White Palace Grill
1159 S Canal St
(between Roosevelt Rd & Taylor St)
Chicago, IL 60607 (312) 939-7167
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch, Late Night
- Alcohol: None
49 Reviews for White Palace Grill
This is a great 24 hour place in the South Loop. They have great breakfast food, good soup, and a great diner atmosphere. It is almost always at LEAST half full. It's a great place to stop after shopping at the new places in the area. You CANNOT beat the price.
They have been there forever and were even on the Food Networks "Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins"
YUM! Go there. We love it!
This place looks bootleg during the day, (and actually still does at night), but it definitely comes alive after 1AM on the weekends. It's hilarious to see tens of people clearly dressed up for Michigan Avenue hotel bars and River North clubs slink in here after dark, looking for some greasy breakfast. The only way it'd be marginally better were if it were a Waffle House.
That being said about the scene, the food isn't half bad here. Don't expect a fancy dinner and you won't be disappointed. This place clearly caters to the drunken munchies - it does what it's expected to do - delivers brunch in the wee hours of the morning.
It's another decent 24-hour diner. Gotta love that about Chicago.
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I seem to be one of the few reviewers who has been here sober, during the day for a normal meal. When my parents were in town for graduation we decided to go here one afternoon to grab a bite to eat, and I was honestly in awe. The food here is wonderful.
So fresh and homemade tasting, I almost couldn't believe it.
First of all, my mom had their chicken noodle soup, which was the soup of the day. If you have been raised on campbell's or never had homemade chicken soup drop what you are doing RIGHT NOW and rush to White Palace because they know exactly how to do it. Real chicken broth, with fresh crisp vegetables and actual, recognizable, large pieces of chicken. I was pretty much blown away by it.
I had an omelet, mostly because they one of my favorite foods, and it was exactly the way I like it. Perfectly prepared eggs, with the contents having been sauteed prior to folding them in the egg...which makes SUCH a difference. Also, LOTS of cheese, which really is the best part of an omelet anyway :)
Their sandwiches are excellent and really, I can't think of a single thing there I wouldn't want to eat. The waitress was the traditional mom-type diner waitress who always had a great quip prepared. And when she heard I had just graduated from college she told the owner, who wes actually there in the kitchen supervising, he gave me a free milkshake. OH MY LORD this milkshake was thick, creamy and obviously made just for me. It came with whip cream and a cherry on top. This is everything that a girl could possibly want in one cup. Heaven in iced diary form.
So, basically they are a really friendly restaurant, with excellent food and an adorable dine atmosphere. It is open 24/7/365 so you can always find a great, reasonable, family-friendly meal in the city.
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Definitely a dive, but the service and the food is great. Always a table with the hard plastic seats that your legs stick to in the summer. The evening/late night hours bring a great mix of people in for greasy spoon dining at its finest.
This local Chicago dive has has great service, friendly wait staff and a good mix of local patrons. The standard diner fare is nothing special, but seems appropriate for the atmosphere and clientele. Great for a late nite bite or a no drama sunday brunch.
This diner may have opened around the same time as it's almost same named rival diner, The Palace Grill, but the grub don't compare.
For some strange reason I felt compelled, due to the similar name, to order the same thing. Call me silly
I ordered a Cheeseburger with bacon, cheese fries and lemonade.
The lemonade was so pink it looked unnatural but didn't taste particularly bad, nor did it taste particularly good, but on that hot day it was truly refreshing.
The Cheeseburger was nothing to rave about. Regular bun, regular patty, good bacon, bleh.
The fries were horrible cheap store bought frozen crinkle cut fries and the whiz was ok I guess. Again, I can't find nothing but epic failure when it comes to fries in the US. Sorry guys but I just can't find good greasy fries darkened by old shortening.
And all the staff looked like they were recently release from the penitentiary and not the Women in prison shower scene kind. Yikes. Though they were very friendly and nice.
