A.m.

\ Oct 11, 2007

6 min read

Best Breakfast Overall

Dear Weck’s ,

Albuquerque would like to thank you for providing us, its citizens, with breakfast food. And not just any breakfast food—the best gosh-darn breakfast food our little tummies have had the pleasure of digesting. Personally, just between you and us, we like the "bowl of stuff." Or maybe the "farmers market" omelette. Or maybe the "full belly toast." Oh, we just can’t decide! Just please, please keep it coming. We don’t know what we’d eat without you.

Sincerely,

Albuquerque

1. Weck’s

2. Frontier Restaurant

Runner-up: Flying Star Café

Best Pancakes

There was a four-way tie between four local eateries with awesome pancakes: Weck’s (your pick for best overall breakfast), Frontier (awesome with honey, so we hear), Mannie’s Family Restaurant (very, very hearty) and Sophia’s Place (worth its weight in pure maple syrup). Yum.

1. Frontier Restaurant, Mannie’s Family Restaurant, Sophia’s Place, Weck’s (tied)

Best Waffles

With a name like Waffle House , could you expect anything less? Waffle House has secured its mastery of this breakfast delight (but it should keep an eye on the close runners-up below) by serving up consistently delicious breakfast cakes. Butter up and get eatin’.

1. Waffle House

2. Weck’s

Runner-up: Gold Street Caffé

Best French Toast

It’s not called French toast at Weck’s , it’s called “full belly toast.” The name change was not the product of a patriotic backlash against The-Country-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named (OK, it’s France), but an accurate description used to give the consumer of said “full belly toast” knowledge of what wonderment lies ahead. Made from scratch with deal-sealing buttermilk, it’s heaven on a plate. With syrup.

1. Weck’s

2. Flying Star Café

Runner-up: The Range Cafe and Bakery

Best Omelet

The saying goes that you’ve got to break a few eggs to make an omelet. Well, the folks at The Range must break an entire coup’s-worth every morning because you think they’ve got the best ommies around. Plus, they won’t look at you funny if you order yours with whites only and extra queso. They realize there’s no need to make you feel uncomfortable that early in the day.

1. The Range Café and Bakery

2. Weck’s

Runners-up: Flying Star Café, Le Peep

Best Breakfast Burrito

We are notoriously picky about our breakfast burritos. Items that incur a black mark in the burrito database include, but are not limited to: runny eggs, unyielding tortillas, stale potatoes, not enough cheese, undercooked meat and heatless chile. We know it’s not rocket science, but plenty of places in town have merited a frowny face for their preparation of this, the holiest of New Mexican foods. Luckily, you don’t have to go far to find the real thing. Frontier Restaurant and satellite Golden Pride BBQ Chicken and Ribs locations have the good stuff—the soft tortillas, the delicious hash browns, the perfectly cooked scrambled eggs, the flavorful chile and plenty of cheese.

1. Frontier Restaurant, Golden Pride BBQ Chicken and Ribs (tied)

2. Dos Hermanos

Runner-up: Blake’s Lotaburger

Best Brunch

It’s Sunday morning, and whether your Saturday night entailed drinking unspeakable amounts of booze or you just stayed up too late watching reruns of "Murder, She Wrote," a mimosa is in order. And perhaps some eggs. Also, a piece of tasty toast, a side of hash browns and definitely fruit. Well, look no further, Albuquerque, in this city of pretty decent brunch options, Alibi readers have chosen a few different eateries in a three-way tie. Whether it’s the jazz at Zinc , healthful choices at The Grove or the New Mexican and traditional breakfast foods at Weck’s , you can rest easy knowing someone’s there to make your morning better. Much better.

1. The Grove Café and Market, Weck’s, Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro (tied)

2. Le Peep

Runner-up: Ambrozia

Best Bacon

Bacon is such an amazing accomplishment of the pig that one wonders why Moses’ people erected a golden cow. They totally should have gone with the pig. Breakfast can be called the most important meal of the day only when a side of sacred swine, perfectly fried, transcends delight and brings the diner to euphoria. Gold Street Caffé has a long history of paying proper reverence to the perfection that is bacon. Served alongside some sunny-side-up eggs or atop a BLT, these guys turn fatback into a religious experience.

1. Gold Street Caffé

2. Waffle House

Runners-up: Flying Star Café, Weck’s

Best Eggs Benedict

Maybe it’s just us, but we love a good set of eggs benedict, and there doesn’t seem to be enough of it in this town. Of course, who wouldn’t love something drizzled in a sauce made of egg yolks, lemon and butter? We demand more! Restaurateurs should take example from Le Peep , which is, unfortunately, a chain, but still garnered the largest amount of votes in this category.

1. Le Peep

2. Gold Street Caffé

Runner-up: The Grove Café and Market

Best Healthy Breakfast

Although some of you wondered "what’s the point?," you also recognized that Flying Star is awesome because it has fattening French toast for when you’re feeling naughty and egg white scrambles when you’re feeling nice. You can pig out guilt-free, yet your non-dieting friends won’t hate you for dragging them somewhere that doesn’t use real butter. That’s what friendship’s all about, after all. Compromise. And butter.

1. Flying Star Café

2. Waffle House

Runners-up: Annapurna Ayurvedic Cuisine and Chai House, Weck’s

Best Toast

OK, it’s settled. Anything breakfast-related that Weck’s touches turns to gold. Edible gold. Weck’s even does toast right, which is nothing to scoff at. It’s not just about pushing the handle of the Toastmaster down. It’s about the bread’s quality, having the right amount of butter and assuring it has the perfect golden hue before being served, warm. See, breakfast gold.

1. Weck’s

2. Flying Star Café

Runners-up: Gold Street Caffé, Mannie’s Family Restaurant, Sophia’s Place

Best Cup of Coffee

Plain, simple, delightful drip coffee. Finding a great cup isn’t an easy task, but Albuquerque knows where to go for a good cup o’ joe: Satellite Coffee . Its hand-selected beans are roasted right here in the Duke City by The Coffee Man, Mark Bernstein, making it dang near the freshest coffee a caffeine-head could hope for. Those Satellite folks really, really love their coffee, and it shows in every drop.

1. Satellite Coffee

2. Starbucks

Runners-up: Winning Coffee Co., The Daily Grind, The Grove Café and Market