Comfortable seats, fresh juice, and French toast: the perfect recipe for a classic brunch hangout. At Stax, an airy nook near the UIC campus, staffers in t-shirts with cheeky slogans ("We are Breakfast Poets. Oh, how we love thee") swiftly refill coffee mugs and deliver eggs Benedict and burgers to sleepy-eyed eaters. Breakfast and lunch options are wide-ranging: omelets like the Spanish Harlem, filled with chorizo, roasted tomatoes, poblanos, and queso fresco, are beautifully fluffy and light. Ham and cheese crêpes with honey mustard walk the line between sweet and savory; and heavenly ricotta pancakes with strawberry-rhubarb compote sweeten the morning. Eyeing the mini chocolate Bundt cake? Snag it at the start of your meal—desserts sell out early.