Nan's Café

What seemed like it was way back in 1970' somethin, I journeyed to Nan's Cafe, located in North Reading, MA with a rather large group of associates. This group included Breakfast Blog veterans Nicholas "Nicky" Labranche, and Liam Sullivan. Also accompanying me were some new faces including Michelle Bettencourt, Alexa Mcguire, Kaelin Page, Alex Panagiotakos, and Brooke Sturtevant.

Michelle, Nicky, Alexa, Kaelin, Alex, Liam, Brooke, and myself preparing for an intense breakfast session.

I had received many good reviews about Nan's Cafe… almost too many. Something was up. It seemed whoever I asked where to go to breakfast, they gave me a long narrative as to why I should visit Nan's. It was being shoved down my throat. So, I decided to put Nan's to the test and see if this truly was a great breakfast establishment, or just a fad that was being hyped up by a bunch teenage girls, like, "froyo."

(For anyone who says Froyo isn't a fad, let me hit you with some knowledge. (I would like to apologize for my colorful language in advance.)

Instead of buying all of their buildings, and starting their company from the ground up, making a lasting impression on the public like ice-cream once did, Froyo leased all of their chain-spots for only two years. They knew it wouldn't last, so they didn't fully commit to their business idea. And what do you know, just as the owners had predicted, Froyo sales have plummeted in recent months. Why? Because it was a FAD. Have you noticed Froyo locations around your house disappearing left and right, while the classic ice cream stands we know and love have stood tall and strong. Yeah me too. Fuck you Froyo... you fad.)

Outside look at Nan's Cafe.

ATMOSPHERE

Nan's was different from most diner's. Very small and unnoticeable from the outside, but don't let the size fool you, this diner packs a punch. The interior design really empowers you and makes you feel good. This wasn't just a vibe that I picked up from the place either. There are literally motivational quotes and pictures all over the walls. Honestly, walking into Nan's I wasn't feeling so hot. I had a stomach ache, a head ache, I felt bloated, and I thought to myself, "How am I going to make it through this meal without throwing up all over everyone's faces." When I sat down and asked for a water, (which I never do because water's boring, but anything else at the time may not have agreed with my digestive system) I looked up. I was then reminded by the walls of Nan's that I need to, "Be Amazing" and that I, "Glitter, Sparkle, and Shine." My spirits were lifted instantaneously. I needed to stuff my face full of food.. not just for myself, but for you.. the readers. I needed to be amazing, and as god as my witness, I left it all out on the field.

Aside from the positive reinforcement, there wasn't much of a theme here. There were some pictures of antique cars on the walls, a, "Where the Wild Things Are" picture, a painting of nan's, and carpet. All in all it was all over the place. Very random, but good random in my opinion. I respect that the owner of Nan's just decorates the place with whatever the hell they want. She answers to nobody. Overall I give the atmosphere two thumbs up.

Front room of Nan's

Front room of Nan's with Nicky

Pictures of classic cars inside Nan's

Panoramic view of Nan's.

Mural of Nan's Cafe inside of Nan's Cafe. A little inception going on here. Also,  Liam and Nicky's faces.

"Where The Wild Things Are" picture

Motivation plastered on the walls of Nan's with part of Brooke's face.

More motivation and part of Alexa's face

SERVICE

The service at Nan's was pristine. I'm going to leave this section short because words can't justify how involved the owner/waitress' were with their customers. They made you feel like a close family friend, paying a visit too their house for a little brunch, and to catch up on the scuttlebutt of the neighborhood.

As a testament to how friendly they were, the owner took a selfie with me. That's right, a selfie. Dare you to find another place where that'll happen.

On top of their friendliness, they knew the menu front to back and what was in each meal. They made sure you made the right decision on what to eat. Overall, service was awesome.

Selfie I took with the owner of Nan's

LIAM

Liam McQueen Sullivan. Liam has been one of my closest acquaintances since the 7th grade. Overall just a great human. If their is one thing I know about Liam, he is different. He really just marches to the beat of his own drummer. This is what makes him special, and why he is a regular here at the Breakfast Blog. I took this opportunity to talk about Liam because he really showed what he was all about during this particular visit. 

