Best Business: Mokena Nominates Eggcetera Cafe

MOKENA, IL — In November, Mokena Patch asked readers to nominate their favorite businesses in town, and Eggcetera Cafe garnered several nominations from area residents. Readers said the restaurant has "the best breakfast and lunch food around" as well as a "nice atmosphere" and "pleasant staff."

The Mokena restaurant actually has two locations, one on 191st Street and one on Mokena Street in downtown Mokena. Bastas said the first location on Mokena Street opened in 2003, while the second location on 191st Street opened in 2010.

"It hasn't been a fun year," owner Dino Bastas told Patch in December. "[We were] working our tail off the whole year to stay afloat."

The restaurants closed in March, and only did carry-out until early June, Bastas said. The business operated out of only one of its locations, and reopened both restaurants in July with outdoor seating.

"Things started to pick up in the summer time," Bastas told Patch, but added that the business is "nowhere near where we were the same time last year."

The restaurant offers breakfast and lunch items, including sandwiches, salads, skillets, waffles, wraps and crowd-favorite omelets.

"We're probably one of the more fortunate ones," Bastas said. The restaurant employs six to seven full-time employees and eight to 10 part-time employees.

The Mokena Street location is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, and the 191st Street location is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Both locations are open for carry-out and indoor dining. Bastas said health guidelines are being followed, and all servers wear masks.