There’s nothing like the boredom of social distancing to make you want to start flipping through old photos on your phone, and the latest rabbit-hole of image browsing made me realize I have a LOT of brunch pics!
I’ve been craving brunch so much since being homebound. And since I’ve enjoyed quite a few fantastic brunch spots since I’ve moved to Chicago, I decided to share some of my favorites with you in the coming weeks, starting with Machine: Engineered Dining & Drink in Wicker Park.
Support Machine: Engineered Dining & Drink by ordering delivery through UberEats or purchasing a gift card from their website!
Machine is one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever stepped into! There are flowers all around (that they also sell) and somewhat eccentric, yet elegant decorations with traditional and modern decorative details mixed together in the most pleasing way. My favorite aspect of the decor is the white and black walls with coordinating themes on either side of the bar. Machine is worth a visit just to have a drink and enjoy the ambiance, but even better to enjoy a meal. The restaurant and table sizes are accommodating to groups of all sizes as well.
Interior seating 
Flower Cart
Machine offers a $22 Bottomless mimosa special plus a variety of food options for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. I chose to forgo the mimosas in order to try the Sparkling Personality cocktail which consists of cava, pisco, pear brandy, lemon, honey, and goat cheese. It was just the right amount of sweet and tart – I didn’t really taste the goat cheese at all.
Next time I would definitely try one of the “caged” drinks that are topped with a unique sugar cage that you break before drinking, but I was happy with my choice.
Sparkling Personality Cocktail
For my meal, I chose the french toast (with almond praline cream, poached pears, and streusel – yum!) and a side of potatoes and bacon. I loooove poached pears and was happy to have it as a topping for the french toast. The flavors melded together made it an absolutely amazing dish!
French Toast + Potatoes + Bacon
Machine was an excellent brunch pick and I look forward to checking out their dinner options as well. It’s unfortunate that they, along with all other local restaurants, have had to close for dine-in because the experience of eating in the restaurant is so unique, but they are still a top pick for delivery or adding to your list to visit later this year.
The “light” side of the bar
