I was introduced to Ann Sather Restaurant around the time that alderperson Tom Tunney bought it from the actual Ann Sather, which, according to the restaurant website, was in 1981. Tunney—who’s retiring from the City Council this year—wasn’t yet an alderperson then, and the restaurant was a few storefronts further west on Belmont, in what I was told was a former funeral home. It had a friendly counter with stools for folks eating solo (I’d sometimes bump into my editor there), cozy tables on two floors, and the same wholesome Swedish breakfast and lunch food that it has today.
In its current flagship home, where quaint Scandinavians cavort across a flower-bedecked mural and, especially on weekend mornings, a happy, caffeinated din fills two spacious dining rooms, you can enjoy delicate Swedish pancakes with lingonberries and Swedish meatballs, a wide choice of wraps and cereals, or—and this is my recommendation—any of the large variety of egg entrees that all come with two sides.
Why eggs? Because among the side options is the delicacy that has tethered me to Ann Sather all these decades: the world’s absolute, no-contest, best-ever cinnamon rolls. They arrive warm, soft, and fragrant from the oven, in pairs, topped with a generous polish of frosting. Force yourself to eat your protein first, then—and I’m only sharing this magic step with you—give your cinnamon roll a kiss of butter before taking a bite. You can thank me later.
Ann Sather Restaurant
Daily, 7 AM–3 PM, 909 W. Belmont, 773-348-2378
annsather.com
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