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M.Henry-Worth the wait?

Heard good things about M.Henry. Is it worth the wait for a table? How"s the chow? Thanks folks.

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  1. It's really good food, but I've never waited for it and never will. If you get a chance, go there during the week when it's easy to get a table and decide for yourself whether you'd wait.

    1. I really like M. Henry for breakfast/brunch; it's one of my three favorite places to go for breakfast (along with Bongo Room near downtown, and Walker Brothers in the near northern suburbs). I've enjoyed everything I've had there, especially the "blisscakes", but also the egg dishes and the bread pudding. If I'm near Andersonville anyway, I would go there, absolutely, and yes, it's worth waiting for a table. If I'm not near Andersonville, I'm not sure I would take the time to make a special trip there AND spend time waiting for a table; I would be more likely to find someplace close to where I am otherwise spending time.

      There are ways to avoid waiting to be seated. One, as noted by wineme, is to go during the week. I'm not sure whether Saturdays are as busy as Sundays, either. You can also go on the early side; the last time I went there, it was on a Sunday, and there was no waiting when we arrived around 8:45, but there was a significant wait by the time we left around 9:45-10:00.

      My other strategy to avoid waiting is, if I want to have brunch on a Sunday and I don't want to go really early, I'll go to a place that accepts reservations (such as Big Jones if I'm in Andersonville). And again, keep the non-reservation places like M. Henry and Bongo Room for weekday breakfasts.



      1 Reply
      1. re: nsxtasy

        I think it's great and if you aren't pressed for time that it is worth the wait. You can usually go in and get a coffee and relax and wait. I feel like waiting for a seat for brunch with friends isn't so bad, gives us even more time to chat and catch up. If you go, enjoy!

      2. It's your time and you have to decide how to use it.

        I always figure that if a place is crowded, it's because it's worth it in some way -- great food, lots of food, good value, etc. And conversely, if it's empty, it's because it doesn't have any of those.

        M. Henry is excellent, but only you can decide if you want to spend your time waiting. As someone else mentioned, no wait most weekdays. Or bring the Sunday paper. And of course minimal wait at home when you make your own brunch.

        2 Replies
        1. re: chicgail

          With M. Henry I have found that the more crowded it is, the less pleasant the experience becomes. In my case, it's primarily been a service issue, long waits to place orders and, more long waits to get food, even after a dish, apparently, has been made. Hanging around waiting to be delivered is not the best treatment for an omelette. If you're making a special trip, I'd take the advice of the above and go on a weekday or an off-hour.

          1. re: jbw

            The waits are pretty long on relatively quiet weekdays as well. I don't remember them being that much longer on weekends. I tend to write it off to that everything is fixed to order, but maybe it's that the waitstaff is too small (not that they are little-bitty waiters, but that there are too few of them).

        2. I live near M. Henry and it used to be a regular stop for us (me, my husband and various friendly neighbors). To be honest, we don't go there anymore. If the food lived up to the wait, I would wait, but the food hasn't been that good.

          I mentioned this previously, so sorry for repeating myself, but I have a problem with a place that specializes in breakfast, but can't cook eggs properly. It's really troublesome. I've even been specific in my request. I like my eggs cooked over-medium, which to me (and most everyone), runny yolk, but fully cooked white. Well, M. Henry doesn't cook them that way...and they are predominately undercooked when I've ordered it that way. So, I've adapted. I've requested a runny yolk, with a firm white. And still, I get gelatinous, under-cooked white. That's just not right to me. They really need to improve their egg cookery.

          Also, the service has gone down hill. There are one or two servers who come to mind that are attentive, but there are quite a few more that perform consistently less than average.

          It's too bad. I would otherwise enjoy the breakfast sandwich (fried egg (supposedly cooked over-medium), gorgonzola cheese, sliced tomato, crisp bacon on toasted sourdough).

          We now drive down to Nookie's Tree for breakfast. I know it's a totally different neighborhood, but they DO know how to cook eggs properly. (Can't wait until they open the new location on Bryn Mawr!) Also, I think their coffee, hashbrowns and service are better. Maybe not as adventurous of a menu. TBT, I would rather walk to breakfast than drive, but I prefer properly cooked eggs I guess!

          2 Replies
          1. re: iphonechica

            Thanks for your detailed post. Has it made a difference if you go/went on weekends or weekdays?

            1. re: schaf1

              In my experience, no difference.

              I will say this, the patio is a really lovely spot. Too bad the food is spotty.

          2. Go to M. Henry, and if the wait is long, try Uncommon Ground on Devon . . . very close to M. Henry. Personally, I prefer Uncommon Ground for brunch when it comes to savory items. However, if you prefer sweets for breakfast, I believe M. Henry offers better options. Here's a link to Uncommon Ground's website: http://www.uncommonground.com/