Gastronome

Strawberry Short Cake pancake

Strawberry Short Cake pancake

EGGHEAD CAFÉ
885 Queen St. Honolulu, HI
Phone number (808) 591-0066
Website eggheadhonolulu.com

I think I’ve found my new favorite spot for breakfast and brunch: Egghead Café.

I stopped by on a whim last weekend, and immediately found myself settled into a cozy table outdoors. (Though I think I just got lucky because a crowd of people waiting to be seated quickly grew not long after.)

The service was fast and friendly, and — oh my god — let’s talk about the food.

At first glance, the menu is a bit much. There are seven omelette options, five different ways to eat eggs Benedict and nine pancake variations. All of that is in addition to French toast, salads, sandwiches, acai or pitaya bowls, and a variety of sides and specials.

Chorizo omelette

Chorizo omelette

A wee bit overwhelming, am I right?

So after more than a few minutes of going back and forth on what I wanted, I finally decided on the Lilikoi B.L.T. It was a pretty indulgent early-morning dish, though still breakfast appropriate since the sandwich had a layer of fluffy scrambled eggs. Other things to look forward to: the addition of Egghead Café’s house lilikoi dressing added a subtly sweet note to every bite, which balanced nicely with slices of crispy bacon, and the focaccia bread was warm, soft and airy.

Every sandwich comes with a side of mixed greens, waffle fries or sweet potato fries — but for 50 cents more, request the li hing mui sweet potato fries. It sounds weird and borderline gross, especially for breakfast, I know, but do it. Egghead Café manages to make it with just enough of a hint of sweet li hing.

Lilikoi B.L.T.

Lilikoi B.L.T.

If sweet is what you’re after, though, consider any one of its inventive pancake creations. One order comes with three pancakes, or you can sample one on its own, which is what I did. Options range from Tiramisu pancakes, made with mascarpone cream, cocoa powder, chocolate shavings and espresso sauce, to Green Tea Azuki, which is prepared with fried mochi, azuki beans, ice cream and a green tea sauce.

I went for Strawberry Short Cake, which came doused in house-made strawberry sauce, and topped with strawberry crumble and whipped cream (on the side for me). The pancake was remarkably fluffy with slightly crispy outer edges, and even though it looked like it was drowning in strawberry sauce, it wasn’t so sweet that it became inedible.

Another item to consider: the Chorizo omelette, which my fiancé ordered. Made with chorizo, onions and bell peppers, and topped with pepper jack cheese and salsa verde, it certainly looked and smelled pretty amazing from my end of the table.

After he devoured it all and reported that it was worth returning for, I nodded my head in agreement. At least we won’t have to argue about where to eat breakfast on the weekends for a while now.

JAIMIE SAYS:

PARKING Watch those tight corners; the lot is rather cramped
SERVICE Fast and friendly
ABOUT THAT MENU A backside to the menu lists a host of different beverage options
DOG FRIENDLY Yes, it’s true