Breakfast of Champions

The most important meal of the day can also be the most delicious way to start it. This Month: Nudy's Café

With 12 locations and a 13th opening soon, Nudy’s isn’t necessarily a gem we can call our own, but surviving in a foodie town (and, arguably, a breakfast town) for 12-plus years certainly gives us some solid claim. After conferring with her manager, our sweet server brought us four delectable dishes that, given their range, will steer you in the right direction on your visit.

The restaurant, located at 300 W. Market Street is technically a “chain,” but Nudy’s is family-owned with only one voice at the top, Ray Nudy. You’ll see that in the continuity of the menu, the smile-inducing quotes on the wall, and a similar vibe throughout.

I’ll start with the French toast. It's on the menu as Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast, and it is a tender, thick bread battered and griddled to perfection, then topped with a ricotta cheesecake filling, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream.

For Ray the goal was and is simple: provide high-quality, upscale diner-style food, efficiently. The “ticket time” from order to eating is six to seven minutes, which is downright impressive. Serving breakfast from 7am to 4pm on weekdays (7am-3pm on weekends) with that quick turnaround means happy, satisfied West Chester patrons.

Also worth noting is that Nudy’s hires to the company, not necessarily the location. This means staff is placed to meet need; the staffing problems that have plagued so many restaurants of late is a non-issue here.

Now to the menu. We were all teenagers once, so we’ve eaten at enough diners to know what to expect. The shredded potato hash browns are alive and well (and as delicious as I remember them), and thank heavens, cream chipped beef is still on the menu. Swoon. The two-egg/meat/hash brown breakfast is still a bestseller, as are the breakfast sandwiches, but what I tasted at my visit was far from typical.

I’ll start with the French toast. It's on the menu as Strawberry Cheese- cake French Toast, and it is a tender, thick bread battered and griddled to perfection, then topped with a ricotta cheesecake filling, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream. I didn’t even think to add syrup; it was sweet enough, but I also kept coming back for bites which tells me it wasn’t too sweet, as is sometimes the case with this type of dish. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and there wasn’t a speck remaining on the plate.

The second sweet dish offered up were crepes. Filled with what I assume

The Mexican omelet: green peppers, onions, tomatoes, ham, and cheddar cheese topped with salsa

to be the same sweetened ricotta mixture from the French toast, these were topped with berries, whipped cream, and though it wasn’t listed on the menu, some drizzled Nutella. Insider tip: ask that it be topped with Nutella when you order; it was a fantastic addition.

Next, the Mexican omelet—green peppers, onions, tomatoes, ham, and cheddar cheese topped with salsa— was exactly what I would picture for a diner-style omelet. Well-seasoned and nestled next to those iconic hash browns, it’s a classic choice. The second egg dish, though, was everyone’s standout favorite.

The Huevos Rancheros is composed of three over-easy eggs atop a mixture of crispy hashbrowns, black beans, and pico de gallo, then topped with shaved lettuce, cilantro lime crema, and a smooth chipotle salsa. If you don’t like when your food touches, don’t get this. If you like a perfect, hearty cacophony of fresh, bright flavors and addicting textures, it’s a must order.

The Huevos Rancheros is composed of three over-easy eggs atop a mixture of crispy hashbrowns, black beans, and pico de gallo, then topped with shaved lettuce, cilantro lime crema, and a smooth chipotle salsa.

Granted, I only sampled four things on the menu, but this is what I’ll get when I return, and likely the time after that as well. When it comes to quality, diner-style breakfast prepared consistently and brought quickly (with a smile!), Nudy’s is a can't miss.