The Little Chef

The good first; It’s cheap, the coffee was pretty good and the staff is friendly.
The food is ok. Not bad, but not good. There are much better options in the area.
Plating of the food leaves much to be desired. I ordered the chili eggs, which tasted ok. The chili could have used more kick and it would have been much improved if they added some sour cream and shredded cheese on top with some onions. What was served looked like cafeteria food. It was eggs with dull, brown chili over top.
My biggest complaint was where we sat. The table was literally right in front of the women’s rest room. Yuck! That table should be removed. I understand that it’s a small place and they are trying to squeeze as many tables as possible into the place, but sitting in front of the potty is not very appetizing.

This place was awesome. I’m here from Southern California & I am not used to mom & pa type restaurants. This place felt so cozy, awesome family vibe. Definitely not state of the art interior design but that’s what I loved about it! Their food was delicious. I had the eggs Benedict and a side of biscuits and gravy. Ham on the eggs Benedict was fresh off the bone and so good. Definitely stop by this place if you’re near!

husband and I both got the «wave» if you know what I mean… after eating there.

This little mom and pop joint is exactly what every town needs. The service is exemplifying. The food is cooked perfect and the proportion is satisfying. And priced reasonable. This is my go to place for breakfast.

Great food. Great people. Awesome pricing. Great for breakfast and lunch. I had a turkey sub which was on soft bread and had some good quality turkey breast on it. Better than a corporate sandwich and better priced. Nice owner that cares too!

Went around 12:30 on weekday, no wait. Had country skillet and biscuits and gravy combo. Biscuits were incredibly moist and buttery. Homemade orange juice was delicious. Service was fast. Will come again.

Chose this based on Unilocal reviews. I had my go to breakfast order when trying new places of a ham and cheese omelette. The waitress wasn’t friendly, the iced tea and coffee were okay at best, hash browns had no flavor, English muffin cold with a bit of burned edge, and the cheddar cheese in the omelette was nasty tasting. Biscuits and gravy would’ve been good if not served cold. Would rather skip breakfast then go back here again.

Family owned. Well run. Delicious food. Cozy morning vibe. Good prices. Good locatiom. The people that run it are always on top of everything which makes for a perfect breakfast for me everytime.
#1 on John’s list of Chicago Breakfast spots

One of my dads FAVORITES he goes every weekend! I can not help but join him! Love little mom and pop shops like this! Always look forward to the wonderful waitresses and great food!

Bad food. Cold building no reason to ever go back. If u want a decent breakfast in McHenry leave the town

Trying new breakfast spots is kinda our thing, and this one was a fast favorite. Located in an old building downtown McHenry it has a lot of charm both outside and in. I loved the look from the street. Inside it’s small with 10 tables and a bar. The size added to the overall appeal for us. It had somewhat of a vintage feel. We sat at the bar and had fast, friendly service. Our coffee was served right away. I’m typically not a coffee guru but there’s was delicious! I drink mine black and it was the perfect temperature and darkness. Also, there pop is served in cans. The menu had a lot to offer. I had French Toast with bacon and Ben had a Denver omelette. We had a hard time picking because we also wanted to try their biscuits and gravy. We heard the waitresses talking about being addicted to it. Our food came quickly and was extremely good. Ben even told me he rates this place 5 stars and that it could be his new favorite place. We ordered extra drinks and sides and our total was $ 22 which we thought was great. The pricing overall seemed reasonable. We had a great meal here and will definitely be back.

Went for breakfast, great food, served timely, wait staff more than friendly, and best prices in town. Excellent décor of the history of the town. Oh and the coffee is perfect. Noting to complain about, except the tables and chairs are your typical banquet setup (they aren’t really a bother though). This is THEE essential dinner in McHenry.

Hubby and I are very happy to find this little locally owned breakfast diner. I was able to get fruit instead of hash browns and fruit was very fresh. Hubby got potato pancake sausage bacon and egg combo. Bacon was done perfect and he dug in with gusto. We will be back!!!

This place was good. Service was outstanding. The food ok. I was there for breakfast. It is very small. We did have a nice couple move to another table and join another group just so we could sit that was way cool. Would like to try lunch. I would go again if i know there is not going to be many people it was starting to get a little mean with the people waiting for our table.

Yes, you can call it a dive or a greasy spoon, but it’s a simple, clean, affordable restaurant with great service and food that’s a great value. The people are really nice, prices are rock bottom, and they have great old pics of McHenry on the walls. It’s my new favorite breakfast place in McHenry.
Yes there is finer food around town, but at much higher prices.

OK dive place… maybe I ordered the wrong food, but everything just seemed alright. My husbands french dip sandwich lacked flavor (he had to salt and pepper it up), my parents hash browns were cold, and I couldn’t get soup on a Sunday, what?!
Bus boy was super nice, waitress really didn’t have much personality. Food is cheaply priced.

Tried this for the first time for breakfast and it was FANTASTIC! Great Banana pancakes and my husband had a skillet special. Price was reasonable and the service was great. Defiantly will be back!

Cranky, crabby, cut-​in-​front-​of-​you-​drivin’ old McHenry has a place that might even merit moving there! The food is amazing. It is a DIVE (and I mean that in the kindest possible way) history oozing from the walls. Folks are quirky more than cranky and did I already say the food was amazing? Great soups, sandwiches, pancakes… Near the bridge and that great river.
And hey, what’s the deal with a town with a gorgeous center, river, bridges and no place to sit and look at them while dining?

Long time favorite, been going since I was a kid. Owner and staff have always been warm and welcoming, Food is just classic, comforting, country style cooking. Not spectacular but well above average and always hits the spot. The Little Benny (Eggs Benedict) is a long time favorite of mine, made with real ham not those fake round ham shaped patties you get at the cookie cutter franchise places like IHOP.
The only possible bad thing I can say about it is that it is small, but most people like it that way so its a matter of opinion.

LOVE this place! It’s a little hole-​in-​the-​wall (emphasis on the «little») and can be quite the intimate breakfast/​lunch when it’s busy. However, the food is consistently great, the prices are the absolute most reasonable, and the staff is always friendly. This is a haven for regulars who appreciate no-​fuss down-​home diners.
The last time I was there (last week?) I tried one of their specials: smoked sausage omelette, hash browns, and toast. My mom wasn’t so sure the omelette sounded like a good idea, but it was really great: nice and smoky. Coffee and fountain drink refills came quickly.