When America’s egg farmers came up with the slogan “the incredible, edible egg,” Eggbert’s didn’t miss the memo. The Eastside restaurant starts their customers’ day off right with a full menu that features the protein-rich food.
The Kapa‘a diner, which is nestled in the corner of The Coconut Marketplace, opened in 1978 and has been serving up breakfast daily ever since. The gargantuan menu offers 10 different types of omelets (made from eggs or egg whites), three types of eggs Benedict, plus classic staples including French toast, pancakes, bacon and hash browns.
Touting themselves as Kaua‘i’s “original omelet house,” the owner of Eggbert’s claims on the menu “I never made an omelet before we opened in 19 hello 78.”
Most items on the breakfast menu don’t exceed $10, and the portions are just right — not too much, but just enough food to get your day started off on the right track.
I tried the eggs Benedict ($10.95). It included two poached eggs served on top of two slices of ham, two English muffins and topped with hollandaise sauce (a smooth, creamy mixture made of egg yolk and butter). It still remains a mystery how anyone poaches an egg, but the chef cooked them perfectly. My “soft” eggs were firm on the outside, and a little runny on the inside. The hollandaise sauce was scrumptious — it had a rich flavor with a bit of a kick, thanks to the cayenne pepper.
I also sampled the Eggbert’s Egg Plate #3 ($8.25), which came with a choice of meat, hash browns or rice, eggs and white or wheat toast.
The menu also includes local favorites —SPAM, Portuguese sausage and fried rice. The items on the plate weren’t floating in grease.
Eggbert’s also offers non-egg items, including pancakes ($5.95 for three buttermilk cakes). The pancakes are large, fluffy and thick, and an a full order can easily be split by two people. Customers have the option to add fruits or nuts to their stack of pancakes, which cost $2.25 per item. The coconut syrup is a most for anyone who hasn’t tried this sweet treat before.
The service was fast and friendly, but because of its location in Coconut Marketplace, the restaurant is often crowded with tourists waiting to get their day started.
Everything about Eggbert’s screams family restaurant, right down to the elmentary-aged girl that showed this writer to her seat.
The menu includes the story of how the breakfast eatery started (owners Richard and Keala postponed their wedding four times to open the restaurant), plus photos of their ohana and their favorite dishes.
Eggbert’s also offers a lunch menu, which begins at 11 a.m. Items include simple dishes, such as soup, burgers and sandwiches.
Eggbert’s is located at 4-484 Kuhio Hwy, Kapa‘a, and is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. For more information, call 822-4422.
30 years ago this week, while celebrating our honeymoon, we had a most memorable breakfast of Eggs Benedict and Hawaiian bread French Toast with coconut syrup at Eggbert’s. I now see that it is “permanently” closed. Best wishes for happier future endeavors.