Two Hippies: The breakfast that bombed
This joint serves breakfast
I’m a big fan of breakfast on the weekends. My boyfriend and I enjoy eating this meal out and reading the newspaper while we’re at it. So we’re always on the look-out for a breakfast place we haven’t tried.
I’ve been hanging out a lot lately in the Melrose neighborhood on 7th Avenue in Phoenix. It’s not far from my house, it’s a bit on the eclectic side (think rainbows and alternative lifestyle), and I’ve found some really great restaurants there. One I hadn’t yet tried was one of the Two Hippies locations. They have about five in this general area; they don’t all serve breakfast–two serve tacos, one serves pizza, one serves burgers, and then there’s this place, the breakfast joint.
Seriously, that’s the name. Two Hippies Breakfast Joint is located in a strip shopping center on 7th Avenue, just north of Indian School Road. So I suggested we try it. From the outside, it looks cool–a few barstools, painted windows. It looks worth the step inside.
Inside, same thing. It’s filled with lots of kitsch (hippie-style, like black light posters, vintage bikes hanging from the ceiling, old metal lunchboxes, a lava lamp, an old barbershop chair that I tripped over on the way up to the counter, and other things, floor to ceiling). It looks like a fun place to eat. The people in line ahead of us had been there several times and back again. They liked it. We were excited to give it a go.
You order from the menu at the counter. It’s not a sit-down place. They take your name and will call you when it’s ready. They have coffee, but the specialty seems to be the lemonade–all kinds of flavors (mango lemonade, strawberry lemonade, blood orange lemonade) except lemonade lemonade. Something about it being made from concentrate. I don’t get it. I’m just reporting what I was told. Just pick a flavor and expect to pay $3 for the large paper cupful and know that it’s more like a slushy. Tasty, not too sweet.
The next thing to note. When your order’s ready, and they call out your name, get up there and get it. They’ll call again and again and again till you pick up your dang plates–they’re styrofoam.
And that brings me to an interesting point. They say the place is eco-friendly, so why the styrofoam dishes and plastic utensils? They do ask you to recycle the hot cup covers, but still. Odd, no? I thought so.
Now, to the meal itself. My boyfriend ordered the Big Ol’ Waffle. It came with eggs, toast and hashbrowns. He never got the order he wanted–the waffle. And the rest of the meal tasted in a word: bland. I suggested he go ask for his waffle but he declined.
I ordered something called a Jam Sandwich. I think it’s actually two thick slices of French Toast with a thin sliver of apricot jam and maybe a bit of cream cheese spread in between. It was okay. Not as fantastic as it sounds. I also ordered a side of bacon and asked for crispy, not limpy. It came back to me overcooked, so overcooked they fried the bacon right out of it.
When I asked my boyfriend how he felt about the food, he gave me another one-word response: “Underwhelmed.”
Of course, realize we eat this meal out a lot. We know what we like and what we don’t. We are willing to try new dishes. And we are picky about the price. We also know before we leave a place whether or not we’ll returning. Maybe you can guess our response. Regardless, that doesn’t mean we won’t try the other venues run by Two Hippies. They might do tacos better.
On the other hand, if you’re in the area and would like to try a breakfast place worth the travel time (It was referred to us by a 30-something couple), check out this place in a strip center off Greenway Parkway:
What: Tiny’s Country Cafe
Where: 15414 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix
Phone: 602-942-4009
Why go: You’ll get down-home country cooking at a blue-collar price. If you try their prized cinnamon rolls (nuts inside), order one to share. They’re thick, rich and gooey–served on real dishes. Not fancy, but real.
