The Breakfast Klub

Let me start by saying that I had not done a review of The Breakfast Klub before due to the fact that I figured everyone who loves good food and live in Houston knows the The Breakfast Klub.  Apparently, I was wrong. Very wrong. And that makes me sad.  Why?  Simply because everyone who lives in Houston and does not know this midtown haven of scrumptious breakfast and soul food is doing themselves and quite frankly their family a disservice.  Am I overstating this a bit?  No, not in the least.  To put it simply, I love the place.  I love the atmosphere, the staff, the service and especially the food.  OH DEAR GOD, THE HEAVENLY FOOD!  But I will get to that later.  The Breakfast Klub is located in midtown right off of the the US-59 exit on Travis St.  It is right across the street of  the somewhat infamous mural of President Obama.  Parking right next to the restaurant is a little troublesome, due to the small lot, but there is plenty of parking just down the street.  The hours of operation are 7 am to 2 pm Mon.-Fri. and 8am to 2pm Sat. and Sun.  A line develops quickly to get in, so the key is to arrive early.  But even if you have to wait in line, it is totally worth it!

The Breakfast Klub is the work of Marcus Davis (also the proprietor of the The Reggae Hut).  After being middle school teacher, Mr. Davis decided he wanted to something else instead.  So he took the experience he had from working for his father's catering business and opened up The Breakfast Klub in 2001.  Since opening, The Breakfast Klub has won numerous awards and well as being mentioned by such media outlets as Good Morning America, USA Today, Esquire and Forbes as "one of the best breakfast restaurants in America".

While the Breakfast Klub has a great many wonderful dishes, they are best know for the two signature dishes: The Katfish & Grits or The Wings & Waffles.  I have had both and they live up to their top billing as signature dishes.  Of the two though, I have to say that I prefer the Katfish & Grits. 

It comes with your choice of biscuit or toast and of how you would like your eggs prepared.  Needless to say that  no matter how you choose your eggs, they will always come out perfectly. At the very least they will be prepared as close to perfectly as anyone can prepare eggs.  The same can be said of, well, everything else.  The catfish is always fried just right so that the outside is crispy but not burnt and the inside is moist and juicy and full of flavor.  If you are not a fan of grits, the grits from the Breakfast Klub will give you reason to reconsider.  They are always have the just right consistency.  They are soft and pillowy, but not runny. Not only that, but they are always well seasoned.  One of my biggest complaints about grits is that they are usually left unseasoned so you get what amounts to a pile of flavorless ground corn mush.  About the only thing I add to this wonderful dish is hot sauce.  I love hot sauce and I think it compliments the dish perfectly.  It is without question, one of my favorite breakfast dishes.

The other signature dish is The Wings & Waffle.  This is a golden Belgian waffle surrounded by 6 wing pieces and topped with powdered sugar and a strawberry.  This dish, while not my favorite of the two signatures is still very good.  The wings, like the catfish, are fried to perfection.  The waffle is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  The mixture of sweet and savory is amazing.  I would have never thought that fried chicken wings and a waffle would work together, but they really do.

Official Picture of Wings & Waffle from The Breakfast Klub webpage

There is one more dish that I feel I must share with you.  It is probably my second favorite dish at the Breakfast Klub.  I'm talking about the Pork Chops and Eggs.  You get  two pork chops (fried or grilled) and 2 eggs served with potatoes or grits and choice of toast or biscuit.  If I remember correctly, if you ask nicely, they will even let you order one fried and one grilled.  Either way they are served, the pork chops are wonderful.  They are moist, tender and so full of flavor.  I usually get the biscuit, because to me, nothing beats a great biscuit for breakfast.  Once again the Breakfast Klub delivers.  Biscuits are a good size.  Not too big as to feel you are overwhelmed by it and not so small as if you feel you are being cheated out of your bread.  You can tell the biscuits are homemade as they are firm, but flake easily.  Yum.

Now, when you go to the Breakfast Klub, make sure you go hungry.  This place does not skimp on the portions.  They are all very generous and very filling.  I asked for a side of the sausage gravy (which I could eat as a soup, its soo good) and I got one of the coffee bowls filled halfway with gravy.

  They are also as generous with the coffee which has free refills for all you caffeine addicts.  

Anyway you slice it, The Breakfast Klub is a great venue for eating, people watching and just a generally positive experience.  It is worth going, even if you have to wait in line to get in the doors.