Good Eats

Eggs Up Grill ‘Good Food & Reasonable Prices’

By Rick Allen • Photos By John Jernigan

It seems that Brad Harper has a knack for finding emerging food concepts. First it was Zaxby’s. He brought the first Zaxby’s Chicken Fingers & Buffalo Wings to Ocala to the lot on Southwest 27th Avenue across from Goodwill near the Paddock Mall.

That was nearly 20 years ago. As I recall, he told me back then that he encountered a Zaxby’s in—Georgia, I think—and immediately bought into the concept. Now there are at least half-a-dozen Zaxby’s eateries scattered around Ocala and Marion County today.

It’s almost déjà vu—or “eggsa vu,” if you will. He encountered an Eggs Up Grill, considered by FSR (Full-Service Restaurants) magazine to be one of the top emerging chains, in Georgia (where else?) and again bought into the concept.

“I loved the warm, welcome, and attentive service the restaurant had provided,” Harper said in a 2019 report on 1851franchise.com. “It encompassed all the feel-good words, and the food was terrific as well.”

As 2019 was closing, Harper’s Eggs Up Grill was opening.

This is the first Eggs Up in Florida. A second Florida link opened not long ago in Riverview. According to the Eggs Up website, there are 41 units throughout the Southeast and another 12-15 are in various stages of hatching this year. The 1851franchise.com report indicates that two more units may be coming to the area.

According to a history of the chain on its website, Eggs Up began in 1997 in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Founded by Chris Skodras, “The restaurant quickly became known as the home of great-tasting food, casual conversation, and long-lasting memories. “It was the start of Eggs Up Grill being the gathering place for family and friends in each community we call home,” the history continues.

It’s already made bunches of friends here, even through the struggles of a pandemic-plagued 2020, if reviews on Facebook are any indication.

“Amazing food,” writes Jonathan Lopez. “Steak was cooked to perfection. Relocating to Florida in a few weeks and this may be my go-to for breakfast.”

“Good food and reasonable prices,” notes Kelli Frazier. “Lots of variety and some items not found elsewhere. We will be back.”

“Best breakfast I have had in a very long time,” adds Diane Long.

“Place got real busy and we know why,” writes Douglas Henning. “This is a secret gem of a restaurant.”

Where: The Eggs Up Grill is in Market Street at Heath Brook at 4144 SW College Road. Hint: Don’t rely on GPS or another map app on your phone because while it will probably get you to the outdoor “mall,” you may find yourself driving around wondering where in blazes the eatery is— like I did.

Why go: There’s a certain apprehension in trying a brand-new place. We all know what to expect when we walk into a well-established place, be it a chain unit or individually owned. And despite being well armed in advance with reviews, you still never know about a place that’s never been here before. On the other hand, there’s history here with Harper. I trust him and he provides good food. So give it a shot, if only for the adventure of experiencing something new.

Bananas Foster French Toast

Best time to go: Any time between 6am to 2pm Sunday through Saturday. Those are its open hours. On one of my visits, I walked right in at mid-morning and was seated immediately. On a visit with my family, we did have to wait a few minutes, but that was due to a lack of staff and them saying, “We’re trying to catch up.”

You'll be impressed by: The bacon. Personally, I think the “everything is better with bacon on/in it” craze of not long ago was way overdone, then and even now. Bacon’s fine, but on everything? Really? Yet the bacon here is perfectly done, crispy enough, and right between “still a bit floppy” and “ready to crumble.”

It’s the best four slices of pork belly I can recall eating in this area in a long while. This even beats the bacon I cook, hands down any day of the week.

You must try: The grilled blueberry muffin. Most commercial muffins, I find, tend to be doughy when you eat them. How I can’t figure, but the grilling manages to eliminate this trait. My grilled muffin had a grill veneer with a hint of crunch, yes, but it was mostly moist and tender, the berries slightly tangy. It perfectly complemented my sunny side up eggs and was a great medium for sopping up the yolk.

Don’t like blueberries? They also will grill up a banana nut muffin. I’d seen mentions of the grilled blueberry muffin while browsing the Facebook reviews and knew I had to try it. This alone is worth a return trip. But wait, there’s more! The day before, I tried the shrimp and grits omelet. The omelet was fluffy yet stuffed with shrimp, pieces of andouille sausage, green peppers, and Swiss cheese and shared the plate with a double dollop of fire-roasted and spinach grits with a hint of savory heat. In this dish, Eggs Up’s southernness shines through.

My wife ordered the Little Waffle In The Hen House, a half Belgian waffle (heartier appetites can get a whole one), bacon, and a side of scrambled eggs. “The waffle was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside,” she says. The eggs weren’t pre-seasoned in the kitchen, but she was good with that, that way she could season them to her liking.

Friendly staff: I think overall the staff here is topnotch but is hampered by the current state of staffing woes affecting nearly every employer as our economy begins to revive. It won’t always be like this.

Their service mantra is “Let Me Make You Smile.” It’s emblazoned in massive letters on the wall above the kitchen, and they certainly do their best to live up to the slogan.

Not on the menu: In fact, it’s not even food. But you might enjoy the gallery of drawings on the walls leading to the restrooms depicting some “States of Eggsistence” like“eggcited,” “eggsistential,” “eggcellent,” “eggcentric,” as well as “deviled,” “boiled,” “fried,” and, of course, “scrambled.” My favorite is the “eggstraterrestrial.” It’s out of this world.

Insider: On another back wall is posted a number. I asked what it meant and was told, “That’s the number of eggs we’ve served since opening.” The count was up to 204,581 when we were there. It should be much higher by now.

Final word: Breakfast, we’re told, is the most important meal of the day—or at least one of the three most important meals of the day. To satisfy that, here there are such options as the Egg Bomb BLT, Bananas Foster French Toast, Little Waffle In The Hen House and Founder’s Hash Benedict to make this meal interesting and, above all, tasty.

Not into breakfast? Did I mention Eggs Up also offers brunch and lunch options? Lots to choose from.

As my son says, “I’d be willing to go back and try them.” And so am I.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

4414 SW College Road, Suite 620 (in Market Street at Heath Brook) (352) 421-9596 eggsupgrill.com