The smell of fresh bacon and homemade maple syrup flooded the house, slowly waking me up. I walked to the kitchen to see a full spread of breakfast on the table. Being a huge fan of breakfast foods, I set out to find the best local breakfast restaurant in Holland. From each restaurant, I ordered one egg scrambled, one pancake, and bacon; I judged each restaurant based on the following scale. Each restaurant had the chance to earn 55 points.
Eggs, pancakes, and bacon
- 1-5 points for the presentation of each food.
- 1-5 points for even seasoning and taste of each food.
- 1-5 points for the cooking of each food; each item should be evenly cooked, not raw or burnt, to receive full points.
Overall visit
- 1-5 points for the service.
- 5 points minus the price of each food item; for example, if a pancake was $3, the score would be 2/5.
Windmill
On Saturday afternoon, I decided to dine at Windmill around two o’clock. The restaurant was empty except for a few tables. The workers were still cleaning up after the morning rush. The sound of silverware clinking together mixed with the soft background noise of the radio. The staff was very friendly. I put in my order right away, and my food was ready in ten minutes.
The waiter placed two warm plates in front of me; one plate for the pancake and the other for the egg and bacon. The crispy, thin bacon glistened with grease. I picked up a piece and bit down with a crunch. The bacon tasted smoky, dry, and slightly burnt. The size of the egg was partially disappointing, but it was only one egg so I didn’t expect much. The egg was not scrambled well; the yolk and whites of the egg were separated. It was not thoroughly cooked, some parts were dry and some were raw. However, the egg did have good seasoning and flavor. The fluffy, golden pancake covered the entire plate. It smelled like pancake mix and flour. The pancake tasted very dry and sticky. I found myself reaching for my water after every bite. The pancake definitely depended on butter or syrup to add moisture and flavor. My Windmill breakfast was overall quite cheap; the egg was $1.80, the pancake was $2.85, and bacon was about 80 cents per slice. Windmill is a town favorite breakfast diner, but their food was disappointing. Windmill is the place to go for omelets and cinnamon rolls, but not an average breakfast.
deBoer Bakkerij
Sunday morning, I woke up and went out for breakfast‒ three times. My first stop was deBoer Bakkerij. DeBoer is always packed on Sunday mornings. I arrived around ten o’clock and opened the door to the smell of baked goods, coffee, and syrup filling my nose. Waiters were rushing around serving customers; waiting customers filled the bakery area. Luckily, there were some open seats at the bar. I sat down at the bar and was handed a menu five minutes later. I sat across from the kitchen window where the steaming food was placed when it was ready to be served. I ordered right away and received my food in a record time of eight minutes.
The scrambled egg was mixed well and cooked thoroughly. Only a small part of the egg was gooey. The egg was well seasoned and warm, yet slimy. The three slices of greasy bacon looked crispy, yet still fatty. One piece of bacon was very crispy, one was fatty, and one was a perfect combination of both. The bacon had the signature bacon taste and smell. The brown pancake was the size of a plate. It was served with powdered sugar on top and appeared overcooked. The pancake had a tough exterior, and I struggled to cut it into pieces, however, the inside was thick and fluffy with good moisture, but it tasted slightly charred. The price was 80 cents for each bacon slice, $3 for a pancake, and $1.50 for an egg. I spent the least amount of time and money in deBoer. DeBoer definitely lives up to their reputation.
The Biscuit
After a short drive to the south side of town, I arrived at The Biscuit. I had never eaten at The Biscuit before, so I was excited to try their breakfast. Near 11 o’clock, I walked down Washington Square and entered the small, quaint restaurant. The interior was very bright and homey. The sound of coffee pouring and quiet conversations filled the room. After waiting for a very long and boring 40 minutes, I was finally seated at a small table. I ordered immediately, and 25 minutes later my food was served.
All my food was served on one small plate. The egg was not mixed or cooked thoroughly. It was very juicy and undercooked, but it was warm and tasted buttery. At the top of my plate, there were two slices of crispy bacon; they had the average greasy bacon taste. Below the bacon was a small pancake about the size of my palm. It was about half the size of the other pancakes for the same price. The pancake was golden and fluffy, but it was not cooked thoroughly; parts of the pancake contained dry or wet batter. The total bill was $7.50. One pancake was $3, an egg was $1.75, and bacon was about $1.40 each slice. Overall, the long wait for below average food was not worth it.
Anna’s house
Anna’s House is a favorite breakfast restaurant of mine, so I had high expectations. At one in the afternoon, I entered the teal wallpaper covered diner. Lively music was playing while customers were waiting to be seated. I placed my name on the waiting list and waited outside on a wooden bench. After 27 minutes, the hostess led me through the 1960’s themed restaurant to my booth. I placed the order for my last breakfast of the day.
Three warm plates full of food were placed in front of me 11 minutes later. At this point, I was completely stuffed, but the food looked appetizing, and I needed to finish my mission. I started off with the egg; it was mixed completely and looked smooth. The egg was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. I reached for the bacon next; there were four slices of flimsy, greasy bacon. The bacon had a smoked applewood flavor, but it was very fatty and chewy. All I had left was the massive pancake. It was golden and fluffy, with good moisture and seasoning. Their pancake was the only pancake that I really enjoyed without having to add any syrup or butter to it. It was by far the best pancake. With the total coming to $9.75, Anna’s house was the most expensive; a pancake was $4, an egg was $1.50, and each slice of bacon was about $1.06.
In the end, the competition was tough; each restaurant had great food, however, there had to be a winner. Anna’s house and deBoer put up a tough fight, but deBoer gained the most points overall. While most of the breakfast restaurants had a specialty, deBoer had all around good food, which put them in the lead.
The scores are as follows:
deBoer | 49.7/55 |
Windmill | 42.6/55 |
Anna’s House | 47.94/55 |
The Biscuit | 45.85/55 |
deBoer | Presentation | Taste | Cooking degree | Service | Price | Total |
Eggs | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3.5/5 | ||
Pancakes | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | ||
Bacon | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4.2/5 | ||
Total | 12/15 | 12/15 | 11/15 | 5/5 | 9.7/15 | 49.7/55 |
Windmill | Presentation | Taste | Cooking degree | Service | Price | Total |
Eggs | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3.2/5 | ||
Pancakes | 5/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 2.15/5 | ||
Bacon | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 4.25/5 | ||
Total | 11/15 | 8/15 | 9/15 | 5/5 | 9.6/15 | 42.6/55 |
The Biscuit | Presentation | Taste | Cooking degree | Service | Price | Total |
Eggs | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3.25/5 | ||
Pancakes | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | ||
Bacon | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3.6/5 | ||
Total | 12/15 | 10/15 | 11/15 | 4/5 | 8.85/15 | 45.85/55 |
Anna’s house | Presentation | Taste | Cooking degree | Service | Price | Total |
Eggs | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3.5/5 | ||
Pancakes | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 1/5 | ||
Bacon | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3.94/5 | ||
Total | 13/15 | 11/15 | 12/15 | 4/5 | 7.94/15 | 47.94/55 |