Hole-in-the-wall eateries are often ones you might overlook from the outside, but they can host some of the best bites at unbeatable prices inside. Here are the best breakfast hole-in-the-wall locations in every state and Washington, D.C., based on reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor, recommendations, and rankings from local food experts.
Editor's note: This story was updated in June 2024
Homewood
This family-owned restaurant has built a reputation for its cheesesteak and breakfast choices like the Trashcan — a mix of hash browns, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cheese, and spicy sausage. Save room for the lemon icebox pie, which comes from a decades-old family recipe that makes for an unbelievably creamy slice.
Anchorage
This homey diner in Anchorage has been serving up classics like reindeer sausage, omelets, French toast, and more for over 24 years. As one Yelp reviewer gushed, "Judy's Cafe never disappoints. Just wholesome, stick to your bones, real diner cookin!"
For more great restaurant guides and dining tips, please sign up for our free newsletters.
Tucson
This family-owned business is known for its handmade flour tortillas. The legacy owner Grace Soto created remains in the hearts of locals who stop here for breakfast burritos that are wrapped in large tortillas to create a soft and pillowy base for fillings of chorizo, eggs, potatoes, bacon, and cheese.
Oark
This is the oldest continuously operating store in Arkansas, opening in 1890. Today, the original floors, walls, and ceilings still remain. Pie is a showstopper here, alongside huge and fresh breakfast biscuits. After breakfast, stroll through the shop for native honey and local jams.
Los Angeles
To start your day with an unforgettable breakfast burrito, head to Larry’s Chili Dog in Burbank where you’ll find a small stand serving up burritos filled with bacon, sausage, egg, cheese, hash browns, and green-chili salsa. Make sure to get there early, as breakfast here stops at 11 a.m.
Related: Unhealthy Fast Food Breakfasts — and What to Order Instead
Boulder
This small diner — standing at only 890 feet — is big in the hearts of locals who come here for simple homemade breakfast. For over 49 years, the spot has been serving favorites like its blueberry pancakes, French toast, crispy hash browns, and biscuits and gravy.
Norwalk
Speedy Donuts has been serving fresh handmade doughnuts since 1969, with the airy French Cruller remaining a favorite choice for Norwalk locals. Besides doughnut selections ranging from cinnamon twist to fluffy jelly, the family-owned stop serves breakfast selections like egg sandwiches wrapped in fresh rolls, crispy bacon, and pancakes.
Wilmington
At this luncheonette dating back to 1967, you’ll feel like you’re enjoying a morning with the family. Sit down on one of the stools or booths and view the cooks working at the grill while you enjoy favorites like the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich or fluffy pancake selections.
Washington
This relaxed family-owned café offers breakfast all day, with Ethiopian twists on coffee, breakfast, and lunch. These include an Ethiopian breakfast — eggs sautéed in authentic spices served with veggies and a samosa. French toast, and simple yet delicious breakfast sandwiches alongside chai lattes are also recommended dishes to try.
Tampa
This decades-old sandwich shop is known for offering Cuban staples locals flock for. Start your breakfast off with a café con leche or a Cuban espresso and try the Cuban toast, topped with honey butter and pressed for a crunchy bite.
Kennesaw
Once you walk inside this small roadside café, the smell of country cooking fills the air. Biscuits are a must-try here, made thick and fluffy with options that include sausage, egg and cheese, chicken, and more. Diners also recommend trying the gooey cinnamon rolls.
Lihue
Breakfast choices at this local institution include eggs made with spam and rice, a breakfast burrito with spam or Portuguese sausage, breakfast quesadillas, loco moco, kimchi fried rice omelets, and more. Pastries are both savory and sweet here, from crab and spam rolls, to lilikoi scones you won’t want to miss.
Boise
Goldy’s is popular for its homemade hollandaise and mimosas, like the Goldy’s Sunrise Mimosa, which combines orange juice, mango, and guava with cranberry for an original twist. The dishes aren’t the cheapest here, but they are still a good value for a hearty meal made with fresh ingredients.
Elgin
This community staple has been serving all-day breakfast for over 40 years. While there can be a line, you’ll be treated to impeccable service and breakfast favorites like skillet combinations with everything from corn beef hash and chorizo to biscuit gravy, to golden pancakes and stuffed omelets.
Indianapolis
The Lincoln Square Pancake House doesn't look like much located next to a Pizza Hut and a dollar store, but fans keep coming back for the French toast, creative breakfast scrambles and breakfast classics. One Yelp reviewer raved, "Casual, inexpensive, parking, not crowded, delicious... what more could you want in a breakfast joint?"
