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Who Makes the Main Line's Best Breakfast?

Local concierge Ken Alan gives us nine places to consider. Did your favorite spot make the list?

Ardmore Station Café’s French toast, three-egg omelet with café breakfast potatoes, and fresh fruit cup. (Photo by Steve Legato)Joan Hindin commented on MLT’s Facebook page: Where are the good places for breakfast? I know that Du Jour in Haverford is one. Are there others?

Thanks for the question, Joan.

I wholeheartedly agree about Du Jour. Nearby, I like the Ardmore Station Café, a fine place for train spotting while enjoying hearty, simple breakfasts in a laid-back neighborhood eatery, which is a casual counterpoint to Du Jour’s gourmet sensibilities and modernistic aesthetics.

The Radnor Hotel’s Terrace Room provides shear suburban splendor with its award-winning garden views, an à la carte breakfast served Monday-Friday, and an extra side of hospitality.

Right on City Avenue in the handsome Hilton, Delmonico’s Steakhouse offers a decidedly buttoned-up breakfast, the best early-morning dining you’ll find this side of the big city. 4200 City Ave., Philadelphia; (215) 879-4000, hilton.com.

I also give props to Minella’s Diner in Wayne. It’s all about flavor, portion size, friendliness and lots of shimmery mirrors along its walls. From an operational standpoint, I’ve been very impressed with the kitchen and front staffs, too.
 

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Then there’s … “Nudy’s!” That’s my kids yelling in unison when we discuss weekend breakfast options. Owner Ray Nudy provides quality and consistency at all seven of his fast and friendly shops, serving yummy farm-fresh breakfasts and tasty lunches (not dinners, though). I’m not sure what my son and daughter enjoy more: Nudy’s breakfast classics (chocolate-chip-pecan pancakes) or yelling the café’s name. Various locations, nudyscafes.com.

Of course, when I think about classic breakfasts, the Classic Diner comes to mind. This is breakfast as it should be: “diner fare” that far transcends the phrase. In fact, at Malvern’s Classic Diner, they’ve pretty much mastered the meal. The menu consists of morning classics like omelets and waffles, baked goods, and more. Ask “What do you recommend?” and they’ll first suggest the lump-crab eggs Benedict. The sticky buns are always yummy (and habit forming). You’re not the only one who wants them, though. This diner is a popular place—and its parking lot isn’t that big—so go early.

For the western suburbanites, I occasionally rub elbows and steal sports-section glances from my counter mates’ newspapers at the Market Street Grill, located in the physical center of West Chester. Some breakfast places are diners, while others are family restaurants. This one’s a grill through and through—countless eggs and slices of bacon have graced the slick cooking surface in Market Street’s small, open kitchen. Nothing fancy. Always well done.

Finally, O’Grady’s Family Restaurant on Route 23 is a veritable breakfast trough for Phoenixvilleans. Enjoy hot, stacked, three-egged and bacon-slabbed morning meals, which are all high quality and ever-copious—an egg-cracking, eye-opening local experience. 273 Schuylkill Road, Phoenixville, (610) 933-9335.

Tell me your favorite breakfast spot(s) by leaving a comment below.

Hospitably Yours,
Ken

» More Breakfast Spots on the Main Line

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