Cafe on Oak Reviews

Cafe on Oak is attached to the Drake, serving breakfast from 0630 to 1130. We had a special that included free breakfast, which turned out to be a full buffet, see the picture of our receipt, $60, free to us. It included an omelet station (mine was excellent), fresh fruit bar, bread/muffin selection, yogurt, oatmeal, along with scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, potatoes (several kinds), french toast. Juice and coffee were served @ the table. It was well done, great atmosphere, and service. Wonderful view of the lakefront from our seats. Apparently Joe DiMaggio & Marilyn Monroe used to dine here, and there is even a signature dish attributed to them. It was fun to find their initials carved in the bar. I have included a picture of our receipt, $60, but for us it was included in the room price. Excellent!

From the hostess, Gisele, to the servers, one of whom was Guillermo, we were treated with kind efficiency. The food was excellent. I'm going back for sure.

One of the best-kept secrets in Chicago is breakfast at the Cafe on Oak, elegant but comfortable setting, outstanding wait staff, and excellent traditional breakfast menu: omelets, bagels, oatmeal, fresh juice.

Nice atmosphere, but breakfast was mediocre. I had the Benedict and it was greasy and not eatable. My wife had a fair salmon bagel. Poorly spent $70..,

We stayed at the The Drake hotel for 6 nights last week and had breakfast at the Cafe on Oak 3 times. We ordered the same thing every day…2 eggs/hash browns/toast plus chicken sausage or bacon. I really enjoyed the chicken sausage (2 huge links) while my hubby preferred the bacon. The breakfast was $18 per person without tip. OJ and coffee both $5 each on top of breakfast cost. For our tastes, the coffee was to strong. Atmosphere is old school nautical with lovely views of the trees on Lake Shore Dr (upper seats). Fantastic service from Guillermo and his assistants.

Very well maintained with a nautical theme. Service was excellant and the food delicious. Large portions of everthing. As soon as we were seated we were served coffee and orange juice. We order a fruit plate and it was very large with melon and berries. I ordered bacon and breakfast potatoes and again the portions were large. My wife ordered the salmon salad with bagel and the portion was so large she had to get a go box. Throughout the breakfast our coffee cups and juice glassed were constantly filled. Great breakfast.

Awesome atmosphere, very elegant service. Waiters were so professional...almost too fancy for breakfast. Breakfast Sunday morning had terribly slow service (busy) but the food was excellent. Monday service was fast (not busy) and the food was excellent again!

A bit expensive, but a pleasant place to eat breakfast with excellent friendly service. Nice to look out the windows on a relatively quiet street.

Service and food are always good at the Drake. No exception with this breakfast cafe, in the location of the iconic Cape Cod Room. Mush of the decor remains from the old days, but it is much brighter now.

I stayed at the Drake Hotel last weekend and I had breakfast there. Their food is really good but it took the waiter over 10 minutes to even speak to us and really not very friendly.

We were staying at the Drake and loved having breakfast at this lovely restaurant on site. The atmosphere was charming and historic, service was friendly. We really enjoyed the avocado toast with eggs as well as the chia pudding. We were so looking forward to breakfast on our remaining mornings but found the cafe to be CLOSED on Monday and Tuesday :((( we had to resort to the coffee shop on site and were very disappointed. Not sure if this is their regular hours /days but when you are staying / paying for The Drake, a nice breakfast is expected.

This restaurant on the first level of the Drake Hotel exceeded my expectations! I had a solo breakfast with the most delicious coffee, perfectly cooked eggs, sourdough toast, and OJ. The best part was the attentive service and comfortable booth seating. Nice view of the park and the lake beyond.

