Tiztal Cafe is located on North Clark Street Chicago. In a city known for good food, Tiztal  manages to be distinctive.

The far western suburbs of the city are home to the places most familiar to me. But for a random conversation with a stranger during a one-off visit to a church a few years ago, I would probably not have heard of the place. During fellowship time following the service, a guy mentioned he and his family were heading there for brunch and highly recommended their chilaquiles. Today, I could not describe this guy or recall his name if I had to, but I like chilaquiles, so I remembered the name Tiztal Cafe. Recently, a wedding brought my family to Chicago recently and I finally got around to eating there one clear, sunny Sunday morning.

The interior is small, and there is also a small patio. I wouldn’t quite go as far as to say there were as many people waiting in line out front as there were diners inside, but the wait was a fairly long one. And the cafe is casual. There is no lectern with a sign in sheet nor beepers that flash when a table becomes available. Just a gracious host who stopped up front every so often to collect names from those waiting, and to break up the wait she passed out samples of oatmeal milkshakes, which is a signature offering.

My family was pretty hangry by the time we were seated inside at the very front table which put a great deal of pressure on me for the food to be good. After all, we were in a strange part of town, based upon the recommendation from. . . some guy. Meanwhile, I got to enjoy coffee while we watched an interesting procession of Chicagoans going about their daily lives just outside the front window. Delivery drivers steadily carried bags of food, concealed in plastic bags bound for app users, young tattooed parents walked their babies in very expensive strollers, and we witnessed a man and his sons make two trips in a taxi to shuttle their belongings from a few doors away to an unseen destination. The people watching was satisfying and everything about my surroundings nodded “This is Chicago.”

Let me tell you: it was worth the wait!

My husband ordered the chorizo scramble, my oldest daughter had a Monte Cristo, while both my youngest daughter and I had chilaquiles with scrambled eggs–hers with chorizo, mine without. And we shared an oatmeal milkshake. It’s a smooth cinnamon flavored beverage that was quite pleasant to drink. They also offer smoothies and many, many other items, including lighter fare.

The potatoes that came with all of our meals were a joy to eat. They were caramelized– beautifully browned to a crispy perfection. My chilaquiles were wonderful. They arrived to the table, fresh from the stove and nearly too hot to touch. The tortillas were topped with mozzarella cheese that was ideally salted and melted. A spicy salsa verde was on the side and fresh, finely chopped white onions with a smidgen of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime were atop it all. Each bite was a celebration of color, textures and flavors. Yum!

Everyone else enjoyed their meals, too. The portions were huge and the food was satisfying. Had we lived nearby, we probably would have each had enough food left to save for at least one more meal. The meals were clearly made with a great deal of heart and pride. I asked a staffer what made the food so special and he told me “The secret to making the food so amazing is that each plate individually. Nothing is made from bottles or cans. Everything is prepared from scratch.”

I should have known Tiztal Cafe would be packed when I saw on various websites that several neighborhoods “claim” it. Tiztal is on the border between a few different neighborhoods, Andersonville, Ravenswood, Sheridan Park and Uptown. Understandable, as the cafe is destined to be a landmark for the lucky ‘hood for years to come. Remember in the 1992 film “The Bodyguard” when Rachel scoffed at Frank when he told her to change up her brunch schedule because ‘everybody goes to brunch on the weekend’? That applies here–the typical brunch time is peak, so you may want to avoid those times. It is open every day after all!

Who wouldn’t like the food? Those who are too impatient to wait, or maybe folks who have very restricted dietary needs. Otherwise, I give the food an A+.

Tiztal Cafe is located at 4631 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640.

All photos by me copyright 2018.

We paid for our own food and I have received no pay for this post.