Named Idaho's pick in lovefood's state-by-state list of America's best breakfasts.
The printed menu tells you where to begin: “The Hoot Owl Cafe and Catering,” “The Wise Place to Eat,” and ©1979. That date belongs to a wooden cabin on Highway 200, just outside Sandpoint. Inside, warm yellow walls carry funny signs and antiques, and tables dating to the 1960s share the room with a long counter and a collection of mismatched stools.
There are decks of playing cards on the tables. They make sense here: the kitchen cooks to order, and the house has a straightforward position on the subject. Good food isn't fast. Settle into a stool, deal a hand, and let breakfast take its time.
This is a mom-and-pop operation in the personal sense, too. The owners reply to guests themselves and praise members of their crew by name. The attention extends from the welcome to the plate: ask what to order on a first visit, and they'll point you toward the biscuits and gravy and the giant house-made cinnamon roll. Chicken fried steak is another best seller. The motto on the cafe's own shirts puts that generous approach into four plain words.
THE HOUSE POSITION“NOBODY
— THE HOUSE MOTTO, PRINTED ON THE CAFE'S OWN SHIRTS
LEAVES HERE
HUNGRY.”
THE HEADLINE ACT
Start with the house-made biscuits, then add the sausage country gravy. This is the owners' first recommendation for a first visit, and one of the cafe's two top sellers. You can order it with eggs, too. At a place whose own shirts promise that nobody leaves hungry, biscuits and gravy make a fitting introduction to the kitchen. The advice comes straight from the people who run it.
SO BIG THE HALF ORDER WINS
The chicken fried steak arrives smothered in country gravy, and even a half order covers most of a long plate. It is another of the cafe's best sellers. One Google reviewer called it the best chicken fried steak they'd ever had and singled out the huge portions. That is the story of this plate: the country gravy, the generous serving, and a place among the house favourites.
FROM THE GRIDDLE
The Bacon Cake cooks bacon right into the batter of a large hotcake, then adds eggs your way. French toast has its own following: one reviewer called their breakfast the best French toast they'd had in their life. And the Giant House Made Cinnamon Roll deserves a mention of its own. A top seller alongside biscuits and gravy, one house-made roll nearly fills an entire takeout box.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Every Thanksgiving, the cafe hosts a free community Thanksgiving meal.
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM · FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED
It has been that kind of place since 1979.
It was hands down the best chicken fried steak we've ever had! The portions were HUGE! Our waitress was so kind.
— A GOOGLE REVIEW
The service is outstanding, food is delicious and we love the atmosphere. If you have never been here for breakfast, you're missing out!
— A GOOGLE REVIEW
Best breakfast, cinnamon rolls!!!
— CHRISTIE ANSTINE, GOOGLE REVIEW
I just had the best French toast breakfast I think I've ever had in my life!
— A GOOGLE REVIEW
| MONDAY TODAY | 5:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
|---|---|
| TUESDAY TODAY | 5:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| WEDNESDAY TODAY | 5:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| THURSDAY TODAY | 5:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| FRIDAY TODAY | 5:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| SATURDAY TODAY | 5:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| SUNDAY TODAY | 5:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
Breakfast and lunch.
The wise place to eat.
30784 ID-200, Ponderay, ID 83852