Valois Restaurant

Valois Restaurant is a cafeteria at 1518 E. 53rd St. in Hyde Park, established in 1921 by French Canadian William Valois and one of the oldest cafeteria-style restaurants in the country. Customers move down a line with a tray and watch cooks plate eggs, pancakes, omelets, sandwiches and dinner plates such as baked ham, roast beef and macaroni and cheese, most of them priced between $6 and $13. The current family has owned the restaurant since 1971.

What to know

• The restaurant has occupied three successive locations under three owners.
• The breakfast special of two eggs, meat, hash browns and toast was $10.95 in September 2026.
• The restaurant also caters.
• The 53rd Street Metra Electric station is a block east, and the #6 Jackson Park Express bus runs to the Loop.
• Parking on 53rd is metered, and side streets north of 53rd are mostly permit zones.