Nothing rounds out a great weekend quite like diner food late on a Sunday morning. Originally we headed to State Street Cafe in North Haven because we were nearby and heard it might be pretty good (coming in second place in CTNOW’s Best of New Haven Readers’ Poll for breakfast).
We went on a Sunday just before noon, which is obviously prime diner time. We were a party of two, and there was a wait for a table but not at the counter. The place was packed and we were about to find out why.
State Street nails the standards, like its breakfast sandwich: bacon, egg and cheese plus hash browns piled high on a bagel ($3.29, plus $1 for the hash browns). It also nails the not-so-basic with its inventive and enormous omelets. We tried the avocado omelet, made with bacon, tomato, red onion, sour cream, American cheese and huge chunks of avocado ($10.49). We were beyond impressed with how loaded it was. The egg was almost a formality, just there to hold together the fillings.
The menu itself is huge, too, with lots of indulgent breakfast choices that we wish we had saved room for (I’m looking at you, Oreo pancakes, avocado Benedict, and breakfast burritos), plus plenty of non-breakfast items like burgers, wraps and salads.
But lots of diners have options; what sets State Street apart from so many breakfast spots are all of the healthy options, like whole wheat French toast made with egg whites and chia seed pudding, to help undo the damage done during the weekend. And we appreciated that the fridge was hangover-ready with Gatorade on hand.
State Street Café, 346 State St., in North Haven, is open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. 203-288-1425, statestreetcafe.net.
