like they still haven’t fully unpacked from moving. This is also an apartment. Straight up. It is a garden apartment. This is not commercial space. Not a big deal, until you realize the table you’re sitting at is right in front of the bathroom which is right by the entrance/​everyone. Very evident they have no idea how to properly put together a «restaurant» (I put restaurant in quotes because it hardly deserves the title).
The server we had must have been doing this for her first time. When myself and my boyfriend went in, one table was done, one was eating, one was about to get the check, and then there was us. Still, it took her about 5 minutes to even speak to us after we were seated. When we ordered it went something like this:
BF: «We’re going to split the granola and yogurt, and I’ll have the waffles and a coffee»
Server: «Ok»
Me: «I’ll have the scrambled eggs»
Server: «ok, so both of you want coffee?»
BF: «No just coffee for me»
Server: «oh ok, so you’re splitting the eggs?»
Me: «No, I’m just having the eggs»
Server: «ok, and no coffee, right?»
This girl could not have been more inept.
Now let’s get to the food/​drink:
First off, tap water, which, is expected, but it tasted like it came out of a faucet that had been in the building for years and was never cleaned.
(After 5 minutes of waiting, I ask the waitress about my boyfriends coffee… she forgot somehow… I also asked if we could get the yogurt first, and she said she’d have to check with the chef to see if that was ok… really?)
The coffee is French pressed (cool!) and was very watered down (not cool!)
The food comes all at the same time, doesn’t look very appetizing. It is quite clear they just go to the jewel across the street and grab their supplies, because all the fruit on my boyfriends ONE $ 7.00 waffle were sour/​not ripe, same with the pears, honeydew, strawberries, and blackberries in the yogurt (which tasted like she had been emptying out the liquid from the container because there was no flavor, it was thick, and in an odd way, dry). The granola was very chewy, not crunchy at all.
My eggs (with cheese tomato and mushroom) were watery and under seasoned, my potatoes were undercooked and under seasoned, and the bread was about the size of my palm because it was more than obvious they bought the «essential everyday» brand.
On top of all this, the waitress brought my BF a mug and a spoon, and then about 2 minutes later, the coffee. Didn’t bring us napkins or utensils until after we even got our food, and whenever I tried to get the servers attention, she was not paying attention. The place is 10×10 at most. How can you be this inefficient and unobservant with such a low-​volume space?
In addition to all this, they only brought us (three-​pronged) forks to eat with, and that was including the yogurt… Where’s your brain?
But then it got even worse. Not only was the server very inept and unprofessional, but the chef was even worse. When she took my plate to go put it in the tray, she noticed I barely ate anything, and instead of coming up to me, she yelled across the room:
«Was there something wrong with your eggs? You didn’t eat all of them. Are you full or was there something wrong?»
What he f*ck is wrong with you? Could you be any less professional?! Your tact was even worse than your food, and your food was something I would be disappointed in if *I* cooked it.
WAY too overpriced for the fact that they are getting the worst ingredients and then cooking it terribly, with zero presentation skills (you’re a f*cking chef, at least you’re supposed to be)
I will NEVER go back to this place, and I recommend no one else does either. Again, the people who have these reviews must be friends or the owner writing them, because I’ve never had a worse restaurant experience in my life. I wish I would have made the exact same meal at home instead of paying an extra $ 20 for someone who clearly has no culinary training to throw together a piece of sh*t like that.
I left with a stomach ache.
Don’t waste your money. You can make the exact same food at home for ¼th the cost and make it taste way better and probably fully cook your food.
I seriously cannot say enough terrible things about not only the establishment, but the inexperience and lack of professionalism by the staff. They should be closed down because I felt like I got scammed

We stopped at The Flower Flat last weekend for breakfast when we were in Lake View.
TFF offers Intelligentsia Coffee which is one of my personal favorites. It was nice that they brought a pot to our table so I didn’t have to ask for refills.
Probably the star of our breakfast was the «Everything Nice Waffles» which I stole a bite or two off of Terri’s plate. Very tasty indeed and served with a side of fresh fruit.
If you want a comfortable relaxed breakfast or brunch, please give The Flower Flat Café a try. ;)

Feels like your in somebody’s house. Everybody was nice, the food was excellent and inexpensive

When I come to town, Flower Flat is usually a required visit. The food and customer service are always top notch. The environment is probably the best thing about Flower Flat. You are constantly surrounded by flowers and you can even buy some!

Adorable little place w yummy food and great French press coffee! Highly recommended.

I absolutely love this place! My two favorites:
1. I don’t know how they do it. But the scrambled eggs are the best I’ve ever had! Add cheddar and tomato. U won’t be disappointed! Always fresh seasonal fruit on the side!
2. Nutella toast! Dooooo it!!!
This is the best kept secret in the neighborhood.

I went with a friend for brunch this past weekend. I’ve been wanting to check it out since I walk by it a lot and it looks super cute.
The décor and staff make it feel like I am visiting a relative’s house. It’s adorable and somewhere to go to feel comfy with some good friends.
This place is VERY small though, so not good for a big group.
The menu is small and the food was all ok, but I have to say there was nothing special about it. My green tea was my favorite part. Everything I ate I could have made at home and saved the money.