15 August 29 - september 4, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Most Important Meal 15 of the best break- fasts in Dallas. BY AAREN PRODY AND KRISTINA ROWE B runch may get a lot of attention in Dallas, but a solid, straight- forward breakfast is the work- horse of meals. Here are some of our longstanding favorites — places to get a simple (but amazing) stack of pancakes, eggs, bacon and perhaps a chicken-fried steak. AllGood Cafe 2934 Main St. (Deep Ellum) You can get AllGood’s celebrated chicken- fried steak on a breakfast plate with eggs and a side, but the all-day cafe also does a great job with Tex-Mex breakfasts like borracho biscuits and South Austin migas. Pancakes, omelets, egg sandwiches and breakfast tacos complete the breakfast menu. Comfort food first thing in the morning tastes even better in the familiar comfortable surroundings of this Deep Ellum favorite. Bread Winners Multiple locations Bread Winners has been a Dallas winner for three decades. The options and serving sizes are plentiful — from the French Ham Bene- dict to the Farmhouse Scramble. The best breakfasts here start with brunch tots or bakery treats like pigs in a blanket or home- made muffins for the table. Be sure to in- dulge in a cinnamon roll. Breakfast Bros. Arlington and Dallas locations Breakfast Bros. is loved for its well-seasoned Southern breakfast dishes and flare — like the catfish and grits dish with two tender strips of fish with a side of gravy, two eggs and Texas toast. The red velvet waffles are popu- lar, as are the pancakes, which have those del- icate crispy edges (more pancakes needs crispy edges). Be sure to use the “Join Wait- list” link on the website (for either location), as lines can get quite long on the weekends. Bubba’s Cooks Country 6617 Hillcrest Ave. (Park Cities) If your definition of breakfast includes bis- cuits, there’s no better place to rise and shine than Bubba’s Cooks Country. Add grits or hash browns to bacon and egg breakfasts, or just go for pancakes. People love the drive-thru, and we can’t blame them. Just take your coffee along, as the line can really stack up. Cindi’s New York Deli Multiple locations Cindi’s has been around for decades, and it’s no wonder. This old-school New York deli and diner serves breakfast all day. The pas- trami omelet is popular, as are the German pancakes (thin crepes topped with lemon butter and powdered sugar). Cheese blin- tzes and latkes are also fun international op- tions. Salmon is flown in weekly from Nova Scotia for the lox. There’s so much here that the hardest part is deciding what to get: so go with a group and order lots to share. Chubby’s 11331 E. Northwest Highway and 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Road Chubby’s has been known for its friendly service and gluttonous breakfast options since it opened in 1987. You definitely want to start with a stack of the Famous Banana Nut Pancakes served with warm maple syrup. Go ahead and follow that up with a massive steak-topped omelet. The reason- able prices won’t ruin your morning, but the serving sizes might. Crickles and Co. 4000 Cedar Springs Road (Oak Lawn) Crickles and Co.’s website says breakfast is their favorite meal of the day, so you can get it whenever the place is open. You’ll go there for pies, cakes and cookies, but don’t miss out on special breakfast dishes like the Very Berry Waffle, specialty omelets or egg tacos. A Texas Cackleberry Sandwich has dollops of house-made spicy pimento cheese on eggs and applewood bacon stacked on jala- peño toast. The Crickles Sandwich is made with cream cheese and a pork sausage patty on toasted raisin bread. Dream Cafe 2811 McKinney Ave. (Uptown) For more than 30 years, Dream Cafe has served some of the best breakfasts in Dallas. Healthy oatmeal and granola bowls lead off, and popovers, beignets and avocado toast take care of your deeper carb cravings. A vegan breakfast satisfies with scrambled tofu, salsa, corn tortilla strips, soy cheese, pico de gallo and guacamole served with wheat tortillas and black beans and brown rice on the side. Jonathon’s Diner 1619 N. Beckley Ave. (North Oak Cliff) and 5337 Forest Lane Jonathon’s Diner is a breakfast institution. Danger Dogs (pancake battered turkey sau- sage