Rating / 2 out of 5 stars

Nice Cafe is a quaint neighborhood greasy spoon on East 8th Avenue just off Main Street. They have a reputation of being — well — nice. And we’re always looking for a nice breakfast spot. We’ve heard about the line ups and small space, so prepared ourselves by heading out early to beat the rush.

(Top to bottom: 1. Standard issue greasy spoon breakfast condiments. 2. Steak & Eggs — the breakfast of champions.)

Nice Cafe is indeed nice — the atmosphere warm, the dining room very much like walking into your aunt’s kitchen. The servers are a bit sluggish, but friendly nonetheless. We luckily got the last booth before the wave of customers began to pour in. Obviously, Nice Cafe is a local favourite — and looking at the menu prices, we could see why.

Steak and Eggs for $6.85? That’s what I’m having. Case originally wanted pancakes, but was disappointed to learn they don’t serve them on weekends. So, Belgium Waffle with Strawberry Syrup it was — and two coffees to wake us up.

(Top to bottom: 1. Belgium Waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberry syrup on the side. 2. Nice Cafe displays artwork from local artists.)

Our meal arrived nicely presented. My steak, ordered medium-rare was topped with fried onions with eggs over easy, sour dough toast and hashbrowns. Unfortunately, the steak was overcooked and the meat was simply the most difficult thing I’ve ever chewed in my life. Shoe leather. The hashbrowns were the surprise hit — extremely crispy on top, and mashed potato soft underneath.

Case’s Belgium Waffle didn’t fare too well: a single, sad hockey puck split in two with a side of defrosted frozen strawberries on the side. The waffle was dense, not the least bit light or fluffy, and really chewy (once again, shoe leather?).

Our meal came to just under $20 including two coffees. Although the atmosphere and staff are friendly, and the dining room was buzzing with energy, we were disappointed with the food. There were small glimmers of hope, but ultimately it fell flat.

Perfect for: making Denny’s chefs feel good about themselves.

The Details

154 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver
604.874.4024

Rating / 2 out of 5 stars

King’s Cafe on East Hastings is part of a dying breed of mom & pop diners — restaurants that almost always have a characteristic charm that makes them special. Whether it’s the home cooked food, the people, the atmosphere or service. Sometimes the food isn’t all that good, but there always appears to me something unique about these places.

I talked Tre into King’s Cafe ever since I saw a piece of paper taped to the window advertising $2.50 breakfasts specials. The windows are always fogged up, which is probably not a good sign. But because we can’t see in, it piques my curiosity more.

(Top to bottom: 1. The breakfast special: eggs, sausage, hashbrowns and toast. 2. diner coffee.)

As we step in, a cute little old lady tells us to sit where ever. We chose a seat near the window. The place is a dive and is saturated with the scent of fried oil from the kitchen in the back. I don’t particularly like walking out a restaurant smelling like I’ve been dipped and deep fried. There were some obvious ventilation issues. Pinkish salmon colored laminate tables are scattered throughout a dining room that seemed larger than it appeared from the outside.

I ordered two hot cakes and ham. Tre orders scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast, plus two cups of coffee. It took awhile for our meals to arrive, but my hot cakes were surprisingly… not bad. The ham, on the other hand, was thin and dried out. Tre did not like his meal.We’ll leave it at that. The coffee was nothing special.

(Top to bottom: 1. Hot cakes with a side of ham. 2. Syrup.)

Our bill including taxes and tip came to just under $13. The food at King’s Cafe may have been sub par, but the service was decent. The little old lady came to check up on us and made sure our coffee were always full. We thought it was cool to see a family working together to offer meals at cheap prices. It’s not worth a return visit, but was nevertheless an interesting experience.

Perfect for: If you’re hungry and found some extra change in your sofa.

The Details

2296 East Hastings, Vancouver
604.253.6168

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

The Original Hotcake and Steakhouse, located on Southeast Powell Boulevard in Portland is a landmark greasy spoon that has been around for decades. They’ve been serving patrons carbolicious dishes 24-7 for some 50 odd years. It’s cool to see these guys are still dishing it out after all this time.

(Clockwise: 1. What’s a greasy spoon without a board with handwritten Specials? 2. Jam on it. 3. Hotcakes drenched in straweberry sauce.)

The decor certainly looks like it’s been around since the 50′s, but it appears to be well taken care of. A juke box is stationed in the corner near the front entrance and is playing hard rock. A little Metallica before breakfast? The place was buzzing.

Before you order, though, there are rules. You order first, pay, then sit (no saving seats before ordering). Lineup starts at the left. The atmosphere is similar to Bon’s off  Broadway. It’s not a place to f*ck around, but still has a family type vibe. We quickly put in our orders and grabbed our seats.

(Clockwise. 1. Hotcakes, dripping with pats of butter. 2. Even the Hotcake has has a Facebook fan page. 3. Chorizo scramble.)

I was here for the original, so ordered two hotcakes. Tre opted for eggs over easy with sausage, hash browns and toast. Our partners in crime ordered a chorizo scramble, two hotcakes drenched in strawberry puree, and two eggs and hotcakes.

The hotcakes were huge and were light and fluffy. Tre’s eggs were decent, and the hash browns were shaved into long, thin strips like Fettuccini — crispy and flavorful. These guys at Hotcake house don’t skimp on the portions.

Not satisfied with the atmosphere, our friend Steve decided to be funny and play DJ with the jukebox to entertain us. His set started of with the always popular La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin. This was by no means a Ricky Martin crowd — and neither were we. It was a good thing we were seated near the entrance in case we needed to make a quick getaway. For some reason, Steve’s other pick, Everybody Dance Now by C+C Music Factory, mysteriously didn’t play.

Our meals were hearty and satisfying. Including tip (no tax), plus two cups of Joe came to $15, a great deal in Portland. The entertainment provided by Steve made our experience all the more memorable. Places like Hotcake House add substance and charm to any city.

Perfect for: Loaded Carbolicious meals 24 hours a day, with do-it-yourself music entertainment.

The Details

1002 Southeast Powell Boulevard, Portland
503.236.7402

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Sunny Spot Cafe on Main is a cute little cafe that serves breakfasts in a friendly atmosphere. The cafe is just exactly how the name sounds — straight up friendly service in a bright cheery cafe. Tre and I have walked by Sunny Spot Cafe a number of times and their $3.95 breakfasts piqued our curiosity. Only a handful of restaurants still offer breakfast at these prices, so we just had to try it out.

Tre and I walked in and seated ourselves. It was really early in the morning and the chef/owner greeted us with a smile and handed us our menus. He poured us some coffee and went on about his way. The cafe is bright and happy. Mismatched decorations gave the room personality. The tables were covered with plastic, green and white checkered covers and potted plants hung freely above. We sat in front of the open window and watched a buff, older guy being annoyed by a bee while trying to eat his breakfast. An elderly couple watches us curiously as we take pictures of old school packets of jam.

(Clockwise: 1. Breakfast special with two eggs, two slices of bacon, hash browns and toast. 2. Even the sun is happy at the Sunny Spot. 3. Wow, they even have their own jam.)

Sunny Spot Cafe has some intriguing items on its menu. For example, the smoked sockeye salmon benedict topped with caviar. Yes… caviar. All for just $8.95. I wanted to try it, but Tre was suspicious of the caviar. So I chose French Toast with hash browns instead, and Tre ordered the breakfast special: two eggs, two slices of bacon, hash browns and toast.

My french toast is surprisingly, not bad. Fresh slices of baguette (not sliced bread) dipped in egg and fried. The hash browns were only ok: fresh, hand cut yellow potatoes were lightly fried, but lacked flavor. Tre’s breakfast was decent. The eggs were cooked well (Asians know how to whip up some good eggs) as was the bacon. The hash browns were like mine — it needed some flavor and to be a bit more crispier.

Our bill came to $15 including taxes and tip which is cheap but not as cheap as Bon’s off Broadway, and certainly not as interesting. We wouldn’t go out of our way to get to Sunny Spot Cafe. But if you don’t have the time to whip up your own breakfast, are near the area, and want a simple breakfast with friendly service, Sunny Spot Cafe is the place to be.

Perfect for: Quick simple, no frills breakfasts.

The Details

2543 Main Street, Vancouver
604.872.1816

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Helen’s Grill Restaurant on Main street is an old fashioned mom and pop diner that serves breakfasts all day. Old school juke boxes are situated beside each table with burgundy booths and black and white checkered floors. Helen’s is like a time warp.

It’s been while since Tre and I have dined here, but we were craving for some greasy spoon dishes and didn’t feel like hitting our usual spots. So we thought it would be nice to check out Helen’s Grill & Restaurant again. Like other old school diners, Helen’s menu is basically diner food plus some other ethnic cuisine — usually those originating from the owners’ homeland. So in addition to sandwiches and burgers, Helen’s also offers Gyros and other Greek dishes like Souvlaki.

(Top to bottom: 1. The standard greasy spoon condiments. 2. Mmm… eggs and sausage.)

Tre orders the all day breakfast special. For $6.95, the breakfast comes with: two eggs, pancakes, and sausage. I order two eggs which comes with hash browns and toast, also for $6.95. The food is so so. The eggs were cooked nicely and the pancakes were light and fluffy. But the hash browns needed some more love. They were tasteless, bland and mushy.

(Clockwise: 1. An old school jukebox sits next to each table. 2. Atmosphere. 3. Toast and jam.)

The prices are a bit high compared to other mom and pop diners. And the food didn’t really satisfy our greasy spoon cravings. For $23 including coffees, taxes and tips, we could have ate at another greasy spoon and had money left over. Helen’s Grill and Restaurant does have a unique atmosphere, which some greasy spoons lack. But even though the atmosphere was cool, the food was lukewarm.

Perfect for:

Reminiscing.

The Details

4102 Main St, Vancouver
604.874.4413