Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Docker’s Diner sits right at the Northern most tip of Victoria Drive on Powell Street. As the name suggests, they cater to the dock workers that staff the area. But as the neighbourhood expands, so do the clientele — including young families, hipsters and broke artist types.

(Above: Classic diner breakfast: eggs over easy, hash browns and sausage.)

Inside is an aging, but still well maintained dining room that looks like a fishing gear yard sale explosion had occurred. Some really neat, historical photos of the docks hang lovingly on the walls providing diners a glimpse back in time when there were 90% fewer buildings around.

The single sheet, two sided menu is supplemented by the daily specials scrawled on the chalkboard to one side of the room. Docker’s serves up standard greasy spoon fare: soup of the days, burgers and egg breakfasts.

I ordered eggs, nicely done over easy with sausage. The hash browns were crispy at places, but undercooked in the larger chunks, accompanied by a throwaway, crumbly brown toast.

Case’s hotcakes were nice and fluffy, but thicker than usual, and the ham steak had a nice caramelized char from the grilling.

(Above: Three hotcakes and a grilled ham.)

Our meal including taxes and tips and two cups of coffee came to just under $21. The service and meal were decent — friendlier demeanour appears to be reserved for the regulars. However, Docker’s is a decent spot for an nice, hot breakfast if you happen to be stranded by the docks one day.

Perfect for: Good, hot, breakfast for people who wear rubber boots to the office.

The Details

1869 Powell Street, Vancouver
604.254.3732

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Amelia Cafe on 6th street in New Westminster is a casual diner with affordable prices, friendly service and a clean atmosphere.

(Above: Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and rye Toast. Greasy spoon breakfast at its finest.)

Like so many Lower Mainland greasy spoons, Amelia’s Cafe serves a standard mixed fare of Western classics and Chinese food. The dining room is small and decorated with an interesting mix of retro and stuff you might find from an Asian family’s home.

(Above: Amelia Cafe looks like someone’s living room.)

We ordered two breakfast specials. For Tre, two eggs over easy with two sausage links and French toast. The eggs were cooked to order and the sausages were surprisingly good — not pan fried to death. The French toast was nothing special, but still nice and fluffy.

For myself, scrambled eggs with hash browns and rye toast. The hash browns were the standouts in this dish with real chunks of potatoes pan fried making certain bits super crispy.

(Above:  French toast, sausage and eggs over easy.)

Our bill including taxes, tips and two coffees came to just under $19. The price is right, the service friendly, and the food decent overall. Amelia’s is a greasy spoon that’s just a notch up from a hole in a wall. But if you’re looking for a simple breakfast with no frills and easy on the coin, then you’ve come to the right place. Remember to pay a visit to the bank machine, though, Amelia’s is cash only.

Perfect for: A simple breakfast for a simple price.

The Details:

538 6th Street, New Westminster
604.520.3836

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

Many Vancouverites mourned the loss of Save on Meats, a Vancouver landmark that closed its doors after over half a century of service — the famous neon flying pig finally dimming its lights in 2009. Not one to miss a step (or opportunity), serial entrepreneur Mark Brand took over the space with a vision of resurrecting the butchery and giving the famed back of the room cafe a proper home.

Save on Meats is the stuff of urban legends. It’s older than dirt. The last years of its life was spent in the heart of the rapidly deteriorating downtown eastside and thus it spouted a reputation when brave souls ventured in to discover decent, large portioned, food was being served in a makeshift cafe in the back of this butchery.

(Above: Save on Meats’ famous burger, fries and topped with a pickle. It doesn’t get much more old school than this.)

The new space is beautifully understated. An open hall with a long bar running along one side while no more than a dozen booths line an exposed brick wall on the other. Nice modern touches are welcomed (i.e. credit card machine, clean washrooms), but Brand was smart to not over-hipsterize (is that even a word?) the decor.

(Above: Save on Meats and its customers are in it for the long hall.)

After a brief wait, Case and I found a seat at the bar among other eager diners. The menu reads like the gospel of greasy spoon: roast chicken sandwiches, tuna melts and meat loafs. Bangers and mash and fried chicken is about as exotic as it gets.

Case and I were content to order The Burger: a homemade patty slathered in sauce, topped with bacon and cheese between two uniquely sweet buns. It didn’t disappoint. It’s no gourmet burger by any stretch, but classic greasy spoon at its finest. The buns are dense enough to hold the sauce without crumbling, but had the texture and taste of a rugged Chinese baked bun. The accompanying fries were crispy and well seasoned, and we enjoyed dunking them in the added side of gravy.