A very nice old school looking diner with Guy Fieri's autographed poster hanging on the wall. A good place to stop by for a bite since I can't take food chains anymore, but not a place I'd go out of my way to get to either.
I go here for the delicious breakfast and the soda.. seriously, that Coke is the best Coke I've ever had from a fountain machine. It's super fresh.. yes, soda has freshness and I do notice it! It's almost a blessing that there's free refills here.
One con that I can think of: each waitress is oblivious to what tax they charge.. it's like they just think of a number in their minds.. so sometimes I pay 10% tax, other days they put down about 15%.. and that's when they don't get much of a tip. Either get yourselves a working register or get used to the small tips. And fine, you like the vintage register and can't imagine replacing it.. you don' t need a mathematician, just a calculator! Teach them all how to use one..
I just love the host guy behind the counter. He is so friendly and always talks with my husband and I about bands and music stuff. The breakfast food is pretty good for diner stuff. Staff is always friendly and fast. Its a good neighborhood place.
This place is high theater in the wee hours of the morning. Pimps, ho's, itinerant party-goers, it's great! And the food is good too. It's 3 a.m.-soak-up-the-alcohol-type carb-y food. Cheap, quick, great people-watching. Can't beat it!
While dining at the counter, I hadn't noticed, but the lady nearest to me was choking. The waitress, quick thinking and without hesitation, gave her the heimlich then and there. I was shocked and impressed by the level of customer service they provided that lady.
The food was good, too.
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I really don't know what all the hype about this place is about. I came here for Sunday brunch a week ago after hearing good things about it on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It was pretty blah. Some of the items are pretty creative, but the tastes are lacking. The eggs are dry and overall overpriced for how much you get.
I might return late one evening (since it's open 24 hours) to try some dinner items that I did see on the food network. but so far, I'm not impressed.
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Three stars rather then two because it has a history in the area, which is more then most places around Chicago can say.
Other then that, the reason for the hype seems to be that Chicago is deprived of regular old diners. That's what it is... a pretty cool diner. That's what the food is, that's what the service is, that's what the atmosphere is. Don't go expecting more.
But it's fun. The photos on the wall are fun, and that sense of old-school Chicago is fun.
We stopped here on our way home from on vacation from hell, and I am so glad that we did! I had been wanting to try this place for a while now and finally got the opportunity to do so! We walked in and were told to just grab the table of our choice which I thought was cool, we sat down and were greeted almost instantly by our friendly waitress. She took our drink order and brought them out as quick as she could considering the business of the place! We then placed our order, I ordered the Chilaquiles and a side of the Cream of Chicken soup, Fred ordered the Chorizo Skillet, Missy, the Hobo Skillet and Jeff the 222. I think my meal was the highlight of this experience, fried tortillas mixed with salsa, scrambled eggs and topped with Monterey Jack cheese. It was also served with beans, rice, sour cream and guacamole. Missy thought hers came with cheese but it didn't so she didn't order any, so I think she was a bit disappointed because she LOVES cheese! Jeff said his was good, his over easy eggs looked done just right and Fred's Chorizo Skillet was LOADED with about 1/2 lb of chorizo, no joke! Overall, a very good experience except for the fact that she forgot my soup and had to bring it with the meal, but it will not stop me from coming back for some more great food!
Every stripe under the rainbow chowing on cheap but good, good, good diner food. Excellent milk shakes. Surly service. 24 hour access. What more can you ask for?
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This is a joint. Vegetarians and people who only leave their pied a terre to visit bistros and trattorias might not like it. Know what you are getting into. If you want to sink into a velvet chair and eat Kobe beef that has been massaged by virgins in a red wine reduction served over organic blue corn polenta and wilted arugula with a side of artisanal cheeses while the sound of falling water and the delicate laughter of angels surrounds you....what the hell are you doing at the White Palace Grill?
