Stars: 4.8 out of 5.0
Pros: Ample Seating, Friendly Staff, Beer, Quality Food
Cons:
I hate working night shift. I have done it for quite awhile now and it's beginning to wear me out. Working night shift at my job generally means I work weekends and never get to see my friends or indulge in breakfast without great effort. But, with a day or so heads up I'm willing to forgo sleep in favor of breakfast with friends. And MC is one of those people that loves a fine Sunday breakfast meet-up. So, when she invited me to join her and a few others at 821 Cafe (821 Cafe) I packed up from work, blew my date with my pillow off and met them.
I had driven by 821 Cafe dozens of times but had never really thought to stop there. It's a wonderful brick building with ample front windows that give you a sweeping view of the inside seating area. When I arrived there was a plethora of bikes out front which indicated to me that this was a place favored by the locals. I'm always a fan of that. There was no wait when I got there and MC & company already had a table. But when we left there was a small congregation of folks outside waiting for a table. Another good sign.
What really surprised me when I walked into 821 Cafe was the seating. There are a lot of tables (for a building that size) in their dining room not to mention the bar seating. You have plenty of choices between booths, tables or bar. Near the big front windows or back along the wall. Table for 2 or table for 10. It's all available there. And most of the seats were taken when I arrived. I figured that would make conversation difficult, but it was merely a dull buzz. It was very nice.
MC & group had waited for me to order (very kind of them). I quickly browsed the menu so as not to keep the group waiting. The waitress was very patient and very friendly. She fully supported me getting a beer as I had worked all night so this was my dinner... technically, I guess. I settled on an omelet, english muffin, glass of milk and a beer. 821 Cafe has a very nice beer selection. I went with an Oktoberfest as I am trying to get into the season. There were plenty of other choices too. There were easily 10 different varieties, styles and brands listed on their board. I may have to get in on their happy hour one of these days.
The waitress brought me my beer and my milk while we chatted. I know that may gross people out, but my stomach handles it just fine. We chatted and joked while we waited for our food. For the amount of people there, the kitchen worked pretty quickly. After I made everyone wait while I took pictures, we dug in. My food was excellent. I appreciated the side of fruit. It's one of those things I never really order on my own, but very much enjoy when I get it. Except grapes... foul little objects. The english muffin was nicely toasted. I know that's a weird thing to comment on, but think back to the last time you got one. Places tend to rush the toasting process. You tend to get an english muffin or hard roll with a toast so light that you can't even be sure it's there. Not at 821 Cafe. It was toasted and it was toasted right. The side of potatoes was pretty decent. I'm still slowly working my way to being a fan of potatoes, but these helped. They were crisp with a nice rosemary coating. My omelet was big and stuffed. It was filled with meat, cheese and veggies. I couldn't have asked for better. It was one of the better (and most filling) omelets I have had in awhile. I almost didn't finish.
Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food as we all scarfed it down during a lively debate about grits (not a fan. Unless we are talking about Girls Raised In The South... then I love grits). I blame my NY roots as we don't eat grits up there. Biscuits either (which was another discussion). We are a bagel people and we don't apologize for it. MC took part of her meal home for later, but the rest of us did some fine work cleaning plates.
821 Cafe is one of those places that I have overlooked for far far to long. They have an excellent breakfast served by a personable staff. They offer vegetarian and vegan dishes as well. They attract a diverse local crowd with their fresh-made offerings. So, stop driving by and stop in some morning for breakfast and a beer. You may end up making it a regular haunt.
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