Best Brunch With Cocktails in the Southwest Suburbs (and Which Days Each One Runs)

by Brian Wittman

You get a weekend brunch where the drink list is the point, not an afterthought. You'll find mimosa flights, Bloody Marys with a little ambition and a Bloody Maria or two, and you will not drive far for any of them. They're all in Frankfort, Tinley Park and Lemont.

Here's the catch. Brunch out here does not run on one schedule. Some spots you'd expect on a Saturday only do Sunday, one doesn't start until 1 p.m., and a few spots that show up on brunch lists online don't do brunch at all.

So every spot below comes with the days it actually runs, checked against its own menu or a phone call. You pick one, you check the day, and you go.

Where can you get brunch with good cocktails in the southwest suburbs?

Six spots made the list: Dancing Marlin, Fat Rosie's and Frankfort Chophouse in Frankfort, Sip and Banging Gavel Brews in Tinley Park, and Barrel & Vine in Lemont. Fat Rosie's and Barrel & Vine do Saturday and Sunday, and Banging Gavel's open both weekend days from noon. Dancing Marlin, Sip and Frankfort Chophouse are Sunday spots, so plan around that. Sunday is the big day.

If you're after a family-friendly Easter or Mother's Day brunch instead, that's a different list, and it's coming in the spring.

Which brunch spots have the best cocktails?

Dancing Marlin (Frankfort)

Dancing Marlin's on LaGrange Road, and its Sunday brunch runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Its own brunch menu has the deepest drink list here: a mimosa flight, a Bellini, a Bloody Mary, Irish coffee, a boozy iced coffee, a carajillo and an espressotini.

If you're moving to Frankfort, IL, it's the brunch with the deepest drink list in town. It's Sunday only, so don't show up on a Saturday expecting it. If you have a group, book ahead.

Fat Rosie's Taco & Tequila Bar (Frankfort)

Fat Rosie's runs brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The brunch drink list leans tequila: a Paloma Mimosa, an Oaxaca Sunrise, Rosie's Bloody Mary, a Bloody Maria and the Michelada Chingona. Its mimosas come in orange, cranberry, guava or pineapple, and you can mix and match.

I've eaten there for regular food, and it's good, so that's the vouch: for the kitchen, not the brunch.

Frankfort Chophouse (Frankfort)

The Chophouse is the late option. Its brunch runs Sundays only, from 1 to 4 p.m., which makes it the one to pick when the morning got away from you. It's out on Laraway Road, and the bar's right there when you sit down.

Sip Wine Bar & Restaurant (Tinley Park)

Sip's on Oak Park Avenue, downtown, and Sunday's the day. It opens at 9 a.m., and its own site advertises mimosas every Sunday from 9 to noon. My wife loves this place, so that's the vouch.

It's a wine bar first, which tells you what you're likely to find on the drink list, and it's an easy first Sunday out if you're house hunting in Tinley Park.

Banging Gavel Brews at The Vogt House (Tinley Park)

Banging Gavel pours in the restored Vogt House on the same stretch of Oak Park Avenue as Sip. Its menu includes brunch, and it opens at noon on weekends, so it's the one you'll pick if you'd rather start with a beer brewed on site.

Barrel & Vine (Lemont)

Barrel & Vine is on Main Street in downtown Lemont, and its own site lists both a Saturday and a Sunday brunch menu. It opens at 11 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. Shaw Local has written up its brunch for a Bloody Mary and a four-flavor mimosa flight, and it's made their regional list of elegant brunches more than once.

Its reputation is the reason it is here. Ask around and you will hear the name. My wife and I haven't made it in for brunch yet, but it's on our list, and if you're weighing a move to Lemont, it should be on yours.

Which brunch spots are open on Saturday?

If you want Saturday, you've got three choices. Fat Rosie's and Barrel & Vine both run brunch that day, and Banging Gavel opens at noon on Saturdays with brunch on its menu. Dancing Marlin, Sip and Frankfort Chophouse are Sunday spots, so those will have to wait a day.

Can you watch the Bears game at brunch?

Some of these spots run specials on Bears Sundays, like Banging Gavel in Tinley Park. It changes by the season, so ask when you book. If you want the game more than the brunch, the best sports bars in the southwest suburbs are the better bet on a Bears Sunday.

How should you plan a brunch out here?

You don't need much of a plan, but you'll want these four things straight.

Check the day. Half of this list is Sunday only.
Check the time. Frankfort Chophouse doesn't start until 1.
Call ahead with a group. Brunch fills up, especially on a holiday weekend.
Line up a ride if the drinks are the point.

Quick picks

If you want the biggest drink list, go to Dancing Marlin. If you want Saturday, it's Fat Rosie's or Barrel & Vine. If you're sleeping in, Frankfort Chophouse starts at 1. And if you want to walk downtown after, you'll like Sip or Banging Gavel in Tinley Park.

The Bottom Line

Brunch with a real drink list isn't hard to find out here, as long as you've got the right day. Dancing Marlin has the deepest menu, Fat Rosie's and Barrel & Vine cover Saturday, Sip and Banging Gavel give you downtown Tinley Park, and Frankfort Chophouse saves a late Sunday.

Every roster town got checked for this one. Orland Park, Orland Hills, Palos Park, Palos Hills, Palos Heights, Homer Glen, Mokena, New Lenox, Lockport, Joliet, Shorewood, Manhattan, Peotone, Monee, Manteno, Channahon, Minooka and Beecher didn't turn up a cocktail-forward brunch that could be confirmed for this list. A few spots people mentioned turned out to be closed, dinner only or no longer serving brunch. That's a finding about brunch, not about those towns, and chains were left off on purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best brunch in the southwest suburbs for drinks?

For the biggest drink list, Dancing Marlin in Frankfort. Its Sunday brunch menu has a mimosa flight, a Bloody Mary, a carajillo and an espressotini, among others. Fat Rosie's in Frankfort is the pick if you want tequila drinks.

Which southwest suburb brunch spots are open on Saturday?

Fat Rosie's in Frankfort runs brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 2, and Barrel & Vine in Lemont has a Saturday brunch menu. Banging Gavel in Tinley Park opens at noon on Saturdays with brunch on its menu.

Is there a late brunch near the southwest suburbs?

Yes. Frankfort Chophouse runs Sunday brunch from 1 to 4 p.m., the latest start on this list.

Do you need a reservation for brunch?

It's smart, especially if you've got a group or it's a holiday weekend. Call ahead, and confirm the brunch hours while you're on the phone, since they can change by season.

Why aren't chain restaurants on this list?

Because you already know where those are. This list is local spots only, the ones that are easy to miss until you've lived here a while.

If your favorite brunch spot does a great drink list and it isn't here, send me the name and it'll get checked for the list.

For more weekend finds like this one, follow along on Instagram over at @chicagolandhomeandmoney.

Brian Wittman is a licensed real estate broker (Real Broker LLC), mortgage loan originator (NMLS #2646598, NEXA Mortgage, LLC, Equal Housing Lender), and life insurance producer (Levinson & Associates). For full disclosures, visit https://bluejeanbroker.com/disclosures.