Eggstablished
It all begins with an idea.
This week we hit up Eggstablished in Westmont. This was a Bridget - who’s always a sucker for an egg pun - selection. Remember that each week, the person selecting the restaurant prepares a conversation-starter question. This week's question was about the most memorable holiday gift(s) we've received. Guitars, tech, and visions of sugarplums danced in our heads, while our hearts and the great company reminded us the best gift of all is each other. Hug time!!
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QUICK STATS
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ [3/5]
Price Range: $$
Best For: loyal customers who know their go-to items, and lovers of thin crispy bacon and bottomless coffee
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BEHIND OUR RATINGS
Food Quality: ⭐⭐⭐ [3/5]
Extremely hard to accurately rate, cause they have some home runs and some strikeouts. Home runs were the bacon, the coffee, and the breakfast sandwich. Strikeouts included overly cakey pancakes, paste-y oatmeal, a lackluster skillet, and an almost comical over-application of cinnamon on any dish it touched.
Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]
Our server was great! Friendly, attentive, and proactive with the coffee. She trended things up from what was an only OK start - greeting was a lukewarm “sit anywhere” and the person who brought our water seemed a bit standoffish.
Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]
Smaller place (cozy), well lit and energizing. The ladies restroom had one of those “feels dirty even if it’s clean” vibes which is unfortunate. Our booth was on a sliding angle which isn’t the end of the world but just subtle-ly makes you feel something is off.
Noise Level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]
Exceptionally quiet for a breakfast spot (and all but 2 tables were full). LOVE THIS! We had zero trouble really connecting with one another.
Value for Money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [4/5]
Prices are reasonable overall. Value for money is where the quality factor comes into play - but those homerun items are well worth it.
Wait Time: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]
No wait at all. We were instructed to sit anywhere which we almost never see at breakfast places.
Kid-Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [5/5]
Kids' menu? Check. Chicken fingers? Check. Server was very nice and engaging. All good.
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WHAT WE ORDERED
Court ordered the breakfast sandwich, which was a home-run item! Should have included hungover folks on the list of who this place is for cause this thing would hit the spot :)
Kay went with the oatmeal, which was unremarkable, paste-y, and significantly over-cinnamoned. It was served with a side of extra cinnamon.
Sunny got the cinnamon roll pancakes and bacon. The pancakes were on the drier, cake-y side and you could honestly take the cinnamon challenge with the approximately ⅛ to ⅙ inch cinnamon blanket atop them (hardly any frosting though). The crispy bacon was a thin, crispy, perfectly-cooked delight. He ordered seconds. That’s never happened in his lifetime.
I (Bridget) ordered the veggie skillet with eggs over-easy and a side of fruit. Skillet was uninspired - it came with hash browns that were a bit dry and lacking in flavor. I'd recommend they swap in seasoned cubed potatoes instead. The eggs were overcooked, which, if “egg" is in the title of your business, they simply have to be, well, eggceptional. Fruit was not the pancake-overflow chopped strawberries (a pet peeve of mine) but nor was it in very good shape. Lots of rinds included (cantaloupe and pineapple), and I had to spit out a particularly mushy grape.
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THE BOTTOM LINE
Our Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ [3/5]
What Made Us Smile:
The coffee! Excellent in quality and quantity.
What Could Be Better:
A focus on consistency across all menu items.
Will the SSBC Be Back?
We probably will not, though we wish them wonderful things and we're genuinely rooting for this place.
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Well, that's a wrap from your SSBC! Don't forget to follow our breakfast adventures on the socials. And get some SSBC merch (holidays are just around the corner ya know). If you'd like to recommend a place for us to visit, drop us a line on our contact page.
Thanks for reading and please endeavor to be as gracious a guest as you expect of your establishment. Mind your manners, tip well, and if you linger during peak times (as we sometimes do), order lots and tip even better.