links) are a long-time favorite, and the fried chicken and waffles might be the best in town. Other choices range from a simple two-egg breakfast to the All in One Waffle with bacon baked inside and scrambled eggs, pork sausage, caramelized onions, green chiles and cheddar on top. Mama’s Daughters’ Diner Multiple locations Sometimes an old-fashioned breakfast hits the spot, and Mama’s Daughters’ Diner has been slinging made-from-scratch breakfast for more than 60 years. Both the vibe and the prices feel retro, with the Mama’s No. 3 priced at just $10.25 with sausage or bacon and $12.25 with ham. It’s a breakfast for the hungry with two eggs, a choice of grits or hash browns, plus homemade biscuits and gravy. French toast and pancake lovers can get their favorite morning starter with two eggs for $6.75 on the No. 2 Mama’s Daugh- ters’ Special. Maple Leaf Diner 12817 Preston Road We don’t know when Canada got their hands on American breakfast, but they proved our predispositions wrong at Ma- ple Leaf Diner. Their chicken bacon and waffles were featured in Paula Deen’s magazine, the steak waffle on Food Net- work’s Incredible Edible America and many other of their most popular menu items have a cameo somewhere on Food Network. They serve Canadian staples, American favorites (including diner food) and freshly baked pies. Sounds like next weekend’s plans, eh? Mercat Bistro 2501 N. Harwood St. While the ideal Euro breakfast is a cigarette and a croissant, that’s not all they offer at Harwood Hospitality’s Mercat Bistro. The menu is heavy on French influence, but there are some American-style favorites like avocado toast and breakfast tacos. You won’t want those after eyeing the jambon fromage beurre baguette made with Parisian ham, Gruyère, cultured butter and frites; or the quiche lorraine made with bacon lardons, Gruyère, caramelized onion and frites. Oddfellows 316 W. Seventh St. (Bishop Arts) What do a brisket hash, duck bacon sand- wich and prosciutto bagel have in common? They’re all heavy hitters on Oddfellow’s daytime menu. It has the perfect mix of breakfast and lunch, including freshly squeezed juice and homemade lemonade. Picky? Don’t worry. The a la carte classics, two- for-$9 pancakes and OG eggs have you covered. They have deviled eggs, too. Original Market Diner 4434 Harry Hines Blvd. We love the old diner vibes and hospitality at Original Market Diner, built in 1954 as a classic drive-in. We also don’t mind the Express For Less Menu on Mondays through Fridays with big plates of comfort food at very friendly pric- ing (between $8 and $11). The place closes at 3 p.m. daily but opens at 6 a.m., when real people eat breakfast. Fun fact: they serve wine and beer and have homemade desserts. Be sure to check out the daily specials. Snooze, an A.M. Eatery Multiple Locations Snooze, an A.M. Eatery makes eating break- fast cool with unique twists on traditional breakfast served up in a mid-century mod- ern time warp. Vegetable lovers can load up the Spuds Deluxe (hash browns covered with eggs, melted cheeses and scallions) with meats, faux meats, seafood or more veggies. The Snooze Breakfast Burrito is the have-it-your-way of breakfasts: a flour torti- lla filled with cage-free scrambled eggs, hash browns, house black beans, cheddar and Jack cheeses and topped with pico de gallo and your choice of green chile or ran- chero salsa. Enhancements you can add in- clude barbacoa or chorizo, avocado or mushrooms, tofu or Soyrizo and more. ▼ EAT THIS TRUFFLES UNEARTHED EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LUXURY FUNGUS. BY CARLY MAY GRAVLEY A lot of what you hear about truffles, a strongly fragrant fungus that’s con- sidered a culinary delicacy, seems contradictory. On one hand, they are known to be exclusive and expensive. In 2014, a white truffle weighing four pounds made headlines worldwide when it sold for over $1 million. This fact alone makes the fungus seem un- attainable, yet we see products | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Taylor Adams Top left, clockwise: Chubby’s banana nut pancakes; ‘The Elvis’ loaded biscuit at Dream Cafe; Crickles and Co. breakfast sandwich, Jonathon’s Diner’s fried chicken and waffles. Taylor Adams Angie Quebedeaux Nick Reynolds >> p16
