Breakfast guide
Where to fly for breakfast near Chicago
Researched by Taxi to Table · Guide checked
What would the person in your right seat get up early for? In Rochelle, a patio table puts you in sight of the parachutes coming down. In Portage, there’s a half-mile walk and a crab cake Benedict at the other end. And if the answer is simply coffee together before the rest of Saturday gets away, Charlie’s at Clow is six nautical miles from Brookeridge Air Park in Downers Grove. The seven breakfasts here span 6 to 128 nautical miles straight-line from Brookeridge (LL22).
A second cup at Clow, a patio seat in Rochelle
Clow makes a good invitation for a passenger who’s curious about your airplane and would like a short first outing. Call Charlie’s at 630-771-0501 for breakfast service. If you want to linger, the Illinois Aviation Museum is at the airport too. Check directly before promising a tour. The museum and airport post different visiting arrangements. For a Sunday when nobody is watching the clock, Rochelle’s Flight Deck opens at 9 a.m. and serves brunch and lunch until 3 p.m. The skydiving center lists a season from mid-April through October. Pick a day when jumps are running and leave time for one more landing.
Two crews, one table in Madison
“Meet at the airport” needs one more detail in Madison. Send the drivers to Wisconsin Aviation at 3606 Corben Court, and give both flight crews time to park. Pat and Pam O’Malley opened the Jet Room in the airport’s former stone terminal in 1997. The restaurant moved into the new Wisconsin Aviation building in 2002. Today it seats the whole party together and takes cash. There’s an ATM inside. For eight or more, agree on who’ll settle the single check and allow for the restaurant’s one-hour seating.
For the passengers who sleep in
Give a late riser a choice between Janesville and Madison. At Bessie’s, cinnamon-sugar donuts come with cream cheese glaze, and the kitchen will still make a chorizo and sweet potato hash after lunchtime arrives. The posted hours run from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. In Madison, the Jet Room also keeps its full menu going until 2. Both make a noon breakfast quite a reasonable proposition.
Walking to brunch in Wisconsin
Put shoes on the packing list for Cottage Grove or Portage. Wisconsin DOT measures both walks at half a mile each way from the nearest aircraft parking. Your assigned spot can add a little. Before heading out, get directions to the pedestrian exit and ask how to get back inside. At Cottage Grove, work backward from Oakstone’s Sunday brunch window, 9 a.m. to noon. Portage rewards a walk, too. The Hitching Post lists a corned beef hash skillet, two sizes of omelet and a separate Sunday menu.
Meeting on Michigan time
If someone is driving to Lee-Lee’s in Muskegon, put the local time in the text you send them. A 10 a.m. Eastern breakfast is 9 a.m. back in Chicago. The straight line from Brookeridge crosses Lake Michigan, so a route around the south end needs its own time estimate. Give yourself a few minutes at the far end, too. The cafe overlooks the runway from the passenger terminal, and your airplane parks at Executive Air Transport.
Compare the stops
Charlie's Restaurant
Charlie’s shares Clow with the Illinois Aviation Museum. The museum lists weekend hours and gives a separate tour contact, handy if you’re bringing somebody who would enjoy wandering through the exhibits after breakfast.
- Location
- On airport
- Service
- Hours unconfirmed. Call to confirm hours.
- Price
- $
- Access
- Listed by the airport as its on-airport restaurant at 130 S. Clow International Parkway. Confirm aircraft parking and pedestrian access.
- Phone
- 630-771-0501
- FBO
- JWA Flight School · 630-759-1555
Flight Deck Bar & Grill
A patio seat at Flight Deck overlooks Chicagoland Skydiving Center. Sunday is brunch day. Call 815-901-1486 for restaurant service and ask the airport for the walking route from transient parking.
- Location
- On airport
- Service
- Mon–Tue 11 AM–3 PM; Wed–Sat 11 AM–9 PM; Sun 9 AM–3 PM. Confirm seasonal service before travel.
