Early Bird Brunch — Restaurant in Omaha

Complete and total satisfaction

This morning my wife and I visited Early Birds for brunch. Little did I know my life would soon never be the same.

I ordered the 13 or 17 or maybe it was the 16? The three blueberry lemon glaze pancakes topped with cream cheese streusal with 2 eggs made your way and bacon or sausage. I'd studied the menu all week in anticipation of this brunch and settled on this choice long before we arrived.

As the server approached, I saw my plate of pancakes so thicc so large they barely fit on the plate. 'Could this be my order?' I thought to myself. Yes, it was. He set the plate down in front of me as I stared. I don't even remember if I said Thank you or not. I was speechless. Three pancakes with lemon blueberry drizzled with cream cheese streusal frosting was before me. I was nervous. Where do I begin? How do I begin?

I grabbed my fork and went for a modest outside piece with just a touch of the streusal and punctured through a blueberry to ensure I got one. I took a bite and almost instantaneously levitated out of my seat. Let me preface this by saying I come from the Kodiak cake, PB Fit, egg white, sugar free syrup and if I'm feeling naughty a chopped up banana school of pancakes. I love 🥞 but also love not being 300lbs.

I finished my bite and floated back down in my seat. I was both parts absolutely incredulous and amazed. Each subsequent bite sent me in a further state of euphoria but yet as I neared the halfway point of my cakes a growing sense of dread began looming as I realized each bite would bring me closer to the end of this incredible journey.

I slowed my eating and set my fork down in between bites to prolong this meeting for as long as I could. My wife asked if everything was OK. Everything was more than okay. For once everything was right.

After several more minutes I cleaned my plate, paid my bill, and got up to leave. As I walked out the front door I put my sunglasses on and did not turn back to glance once more as I know I will return someday. I'm not sure when that day will be but I know my stack of decadent blueberry cakes with the cream cheese streusal will be there waiting for me like an unwavering lover.

My wife and I neared our vehicle when before getting in she says 'I just think it's funny you don't look at me like you looked at those pancakes. That's all.' We drove away in silence but the inside of my mind was still on fire from the intense encounter I had with the #17. Or was it the #14? The memories can...

Coming from out of state, I was initially impressed by the hospitality at a local McDonald’s where the manager visited each table, asking about our experience. I noticed he asked an employee to get a high chair for a customer before it was asked. I was blown away by such care.

The service at Early Bird was average in comparison. What I found lacking was the warm hospitality I had been set up with previously. There was something about the way the food or mug of coffee would be placed on our table that made me feel it was a chilled reception. Check-ins at the table were rare and we were lucky to flag some of the staff down. Food we had ordered was forgotten, so by the time we received it, the family member was too full to eat. It felt like the wait staff were busy but even so, stopping by to ask shouldn’t take much time and effort, right? The restaurant was busy, but I’m also used to Chicago busy where wait staff circle around no matter how chaotic the scene. At the restaurant, there are a lot of ppl who walk by and they seem to be staff who can help but not sure what they do. 😆 Instead, we spent more time than we cared for to try and figure out who worked there.

The breakfast was also just okay. I got the crab benny and could not finish the crab part. It tasted fishier than I preferred, so I scraped off the egg and ate the poached eggs with the hash. Quite possibly the most expensive poached eggs I’ve ever had. The best dish was the country fried steak. Everything else was forgettable, but what I can’t get past is the mediocre service for the...

FINALLY tried Early Bird for brunch this morning!

Pro tip: from past experience I knew that the only way you get a table during peak brunch hours is to join the Yelp waitlist ahead of time. I knew we’d want to show up around 10:45am-11:00am so I checked in at 9:40am and was 33rd in line with a recommended check in time of 10:53am. We arrived at 10:45am and only waited 3 min for our table. PERFECT timing.

Our host was great and our waitress was super friendly, helpful, and attentive. EXCELLENT service!

Here’s a breakdown of our meal:

𝗛𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 - Hash brown croquettes made with cheddar, smoked gouda, and bacon. Served with sriracha ketchup and queso.

𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 - served with whipped butter and maple syrup

𝗘𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼 - Flour tortilla stuffed with cheddar and jack cheese, scrambled eggs, hash browns, black beans, house carnitas, topped with queso, avocado cremā, and house salsa.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲 - Over medium eggs and crispy bacon on cinnamon raisin toast with whipped maple cream cheese. Served with cottage cheese and fruit.

I highly recommend the hash holes! Dipping them in the queso made them incredible. Such a delicious (yet filling) starter to our meal. Be advised that the El Gordo burrito is enough for two people. It was HUGE. My favorite was my entrée The Hippie. The whipped maple cream cheese goes soooo well with the cinnamon raisin toast. Sitting on the back patio in this cloudy crisp fall morning it was the perfect selection for a fall brunch.

I’m so glad we finally got to go. We will...