Giselle was pleasant, inviting and made us feel comfortable. Tony, Guillermo and the omelet man was awesome too ! We will be back

From the moment Gisele seats you and you are lucky to get Guillermo or Tony and their wonderful backup staff Cesar -(I apologize as I can’t name them all ) you know this is a professional staff that have been with the Drake for a very long time. They are so attentive you feel like old friends being welcomed back every time you dine. And the food - best fruit salad EVER with an amazing array of breakfast items. I loved the roasted vegetables that I paired to make my version of eggs Benedict sans sauce. Make the time to dine her for breakfast as it is a treasure- thx so much for making our 30th anniversary stay so special!

A rustic cafe that offers a very good buffet breakfast with a good selection of hot and cold items. Everything looked and tasted fresh. Please note the attached pictures.

We enjoyed the buffet breakfast before leaving town. Excellent selection of very good food and service to match. You will see the bar where Marilyn Monroe carved her initials - very historical and beautiful. Yes, this was formerly known as The Cape Cod Room and still has the lanterns on the walls. Loved it!

Elegant, quiet, cosy restaurant with kind, helpful staff and an excellent chef. Don't miss this wonderful place, overlooking the lake.

At 9:00 am, almost every table had been sat at and not a single one had been bussed. This only adds to an overall bad experience at the Drake hotel. The service was poor all around.

While the former famous restaurant is closed, most of the room remains and the staff is most accommodating, the food quite good. The booth seating near a window is really nice, but the service made the difference.

Gisele & George are very friendly and accommodating. In a beautiful cottage setting my family of 5, 3 of which are small children, had a wonderful experience. They made sure everyone had everything they could want or need. Our family dined on the buffet.

My wife and I were very disappointed when the Drake Hotel's iconic Cape Cod Room closed. For years, we had made it a Saturday luncheon date. Loved the baked scrod and bookbinder's soup and au gratin potatoes. We were informed that a new restaurant would be forthcoming. Unfortunately, not yet. We felt equally as disappointed when the Drake Hotel's Camellia House closed. The Drake without a fine dining restaurant? Unimaginable. Until it happens--we're not into Afternoon Tea in the Palm Court--we have to settle for breakfast at Cafe on Oak. Located at 141 East Walton Place, at Walton and North Michigan Avenue, it is the newest and only beachy breakfast nook overlooking Lake Michigan and Oak Street Beach and Lake Shore Drive in the glitzy Gold Coast/Streeterville neighborhood. Remember how Marilyn Monroe and Joe Di Maggio carved their initials into the old wooden bar in the Cape Cod Room? Well, Cafe on Oak serves the MM and JD Benedict, a culinary rendition of the famous couple's favorite meals. The menu also includes lots of tasty, creamy egg preparations from benedicts to skillets to omelets to eggs-your-way. Other delicious options from the griddle include fluffy buttermilk pancakes, bettery Belgian waffles and golden French toast with fresh berries and maple syrup. For a lighter start, order fresh berries, yogurt parfaits or steel cut oatmeal. For variety, how about a breakfast buffet or a Continental buffet? And enjoy the view.

I enjoyed brunch with a friend here and it was excellent. I had the California Eggs Benedict (avocado and bacon added) and it was phenomenal. I would go back tomorrow to have it again. My friend had the traditional Eggs Benedict to compare and she really enjoyed them. There is also a buffet that had a variety of tempting things too. Service was very good. The space is cozy and has retained some of the original decor so it feels historic. Highly recommend!

We had breakfast here after one night in the Drake Hotel. How cool was it to be dining in a spot that you know some of the most infamous names in Chicago's history held court. We loved the "private-ish" booths, the service was excellent, and overall we found the food to be good. It's all fairly basic breakfast items but they do them well here. I had an egg white omelet with hashbrowns. Egg whites are easy to overcook and these were done perfectly. My wife's poached egg also was done just as she liked it. The coffee was decent and a few levels above the disappointing "browned waters" of some places. And the English muffin was toasted perfectly. (I can't tell you how many times I get toast or an English muffin which is just underdone. Good job Cafe on Oak.) Nothing particularly creative, out of the box or "brunchy" here but if you want a basic breakfast, done exactly as it should be done, and an historic atmosphere. This could be the spot for you!