Mexican cafe and bakery La Guadalupana serves up breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros, and fresh pan dulce from a well-worn strip center in the heart of Montrose. Known for hot cinnamon coffee and a signature drink called the vampiro—a rumored hangover cure combination of beet, orange, and carrot juice—La Guadalupana is busy with regulars, neighborhood locals, and at least one table of 20-somethings. Head here early mornings for a plate of something comforting, and then take a few empanadas to go.

You could order one of everything at Tel-Wink Grill in the Greater East End and the servers wouldn’t even bat an eye. These people are professional diner servers (each server even has their name posted on the wall near their section). They’ve seen some things. Want to take down a place of chicken fried steak and eggs, fried catfish and eggs, hash browns, and a short stack of pancakes on your own? It’s your life, and Tel-Wink respects that.

For those who like breakfast with a side of cilantro chutney and a green juice, hit up Pondi Bake Lab above Pondicheri in Upper Kirby. The modern Indian counter-service spot not only has a bright color palette, but also colorful and surprising food like masala-spiked scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms with savory waffles, and a pastry case full of turmeric cakes and chili cookies. Join the other athleisure clad diners here for a post-yoga refuel, or just because.

Baby Barnaby’s in Montrose not only serves the best and most crispy breakfast potatoes, but does so from a postage-sized dining room with maybe the best serving staff in town. We don’t know this for sure, but considering the servers are always the same (there are only three), always working, and always remembers the names and orders of every regular, we are convinced Baby Barnaby’s is not only a great breakfast restaurant, but also some kind of non-stop breakfast theater performance.

The tiny panaderia and breakfast cafe Imperial Bakery might not look open from the outside, but it serves some of the most simple and comforting breakfast in the East End. Most plates cost less than $10, come with handmade tortillas, and are served by someone who you may or may not imprint upon as a grandmother. Enjoy some huevos Mexicanos while taking in the latest gossip from folks popping in and out for coffee and empanadas de piña.

A long-time staple of the great Westbury-Bellaire-Sharpstown triangle, New York Deli makes the best bagels in town. The tiny, ‘80s linoleum dining room gets packed on weekends when everyone nearby shows up for a couple dozen everything bagels to go and a plate of eggs and lox. Sit at the small diner counter if rolling up solo or split a plate of challah french toast and some cheese blintzes for a brunch.

From the minds behind Reggae Hut, The Breakfast Klub often has a line of people out of the door and hugging the corner. Make good use of your time while you wait, and have your order ready because once inside, everything at the counter service Midtown spot moves at lightning speed. Make your choice from Southern-style classics like golden crispy catfish and grits, crackling fried chicken and waffles, and pillowy biscuits doused in hearty pork gravy.

Laredo Taqueria in Washington Heights always has a line wrapping around the building, no matter the time of day, but especially at breakfast. Flour tortillas are the standard here—ordering corn complicates things and also slows down the line. These tortillas lovingly cradle some of the best breakfast tacos in the city. Try them with bacon, chorizo, sausage, or spicy potatoes.

This Taiwanese breakfast spot in Chinatown serves rice rolls stuffed with various fillings that make them the ultimate breakfast on the go. If you have a sweet tooth, get the sweet rice roll with pork floss. And for the savory breakfast heads, there’s an egg pancake loaded with sausage that should be served in multiples (so get two, just to be safe).

There are multiple locations of Avalon Diner, and the OG location serves the best kind of breakfast: one that’s available all day. The Montrose diner serves loads of chicken fried steak, fluffy pancakes, french toast, and grits as long as the doors are open. Grab a seat at the bar counter and snack on a treat from the gumball machine. Or, settle into a well-loved booth and get started on reading through the dense menu as a server makes their way to your table to read out the daily specials.