It was a rainy morning when my 12-year-old and I decided to visit Mauri’s Famous Café in Mundelein for breakfast. From the outside, it was hard to tell if Mauri’s was open. The dark screens covering the windows hid the bustle of activity happening inside. Mauri’s takes up two storefronts on Hawley Street and it took us a moment to figure out which door to open. As soon as we did, a million smells of deliciousness told us it was indeed open for business.
Immediately, a waitress welcomed us and said we could take a seat anywhere. My son chose a booth by the window. Another mom and her son were having breakfast at the booth next to us. Groups of teens were at a long table in the middle of the room and other configurations of tables were scattered around the space, packed with people. Looking again, I was surprised we found a seat so easily since the place was jam-packed! Within two minutes of sitting down, a server offered us coffee and water. I told him we only had thirty minutes and asked if that would be enough time. “Of course!” He said.
You see, when my first child entered middle school I started a family tradition. It’s called Breakfast with Mom. Between homework, afterschool sports, and weekends spent with friends, I hardly ever got any one-on-one time with my tween. So, I commandeered one morning a week for a special (but quick) breakfast together. In our school district, the middle school starts later than all the other schools, so it’s the perfect excuse to spend one-on-one time together. That tradition has continued with each of my children and I’m now following my last child through these challenging years. Since getting up early to have breakfast with mom isn’t always on the top of his list, timing is of the utmost importance. So, I feed him something delicious and agree to dine at a place where none of his friends are likely to see us. This morning, Mauri’s was that place.
Mauri’s Famous Cafe is your quintessential hometown dinner. The atmosphere is casual, seating is on your own, and the kitchen is smack dab in the back of the room for all to see. My son and I had fun guessing which dishes coming out of the kitchen would be ours. And the menu was huge! Mauri’s has just about everything you can imagine on their menu.
It was only a matter of moments before my son decided he wanted the Stuffed Bacon Waffle (because who wouldn’t?) and I chose the 2 Egg Breakfast Combo with Hashbrowns and Toast. Our food arrived within ten minutes of ordering which gave us a good twenty minutes for eating and small talk. I’d say that’s a pretty good start to middle school.
Mauri’s Famous Cafe
510 E Hawley Street, Mundelein, IL 60060 | (847) 949-0950
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