Brunch in Chicago: Bar Siena

Donuuuuuuuts!!!

Hopefully that got your attention… I mean, c’mon look at these bad boys! Also just wanted to mention that Francis and I ordered three entire donuts and agreed that this was a completely appropriate serving size for two people #WhatIsWrongWithUs

Anyway! More on the donuts in a bit. Today for my brunch series I’m talking about one of my favorite West Loop eateries Bar Siena (sister restaurant to the River North joint Siena Tavern). Fun fact: I don’t know why, but for some reason every time I’ve eaten at this place, I’ve been inebriated in some capacity. I think the first time I was here, Francis and I were grabbing a late afternoon snack after hitting up a nearby bar, and naturally we ordered a pitcher of sangria to split. Today, we both decided mimosas would do the trick, but when we were told getting the “Make Your Own Mimosa” bar was only $20 more than the cost of two mimosas… Well we of course ordered it, thus making brunch a little more aggressive than initially planned…

Totally worth it though. In addition to a bottle of prosecco and house made OJ, it also came with raspberry and white peach purees on the side so you could give your drink a lil flavor blast should you so desire (the white peach was soooo good).

Fran’s been all about the croque madames lately and ordered this beauty with a side of the waffle hashbrowns. I’m not a meat eater so I can’t speak for myself; but Francis was a big fan. It also came with a little dressed arugula and pickled onion salad which I happily took off his hands. The hashbrowns were some of the best I’ve had in a while. The seasoning on them was out of this world good.

I had the poached lobster benedict with crispy brussels sprouts and fresno chili hollandaise. And oh damnn!! I can tell ya that this was devoured probably within 5 min. I’m such a sucker for crispy brussels on anything. Tons of flavor up in here and the lobster was cooked to perfection.

It’s a really cool vibe and set up at Bar Siena; it’s two stories, with the bar being center on the first floor, and then there is this giant indoor “tree” covered with twinkle lights going all the way up and spreading into the second floor.

Now back to the donuts…

Recently, I had gotten a chance to check out Bar Siena’s walk-up window coffee and donuts spot Bombobar, which was for real, life changing. I had one of the best donuts of my life and some pretty killer hot chocolate. It’s a pretty cool set up too; the space is tented with built in heat lamps over the little counter seats they have. Definitely a great fun and tasty wintertime activity to do in Chicago.

Knowing that the donuts on the dessert menu at Bar Siena were from Bombobar… We obvs had to get one. Or three. Yeah three sounds right.

We got the s’mores, the salted caramel, and the maple cream bombolinos, which are Italian hole-less donuts covered in sugar and filled with sweet magical fillings. These crazy mothers came with their own little plastic bottles filled with sweet creamy filling and we got to squeeze them into the donuts to our hearts content. Things may have gotten a little messy. I probably could have gotten away with just squirting a little bit directly into my mouth and chasing with a bite of the donut… May try this tactic next time.

These donuts seriously never cease to amaze! My fave was the s’mores which came decked out with toasted marshmallow, graham cracker crumbs, and a chocolate filling.

You can also order some of the restaurant’s more traditional Italian dishes for brunch- Their pizza is amazing! They also have a burrata appetizer that will make you cry.

Until next time friends!