North Avenue Grill

A casual diner that's a must-try in Tosa

I stumbled upon North Avenue Grill when I was googling breakfast spots in Tosa. The reviews are consistently great, so I knew I had to add the Grill to my breakfast bucket list. They're open from 7am to 8pm Monday through Saturday, and 7am to 3pm on Sundays, serving breakfast all day, every day. All-day breakfast: The key to my heart.

All day or not, I met my parents there around noon — prime brunch time. North Avenue Grill is a small restaurant with your classic diner counter and a single row of booths along the wall of a narrow room. We were seated at the very back, right across from the kitchen. It was casual and pleasant in that diner-y way — absolutely nothing fancy about it. Our server actually reminded me of Tour Guide Barbie in Toy Story 2, adding to the warm, friendly vibe of the place.

It was hard to choose from the extensive menu. It seems like they repeat a lot of their breakfast ingredients in various iterations: Do you want your black bean, chorizo, and avocado eggs in an omelet, breakfast quesadilla, skillet, or wrap sandwich? And then of course there are breakfast classics like pancakes, waffles, and French toast. Feeling overwhelmed, I went for the Eggwhite and Chesse Sammie with avocado, spinach, tomato, and cheddar cheese served on toasted ciabatta bread. It tasted fresh and delicious. The American fries were cooked to perfection, if rather bland. But show me a breakfast potato that isn't bland. (Really, show me!)

My mom ordered the Eggs Benedict and my dad went for a skillet — yum and yum. We all agreed we would happily return, though we would probably choose something new to eat with such a big menu of options. And from what I've heard firsthand from friends, North Avenue Grill's lunch and dinner menu is worth trying, too. Can we go back now?