I’ve got a thing for fancy diners, so I made time to visit two of Chicago’s best while in town.

First up, a late brunch at Chef Stephanie Izard‘s Little Goat. I’d dined at her more formal Girl & the Goat on a previous trip and had a ball—Pig Face, anyone? I expected nothing less than a stupendous time at her latest venture.

Opened in 2012, Little Goat serves done-up American diner classics with a smattering of new school hits. Like Girl & the Goat, the diner is perpetually packed. The Astronomer and I waited 25 minutes for two seats to open up at half past three on a Sunday afternoon.

Even though I was slightly annoyed with the wait, Little Goat’s sunny interior, full of natural light, bright accents, and happy diners, made it difficult for my frown to stick around.

Twas impossible to stay upset with this cute little goat face staring back at me. 

In the great French Fry vs. Onion Ring debate, The Astronomer and I sit squarely in the latter’s camp.

At Little Goat, onion rings come with fried bread and butter pickles, as well as house-made ranch and curry ketchup. We nixed the pickles in favor of twice the number of lightly battered and crisp golden rings. A good call for us.

A saucy gal through and through, I appreciated the additional house-made condiments: habanero carrot sauce and poblano ketchup.

My pick this afternoon was the “Kimchee & Bacon & Eggs & Pancakes Asian Style Breakfast Tasty Thing”, a creative hybrid of Chinese jian bing, Korean pajeon, and Vietnamese banh xeo.

A touch spicy, quite a bit salty, and somewhat crispy, the “tasty thing” lived up to its name. However, the flavors grew monotonous toward the end due to the hefty portion.

The best dish of the meal was The Astronomer’s patty melt, a juicy raft of Kilgus goat served on toasty pretzel rye bread with caramelized onions, pickles, “special sauce,” and American cheese.

This patty melt was…everything.

Little Goat: big flavors. My kind of place.

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Little Goat
820 West Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312-888-3455

One year ago: Saw’s Soul Kitchen – Birmingham
Two years ago: Braised Rabbit with Pappardelle
Three years ago: Le Bon Garçon Gourmet Caramels
Four years ago: Just Married!
Five years ago: The French Laundry Garden & Young Inglewood Wineries
Six years ago: Bánh Hỏi Thịt Nướng
Seven years ago: Ajia Japanese Fusion – Philadelphia