Over the weekend, my friend, Lauren, and her mom, Tracy, met me at Counter Cafe for some girl talk, much-needed catch up time, and brunch. Counter Cafe is one of Lauren’s favorite breakfast and/or brunch spots in Austin (if not her absolute favorite) and, as a result, this was by no means my first trip to the North Lamar-located establishment.
When I lived in Downtown Austin, I lived right around the corner from Counter Cafe in Clarksville. I regularly found myself popping by the restaurant (particularly during my unemployed months last year), just to grab a cup of coffee and a short stack of pancakes.
FYI to any future roommates / spouse: that’s my idea of comfort food.
Now that I live nearly 200 miles away, my trips to Counter Cafe have become few and far between. However, luckily for my tummy, a trip to this Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives-featured restaurant did occur on Sunday while I was in Austin.
Since Lauren was going the pancake + eggs + bacon route (and I knew I’d be able to sneak a bite or two of the pancakes!), Tracy ordered the two eggs any style and I decided to branch out a bit and try the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict. First: Lauren’s meal. Yes, both of the pictures above were ultimately consumed by miss Lauren. No judgement.
I don’t eat bacon so I have no idea as to the quality of that part of the dish, but the eggs were perfectly cheesy and scrambley (she didn’t even let me have a bite, they were that good!) and the pancake (my favorite) was out of this world. The best part about Counter Cafe‘s pancakes is that they’re absolutely massive. Like the full size of your plate. As a pancakeoholic, I can really appreciate the dish for all that it’s worth (don’t let the price tag fool ya!).
Tracy’s eggs any style were ordered over-easy, accompanied by handmade sausage and a biscuit. In case it’s not clear by now, Counter Cafe is a great place to grab a quick, southern-style, comfort food-oriented meal.
Though she was more or less indifferent as to her food, Tracy also had a mimosa that was the perfect balance of sparkling wine and orange juice (aka like 90% sparkling wine, 10% orange juice).
Now for my meal: the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict. It was… different. I came nowhere close to finishing the dish – I ended up only eating about a quarter of the hash and barely even touched the biscuit (the crab cake and eggs were consumed entirely though). I often find the hollandaise sauce used in Eggs Benedict dishes too overwhelming, and Counter Cafe‘s dish was no exception. That being said, I still ate all of the crab cake and eggs (I just scraped off a bit of the sauce when it became too overpowering) and I would absolutely order the dish again on my next trip to Counter Cafe… but, next time, I might get it with the hollandaise sauce on the side.
Counter Cafe is located on North Lamar (near the intersection with West 6th Street) in the Clarksville district of Downtown Austin, with an additional location opening soon on the East Side – on East 6th Street. The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, brunch, and lunch, seven days a week, from 7:30AM until 4:00PM. Though Counter Cafe is known for it’s sweet potato fries, burgers, and Eggs Benedict, I’d definitely also recommend trying one of their massive pancakes – you won’t regret it!
Have you ever been to Counter Cafe? What’s your favorite dish to order?