Uncle Mike’s Place: An Honest Filipino Breakfast in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village

Uncle Mike’s Place is a Filipino breakfast spot in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village that has been going since 1991, and everyone who sits down gets a complimentary bowl of lugaw (a gingery chicken rice porridge). I used to live in Chicago, and this was always my pick for Filipino breakfast; this time I had the fried bangus (milkfish) with that porridge and a bowl of champorado. Below I’ll cover where it is, how to get there, what to order, how much it costs, and how it compares to the Michelin-starred Kasama.

What Is Uncle Mike’s Place? (Chicago’s Classic Filipino Breakfast)

Where do you go in Chicago for a proper Filipino breakfast? That’s the question a lot of visitors end up asking, and this is my answer. Uncle Mike’s Place is a Filipino breakfast diner in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village (West Town) that opened in 1991 as an American diner, then shifted its focus to Filipino breakfast in 2008 and took off. Today it’s known for traditional Filipino breakfast plates over garlic fried rice, plus one signature bowl of porridge.

Chicago actually has two well-known Filipino breakfast spots: one is Uncle Mike’s Place; the other is Kasama, also in Ukrainian Village, which went from a Michelin Bib Gourmand to a Michelin star (the world’s first Filipino restaurant to earn one, now two). Uncle Mike’s is the more low-key, neighborhood-diner option, and it’s the one I kept coming back to when I lived here. (More on how the two compare further down.)

Where It Is & How to Get There from Downtown Chicago

Uncle Mike’s Place is at 1700 W Grand Ave, and Filipino breakfast is served daily from 6am to 2pm, with no reservations. From downtown I took two buses to get there. One heads-up: if you’re visiting as a tourist, this area is pretty quiet in the mornings, so stay aware of your surroundings and mind your personal safety on the walk.

I arrived a little after 10am, and even with a steady flow of customers I was seated right away. A lot of people ask me whether a spot like this needs a reservation or a long wait. In my experience, weekday off-peak after 10am is basically walk-right-in; if you go on a weekend or right at opening, expect a short line.

The Complimentary Lugaw: Filipino Congee You’ll Recognize

Lugaw (a gingery chicken rice porridge) comes free with every breakfast; it doesn’t arrive the second you sit down, but along with the food you order. The texture is a lot like Cantonese congee (jook), warm and restorative.

Honestly, my first spoonful stopped me in my tracks, because it tasted exactly like the congee I grew up eating. It was so good I nearly asked for a refill, though I couldn’t see a way to order more on the menu and didn’t quite dare to ask. If you want to recreate it at home, I followed this NYT lugaw recipe and it turned out great.

What to Order: Tocino, Longanisa, Skirt Steak & Bangus

Uncle Mike’s breakfast plates are basically a cured meat or fish, plus garlic fried rice, two eggs and a tomato salsa (sawsawan kamatis), plus that bowl of lugaw. The Filipino names look unfamiliar, but here’s a quick decoder:

Dish	What it is	Taste	Good for
Tocino	Anise-wine-cured pork shoulder	Sweet, tender, the crowd favorite	Classic cured meat
Longanisa	Sweet Filipino sausage	Sweet, lightly spiced, great with garlic rice	First-timers unsure what to get
Skirt Steak	Marinated skirt steak (menu name: “Best Damned Marinated Skirt Steak East of the Pecos”)	Big and flavorful	Meat lovers, big appetites
Bangus	Deboned marinated milkfish	Crispy fried, dipped in vinegar	Anyone skipping sausage, fish lovers

Note: these are the items and prices from my visit and may have changed, so treat them as a rough guide.

There’s also an American breakfast on the menu, but who comes to a Filipino spot to order American breakfast? If you can’t decide, get a combo plate — you can mix and match the items you want (say Tocino plus Longanisa, or add Skirt Steak), not just pick one.

My Bangus (Milkfish) Take: Fried vs the Taiwanese Way

That day I wasn’t in the mood for sausage, so I went with the bangus, which is milkfish. For Taiwanese readers (especially anyone from Tainan), seeing milkfish on the menu is an instant smile. I paired mine with scrambled eggs and garlic rice.

Honestly, the bangus is fried, and I still prefer the Taiwanese way of cooking it in soup; but credit where it’s due, they fry it really well — cleanly deboned, and dipping it in their vinegar-garlic sauce adds a whole other layer. With the scrambled eggs and garlic rice, it’s a very satisfying plate.

Champorado: The Chocolate Rice Porridge (and the Sugar Trick)

There’s one easy-to-miss surprise: a small bowl of champorado (Filipino chocolate rice porridge) that came alongside my bangus. It’s made with glutinous rice, with a texture a bit like tapioca, so at first I honestly wasn’t sure what it was: what is this, and why is it so dark? I’m not a big dark-chocolate person, so my first bite was pretty bitter. But there was a jar of sugar on the table (bigger than the salt shaker, funnily enough), and after a few spoonfuls it smoothed right out. It was genuinely really good.

Prices, Combos & Portion Sizes

Prices are friendly: most breakfast plates are around $20 or less, and each comes with that bowl of lugaw and the tomato salsa, so one plate fills you up. If you have a smaller appetite, some dishes come in large and small sizes, which I thought was a thoughtful touch. Want variety without blowing the budget? Build your own combo plate.

Uncle Mike’s Place vs Kasama: Which Should You Choose?

Short version: go to Uncle Mike’s for an easy, no-fuss classic Filipino breakfast, and Kasama if you’re chasing a bucket-list, Michelin-starred experience and don’t mind the wait.

	Uncle Mike’s Place	Kasama
Vibe	Neighborhood diner	Michelin-starred bakery & restaurant
Wait	Walk right in off-peak	Long lines, 50+ soon after opening
Price	Plates around $20	Pricier; tasting menu at dinner
Best for	Easy classic breakfast	A bucket-list experience

Kasama (also in Ukrainian Village, from chefs Genie Kwon and Tim Flores) is the world’s first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant, now with two stars, and its daytime bakery draws long lines. Uncle Mike’s is the comfortable, come-as-you-are counterpart. If you have the mornings, do both: Kasama for the hype, Uncle Mike’s for the comfort.

Who it’s for: anyone who wants an authentic, affordable Filipino breakfast in Chicago, loves congee or fish, or just wants a warm, filling meal while traveling. Maybe skip it if you only want a quick grab-and-go, don’t eat heavily cured meats, or expect a polished, fine-dining presentation, because this is an honest old-school diner.

Planning the rest of your Chicago trip? Here’s my guide to the Shedd Aquarium.

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