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Read more: The Definitive Guide to Breakfast in Chicago
NORDIC BREAKFAST: Abrah Bakery & Daily Bistro
$18. 2269 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park
- Toasted whole-grain sourdough bread: “It’s our recipe from back in Ukraine,” says co-owner Arthur Yuzvik. “It’s just the starter, water, flour, and a little bit of salt. It’s like a constructor. You can eat it with butter. You can eat it with jam, fish, or no fish.”
- Butter: “We use a European one, then infuse it with unexpected flavors. We did an anchovy one that people gave good feedback.”
- Gravlax: “We house-cure the salmon in the gravlax style [without smoking or heat], with sugar, dill, salt, and vodka for 24 hours.”
- Gouda: “It has a slightly nutty, warm flavor that pairs well.”
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KOREAN BREAKFAST TRAY: Perilla Korean Steakhouse
$28. 225 N. Wabash Ave., Loop
- Rolled egg omelet: “We change the banchan seasonally, but we always have four,” says chef Andrew Lim. “The rolled egg omelet is something Koreans eat for dinner. It’s kind of like tamago. Sometimes we’ll do pickled radish wraps or rehydrated greens from Korea.”
- Beef and radish soup: “We change the soup seasonally, too. This one is a very simple radish dashi that we cook down with kombu, seasonings, spices, and short rib.”
- Mackerel: “Mackerel is a very Korean fish. We cure it in a saline solution and let it dry, then grill it over fire. The grilled flavor is reminiscent of how my parents used to prepare it.”
- Rice: “We use Korean short and medium grain. It retains a lot of moisture.”
KURDISH BREAKFAST: The Gundis
$58 to $66 for two. 2909–11 N. Clark St., Lake View East
- Egg scramble with soujouk: “It’s a spicy beef sausage, and importantly for us, it’s also halal,” says Denisse González, who owns the restaurant with her father, chef Juan M. González, and her husband, sous chef Mehmet Yavuz. “It’s scrambled with eggs, tomato, onion, bell peppers, and Kurdish spices.”
- Kashar cheese: “You can find it in Turkey, Syria, Greece, Bulgaria. Some people equate it to a drier mozzarella or a light pepper Jack.”
- Kurdish tea: “It’s a blend of three types of black tea leaves. You’ll find black tea in breakfast throughout Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria.”
- Fries: “They have the Kurdish spice isot on them. It’s very flavorful.”
- Kurdish sesame butter: “That’s a breakfast staple. It has no dairy: It’s sesame paste and grape molasses.”
CHINESE BREAKFAST: The lobby at Peninsula Chicago
$50. 108 E. Superior St., River North
- Barbecue pork dumplings: “Char siu is a very typical barbecue in China, so we chop it up and turn it into the filling for the bao,” says executive sous chef Bin Xu.
- Steamed shrimp dumplings: “When you bite in, you will see the whole shrimp inside as the filling. The juices come out.”
- Lobster and scallop congee: “Congee is a comforting breakfast for Chinese people, especially in the wintertime. When you travel through China or Hong Kong, the congee is plain, then you top it the way you want. We top it with lobster and scallops to elevate it.”
- Egg noodles with shredded chicken: “People in China love noodles in the morning.”
Lisa Shames is a freelance writer for Chicago magazine.
From: The Definitive Guide to Breakfast in Chicago