Omg! Fall coffee & pancakes ! Absolutely: recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Dunbar
Had an amazing experience here. Great food, people, and atmosphere. Limited seating, but turns quickly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Ashley “Pickles” Grace
I couldn't decide between anything on the menu but, thus far - everything has been amazing. French toast and one of the delicious homemade Hispanic savory items (sorry - I don't remember which one).
But i ate the entire thing and will be back.
Great service, friendly staff and outside seating. Tasty coffee and non dairy options - which are not easy to come by.
Thanks guys 🌻
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rachel R
Cute little place. They can be busy in the mornings. With a smaller eating area inside it can be a wait to get seating if they are busy. Love the food. The coffees are delicious as well. Want to try something different this is a adorable quaint place to try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cary Chan
Stopped in for weekday lunch, their breakfast offerings sounded scrumptious.
I was seated immediately in their charming café dining space and received prompt service. I had trouble between choosing between chilaquiles and the chorizo hash, and the chilaquiles were recommended.
I went with the green sauce and poached eggs. Presentation was beautiful, like a sculpture of smothered tortilla. The taste overall was good, not mind-blowing. The vere, creme, and cheese was heavy on the sour-tangy notes, and overwhelmed the dish. I also though the beans and rice weren't spectacular, good though. Maybe could have used slightly more quantity. I craved some sort of meat to accompany you to this meal. The poached eggs were elegantly prepared and the runny yolk helped level off some excess tang. The size of the dish itself was fine. Value-wise it's decent for the area.
I also ordered butter milk biscuits with a runny strawberry spread. These were excellent.
Definitely worth a visit, I'd be interested in trying other dishes here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Trae I
My roommate and I order the chorizo hash a few times a week. It is normally pretty reliable, but over the past couple weeks the quality of the food has plunged. Its awful. The to go orders come with wilted greens, the potatoes are mushy and no longer crispy, the roja sauce has lost almost all its seasoning and tastes like straight up tomato sauce now, and there is practically no chorizo in a dish named chorizo hash. Whatever is going on in the background over there is causing the food to absolutely suffer. Buyer beware: order at your own caution.
Food: 3
Hikmet Dem
Pancakes were absolutely awesome! The food overall was delicious — perfect spot for breakfast. Highly recommend this restaurant if you want a great start to your morning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lorena Picaso
Must eat breakfast!! Staff is friendly! Food is great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gabe Taveira
Over priced, mediocre
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
A HacK
The breakfast was good although the coffee was tepid and my cup filled only a little better than half. It’s a very small space where a child was obstreperous making the experience disappointing. Only difficult on street parking. Service was lacking especially coffee refills. Pricing expensive $4.50 for coffee. AWARDED 1.5 YUMS ON A SCALE OF 3
We always bring visitors here, and everyone leaves amazed after trying something new like the hibiscus enchiladas. Esencia feels like a hidden gem in the city. I’m especially proud that it’s in Lakeview, a neighborhood not always recognized for its culinary scene, because this restaurant helps change that perception. Beyond the excellent food, it’s family run, which makes supporting it even more meaningful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adam Smoler
Great, completely home made food. Friendly (family!) staff. Neighborhood favorite...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bill Wang
Esencia Urban is a snug brunch spot with warm service and a Latin-inspired menu. The space is tight and often crowded by lunchtime, but we were able to get a seat right away around 9 am on a Sunday. The chilaquiles were the standout - crispy, flavorful, and full of satisfying texture. A charming neighborhood spot for a cozy and flavorful brunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anthony Schleck
I got the chilequiles and they were AMAZING. The salsa is so good and usually the chips are soggy, but not here. They were so crispy and delicious. I will definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yahya Lari
We decided to brunch here during our visit to Chicago for Market Days, the location was conveniently close and the reviews here seemed promising.
The food was underwhelming. I had the breakfast tacos which I would not recommend. They were bland and hard to eat.
My partner ordered the peach and amaretto French toast, which looked like they’d been spooned straight from a can. The dish could have been improved a lot if the mangoes had been caramelized. Same with the amaretto.
The service didn’t stand out either. The food runner asked if we needed anything else. I requested red sauce, but he pointed to the sauce that came with my tacos, clearly not red. Okay, never mind. My partner asked for whipped cream and got a curt “we don’t have whipped cream,” despite the dish coming with whipped mascarpone. A simple “we do have whipped mascarpone—would that work for you?” would have been a friendlier and more helpful response.
