Classic breakfast is hard to beat, but for the mornings when eggs and toast feel a little tame, here are five Lehigh Valley spots doing the most important meal of the day a little bit differently.
Quadrant Book Mart & Coffee House
Address: 20 N. 3rd St., Easton
Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Breakfast at Quadrant Book Mart & Coffee House is one worth bookmarking.
Walk through an old house on Millionaire’s Row in Easton, pass through endless shelves crowded with vintage books and grab a bite downstairs in Quadrant’s cozy dining room.
Opened in 1994 as a book and coffee shop, the business quickly expanded into breakfast and never looked back. These days, said co-owner Jo Moranville, “cafe” would probably be a more appropriate title than “coffee house.”
The most popular items on the menu are Quadrant’s biscuits and gravy — a dish the menu claims “sticks to your ribs” — and the French toast, made with golden Portuguese rolls.
“I would put our French toast against any French toast in the valley,” Moranville said.
Another favorite, though often overlooked, is Quadrant’s plain old toast, described by Moranville as “really, really, really good.”
At the heart of the shop is a dedication to the surrounding Easton community.
“We hope when people come in, they have a sense that this could be their place,” Moranville said. “Breakfast is a fun meal to make.”
Check out the “stick to your ribs” biscuits and gravy and other breakfast dishes at Quadrant Book Mart & Coffee House in Easton. (CHRIS KNIGHT / SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL)
Jay’s Local
Address: 2301 Liberty St., Allentown
Hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday.
Lyell Scherline opened Jay’s Local in 2019 as a way to honor his father, Jay, an adventurous foodie who died in 2012. The vision for Jay’s — all-day breakfast, locally-sourced ingredients and low prices — was shaped by a Muhlenberg College class project in conjunction with the local community.
“We wanted to do something to keep my dad’s memory alive,” Scherline said. “Since he was such an inviting person, we wanted to make an inviting space, and it just so happened to be a restaurant.”
The most popular item is “The 610”: a bacon, egg and cheese bagel topped with a hash brown and chipotle aioli. A Muhlenberg student created it as a temporary special. Another favorite recently given permanent status is “The Allentonian,” with egg, fried onion, cheddar and mustard on a toasted soft pretzel.
“I encourage my staff to go out and bring in some of their favorites or things that they’ve either seen online or things that they enjoy,” Scherline said. “That’s what makes the job a lot more fun and a lot more interesting.”
The exploration shows in the rest of the menu, too. A Southwest Breakfast Wrap will get you a fried egg, cheddar cheese and house-made edamame smash, while those looking for something sweeter might grab a Portuguese custard tart or a jumbo cinnamon roll.
Enjoy breakfast at Jay’s Local in Allentown. (April Gamiz / The Morning Call)
The Farm & Table
Address: 119 S. Main St., Nazareth
Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday; 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday; 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
A sign in front of The Farm & Table makes clear that the restaurant offers a lot more than your typical eggs and bacon: “Now open for breakfast, lunch & bowling.”
The menu leans playful, with Hong Kong-style French toast — deep-fried, stuffed and offered in flavors like peanut butter and jelly, chocolate icebox and snickerdoodle — and inventive takes on eggs Benedict, including crab rangoon and cheesesteak.
With pumpkin season in full swing, The Farm & Table’s fall specials include pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin French toast, both topped with whipped cream and pumpkin butter.
While the bowling alley in the back of the restaurant isn’t open for early bird bowlers, swing by in the afternoon to get a strike in with your scrambled eggs.
Enjoy breakfast, pool and bowling at the Farm & Table in Nazareth. (Ryan Kneller / The Morning Call)
The People’s Kitchen
Address: 639 Linden St., Bethlehem
Hours: 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday through Monday; closed Tuesday.
The People’s Kitchen offers breakfast with a “funky twist,” according to owner Billy Gruenewald.
Tucked into a small space with countertop seating and an old-fashioned tin ceiling, the restaurant offers your typical selection of eggs and pancakes (its most popular item is an omelette), though most of the menu is far from ordinary.
“I try to open it up to as many different flavor profiles as are out there,” said Gruenewald, who does his cooking behind the countertop seating. “This is a spot where I get people of all walks of life.”
A constant staple on the menu is the breakfast mac and cheese, a pasta dish oven-baked over home fries and topped with bacon, sausage and an over-easy egg. Another favorite is the croissant French toast, which can be paired with bourbon bananas, espresso cannoli filling, berry compote or lots of chocolate.
“My favorite items are the ones that don’t really make sense,” Grunewald said. “And then you try them, and, wow.”
Jumbars Cafe
Address: 1342 Chelsea Ave., Bethlehem
Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday (Breakfast only available 8-11:30 a.m. Wednesday through Friday); closed Monday and Tuesday.
Jumbars Cafe’s claim to fame is a full “made from scratch” menu; from its pastries to its English muffins and jam, nearly everything is made by the family behind the business.
The cafe is small, and with only nine to 10 tables, and general manager Emily Hoffert said there’s almost always a wait. But, like the menu suggests, “there’s no place quite like it.”
Jumbars’ savory breakfast strata, an eggy bread pudding made with sage and tart apples, is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. Get it topped with cheese, poached eggs and your choice of sausage or mushroom gravy.
Hoffert said that Jumbars’ quiches are another big seller, from its classic quiche Lorraine to its New England quiche, with house-made apple pork sausages and Granny Smith apples.
Sweet tooths might grab a grilled sticky bun, a “duffin” (a doughnut muffin) or one of Jumbars’ 10 flavors of scones, like pineapple coconut or sour cherry.
Jumbars Cafe in Bethelehem may be small, but its breakfast is top notch. (Aaron Sagers)
Elisabeth Seidel is a freelance writer.
Lehigh Valley Insider’s Guide is an occasional series on places to go and things to do and see. Have an idea for a topic or a place that we missed? Email us at goguide@mcall.com.