However, if you want a sassy waitress to serve you a big plate of eggs, French toast, and ham off the bone at some odd hour while every single social group featured on "The Wire" makes happy "nom nom nom" noises around you, this might be your joint.
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Great value, good fast service, tasty food. Stopped in after seeing Guy Fieri rave about it and were not disappointed. Husband had the Philly Steak sandwich which was flavorful and brimming with browned onions, mushrooms and cubed beef, smothered in melted cheese. All meals came with soup (a very tasty chicken noodle), and choice of fries Ithe crinkly kind) or fruit salad (mainly cantaloupe). My daughter had the chicken fingers dinner - her faithful standby everywhere. It came with 5 huge "fingers" more like the size of a kids hand!! She also had a plate of cheese fries which she also thought were very tasty! I had the turkey burger which was just ok. Will definitely be returning for breakfast!
If you're looking for a good old fashion greasy spoon 24hrs a day, than this is the place. The prices are very reasonable and the wait staff is friendly in a slightly edgy diner sort of way, you'll even called hun every now and again. White Palace Grill is great for take out orders, without having to ask everything you need is in the bag as well as the entire order. They're pretty easy to deal with on the phone as well.
I have to agree with Jennifer P. this place does seem serve the range of social groups portrayed on "The Wire".
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If I was having my last meal on Earth, White Palace's French Toast would be my side dish. It's amazing.
For the most part, the service sucks, but this is the best diner in the city. It should get it's own category.
I had the waffle, which was cold and overdone. Also, the waitress asked us to leave to free up a booth. Gee, thanks, White Palace!
On August 28, 2005, White Palace played host to a shooting involving Boston Celtics guard Tony Allen. On March 24, 2008, police were called there after the manager asked a group to leave. One of the group punched a cop. Neither of these incidents is a worse travesty than my cinder block of a waffle.
Unless you live in this area and a nuclear blast has wiped out all other restaurants in the neighborhood, I don't see why you'd go here.
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This is, hands down, my favorite Chicago diner. Maybe even my favorite diner ever. Not only have I never had a bad experience here, but every experience has been about five different kinds of awesome.
First off, the food is great. Previous reviews will tell you this is not the place to go if you're counting your calories or on a low-carb thing or even concerned about eventually having a heart attack. This spoon's got plenty of grease, and it's delicious. I've always been partial to the Belgian waffles and eggs, but have ventured out several times into the dinner menu. My friends and I found ourselves in Pilsen one night several years ago and back then, there was little gentrification in that area. On foot, we made it to Roosevelt and headed east. We thensaw our beacon of hope, in the form of a brightly-lit diner on Canal. That's when we experienced The White Palace Grill for the first time, and since then, it's been a regular spot, any hour of the day. It's sort of sad seeing that Bank of America looming over it now, and everything that's being built up behind and around it. But WP is holding it's own and I'm happy about that.
One quick note: The last time I caught breakfast there I was seated next to some paramedics with thick Chicago accents talking enthusiastically about The Stranger. Any other coffee shop in America I'd have had to suffer througth some pretentious drivel about Camus' philosophies or how The Stranger had changed their lives and they were now superior in intellect. Thankfully, this was not The Stranger these gentlemen men were referring to. "...It's where you sit on your hand and make it numb so that when you je-"
Love it. It's all included at The White Palace Grill.
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I pass by this place a lot, but finally decided to drop in for a late lunch after seeing it on Food Network. The tv show highlighted the fact that this place makes a lot of stuff from scratch. I had a club sandwich with fries and it came with a cup of cream of chicken soup. The soup was definitely creamy. The sandwich tasted exactly how a diner club sandwich should - bacon cooked perfectly, crisp iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and there's something about mayonnaise on white toast that makes it taste so good. The crinkle fries were okay...could have been better. My fiance got breakfast - eggs, sausage links, pancakes, and he said it was all good. Service was quick and to the point.