To start, throughout the meal Liam mysteriously would leave the table over and over again to take calls outside. When asked what they were about he would reply with, "Nothing." or just not answer at all. I loved how he kept everyone at the table on their toes. For me, this was normal Liam behavior in his natural habitat so I paid no attention to it.. but for everyone else, this was one of their first Liam encounters. Some were worried, some were just bothered by who/what he was talking to. It amazed me that he could play with the emotions of almost everyone at the table with such a simple action. And, as the late Billy Mays from Oxyclean once said, "But wait, There's more."

When paying for the food, Liam pulls out a few $2 bills and slaps them on the table like an absolute baller. He didn't care about the rarity/luck of having a $2 bill, he just cared about what they could buy him. He didn't give a shit. Might as well have given him a couple of 1's grandma Sullivan! Because Liam's cashing this shit in no matter what. (Grandparents are usually the ones to give out $2 bills as a gift. Not sure if this is how Liam got them, but they had to come from somewhere, so just roll with me here.)

[]D[][]\/[][]D (pimp)

Liam's $2 bills

FOOD

Now for the food. The food here was spectacular. Not sure if I used this quote from How I Met Your Mother before, but this meal was nothing short of god speaking to us, through food.

We'll start off with the most popular meal at our table. The Scrambler. The scrambler was the special of the day so most of us thought we should give it a try. All around… great reviews. It consisted of scrambled eggs (My favorite form of egg. If you did't know that by now then get out of my face.), tomatoes, and SPINACH. That's right, spinach. With eggs. Absolute insanity. In this chaos of a plate however, there was harmony. All of these wild flavors sloshing around in my mouth somehow found piece, creating what was a Mona Lisa of egg dishes.

Next was my own dish that I got along with the scrambler ( I have a large appetite) called, The Banana Nut French Toast. It tasted just as good as it sounded. Simply just french toast, covered in banana Nuts, banana, powdered sugar, and caramel. Truly magnificent. The first bite was just as good as the last. Along with this, it was big enough to satisfy my hunger.

Next I'll talk about the food I didn't have the pleasure of tasting. Liam got chocolate chip pancakes, and Nicky got an oreo pancake. My first impression of their meals was that they wouldn't leave hungry. The pancakes were massive. Being 2 inches thick with a circumference that took up the whole plate, they were enormous. Nicky said said that the size wasn't just there to make up for lack of taste either, and that they were delicious. I would have asked Liam what his opinion was, but he was busy taking calls, and talking about how if a girl ever punched him, he would pull a knife on her. ( He didn't specify whether he'd actually stab his female attacker as well or if it was just a scare tactic to stop the hypothetical altercation.)

Kaelin got a regular breakfast sandwich… or so we thought. When it came out my jaw dropped. The sandwich was enormous just like the pancakes. Large servings seemed to be a reoccurring theme here at Nan's. It's as if all of the food had been going to the gym with future Syracuse football star, Shy Cullen, or something. It was astounding.

Lastly, I want to talk about a must have at Nan's. To me, this is what made this place great. The blueberry pancake ice-cream. It was a serving of ice cream with blueberry pancake mixed in. Although the title is simple and self-explanatory, the taste was not. I let out a long grunt of pleasure after the first bite, and then continued to moan and weep tears of joy as I continued to eat it. Absolutely spectacular. The only downside to this dish is I ran out. I could've eaten it for eternity.

On top of the taste of all the food, it was well presented as well. All of the dishes were presented in a way that seemed like they should be on the food network. This isn't a necessity to good food, but it's a nice thing to have. Overall, the food gets an A++.

Nan's Menu

Banana Nut French Toast

The Scrambler

Alex showcasing The Scrambler, with Kaelin and Brooke gossiping in the background.

Liam sizing up his pancakes.

Kaelin smiling with her breakfast sandwich. So big that George Bush may mistake it for a WMD.

Alexa going in on her Blueberry Pancake Ice-cream

Nicky and I posing for a picture before our high school graduation with future Syracuse football player, Shy Cullen.

Overall the experience at Nan's was great. A little far from home for me to be a regular, but again, just great. On top of this, the pricing was spectacular. We ordered our small feast for around $8-$10 dollars each, which is an absolute steal in the breakfast world.

Nan's Cafe: Strongly Recommended