Dottie's

Dottie's True Blue Cafe

When travelling to a new city I tend to research three things - best restaurants, best stores, and best hotels, and yes, I generally research about the shopping first! I did a little bit of research before we arrived in San Francisco and came across a review for Dottie's True Blue Cafe. It looked as though we weren't going to make it there on this trip - I wasn't worried, as the city has floored me and we plan on coming back again!

We met our friend Hillary in the lobby of our hotel and set on a mission to find a breakfast joint. Hillary said that there was this fantastic place a few blocks from our hotel, but warned the wait would be about 30 mins. Hillary was the one who introduced us to Firefly, a fabulous tapas place in LV, so we decided to follow her lead. I was pleasantly surprised when I realised that we were going to be having breakfast at Dottie's.

Admitedly my grumbling stomach and jacketless Rob were not thrilled by the long line, but we couldn't say no to a culinary staple in SF. The line gave us time to drool over the baked goods on display and to catch up with Hill. Within 30 minutes we found ourselves at a wooden table in a warm corner of the restaurant next to the cooks. Absolutely everything on the menu sounded fantastic. Rob ordered an omelette, Hillary feasted on a frittata and I had scrambled eggs. From the minute our food arrived our conversation focused solely on the food in front of us and the fantastic flavors. There was also lots of "yums"...a true sign of a great meal. Each of the dishes came with sides including thick, homemade toast, homefries and fruit. I ordered the biggest smoothie anyone has ever seen and barely made it through a third of it.

The staff are fun and friendly - encouraging you to order quickly to ensure those hungry patrons outside don't have to wait long, but also want you to enjoy every bite! Rosie's is your quintessential diner - a little bit of a hole in the wall, but full of character, much like the neighbourhood in which it is located. There was a sign posted on the window saying that they will be moving by the end of the year to a bigger space, in what may perhaps be a bit of a "better" neighbourhood.

As we left Dottie's, now around 11am, the line, full of people serious about breakfast or brunch, was all the way down the street...we seem to have timed it just right!