Des Moines
Located next to an antique shop, diners can browse while waiting for a table — which can be a long wait given how small this eatery is. But Yelp reviewers say it's worth it, with one commenting, "These were the best classic French toast I've had in a LONG TIME."
Wichita
This eatery has from-scratch biscuits and chicken fried steak that's never frozen and hand-breaded to order. The owners are born and bred in Wichita, and clearly take pride in the place.
Winchester
Dubbed the best diner in the state by Yelp, this is where you’ll get country cooking for a great price. The banana pudding is considered unforgettable here, while the hot brown — turkey and country ham in homemade cheese sauce topped with bacon, hot sauce, and more — leave locals coming back for more.
Lafayette
Customers rave that everything is prepared fresh at Parish Biscuit, and even the Bloody Marys (which come with pickled okra) are delicious. Try any of the biscuit combinations since they're at the top of the menu and clearly a restaurant highlight.
Frenchville
Dolly’s Restaurant might look unassuming from the outside, but step inside and you’ll taste some of the best ploys in the state. The buckwheat treats, which resemble a cross between pancakes and crepes, are often eaten with molasses. At Dolly’s, they’re grilled on the spot and served piping hot.
Little Orleans
This tiny, old-fashioned diner is located inside of a gas station, where the homemade pies are known to be the real star of the show. The mom-and-pop location has cheap eggs, toast, and sausage options, while pie flavors range from lemon meringue and coconut to blueberry and chocolate meringue.
Tewksbury
Waffles are anything but ordinary here, with choices that include bacon-stuffed and peanut butter bacon topped waffles, to waffles topped with juicy peaches. Vic’s also makes a homemade corned beef hash for an Irish Benedict, and delicious, freshly-squeezed orange juice to wash it all down.
Caseville
This family-owned restaurant has been serving locals for over 50 years and is known for its homestyle cooking. Real potatoes are always used here, and the homemade breads are also known for being delicious. Sweet treats like cinnamon rolls and doughnuts are recommended, in addition to flaky and buttery biscuits.
Minneapolis
This tiny breakfast location is popular thanks to breakfast plates like corned beef hash and buttermilk pancakes you can get with everything from sweet corn kernels to strawberries and sour cream. Keep in mind that the space is usually crowded (you can also order for curb pickup), but if you don’t mind that you’ll be in for a treat.
Tunica
This cozy diner, originally opened in 1924, serves breakfast staples like country fried steak and eggs and the 61 Hobo Breakfast — two eggs with sausage, cheddar and onion on fresh hash browns that comes with toast or a biscuit. Doughnuts are made fresh daily.
Branson
This family-owned breakfast and lunch spot is known for its 14-inch pancakes that are made from scratch, which you can add on to any of your entrees. The French Cakes, which are pancakes dipped in French toast batter with your choice of pecan, blueberry, or bacon, are equally delicious.
Missoula
Chicken and biscuits, eggs Benedict, caramel pecan pancakes — all the breakfast classics are on the menu at Paul's Pancake Parlour. One Yelp review gushed, "Good breakfast with large portions and solid service. Chicken fried steak was tasty and super filling.
Omaha
If you’re looking for classic baked goods for a morning treat, Olsen Bake Shop is the place to stop. The strudels here are known to be flaky and stuffed with fruit, such as cherries, while cake and yeast-raised doughnuts and cinnamon rolls are also local favorites.
Sparks
A past winner of Yelp’s top 100 places to eat, this restaurant that locals describe as a mix between a taco truck and a diner is a hit for its authentic Mexican breakfast offerings that include its large-sized huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos, or chili relleno.
Dover
This dog-friendly eatery includes menu favorites like the Captain’s French Toast, French toast dipped in Captain Crunch cereal, and Fat Elvis, which comes stuffed with peanut butter and bananas, and topped with bananas and candied bacon. Benedicts are also a favorite here, with breakfast served all day.
Warren Grove
This breakfast stop is a favorite thanks to its fluffy pancakes stuffed with fresh blueberries, perfectly cooked eggs, and pies that diners say just might be the best you’ll ever taste. Keep a look out for specials like a sticky bun French toast.
Albuquerque
For a killer breakfast burrito or biscuit, head to this local favorite, where you’ll find a range of options (including huevos rancheros) from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All burritos come with a choice of red or green chili (or ask for "Christmas" for both), and biscuit sandwiches are made on homemade biscuits. There's also a patriotic theme to add some American spirit to your meal.
Brooklyn
This community staple is known for its Dominican-American offerings. The famed drink here is Morir Soñando, made with fresh-squeezed orange juice, milk, and sweet additions that create a drink reminiscent of an orange Dreamsicle. The home fries and the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches are also popular choices.
