Philly Breakfast?

Will be there this weekend - prefer a locals place....diner or lunch counter..thanks in advance!
 
Oh - will be at the Holiday Inn next to the Sports complex.....

Go to Tony Luke's.  They have nice breakfast menu  but I would order the  roast pork and rabe sandwich!

Carmen's in South Philadelphia. And Holly Moore will back me up on this one. Check his site (hollyeats.com) for details.

CW - Our mutual Philadelphia friend steered me away from Carmen's.  She lives less than a block away and I asked her about it because we kept walking past it to go anywhere.  
 
Does she not know of what she speaks?

The Morning Glory Diner at 10th and Fitzwater serves very high quality breakfast food. And they have a counter.

I'd check out Reading Terminal for a PA Dutch Breakfast including SCRAPPLE! Plenty of good bakeries there too!
http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/merchants/view/40
http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/merchants/view/2

Traveling Man,
 
Carman's is the sort of place one either "gets" or doesn't get. A lot of folks in Carman's immediate neighborhood don't.  They come in looking for a fried egg sandwich or a 4.99 breakfast special and are put off by her limited menu and the prices.  Or they take exception to the sign on the side of her truck which refers to what Carman puts into country or to the exotic knickknacks prominently displayed in most nooks and crannies. Or the lines. Or the servers or Carman who do not suffer fools or attitude very well.  
 
Carman's menu changes every week.  Just four items - pancakes or waffles, french toast, an omelet and a special.  Last weekend's choices included:
 
- Roasted Buttermilk Squash pancakes with bananas and roasted Chestnuts
 
- Challah French Toast topped with Fresh Pineapple in Vanilla Yogurt with Blueberry Syrup.
 
- Bean Omelet  (16 different kinds) with Mashed Carrots and Savory Cabbage
 
- Pan-Grilled Duck Breast-herbs and homemade persimmon/pear/ginger glaze and two eggs.
 
With coffee and tip I spend about $22 or so.  More brunch than breakfast pricing.
 
I've been a regular at Carman's for something like fifteen years - just about every week when I'm in town.
 
There is no place anywhere like Carman's.  I'd say give it a try and decide for yourself.

Yeow, I was going to send you to Shank and Evelyn's.  I googled and saw they closed.
 
Thanks to Holly for the update on their new location.
 
Now Lou, don't go in there lookin like a tourist.  If it's the same owners, it will take you all day to get waited on
 
I have only had lunch twice at their old location, and they were spectacular! 

ConeyIslandLou,
 
Along with Carman's, which while it does have a counter may not be the sort of place you're looking for, some other options that haven't been mentioned:
 
- The Penrose, Oregon or Melrose Diner - Diner fare, prepared ok but not great. All are close to your hotel.
 
- If you don't mind outdoors and standing at a counter, Johnny Hot's on Delaware Avenue for a sausage, fried egg and pepper sandwich.
 
- Also at Reading Terminal Market - Jack McDavid's Down Home Diner - very good southern style breakfasts.
 
- Famous Deli - Lot's of history, New York deli fare, and obscenely large portions.
 
-Aartisan Boulanger Patissier - a bakery with a counter and a selection of savory pastries.

Holly - 
 
Thanks for the more in-depth knowledge on the place.  So far, all I had heard was "don't go" from someone whose opinion I respect and now Scott's "go" opinion - from someone whose opinion I respect.  You are right - it sounds like the kind of place I should try on my own...but, I may need to sneak out of my friend's house to go there on my own!
 
FWIW, nothing you describe sound like things that would turn her away.  50 Food Dates is her (very) new blog based on hitting all of the places mentioned in Philly mag's Top 50 list.  After my own cursory glance at that magazine, the restaurants it suggests, personal knowledge of her tastes and the information you provided, it sounds like it would be way more up HER alley than mine!  I will try to give it a shot, though, because the Roadfood restaurant that it SOUNDS like it most resembles, if there is one, is Lynn's Paradise Cafe in Louisville.  Lynn's does have a more extensive menu, but other than that, they sound pretty similar to me.

Though I'm not that much of a Yelp fan, Carman's Country Kitchen reviews show the dichotomy between those who love Carman's and those who hate it.
 
It was Carman who introduced me to Lynn's Paradise.  She hit it on one of her road trips, became best buds with the owner, and returned with t-shirts, a video, menus, coffee cups etc. 
 
Along with menu, the big difference between Lynn's and Carman's is size.  Carman's has three tables set for two that can expand to a crowded four and maybe ten counter stools. (In the summer, there is also a table for 6-8 in the bed of her pick-up truck.) Because it is so small, there is a lot of interplay with Carman.  That is really what makes Carman's so unique. 

Well, at least I drew the right connection!  :)
 
I guess in some ways it also sounds like Shopsin's in NYC - but, again, you lose the parallel with the exceptionally limited menu.  Shopsin's would be the exact opposite of the limited menu concept.

Reading Terminal Market.  Have an egg,cheese and andouille po boy at Beck's Cajun.  Coffee or espresso at Old City.  Banana and Nutella crepe from Profi's Creperie.  Muffin, cookies or pastry from LeBus, Flying Monkey or Metropolitan bakeries.  After that it'll be time for lunch!  DiNics, Carmen's, Salumeria...

Not a diner or lunch counter but had an excellent breakfst at Honey's Sit-N-Eat.  Kind of a trendy, hipster place (I myself am not) but fantastic food that I would return to in a minute (don't miss their take on latkes).
 
It's a mile or two north of Old City, in a residential neighhborhood.
 
http://honeys-restaurant.com/
 

ConeyIslandLou


Will be there this weekend - prefer a locals place....diner or lunch counter..thanks in advance!

Oh - will be at the Holiday Inn next to the Sports complex.....

Did you make it to Philly?  Any good meal(s)?