Blue Jay Restaurant

Hangover breakfast FOR. THE. WIN.

I got a burger, naturally, since I was hungover, it was Christmas Eve and my stomach was freaking out. And for a diner burger, it was nothing short of perfect. It wasn't disgustingly greasy, which was a silent blessing, because even though I wanted grease to cure my dehydrated hungry state, it would have wreaked havoc on my...well...dehydrated hungry body.

The service was great and we felt like we weren't a nuisance, even on Christmas Eve. We ended up leaving satisfied and with a plate of some homemade cookies from the waitress. So nice! I really think this is the place to go on groggy mornings when you need a big breakfast.

Yay! Blue Jay! How can you not get warm fuzzies when you walk in here? This place is an institution. When I knew we were coming here for breakfast club I told my stepdad and he said he remembers riding his bike all around Northside and then stopping for breakfast at The Blue Jay when he was little. Ahhh such good memories.

The atmosphere is old school diner, except for the fact that this might be the cleanest diner I have ever seen. The walls are wood paneled and they have etched pictures of geese and homes on them. What a riot, this place hasn't changed a bit!

The food is simple diner food. Most of us ordered the Breakfast Special. Two eggs, toast, hashbrowns your choice of meat for around five bucks. What a steal! My eggs were cooked perfectly, which they almost never are. My only complaints were that the sausage patty at least was totally fake meat, or microwaved until it's death. And my hashbrowns were cold, which sucks but at least they tasted good. The service was really slow, but it was a Saturday morning and they were slammed so it's to be expected.

I will totally come back to the Blue Jay! Good food, great diner atmosphere perfect for a Sunday stroll in Northside.

This has to be on the all-star team of diners in the city. My first trip there, I kept it simple with 2 eggs, bacon, home fries and toast.  I've the same thing at a number of breakfast spots across the city, but the Blue Jay tops them all. The presentation is simple, not fancy, but it doesn't have to be. The food actually looked like an appetizing picture on the plate. The eggs were done, just right, not over-done and dried out. The bacon was cooked to perfection.  The home fries were not overly greasy as you find in a lot of diners. The coffee was not too strong or bitter, just enough to ease you into Saturday morning consciousness. The service was friendly and attentive.

Even better than the food is the old school atmosphere at the Blue Jay, mixed with the character that makes Northside unique.  I particularly enjoyed the parade of amazing and impressive beards of all shapes and sizes. I also spied an Etch 'n Sketch in the windowsill with all the puzzles and books to keep kids occupied, but much to my dismay, my reflexes failed me and a kid beat me to it....next time....

The menu at the Blue Jay is quite extensive. The list of double deckers, with all the combinations made me dizzy. From omelettes to gyros, there's a lot for me to try on my future trips to this awesome spot.