Breakfast Club

With Mother's Day coming up and signs of summer on the rise I thought I'd post about my favorite breakfast places in St. John's.

Breakfast foods in St. John’s can be divided into three categories: 1) quick, fast food, 2) sit down, quality fare, 3) traditional food for us all and a must for a visitor.

In the fast food category:
My favourite fast food breakie has to be A&W. It’s not too expensive and you get a decent coffee with your meal. They have traditional eggs, meat, toast meals and also sandwich combos. Not the healthiest stuff but great for a greasy fast food fix. Four locations: Avalon Mall, Torbay Rd., the Village Mall and Mount Pearl. Of course, in this category there’s also Timmies, Micky D’s, Subway, and Burger King. Another option that’s not often thought of is Irving stores. Don’t laugh too hard...the gas station come general store has a few locations in the city that serve pretty decent coffee, several breakfast sandwiches, muffins, and the best banana bread.

In the sit-down breakfast category:
I was always a big fan of Bagel Cafe (Duckworth St.) and find their menu diverse (everything from bagel sandwiches, to samosas, to smoked salmon) and not badly priced. Their restaurant is usually packed on weekend mornings, though, and it’s not uncommon to wait in a line up that stretches out the door until a table frees up. There’s Smitty’s (Duckworth St. and in Mount Pearl) which always offers satisfying pancakes for cheap. Cora’s is a national franchise which is relatively new to the city and has two locations: Atlantic Place downtown and Kenmount Rd. Both offer large meals with fresh fruit and a colourful atmosphere. Cora’s was voted best breakfast 2008 by Scope fans. Perhaps my favourite sit-down breakfast meal, though, is at Zachary’s (Duckworth St.) where you can get the traditional breakfast (with beans!) & unlimited coffee for under $8. And it has all day breakfast so you can order anytime you feel a hankering.

Finally, in the traditional category:
I had a hard time distinguishing some of my favourite breakfast spots from the “traditional” spots, but I just think these are the ones you’d bring a friend from out of town or a homesick relative who is home for a visit. First up there’s the undeniable Velma’s on Water St. They have cheap eats, no frills atmosphere, you can get fried baloney (if you’re into that kind of thing), and the wait staff will probably call you “honey” or "lover.” If you want a more frilled location (or want breakfast at 2am) try the 24-hr Celtic Hearth on Water St. It’s a bit more expensive but they have black and white pudding (again, if you’re into that), and the best potato pancakes ever. For your basic toast, eggs, meat, coffee try the Big R (Harvey Rd. and Blackmarsh Rd.) where you can get a plate of food for about $6.50. Finally, if you want a nice brunch and don't mind paying a little extra for good quality food, try Bacalo which boasts "Nouvelle Newfoundland cuisine" and delivers with everything from fish and brewis to a dish called green eggs and lamb.

It's the most important meal of the day and well worth a trip out to visit a new place or your tried and true spot.