In a never-ending attempt to bring awareness to good eateries around the Chicago area, I have found a local diner that creates pancake perfection.

The Golden Nugget, located off the Lawrence Red Line stop, sits at the humble corner of W Diversey Avenue and N Western Avenue.  Boasting its name with a large golden sign (and blinking lights), the Golden Nugget begs for any hungry passer-by to stop in and give their food a try.  My three buddies and I, in search of a late night meal, stumbled across this gem online and thought we would give it a try.  In theme with many Chicago restaurants we have been to, we were not disappointed.
After a sizable walk west down Diversey Ave. we finally came across the Golden Nugget.  Upon entering the sparsely populated diner, we were told to sit at any seat we liked.  We then opened the menu, only to be overwhelmed by the shear quantity of options presented before us.

Like most diners, breakfast food was a staple on the menu; pancakes, waffles, hash browns and eggs were offered in any number of combinations.  Page two outlined further outlined the breakfast options. Page three was dedicated to sandwiches and four was the entrees.  Page five covered the cuisines: Italian and Mexican/Spanish dishes and six, the dinner menu.  Flipping to seven and eight we encountered the soups, salads and side menu options and by page 9 we were at the skillets and burgers.  Rounding out the gargantuan menu were the desserts and then finally the drink options.  Needless to say, the Golden Nugget provides a plethora of options for all palates.

In the Sinfully Delicious section of the menu (located somewhere between pages two and four on the menu), are daring pancake creation that would make all moms frown in disapproval.   The Golden Nugget boasts a handful of menu options that mix meal and dessert.  These items include the Oreo pancakes, Oreos baked into pancakes and smothered in an icing-syrup, and the Alaskan waffle, a Belgium waffle topped with ice cream and fruit compote (a warm fruit jam).

For me and my friends, pancakes were enough.  I had a large stack of the fresh blueberry pancakes while my buddies got the banana pancakes (smothered in homemade pecan syrup) and the traditional buttermilk pancakes.  All at the table were pleased and sufficiently full by the end of the meal.

After eating, we bid our farewell to our pancake haven, acknowledging that we would see the Golden Nugget again.

Pictured: My two friends and some Chicago TV anchors, all having a good time, or course.