Breakfast at Cappy's a Capital Idea?

Cappy's Cafe

5903 West Coast Highway

Newport Beach, CA 92663

Well, we finally made it inside a restaurant after a long three months, kind of. After nearly 90 days of takeout, failed cooking experiments at home, and lots of bagged salads that I consumed trying to keep the 10 pounds off that the quarantine added to almost everyone, we sat on the patio of a restaurant. Katie was still a little skittish about being sat inside, so the patio was a great first step in our return to a little normalcy.

We parked just past the Newport Beach Pier and decided to walk the nearly 2 miles each way to Cappy's Cafe on PCH. For years I have wanted to give this place a try. This blue painted restaurant has stood out to me the numerous times I have driven by it since it opened for business in 1982. What also stood out to me was the numerous mentions I had read about this diner in the dearly departed OC Weekly, OC Register, and their Yelp reviews, which give a glowing 4 stars with close to 700 reviews.

Cappy's is only open for breakfast and lunch. Their menu is predictably breakfast-centric, but they do have burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and salads for late risers. The breakfast options are plentiful, with omelets, skillets, breakfast burritos, and other egg specialties taking up two whole pages. Mostly everything on the menu will set you back near or around $14, with only the two steak and egg plates going over the $20 mark. There's also a full bar menu for those that want to start their morning with a mimosa, bloody mary, or any other cocktail to keep the party going. I was looking at a two-mile walk back to the car, so it would be iced tea for me, but let's see if the food at Cappy's is truly the best breakfast in town, like they proclaim on the side of their building.

I was a little taken aback by Katie's selection of the Avocado Toast with Lox added ($14). She's nowhere close to being a millennial and usually likes a more substantial breakfast. She later claimed that she got this on a whim, and it was better than what she thought it was going to be. Toast is used as a base and then layered with slices of avocado, salmon, an over-easy egg, and sliced tomato is the topper. She was a little skeptical that the salmon was going to be fresh, but it was, and the rest of the meal was more substantial than the usual humdrum avocado toast. She opted for the loaded potatoes for the extra $2, which meant that their homefries are topped with melted cheddar cheese, peppers, and onions. This breakfast got an enthusiastic thumbs up from Katie and gave her the energy to walk the remaining two miles back to our car. 

I've been on a real Country Fried Steak ($16) kick lately, and that's the way I leaned on this particular Sunday morning as well. This one has been the best I've had recently. The steak was breaded nicely, with a slight crunch to the outer crust. The steak inside was fine, but the gravy provided much of the flavor here. The scrambled eggs were fine, while the potatoes were pretty solid with the added cheese. Definitely worth the two extra dollars. With my meal I went with the biscuits and gravy, since I walked here, I figured I might as well treat myself. The biscuits were pillowy soft and the gravy was a nice accompaniment. Way better than sliced toast.

I haven't eaten at all of the breakfast spots in Newport, but out of the ones I have; The Galley Cafe, Haute Cakes Caffe, and Wilma's Patio, to name a few, I would say that Cappy's is right on par with all of them. So when they claim to serve the best breakfast in town, they just might. I do know it was great being able to get back inside a restaurant, even if we were seated on their side patio. It was a pleasure to be waited on by their very capable staff. Their youthful exuberance and safety measures that they employed throughout the restaurant were a welcome alternative from getting food to go, and having it require slight reheating in the microwave after arriving home. In case you were wondering, face masks and gloves were worn by all staff we came in contact with, there was a  section of their parking lot used for additional outside seating, and each party was spaced at least six feet apart. It really helped to put Katie's mind at ease. I'd classify Cappy's as good diner food, which along with us getting some much-needed exercise made this one of the better Sundays we have had in months.

Out of five cans of fruit juice, (because Cappy's is also a brand of fruit juice served in 25 countries and is owned by the Coca Cola Company), five being best to zero being worst, Cappy's Cafe gets 3 cans of fruit juice.

For more information about Cappy's Cafe, head to their website here: https://www.cappyscafe.com/