Melriches Coffee House

My partner: “I’d like to have an Italian for breakfast.”
The server: ”Who wouldn’t, honey?!”
My partner: “Oh, I mean I’d like to have the Italian Breakfast.”

We did have the Italian for breakfast, the Italian sausage, that is. Spicy! The breakfast comes with multigrain toast, scrambled eggs, home fries and sides of PB & J. Their small, but all-day breakfast menu carries a few signature items – the breakfast sandwich, the breakfast croissant and the breakfast quesadilla. Also available are homemade-looking muffins, cinnamon buns and paninis.

This coffee house (serving Bean Around the World coffee) is full of local flavour. It’s busy, the music is loud, the staff are run off their feet – and yet, it’s relaxing. As we sat waiting for our food, we marvelled at the mysteries of the Universe. Have you ever noticed how when people show up somewhere, it just flows? In the hour we sat there, it felt like at least a hundred people must have come in and out, but could you imagine if all 100 people decided to show up at the exact same time? Wouldn’t that be funny? Well, if you were wanting your morning coffee, maybe not so funny.

1244 Davie Street
Breakfast hours: All day, every day
Photos

Café Luxy

We got the message today – summer is over. The rain is back. I think I have long-term memory loss. It seems whenever we enjoy long stretches of sunny weather, I forget that Vancouver is rainy and grey for most of the year. Memory loss even to the point where I had to think hard to remember if I had a coat suitable for the rain. I mean, come on, can you imagine forgetting what your rain coat looks like when you live in Vancouver? Anyway, I found mine today.

Perhaps the return of the rain scared away early morning breakfasters, Café Luxy was quiet. I've heard this place is a locals hangout and that the pasta dinners are very well received. It has a relaxed, Mediterranean vibe and the service was friendly. The food is generously portioned, options focus on eggs – scrambles, omelettes and bennys.

1235 Davie Street
Breakfast hours: Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
www.cafeluxy.com
Photos

Sophie’s Cosmic Café

Today I had breakfast with a friend I hadn’t seen in years. Curiously, this is a trend of late. She had suggested Viva, which I also love, but in honour of new breakfast adventures I suggested Sophie’s as I hadn’t been there yet and it’s in her neighbourhood.

Sophie’s is well known for their big portions and big lineups. And today they didn’t disappoint. Although, I suggested we arrive at 9:45 to beat the rush, and we did. The menu offers a wide variety for breakfast, enough to cajole everyone I would think. My Eggs Mexicana was huge. And my friend, wise to the ways of Sophie, concocted her own reasonably-portioned breakfast plate – one pancake, one egg and sides of bacon and blueberries. Smart.

2095 West 4th Avenue
Breakfast hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to
Photos