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I love White Palace! We have been going here since we moved to Chicago. The food is great, standard diner fare with some good Mexican breakfast options in the mix. What keeps us coming back is the service. Every once in a while you will get a new server who might forget your side of bacon or what have you, but the majority of the staff there are great. They remember us whenever we walk in and that is great. It is exactly what you want in a greasy spoon diner place. I love it.
This is a pretty typical greasy spoon diner. However, it is a pretty good one. Best of all, it is open 24h and really comes alive at 3-4am when the late-nighters make it here...that's my favorite time to visit...3:30am on Sunday morning; the crowd is diverse and fun.
The rest of the time it serves up all the good diner dishes you'd expect (at good diner prices you would also expect). The burgers are decent, as are the fries and milk shakes. You can get a good breakfast here all day long, though remember that Sundays are an inaccessable mess, thanks to the Maxwell Street Market...though if you're looking for that car radio which went missing last week...you can kill two birds and track it down after you come for breakfast.
That said, I am very happy that this place not only survived the gentrification changes and strip mall big boxes which have come to the South Loop, but it has been rehabbed and is a bit less dingy from the effort.
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I love this place! It's open 24 hours, the servers are nice, the food is great. It's a diner! What more could you ask for?
I recently took a trip to Chicago -- for the first time ever. On the trip I was armed with a handful of places I had heard about or had seen on of all places the Food Network that piqued my interest so I figured this was a great way to check them out. White Palace Grill was everything it promised to be...I loved the interior of the place, lots of character..goes to show the atmosphere of an eatery adds just as much to the experience as the food. I ended up ordering their BBQ Brisket sandwich with a small bowl of Lentil soup, fruit bowl and a hot chocolate (it was still pretty chilly and drizzly in town that day...at least for this Los Angeles boy). Thoroughly loved that sandwich...the brisket was so thinly sliced it almost melted in your mouth..the sauce was a great mix of the tang and the sweet. It was the perfect lunch size too...didn't overfill but had enough meat in the sandwich to satisfy. Very, very tasty. The soup was pretty hearty...I had the impression it was scratch made because the texture of the veggies and the lentils just did not feel "canned"..you know all mushed up. I wish there would have been a way to try some of the other menu items...since I enjoyed the brisket I wondered about the other items I initially considered. Suggestion would be to bring a few friends when coming here and to try and share a bunch of the items. Oh plus I did not get a chance to try any of their desserts...mmmm pie. Definitely a place to check out again on a future visit...and since they are open 24 hrs...its convenient too.
The only time I've ever been to the "Palace" is late at night. They offer you good food, reasonable prices, and a killer cup of coffee.
Check it out next time you're looking for a place in the city that offers some good diner food.
March 9, 2003
T MXXXX1
Chgo, Il
This is it. This is the real deal. Of course, oh my, it's in the SOUTH LOOP! You can just IMAGINE what kind of people hang around there. Let's face it, there will never be any trixies and frat boys hanging here (thank God!). But if you want to be where the true nightowls of the world are, this is the place, hands down. Arguably better before the rehab, but who cares?-still great.
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It's open 24 hours, they've got great diner food, a friendly waitstaff, and the prices are reasonable.
What more do you need?
don't let the looks outside deter you. it's actually quite a nice grease spot. b'fast 24/7. prices are nice. what's incredible about it is the breath of its menu with tons of items. there is no parking available except for street parking. depending on when you go, it may not be a huge issue.
My ideal diner is a Waffle House. I love that chain of tasty fast restaurants. Either way, we have none here, so we get stuck at places like White Palace instead.
I really don't get the hype.
It's a diner, it's 24 hours, it has food, it's nothing special.
It has nearly nothing for vegetarians and clearly isn't even trying in that realm. Every time I try to order something "hold the meat" it comes with meat anyway. Actually, they've screwed up a lot of my friends' orders when I've gone.
The service around bartime is really slow, and it seems like every time I'm in there after dark, they have to kick some crackhead out for harassing customers.