- Price
- Unconfirmed
- Access
- Confirm aircraft parking and pedestrian access before visiting.
- Phone
- 815-901-1486
- FBO
- Rochelle Municipal Airport services · 815-561-5081
Bessie’s Diner
Bring an appetite for something sweet or spicy. The donuts are easy to share, and jalapeños and poblano ranch give the hash some heat. On Sean Cummings’ visit, the ramp-side door needed a code. Ask the diner about entry before leaving the airplane.
- Location
- On airport
- Service
- Daily 7 AM–2 PM.
- Price
- $$
- Access
- On-airport diner. Park on the ramp in front of Bessie’s sign and walk directly from your plane to the restaurant door; entry requires a code.
- Phone
- 608-743-9830
- FBO
- Spring City Aviation Janesville · 608-758-1037
Oakstone Recreational
Blackhawk Airfield is the starting point for the walk to Oakstone. Saturday’s smaller brunch selection runs during regular hours. Sunday morning brings the full brunch menu.
- Location
- Documented walk · 0.5 mi
- Service
- Sunday brunch 9 AM–noon is published. Confirm full kitchen hours before flying.
- Price
- $$
- Access
- WisDOT lists a 0.5-mile one-way walk from the nearest aircraft parking area. Confirm the permitted airport exit and re-entry route before leaving your aircraft.
- Phone
- 608-294-1223
Jet Room
Arrange transient parking with Wisconsin Aviation. If you’re booking for a group, call the Jet Room at 608-268-5010 and choose a table time you can make together. The restaurant doesn’t hold late reservations.
- Location
- On airport
- Service
- Mon–Sat 7 AM–2 PM; Sun 7:30 AM–2 PM. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Price
- $
- Access
- Inside the Wisconsin Aviation terminal. Contact Wisconsin Aviation about GA parking and the pedestrian entrance.
- Phone
- 608-268-5010
- FBO
- Wisconsin Aviation-Madison · 608-268-5000
Lee-Lee’s Crosswinds Cafe
After parking as directed at Executive Air Transport, go out through its lobby and follow the public sidewalk about 100 yards west to the passenger terminal. Muskegon County Airport publishes no landing or ramp fees for single-engine piston aircraft.
- Location
- On airport
- Service
- Monday–Saturday 6AM–8PM; Sunday 6AM–2PM.
- Price
- Unconfirmed
- Access
- Park as instructed at Executive Air Transport, exit through its FBO terminal and follow the sidewalk about 100 yards west to the passenger terminal. Do not walk to the restaurant inside the airport fence.
- FBO
- Executive Air Transport · 231-798-2126
B&B Hitching Post
The Hitching Post lists classic and crab cake Benedict on its regular menu, with Florentine and Oscar versions on its Sunday menu. For a particular order, check that day’s breakfast window before you set off from Portage Municipal.
- Location
- Documented walk · 0.5 mi
- Service
- Monday–Wednesday 8 AM–8:30 PM; Friday–Saturday 8 AM–9 PM; Sunday 7 AM–8:30 PM. Thursday closes at 8:30 or 9 PM on different sections of the site; call to confirm.
- Price
- $$
- Access
- WisDOT documents a 0.5-mile one-way walk from aircraft parking. Ask the airport for the permitted exit/re-entry route.
- Phone
- 608-742-8208
Explore the meal map from Brookeridge →
Sources
- Clow International Airport visitor information
- Visit Bolingbrook breakfast directory
- Flight Deck brunch and skydiving season
- Bessie’s Diner breakfast menu
- Oakstone weekend brunch menus
- Jet Room menu and terminal location
- Jet Room group reservations
- Muskegon County Airport café and fly-in instructions
- B&B Hitching Post breakfast menus
- Wisconsin DOT airport restaurant walking distances
- Illinois Aviation Museum visitor hours and tour contact
- Jet Room history in the old Madison terminal
- Jet Room payment and seating information
- Sean Cummings’ Bessie’s arrival notes