Chicago’s Loop discovered authentic Guadalajara-inspired breakfast when La Catedral Cafe opened near conference hotels.
The award-winning Mexican cafe serves extensive brunch options in a chalet-style building filled with Catholic relics and religious artifacts.
Chef Ambrocio Gonzalez brings recipes from his Jalisco hometown to create what locals call a hidden gem worth skipping tourist lines.
Why Conference Attendees Walk Past Wildberry for This
La Catedral sits tucked inside an apartment complex behind Wildberry, creating the perfect hideaway from crowded tourist breakfast spots.
Their cafe de olla arrives in enormous mugs with subtle cinnamon sweetness that coffee lovers dream about between Chicago visits.
The full page menu dedicated solely to eighteen chilaquiles varieties proves they take this hangover-cure dish seriously.
Portions arrive huge enough that solo diners plan their next meal around leftovers while groups share plates family-style.
How a Guadalajara Native Created Chicago’s Mexican Breakfast Destination
Ambrocio Gonzalez learned to cook at twelve when his single mother worked days, leaving him to feed himself.
By fourteen, he worked at Cervecería Corona in Guadalajara’s Market Research Department, traveling Mexican states before moving to Chicago at sixteen.
His first restaurant boss taught him the lasting lesson that defines La Catedral: customers must leave content regardless of challenges encountered.
Food Highlights
- Birriaquiles: Award-winning chilaquiles meet birria in the signature fusion that became their top-selling menu item for good reason.
- Chilaquiles Verdes: Perfectly cooked eggs top green salsa-soaked tortillas with refried beans that hit ideal consistency—not too dry, perfectly seasoned.
- Torta Especial Con Papas: Saucy pork with a subtle kick arrives on fresh bread with impossibly crispy fries that stay velvety inside.
- Cafe De Olla: Iced or hot, this traditional Mexican coffee with cinnamon comes in huge mugs that justify every sip.
- Angelic Breakfast: This filling dish combines eggs, meat, and sides in portions so generous that sharing becomes necessary.
- Iced Mexchata: Horchata meets iced coffee for a sweet morning drink that makes homesick travelers feel less alone.
Atmosphere
The cathedral theme extends from the name through religious artifacts covering walls and ceiling in this spacious, bright dining room.
Tall windows flood the casual space with natural light while authentic floor tiles and decor transport diners straight to Guadalajara.
Large booths accommodate conference groups of twelve without requiring reservations or dealing with typical tourist restaurant chaos.
Bottom Line
La Catedral Cafe proves Chicago’s best Mexican breakfast hides three blocks past the tourist lines in an apartment complex.
The eighteen chilaquiles varieties and cafe de olla in huge mugs justify walking past every crowded brunch spot between here and Michigan Avenue.
When a chef brings Guadalajara recipes to Chicago and decorates with religious artifacts, you skip Wildberry and discover what locals already know.
Address: La Catedral Cafe & Restaurant 400 E Randolph St Chicago, IL 60601
📞 Contact via website
🕐 Daily 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
The Loop | Near conference hotels | Street parking available