Featured Stories & Articles from Cape Cod Travel Magazine: The Beautiful Bountiful Breakfast
Slowing down to savor the morning meal
Vacationing is supposed to be about slowing down, taking time to savor the day and relish in relaxing. Breakfast is often rushed, or even skipped, but being on holiday means having the luxury of lingering, enjoying an omelet and doing the crossword puzzle, before heading out for the day’s activities. With an abundance of delicious breakfast spots to choose from on Cape Cod it doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a quick mocha latte and a cranberry muffin or two eggs over-easy with bacon, home fries and toast; from Woods Hole to Provincetown there’s a restaurant to fit your needs.
Upper Cape
Open since 1982, the Pie in the Sky Bakery and Café in Woods Hole is located near the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard and the Shining Sea Bikeway. The bakery’s homemade goods include various croissants, some made with whole wheat, muffins, scones, popovers and a slew of different breads. These delights can be enjoyed with freshly roasted, organic coffee either in the intimate café or out in their courtyard.
Persy’s Place, in Mashpee, lays claim to “New England’s largest breakfast and lunch menu.” The décor is pure country charm with booth-lined walls. The extensive menu includes crepes, Vermont maple syrup and fresh “in house” baked bread and a slew of traditional egg-centric selections. This Persy’s, actually a small chain with sister locations in Plymouth and Hyannis, is easy to get to, located just off the rotary by the Mashpee Commons shopping center.
Mid-Cape
In the heart of downtown Hyannis is The Original Gourmet Breakfast. This inviting and intimate local haunt has been owned and operated for 25 years by the same family. Summer weekends will often mean lengthy, but so well worth it, waiting lines. Their menu is a tribute to the omelet, proclaiming “thousands” of different possible combinations made to order with “farm fresh eggs.” Other specialties include Belgian waffles and thick-cut French toast dripping with maple syrup. Outdoor dining is available overlooking Hyannis’ busy Main Street. Look for the flower garden marking the restaurants tucked away entrance.
If shopping is on the day’s agenda, fuel up first with freshly made bagels, pastries or a variety of baked egg soufflés at Panera Bread across the street from the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis. The café and bakery is known for its artisan breads and unique array of bagels baked fresh every morning. The espresso bar and fruit smoothies alone are worth a visit.
In South Yarmouth, head to The Pancake Man, a local landmark on Route 28 in South Yarmouth since 1961. This enormous restaurant has an equally enormous variety of items including skillet egg dishes and entrées with a Mexican twist such as breakfast nachos. They even bake their own jumbo English muffin, perfect as a side.
The Hearth ‘n Kettle, also in South Yarmouth, manages to feel cozy even with its accommodating size. This restaurant, part of another small local chain with locations in Plymouth, Hyannis and Orleans, is decorated with beautiful hand-painted wall murals and offers plenty of private booths. If you bring the children, ask the hostess for a view of the on-site duck pond. Breakfast is served all day here and features the “Plantation Special” with eggs, bacon and sausage, and home fries and toast. Other items include an organic egg white frittata with vegetables, French toast and their unique harvest hash made with red bliss potatoes and butternut squash.
Lower Cape
Located well off the beaten track, Red Cottage Restaurant is a hidden gem in the historic district of South Dennis. The homey 1930s restaurant is indeed a red cottage with a rustic, no-frills charm. In addition to the usual suspects, some of the more unusual items on the menu are seasoned with a southern flair like grits or pecan waffles and homemade baked beans. This joint jumps, especially in the summer months, so waits are not usual, but the food is worth waiting for.
In Orleans, it’s the Hot Chocolate Sparrow that’s the place to be seen. The café and chocolate shop is also a coffeehouse where regulars like to sit around solving the world’s problems while pecking away on their laptops. The Sparrow, as it’s referred to locally is busy at all hours with varied crowds; moms and retirees in the morning, a young demographic in the afternoon and hipsters all day long. Favorites on the menu include a huge range of liquid goodies from the espresso bar featuring their homemade hot chocolate (they actually make the chocolate) and many organic coffee options. Food stuffs include fresh bagels, baked goods and egg sandwiches served all day.
Outer Cape
The Hole in One and the Fairway Restaurant in Eastham are actually two restaurants at one site. The Hole in One is the perfect breakfast on-the-go kind of spot with house-made donuts and outstanding coffee. For a more leisurely meal, choose the Fairway Restaurant down at the other end of the building serving a full-service breakfast. Menu highlights here include the homemade corned beef hash, country sausage gravy, crab cakes Benedict and potato pancakes. In Orleans, look for the sister Hole in One, this one a full-service kind of place.
With two stories of outdoor dining overlooking Wellfleet Harbor, the Bookstore & Restaurant is the perfect place for breakfast with a view. Savor that view while savoring the cranberry walnut pancakes with pure maple syrup or a simple egg sandwich. Family owned and operated since 1964, the Bookstore is conveniently located next to a playground and just steps from Wellfleet Harbor. And yes, there actually is an eclectic bookstore just behind the restaurant.
Commercial Street, Provincetown’s main drag, is the heart of this fun and funky town at the tip of Cape Cod. People watching is a favorite local pastime, so a portable breakfast is good idea. Find it at the Provincetown Portuguese Bakery where the melt-in-your-mouth traditional Portuguese malasadas are the way to go. A strategically positioned fan perched over the fryer let’s everyone know when they’re turning out a batch of the slightly sweet fried dough, and a queue of hungry diners comes quickly. The bakery has been serving these, along with other traditional Portuguese breads and pastries, for more than 30 years. They must be doing something right…right?
Pie in the Sky Bakery & Cafe
10 Water St., Woods Hole in Falmouth
508-540-5475
Open year round from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Persy’s Place
52 Rte. 28, Mashpee
508-477-6633
Open year round serving breakfast 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Original Gourmet Brunch
517 Main St., Hyannis
508-771-2558
Open year round, serving breakfast from 7:00 am to 2 p.m.
Panera Bread
790 Rte. 132, Hyannis in the Cape Town Plaza
508-862-8015
Open year round with eggs dishes served 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays and 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Pancake Man
952 Rte. 28, South Yarmouth
508-398-9532
Open mid February until the end of November, serving breakfast from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hearth ‘n Kettle
1196 Rte. 28, Yarmouth
508-394-2252
Open year round, full breakfast served 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with eggs and omelets served until 10 p.m.
Red Cottage Restaurant
36 Old Bass River Rd., South Dennis
508-394-2923
Open year round from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hot Chocolate Sparrow
5 Old Colony Way, Orleans
508-240-2230
Open year round at 6:30 a.m. serving breakfast items all day.
Bookstore & Restaurant
50 Kendrick Ave., Wellfleet
508-349-3154
Serving breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. closed January 2 until mid February
Hole in One and The Fairway Restaurant and Pizzeria – Two Locations
4295 Rte. 6, North Eastham
508-255-3893
Open year round, the Hole in One is open at 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the Fairway serves breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Provincetown Portuguese Bakery
299 Commercial St., Provincetown
508-487-1803
Open March to October 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