Farmville
Head to this walk-up order spot dating back to 1963 to try some of the best cheese biscuits around. Order them piping hot in person and grab a frozen version of the handmade treat to take home. Besides cheese, biscuits here also come with bacon, ham, steak, chicken, and more.
Dickinson
If there’s one item you have to try at this quaint café, it’s the caramel rolls. They’re giant, and what locals consider to be some of the best around. For a savory dish, go for the Country Skillet — a heaping portion of hash browns, ham, gravy, eggs, and cheese.
Columbus
Scotty’s Café may be located in a strip mall, but the location has been serving affordable and delicious all-day breakfast selections since 1989. Challah French toast and gigantic, thick, fluffy pancakes are loved here.
Oklahoma City
This diner has close to 50 different types of gravy, from classics to chocolate, bacon burger, and jalapeño on ham. Biscuits here are delicious and diners say they love the chorizo sausage gravy to dip them into. Go for the sampler and get four different types of gravy to try.
Portland
Fuller’s Coffee Shop has been serving the neighborhood since 1947 and still serves homemade breads and bottomless coffee like it did back then. Expect incredibly crispy hash browns, eggs done right, and thick buttermilk pancakes that remind you that breakfast truly can be the best meal of the day.
Philadelphia
Diners love the sandwiches at this Philadelphia deli, which makes breakfast versions on croissants. Choices range from a pork roll with cheddar cheese, fried eggs, onion, hash browns, and garlic sriracha to a pastrami and provolone breakfast sandwich.
Bristol
This simple breakfast spot offers mouthwatering plates like stuffed French toast, hash varieties, and homemade muffins. Frittas, which are black bean cakes topped with avocado, scrambled eggs, cheddar, and salsa. All dishes are made with fresh ingredients and served in a friendly atmosphere.
West Columbia
This casual diner started off with homemade buttermilk breakfast biscuits in the 70s, and its biscuits are still one of the best items you can get today. Biscuit selections include tasty choices like country ham, sausage, bologna, thick-sliced bacon, and an impeccable country style steak biscuit served with gravy.
Centerville
This historic bakery is known for its Zebra Donuts, which are filled with chocolate and topped with chocolate icing. Get there early, as they are known to go fast. It also offers English muffin toasting bread and treats like gooey and warm cinnamon rolls you won’t want to miss.
Gatlinburg
This tucked-away sandwich shop in Gatlinburg, where meats are slow roasted for 14 hours, is popular for sandwiches both for lunch and breakfast. Large breakfast sandwiches here come stuffed with eggs, cheddar, and thick grilled ham. Fluffy homemade biscuits topped with gravy and homemade quiches are also popular options.
Fort Worth
This hole-in-the-wall is a community staple for its breakfast offerings, with its crisp hash browns, battered biscuits, and breakfast tacos remaining some of its best dishes. Breakfast entrees typically come with biscuits or toast, but make sure to get the biscuits for a decadent bite.
Layton
Since the 1950s, the Sill family has been dishing out incredible breakfasts, which is why you can expect a crowd when you come to this spot. Scones are a loved item here, coming in at around the size of your plate. These jumbo treats pair perfectly with their whipped honey butter.
Rutland
This family-owned sandwich shop dating back to 1981 makes excellent breakfast sandwiches, with your choice of ham, bacon, or sausage on English muffins, bagels, rolls or wraps. Sweet choices include French toast, which you can stuff with ham, cheese, and a side of maple syrup for dipping.
Centreville
This small café offers tasty breakfast sandwiches and specials with friendly service. Breakfast burritos and the homemade home fries are a regular hit, while daily specials range from biscuits and sausage gravy to bulgogi.
Seattle
Biscuits are all the rave at Morsel, with toppings like apple butter, chocolate hazelnut butter, and maple butter, or savory choices like herbed goat cheese and pepper aioli. For a heartier breakfast, there are biscuit sandwiches.
Sheperdstown
You might miss this small restaurant when walking by but stop in and you’ll be treating to old-school comfort food. The large-sized pancakes and apple butter are recommended options here, as is the homemade sausage gravy.
Madison
Mickies Dairy Bar is known for its hefty breakfast potions at a great price, with large-sized griddle cakes as big as your plate. It’s a cozy diner atmosphere with simple food offerings like corned beef hash and scrambles loaded with cheese and stacked on top of breakfast potatoes.
Jackson
This butcher in Wyoming offers top-notch breakfast sandwich options using local products. You’ll find breakfast sandwiches made with homemade biscuits and filled with sausages, egg, and cheese. Lunch options here also incorporate breakfast, like chicken sandwiched between waffles and burgers topped with cheese and fried eggs.