Bon's Off Broadway

Since I started writing this blog, I made the promise to myself that I wouldn't go to Bon's, or that I'd at least leave it til a bit later on. Well, here we are a few months into things and I've given into the pressure and tempation! It's also the last Monday Breakfast, due to Cam and I taking on new work schedules that won't allow them anymore. We're still in talks as to what day will work for The Team, so hopefully that gets figured out soon. Anywho, this week The Team (minus Cam) welcomes back our little friend, Amber, who you may remember from The Argo.

Bon's Off Broadway is possibly the best-known greasy spoon in all of Vancouver. Located just off of Broadway on Nanaimo Street (2451 Nanaimo Street), you can bet that there will be a gaggle of hippies, longboarders, hipsters, seniors and plain ol' people hanging outside of this place most hours of the day. Renowned for it's $2.95 all-day breakfast special, Bon's is the perfect place for people still hurting from a long night out and those who need a quick and cheap pick-me-up meal before heading off for a long day. The $1 coffee with endless refills is also a big plus, especially since it's actually good coffee, as opposed to the kind of stuff you get at Deacon's or The Skylight. Of course, with these kinds of positives, you have to expect a couple of negatives to come with them. In this case, it's a matter of time. By that I mean that you usually have to wait a good 10 to 20 minutes to get a table, then another 10 minutes to get served, then another 20 to 45 minutes for your food to arrive. (This is when I speak of peak hours, and weekends, of course. Otherwise, the times can be greatly reduced.) If you come to Bon's expecting constant refills on your coffee and water, you'll be sorely disappointed. My advice to you is to be proactive and get these refills for yourself. The servers will love you a whole lot more if you do and it makes for a better experience for everyone.

On this particular day, Kimmy and I only had to wait for a table for about 5 minutes. We had arrived before the usual morning rush that I spoke of earlier. Once a booth opened up, we immediately sat down and waited for Rozi and Amber to arrive. To make things easier, I had got them to tell me what they wanted for breakfast so that I could order it for them and have everything closer to coming along when they arrived. Unfortunately, we also had the rotten luck of getting the most forgetful server (this I know from experience) so that tactic proved fairly useless. About 3 minutes before Rozi and Amber arrived, we finally put in our orders. Three of us ordered The Special, while Kimmy stuck with her usual Eggs Benny.

The Special - 2 eggs, bacon/ham/sausage/tomatoes, white/brown/rye toast and pan fries.

Eggs Benny - Served with Hashbrowns.

After about 20 minutes and 4 cups of coffee, our food arrived. As per usual, the portions were huge and the food was greasy, just the way that we like it. The bacon was a bit cold, but you can expect it due to the sheer volume of food that passes through this place at any given time. Otherwise, everything was up to snuff, as far as Bon's goes. The eggs were cooked well and even the pan fries we quite evenly-cooked. Besides the lack of service, this Bon's experience was a solid one. Hell, just the coffee before work was worth it for me.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse