Citizens of Chelsea – Restaurant Review

About a week ago, a friend and I had Sunday brunch at Citizens of Chelsea. We immediately noticed how popular it was as soon as we arrived since there was a line of people in the chilly 40-degree weather patiently waiting for a seat. I thought this was a telltale sign of a dedicated customer base that’s willing to brave the cold, so it made me even more intrigued to try their food. Though we were behind at least three different parties when we arrived, we were still seated within ten minutes.

We sat at a table for two near a window and in front of a bright sign that reads ‘home for the holidays.’ Although it’s not the holiday season anymore, I personally loved this touch and thought it helped the restaurant feel very homey and cozy.

For cocktails, we ordered the Strawberry Lime Ricci and Aussie Spiked Tea. The Strawberry Lime Ricci is made with Klir vodka, muddled strawberry, triple sec, and lime juice. This tasted really refreshing, and I thought it was the perfect brunch drink.

My friend had the Aussie Spiked Tea with Klir vodka, triple sec, kiwi puree, lime juice, and black ice tea. It was her first time trying anything like this, and she loved how it tasted. She usually goes for an Arnold Palmer, but she said this spiked ice tea might actually be a new favorite of hers.

There was a bit of a wait for our food since it was quite busy on Sunday at 11:30am, but the servers were very nice about it and kept us updated on the status of our order. They kindly offered us pastries or drinks, and I ordered their Nutella Hot Chocolate. In hindsight, I’m not even mad about the wait because it gave me the opportunity to try this yummy hot chocolate, which was much appreciated on that brisk day! I also love how they did latte art since this isn’t something you usually see on hot chocolate.

The food arrived shortly thereafter, warm and ready to be eaten immediately. I ordered the Maple Banana Bread French Toast with caramelized banana mascarpone, miso butterscotch, and black sesame soy powder. This was absolutely delicious and hands-down my favorite part of the meal. I’d seen plenty of photos about this on social media and wanted to try it for myself, and I would say it definitely lives up to the hype. My friend typically isn’t a fan of banana or caramel, but even she thought this was really good!

She ordered the Fried Chicken Burger with Buttermilk fried chicken, yuzu aioli, romaine, and tomato, served on a seeded bun with chicken salted fries. She really liked the burger, but her favorite part of the dish was actually the fries! We ended up splitting these because once I had one, it was so hard to stop. I’ve truly never had fries that tasted this good before, so these are a must-try.

Overall, we really enjoyed our experience at Citizens of Chelsea, and I think you should definitely stop by for your next coffee or brunch! To avoid having to wait in line, I would suggest visiting during the week. My favorites from the menu are the Maple Banana Bread French Toast and Nutella Hot Chocolate. It doesn’t seem like you can currently order the chicken salted fries on the side, but it never hurts to ask. If they do offer these as a side dish in the future, I would 100% recommend ordering these! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

What to order from Citizens of Chelsea: Maple Banana Bread French Toast and Nutella Hot Chocolate.

You can view the rest of the Citizens menu here.