On a positive note, the lavender latte was delicious.
Omg! Fall coffee & pancakes ! Absolutely: recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had an amazing experience here. Great food, people, and atmosphere. Limited seating, but turns quickly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I couldn't decide between anything on the menu but, thus far - everything has been amazing.
French toast and one of the delicious homemade Hispanic savory items (sorry - I don't remember which one).
But i ate the entire thing and will be back.
Great service, friendly staff and outside seating.
Tasty coffee and non dairy options - which are not easy to come by.
Thanks guys 🌻
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cute little place. They can be busy in the mornings. With a smaller eating area inside it can be a wait to get seating if they are busy. Love the food. The coffees are delicious as well. Want to try something different this is a adorable quaint place to try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stopped in for weekday lunch, their breakfast offerings sounded scrumptious.
I was seated immediately in their charming café dining space and received prompt service. I had trouble between choosing between chilaquiles and the chorizo hash, and the chilaquiles were recommended.
I went with the green sauce and poached eggs. Presentation was beautiful, like a sculpture of smothered tortilla. The taste overall was good, not mind-blowing. The vere, creme, and cheese was heavy on the sour-tangy notes, and overwhelmed the dish. I also though the beans and rice weren't spectacular, good though. Maybe could have used slightly more quantity. I craved some sort of meat to accompany you to this meal. The poached eggs were elegantly prepared and the runny yolk helped level off some excess tang. The size of the dish itself was fine. Value-wise it's decent for the area.
I also ordered butter milk biscuits with a runny strawberry spread. These were excellent.
Definitely worth a visit, I'd be interested in trying other dishes here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
My roommate and I order the chorizo hash a few times a week. It is normally pretty reliable, but over the past couple weeks the quality of the food has plunged. Its awful. The to go orders come with wilted greens, the potatoes are mushy and no longer crispy, the roja sauce has lost almost all its seasoning and tastes like straight up tomato sauce now, and there is practically no chorizo in a dish named chorizo hash. Whatever is going on in the background over there is causing the food to absolutely suffer. Buyer beware: order at your own caution.
Food: 3
Pancakes were absolutely awesome! The food overall was delicious — perfect spot for breakfast. Highly recommend this restaurant if you want a great start to your morning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Must eat breakfast!!
Staff is friendly! Food is great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Over priced, mediocre
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
The breakfast was good although the coffee was tepid and my cup filled only a little better than half.
It’s a very small space where a child was obstreperous making the experience disappointing.
Only difficult on street parking.
Service was lacking especially coffee refills.
Pricing expensive $4.50 for coffee.
AWARDED 1.5 YUMS ON A SCALE OF 3
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
We always bring visitors here, and everyone leaves amazed after trying something new like the hibiscus enchiladas. Esencia feels like a hidden gem in the city. I’m especially proud that it’s in Lakeview, a neighborhood not always recognized for its culinary scene, because this restaurant helps change that perception. Beyond the excellent food, it’s family run, which makes supporting it even more meaningful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great, completely home made food. Friendly (family!) staff. Neighborhood favorite...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Esencia Urban is a snug brunch spot with warm service and a Latin-inspired menu. The space is tight and often crowded by lunchtime, but we were able to get a seat right away around 9 am on a Sunday. The chilaquiles were the standout - crispy, flavorful, and full of satisfying texture. A charming neighborhood spot for a cozy and flavorful brunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I got the chilequiles and they were AMAZING. The salsa is so good and usually the chips are soggy, but not here. They were so crispy and delicious. I will definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
We decided to brunch here during our visit to Chicago for Market Days, the location was conveniently close and the reviews here seemed promising.
The food was underwhelming. I had the breakfast tacos which I would not recommend. They were bland and hard to eat.
My partner ordered the peach and amaretto French toast, which looked like they’d been spooned straight from a can. The dish could have been improved a lot if the mangoes had been caramelized. Same with the amaretto.
The service didn’t stand out either. The food runner asked if we needed anything else. I requested red sauce, but he pointed to the sauce that came with my tacos, clearly not red. Okay, never mind. My partner asked for whipped cream and got a curt “we don’t have whipped cream,” despite the dish coming with whipped mascarpone. A simple “we do have whipped mascarpone—would that work for you?” would have been a friendlier and more helpful response.
On a positive note, the lavender latte was delicious.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
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