The Breakfast Blog: Best Places to Eat around Monterey

Best places to eat in Monterey

The Breakfast Club tabletop

I asked the gang for a list of their favorite breakfast spots, and they scrambled to answer:

Rhiannon McCraner said everything is good at Holly’s Lighthouse Cafe in Pacific Grove, and Chris Navarro recommended “the huevos rancheros at Rondita’s.” After fruitlessly searching Google, I realized that his wife is named Rhonda. Very funny, Chris.

Then our faithful property inspector Howard Hartman chimed in. Now, Howard knows a lot about breakfast spots (playing golf or racquet ball five mornings a week, the man needs his nourishment!).

Here are a few of his favorites:

  • Wagon Wheel Coffee Shop, Carmel Valley: “The steel cut oatmeal.”
  • First Awakenings, Pacific Grove: “Huge blue germ pancake with blueberry compote.” I told him I thought “blue germ” sounded a bit unsavory, and in between forwarding funny emails on his iPhone (how else would we know that rubber bands last longer when refrigerated?) he responded, “U have to try new things!”
  • Best Western Hotel, Del Monte Beach, Monterey: “Best breakfast views on the Peninsula. The potato skillet with vegetables—but no cheese, please.” (Howard is vegan-ish.)
  • Porter’s Grill, Poppy Hills Golf Course, Pebble Beach: “Good food and great golf course views.”
  • The Breakfast Club, Seaside: “Omelet with fruit on the side.”

He said he had more, but he had to go to breakfast.

Property manager Frank Gallagher (our version of Don Draper, but without the martinis and cigarettes), seconds Howard’s vote for The Breakfast Club, adding that the coffee is good—and that his kids love the Mickey Mouse pancakes.