And the decor is just kitch... I'm really not into it.
3 stars, why? Because it's better than Greektown Gyros, and sometimes salty, bland, overcooked food (with order screwed up) is all you want at 3am.
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Yes, it's 'just a diner', and in now way rates up there with the greatest pizza places and steak restaurants in Chicago. But it gets 5 stars for being a great diner! I'm so glad that White Palace is still there, with the 're-gentrification' of the area, which includes so many chain stores that you'd think you were in Naperville. The wait is a bit longer on a weekend morning now, but they really mean business and get you through there quickly. The food and prices are exactly what you'd expect of a diner in the City, and the service is definitely better than you'd expect.
Thanks for sticking around, White Palace. We appreciate it!
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I had the burger deluxe, it was good, but the pancakes were really good-light and fluffy! I am more of a waffle fan but the pancakes were really good! I would go back for the pancakes and even try the waffles!
They have a vege burger or quesadilla's for vegetarians, I didn't try either but I was thinking about getting those as my options too...
10/28/07 this time tried the pecan waffles, do not get them, it was a waffle with pecans all over the too, too many, I thought the pecans would be in the waffle not the whole bag on top!
I should have just gotten the plain pancakes!
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Can a 24 hour diner get much better than this? Visit this diner for a true taste of Chicago any time of day. Cops and postal workers are frequent diners along with families, and couples from all over. It's a true slice of life here at White Palace.
Burgers are great and I love that you get a free cup of soup with the complete dinner. I can't get enough of the fries either!
Breakfast is served all day and is hearty enough to be a dinner. I usually stick with the egg dishes particularly the skillets. The tex-mex skillet has loads of chorizo and the gypsy skillet comes packed with fresh veggies (mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes). The best part is the toast which has loads of butter seeped into its pours. Yum!
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Hold me closer, Tony Danza.
Of all the 24-hour diners in the city (what, like 4?) this place is tops.
Fast service, an inexpensive menu that covers a HUGE range of things, a giant jacked-up parking garage right behind it, and great service.
The best part about this place though, is the painted and custom ceiling light panels. Make sure to mosey around to check them all out.
I wish this city had more places like this.
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nasty--could not wait to hit the toilet--sorry to be so crude--saw the place on Diners and Drive Ins on Food Channel--will never return
It's a diner people, remember that and you won't be disappointed. The food is great, the service is fast, and the prices are fair. You can't ask for more.
They offer your typical diner fare done well.
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I usually like greasy spoons, but this place left me feeling cold.
My boyfriend's potato pancakes were really greasy, fried lumps of potato that were too solid and crispy to be anything resembling a pancake. My french toast & scrambled eggs tasted okay, but again with the excess grease. I'm still not sure why my french toast was bright orange either.
Typical diner deco, interesting clientele, cold waitress.
I'd scope out somewhere else in the area to eat before coming back here.. unless maybe it was 4am.
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My favorite greasy spoon in the city. Unbeatable in terms of good, tasteful diner food; friendly service; and a diverse clientele. Seems like every ethnicity is represented here and everyone seems pretty happy. And it's open 24/7! I wish I could get down here more but I live on the North Side. Owned by the same peeps who gave us Hollywood Grill.
Pretty much anything on the menu will float your boat. It's definitely not one of those joints that make you sick; this food will set you straight no matter the time of day. I'm partial to the basic breakfast fare: 2 eggs, ham, and hashbrowns with rye toast. But the omlettes are good as are the Mexican dishes.
The murals are cool too, but I always get stuck when I go there on a few of the people. Definitely hit this place up.
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Fond, fond memories of late night and random round-the-clock munchies. I'm a sucker for Western-style breakfast and White Palace delivers the goods. Can you say chorizo omelette? *drool*
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I love this place.
All sorts crowd the booths and counter.
Great, kind staff create a warm envionment.
Blah blah blah
Not to mention its cheap.
And open all hours!
Score!
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