It’s 6:45 a.m., and upon walking into the small diner on North Washington Ave, I’m instantly awakened by the pleasant aroma of coffee and the chatter of the usual early-morning crowd that fills the bar and cozy booths.

Darcy’s Cafe is the kind of small-town eatery where locals come together before their morning shifts to fuel up on some homestyle breakfast staples and chat with others about everything from the weather, how their families are doing and the happenings of Grand Forks.

Darcy’s home-brewed coffee is not the strongest, but at less than $2 a cup and with generous unlimited refills, it does the job of prepping even the sleepiest diner up for the day. The coffee, along with some conversation with any of the people in the diner, and any of the items from their expanding, but still breakfast-centered menu, guarantee a pleasant start to anyone’s day.

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Darcy's Cafe has served homemade, comfort food to the Grand Forks community for decades.

While they don’t allow substitutions for the platters on their menu, there are plenty of options that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters, and each item is delicious on their own. From sunny-side up to hard boiled, the eggs, no matter how you order them, will come out just the way that you want to.

The bacon and other meats the menu offers, such as sausage links and patties, are included in different combinations, are always savory and come in hearty servings. So savory, in fact, that they may be a little bit high on grease, but that is a part of what makes breakfast platters so delicious.

My favorite part of their typical breakfast staples, however, are Darcy’s buttermilk pancakes. At around five inches each and served in threes, they are warm and buttery, and after being slathered with their maple syrup, they are somehow reminiscent of childhood memories of weekend mornings when, after sleeping in, I would wake up to a hot and fresh breakfast courtesy of my parents.

For fifty cents more, you can add chocolates, pecans and blueberries to your pancakes, which, I can say from personal experience, is completely worth it. To spoil yourself even a little but more in the breakfast game, I suggest trying the pumpkin pancakes with pecans and icing, which is just as delicious by itself as it is with syrup.

For something off the beaten path of breakfast staples, Darcy’s Cafe also offers protein and flavor-packed omelettes. Dave’s Special in particular is packed with what green bell peppers, green onions, celery, diced ham, hash browns, sausage chunks, bits of fried bacon and shreds of cheddar cheese, all contained in softly fried eggs. The Special, after being dipped in ketchup, was delicious in many ways: crispy, savory and just what the most important meal of the day needs.

Whether it’s your first stop at the beginning of a long work day or you find yourself with your closest friends at the cozy diner for a relaxing weekend brunch after a long week, Darcy’s is the perfect place in town to get some hot, home cooked breakfast food, freshly-brewed and bottomless coffee and conversation with the friendly locals who can’t think of a Grand Forks without Darcy’s Cafe.

Stephanie Hollman is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]