(No website found at time of publishing) – Fremont
How I heard of this place: My friend Alyssa first suggested this place as a nice, neighborhood spot for brunch after a lovely prayer gathering at her home.
Type of cuisine: The poster child of a neighborhood diner, Roxy’s offers breakfast all day, has happy hour each day from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. and serves real east coast fare on the west coast.
Ambiance: The painted exterior begs one to enter the brightly colored interior! A large, pink-backed mural with a mystic landscape is painted across the entire length of the wall to your right as you enter the diner. Chairs and tables directly in front of you and ahead of the bar seating available to patrons dining individually or in pairs. Booth seating is available for parties of up to four guests dining at Roxy’s, that extend back to the end of the restaurant. Music is playing in the background, but the chatter of diners is more prominent in the close-nit proximity of seating options. A place where everybody knows your name, the wait-staff greet friends returning from service (Army) in Afghanistan with large hugs, cries of joy and smiles from the patrons. A great place to get up on a Sunday morning and walk to with roommates, meet up with a long-time friend for greasy spoon fare, or take your parents when visiting you from out of town. (A couple of people in our party of six had concerns regarding the cleanliness of the place.)
What I ordered: The menu is quite extensive, so be prepared for a large selection of choices needing to be made. I was torn between the huevos rancheros ($7.95) and the super deluxe homefries ($8.25) and went with the second, at the recommendation of our server. A smaller-than-expected plate of seasoned potatoes and sweet potatoes with bacon, onion, bell pepper, fresh spinach and mushrooms, topped with cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream was presented to me. Sufficient and satisfying, but smaller than most diners would offer. The dining companion to my right ordered the “E.O.B.” or Egg On Bagel ($2.95), an everything bagel with egg and the addition of sauteed mushrooms ($0.75). To her right, we had one order of the three egg breakfast ($6.95), scrambled with a generous portion of hash browns. Continuing to the right, a beautiful display of the Nova lox ($7.95) greeted our next dining companion, served in two heaping bagel halves on a plate with tomato, red onion, capers, and cream cheese. She also enjoyed a thick-rimmed Roxy’s mug of English Breakfast tea (with milk). The first of our two male companions ordered a side of biscuits & gravy ($4.25) and one “special” pancake ($2.95): a fluffy buttermilk pancake with dark chocolate, filled with chocolate chips, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and topped with powdered sugar, served with syrup and butter. Our final dining companion ordered the Full On Country Breakfast ($10.95), two biscuits cut in half and drenched in sausage gravy, two eggs (over easy), a side of crispy bacon and homefries.
What I loved: The Aztec cocoa pancake was a nice, rich, not-too-sweet surprise. I also thoroughly enjoyed the spicy salsa atop my super deluxe homefries. The hash browns crispy and soft, to perfection. The gravy had a potent sausage flavor, which made it slightly too salty and over-kill for my taste buds, but was thoroughly enjoyed by the others. The lox, while I usually stay away from it, was beautifully presented, colorful and abundant!
Why I loved it: When one of our dining companions asked what was in the fruit salad, our server said, “Melons and grapes. It’s boring. I’m not gonna lie to you.” Upon further questioning, as she searched high and low for a healthy option, she was saved by our waitress, “We don’t have anything healthy here. It’s all about the butter!” What’s not to love about a place like that?
Cost: Low to average ($.25 – $10.95 per breakfast/brunch entree)