(Above: Made from scratch black forest cake. This one founds its way home with us.)

We didn’t have room for dessert, and so took a slice of black forest cake for the road. It was equally enjoyable: old school recipe, beautiful spongey layers of chocolate, cream and hidden cherries. Our meal including taxes and tips came to just under $25, a friendly price indeed. It’s still too early to see if this incarnation of Save on Meats will last another half century, but judging by its early performance, the resurrected Save on Meats is certainly starting off on  the right foot.

Perfect for: reliving a new nostalgia. Oh, and a really good, cheap burger.

The Details:

43 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
604.683.7761
saveonmeats.ca

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Reno’s Restaurant, housed in the Lee building on East Broadway, is an old school greasy spoon. It’s one of those restaurants that many are aware exists, but have never set foot inside. From the outside, it looks deceptively cold and institutional, brightened by a few splashes of neon lights. The only signs of life behind the big reflective picture windows are somewhat visible diners that appear to be in their own world on the other side of the glass.

(Top to bottom: 1. Stepping inside Reno’s is like stepping back into time. 2. Greasy spoon coffee.)

Inside is a remarkably warm dining room: high ceilings, brick walls and glowing lights. A lonely glass refrigerator at the front entrance displays saran wrapped slices of pies and dessert next to a suspicious looking ATM machine.

Before seating yourself, make your way up front to place your orders, which you can read off the handwritten chalkboard hanging overhead behind the large cafeteria-like counter. You’ll be handed a number to identify your order when they bring it around.

(Above: A classic greasy spoon meal — steak and eggs.)

A classic greasy spoon venue warrants a classic greasy spoon dish. For myself, steak and eggs. The 5 ounces of oddly shaped steak was nicely grilled (more medium than medium rare). The flavour was good, but drier than I would have preferred. The eggs were competently done: over easy and served with a side of so-so potatoes and slices of generic off-the-shelf toast.

(Above: 1. Pancake breakfast with sausage bacon and eggs. Beats any international house of whatever.)

Case had the pancake breakfast: two rashers of dry bacon, two sausages and eggs. Nothing spectacular. The pancakes, however, were noticeably good — fluffy, nice texture and just plain delicious.

Our meal came to $23 including taxes and tip, a coffee and bottle of orange juice. Not too shabby. The atmosphere at Reno’s is pretty warm and friendly, if you don’t mind the eccentric characters that patronize the joint. The food isn’t anything remarkable (besides the pancakes), but it’ll certainly  do nicely for a leisurely weekend breakfast if you happen to find yourself on East Broadway. Just make sure you bring cash unless you want to pay a visit to that suspicious looking ATM up front.

Perfect for: blending into the fabric of the neighborhood.

The Details

151 East Broadway, Vancouver
604.876.1119

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Portland’s Pig-n-Pancake is a rare blend of family-owned and run business and entrepreneurial ingenuity. It’s doubtful this tiny chain of breakfast restaurants with a smiling pig as a mascot will give an empire like Denny’s a run for their money, but they appear to have the West coast of Oregon on lock.

(Top to bottom: 1. A.1. for the folks down south. 2. The classic pig-n-pancake combo.)

It’s like walking into giant, family dining area. Up front, we were greeted by a friendly, older lady who seated us at one of the booths. The menu is large-ish — two thirds of it dedicated to breakfast: pancakes, crepes, eggs, etcs.

Case ordered sausages and eggs with pancakes, of course: eggs were nicely over easy, sausages nicely grilled and pancakes fluffy. Classic greasy spoon meal, with a homestyle touch.

(Above: 1. Steak and eggs. 2. Fluffy pancakes, minus the pig.)

I had steak and eggs, a stocky piece of ribeye grilled a little more well done that I would have preferred — but the flavour was nice, and it helped sop up all that eggy goodness.

Our meal came to just under $30 with two cups of coffee, putting it on par with the likes of most major breakfast chains. The food at Pig-n-pancake, however, is definitely a notch above — simply executed, but with that extra bit of heart.

Perfect for: small, local chain breakfast alternative to big breakfast chain.

The Details

12110 North East Glisan Street, Portland
503.252.3457
pignpancake.com

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