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Bellevue Beat | Bellevue Breakfast Tour

Article and photos by Chris Bell

There's nothing like a good breakfast after a long week or late night out. From Bellevue's downtown core to within its residential pockets, there are plenty of options for those looking for a great first meal and perhaps the best meal of the day. Here are some of Bellevue's popular and classic breakfast restaurants in my recent breakfast tour.

Lil Jon's Restaurant

This iconic casual diner has been keeping people full and happy since 1967. I had the 1,2,3 Breakfast which is pancakes, eggs and bacon. The pancake was enormous and very filling. Add bacon and eggs to it and I was ready to go back to bed after breakfast.

Lil' Jon Restaurant - Best Breakfast Restaurants in Bellevue | Bellevue.com

 

The Waffler

Tucked away on the east side of Bellevue, The Waffler offers a wide variety of waffle combinations to choose from. As someone who loves waffles, I was thrilled to have so many waffle options. I went with Fried Chicken Waffle, it's a waffle, fried chicken breast, house-made herb butter and a side dish of fruit. The chicken and waffle were hot and crispy and that herb butter was a nice touch.

The Waffler - Best Breakfast Restaurants in Bellevue | Bellevue.com

 

Gilbert's on Main

A popular spot to go for a complete breakfast or something as simple as bagels and coffee. It also is one of the few Bellevue restaurants that you can enjoy eating your breakfast outside on a nice summer day. One of the most popular items to order is Eggs Rodolfo, which is plantains fried in butter, scallions with Kosher salt and scrambled eggs with a petite fruit cup and your choice of bagel to go with it. This was the largest meal I had out of all Bellevue restaurants on my breakfast tour. It was so good and so filling that I was in a food coma shortly after finishing it.

Gilbert's on Main - Best Breakfast Restaurants in Bellevue | Bellevue.com

 

Chace's Pancake Corral

This charming little restaurant is a Bellevue classic and can get so busy that you might find yourself waiting 20 minutes before being seated, so I do recommend going early or on a weekday. At Chace's, they keep the food simple and good and that's what makes them so popular. It's all the breakfast classics done very well. I had the Buttermilk Pancakes with a side order of bacon.

Chace's Pancake Corral - Best Breakfast Restaurants in Bellevue | Bellevue.com

 

LOT No. 3

It's the most reviewed place on Yelp that I went to out of all these Bellevue restaurants and it definitely lived up to its high marks. I ordered the Pork Belly Benedict that includes poached eggs, sautéed spinach, bourbon syrup and chipotle hollandaise on English muffin. This was my favorite dish out of all the breakfast places and I'm looking forward to my next visit.

Lot NO. 3 - Best Breakfast Restaurants in Bellevue | Bellevue.com

 

The Lakehouse

Mostly known for being a spot to have a great dinner at, The Lakehouse offers a very good and creative breakfast menu. Its popular Cocoa Coffee Flour Pancakes is worth trying for those who have a sweet tooth. I went with the Vanilla Brioche French Toast which is compote, maple candied walnuts and whip cream. The combination of all this is well put together and worth the trip downtown.

The Lakehouse - Best Breakfast Restaurants in Bellevue | Bellevue.com

 

After going to all these breakfast places, I noticed a couple things that they have in common. They all have friendly staff that makes you feel welcomed and they all have regulars that come in almost every day that give the places a nice local neighborhood feel to it. So, no matter what part of Bellevue you live in, you'll have always have some great options for breakfast.

Is your favorite Bellevue breakfast place on the list? Share your comments on our Facebook page.

Published: February 19, 2018

 

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