Eat Local, Eat Cheap: Weekday Breakfast Specials
Just got off from your night shift? Don’t have class at Parnassus till 11 a.m.? Tired of the overpriced local/sustainable/organic breakfast fare that pervades The City? OK, I’m all for fresh and healthy ingredients, but sometimes it’s nice to have a greasy, satisfying breakfast once in awhile.
Here are two options in the Inner Sunset that are kind to your wallet, but maybe not so much to your arteries. My philosophy is “Everything in moderation.”
You may have spotted the black-and-white striped awning on Ninth Ave (no, not Ambiance) that sports the sign “Howard’s Café.” Inside the diner, there are plenty of sit-down booths and tables with pictures of past patrons adorning the walls. Homey.
I had the breakfast special: $4.95 for bacon or sausage, two eggs any style, home fried potatoes and toast. The bacon, eggs and toast were standard, and I thought the home fries were delicious because they were slightly flattened out and crispy. Great with ketchup and Tabasco, of course. This is only available till 11 a.m. on weekdays.
Another great choice for breakfast is Art’s Café. It’s easy to miss it on Irving — I passed right by it because it was so tiny. I also tried their breakfast special of two pancakes, two eggs and two slices of bacon or sausage for only $3.90. Fluffy pancakes, standard eggs and bacon and sausage. Art’s Café is famous for its hash brown sandwiches, which are basically rectangular pieces of hash brown folded over like a sleeping bag and stuffed with various fillings. Greasy and good.
Fillings include bacon, sausage and ham and onions. There is also beef or chicken teriyaki and onions. There’s even a hash brown melt, which is melted cheddar cheese on hash browns. It comes with two eggs and toast.
Also notable are their Korean items, such as the kimchi omelette and bibimbap (rice bowl with assorted vegetables and a fried egg). Nothing is priced over $7.30, the tab on the Korean bulgogi (beef) dish. Cons include small maximum occupancy (only 12 people fit at the counter) and having to wait outside.
So there you have it, two options for cheap eats in the Inner Sunset for a weekday breakfast. Enjoy a complete meal before you start your day of saving lives, one life at a time.
Art’s Café
747 Irving St. (between Eighth Avenue and Ninth Avenue)
(415) 665-7440
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 7 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Sat. 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Sun. 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cash only
Howard’s Café
1309 Ninth Ave (between Irving Street and Judah Street)
(415) 564-4723
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Fri. 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sat.-Sun. 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cash only
