Little Goat Diner
Who: Little Goat Diner
What: Chef-driven diner and bakery
When: 6AM- 6PM daily
Where: 820 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607
Why: Stephanie Izard is brilliant. She’s a Top Chef Winner (Season 4), was announced as Food & Wine magazine’s “Best New Chef” (in 2011), and now runs three successful and highly acclaimed restaurants in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. The original, Girl & The Goat, was awarded ‘Best New Restaurant’ by Saveur magazine. And Duck Duck Goat, a Chinese-inspired restaurant has also become a Chicago favorite. **Be sure to make reservations for those places as they book up weeks in advance. Or they also take walk-ins, so feel free to take a chance!
If you’re like me, and it’s too late, and you’re in Chicago and you didn’t plan your meals at all then you should definitely pop into Little Goat Diner. The idea behind Little Goat Diner was to allow the growing bakery program from Girl & The Goat to flourish and offer patrons seeking a taste of Izard an easier and more accessible option.
We showed up for breakfast, we were in town for Lollapalooza– a popular music festival, and really only had breakfast and lunch to explore Chicago’s food scene since we’d be at the festival during dinnertime. Knowing I didn’t have a shot at Izard’s other restaurants, I happily took the opportunity to head to Little Goat Diner for breakfast.
From the moment we showed up I was in love, the layout of the space is just delightful, bright and airy. It’s refreshing to be inside, and the atmosphere puts you in a good mood. The team at Little Goat Diner was so welcoming too, answering all of our questions about what to eat on the menu. And I’m glad we asked, and I’m glad we listened.
The menu offers very traditional breakfast items from pancakes to eggs, and also puts a little spin on it by incorporating Izard’s whimsy into the dishes. We started off with some coffee, I opted for the Barista’s Special. It was essentially a S’mores latte, topped with a nice heap of marshmallow fluff. It tasted just like a S’more and was a delicious way to begin the meal.
We then were suggested to try the Blueberry Pancakes and were told we were able to order a single pancake. So we had one of those, and then a cinnamon roll. The pancake was served with a crumble on top and a buttermilk butter. The buttermilk butter is as dangerous as it sounds, but you will definitely want to spread it on top.
The honest to goodness star of the meal was the “This little piggy went to China”. It starts with a sesame cheddar biscuit, szechuan pork sausage topped with chili garlic, chive sauce and blackberries topped with a sunny egg. It was sweet, spicy, filling, sweet, spicy, delicious! It was all we talked about after we ate there, and now looking at the pictures I am having some withdrawls. This restuarnt is so good!
There are a bunch of other delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu items. There’s a full bar, full coffee bar, and not to forget that they serve breakfast all day. It’s a perfect place to begin or end your day, and this will definitely be on my list of places to visit when I come back to Chicago!
I hope Little Goat Diner makes it on your list next time you’re in Chicago, or for you locals, please go have a meal for me! And be sure to follow me on Instagram and Snapchat at @DineWithShayda for my daily food adventures.
