South Loop's Brûlée Restaurant Introduces Brunch Menu
Brûlée, a Southern restaurant located in Chicago's South Loop, has introduced a new brunch menu. The restaurant is now offering the new service to patrons in the city, adding another option to the neighborhood's weekend dining scene.
- The restaurant is a mother-daughter venture, co-owned by private chef Emani Roberts and her mother, Shronda Dunn. Roberts, a Kendall College graduate, honed her Southern cooking skills in Atlanta working with mentor chef Virgil Harper. - Before opening Brûlée in November 2025, Chef Roberts had a career as a private chef for celebrities, including touring with the R&B group New Edition. The restaurant's chef de cuisine is Kennedy Bufford, a longtime mentee of Roberts. - The all-day brunch menu is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Wednesdays. The kitchen's last call is at 2:30 PM, and reservations have a 60-minute seating limit. - Signature dishes include a Crème Brûlée French Toast ($19), a Lobster Sweet Potato Waffle ($40), and Creole Shrimp & Grits ($25). The menu also features a dish named "The Virgil Special" in honor of Roberts's mentor. - In addition to food, the restaurant offers a range of specialty coffee drinks, such as a crème brûlée latte, and cocktails. A weekday happy hour runs from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. with its own food menu. - Brûlée joins an established brunch scene in the South Loop, with popular existing spots including Yolk, Eleven City Diner, and Chicago Waffles.
