Always ‘comfort food’
By Jim Walker
When you think of going out for breakfast, what do you imagine? Is it fresh fruit and avocado slices? Maybe. Or maybe you picture bacon, sausage and ham flanking a stack of blueberry pancakes, dripping in syrup – and, on a separate plate, a Denver omelet with extra cheese. Hardening arteries aside, your favorite breakfast is a very personal thing, and so is the restaurant where you get it. You might always order the same thing, or you might like to bounce around a varied menu. But, for sure, you want good cooking and friendly service. Here, with a leaning toward more “traditional” breakfasts, are a few of the best breakfast establishments in the SCV.
Egg Plantation
With an extensive menu, including a multitude of omelets, and a locked-in reputation for great food and friendly atmosphere, the Egg Plantation will be high on anyone’s breakfast list.
Owner Shannon Mee said, “Egg Plantation is like walking into grandma’s house. I have always thought of the staff and guests as family. We pride ourselves on making the food from scratch with the freshest ingredients. Every egg is cracked by hand and all the soups and sauces are made in house. I believe the care and love put into the food comes through and the community can taste the difference. The love for our community can be seen by the effort we put into nourishing their bodies with whole foods, and by our community donations. Each year we spend upwards of $30,000 in supporting various schools and nonprofits.”
Egg Plantation is open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 24415 Walnut Street, Newhall, CA 91321; (661) 255-8222, www.eggplantation.com/.
Eggs ‘n’ Things
Part of a small Southern California chain that wins more loyal fans daily, the Valencia Eggs ‘n’ Things offers your eggs any way you want them, accompanied by a wide selection of “Things” to go with, such as chicken fried steak, chorizo, diced ham, and multi-grain pancakes. With the purchase of a breakfast meal, you can even get free Swedish pancakes.
Eggs ‘n’ Things is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 27560 Newhall Ranch Road, Valencia, CA 91355; (661) 702-8664, www.eggsnthings.net/.
Saugus Café
(The Original) Saugus Café (and Lounge) not only offers delicious breakfasts (and lunch and dinner) and a classic “diner” atmosphere, that atmosphere has been honed for 137 years. The Saugus Café has been recognized as the oldest continuously-operating café in Los Angeles County. And, sure, go in for the history, but you’ll come back for the food.
Owner Alfredo Mercado said, “I have been cooking for over 30 years, and the best compliment is a returning customer. I love seeing new customers, that eventually become our regulars.”
The Saugus Café is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 25861 Railroad Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91350; (661) 259-7886.
Way Station Coffee Shop
Far more than a “coffee shop,” the Way Station is near the top of most longtime SCV residents’ breakfast-purveyor lists. Serving hearty classics and imaginative variations of them for decades, Way Station is the kind of place where you make friends and keep coming back.
Owner Eric Leeser said, “Since 1971, the Way Station has been that ‘little cowboy café’ on the corner of 9th and Main in Newhall that keeps on doing it the way generations of local folks have come to expect: big, country-style breakfast plates and lunch-counter favorites prepared by Victor Gonzalez and Avel Miranda – two of the finest and hardest-working short-order cooks to ever pick up a spatula – and served up to our loyal customers from sunrise to early afternoon by a quick-but-friendly staff of servers and support crew that have been here, on average, for decades.
“This consistency, and the fact that nearly everything here remains unchanged for over half a century, is what makes us both a regular destination for breakfast lovers and a nostalgic touchstone for former SCV citizens that make the Way Station their first stop when back in town and find everything ‘just the way it was.’ We’re incredibly proud to be now serving many of the great-grandchildren of our earliest customers!”
The Way Station Coffee Shop is closed on Tuesdays. Otherwise, hours are 6:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily. Located at 24377 Main Street, Newhall, CA 91321; (661) 255-0222.
