Joe’s Inn

205 N. Shields Ave., 355-2282; 2616 Buford Road, 320-9700
joesinn.com

Second Place: McLeans

Third Place: Perly’s Restaurant & Delicatessen

Favorites come and go, but we’re pretty sure readers will always worship at the breakfast altar of Joe’s Inn and Joe’s Inn Bon Air. It’s not just the meatball omelet — although it’s rumored to be a killer hangover cure — it’s that customers know they can come as they are, bring the kids when necessary and will be served without fuss. It’s also a rite of passage. Haven’t been to Joe’s? How long have you lived here? Except for five holidays a year, McLeans has you covered when you need breakfast at the crack of dawn with early-bird breakfast deals starting at 6 a.m. And even though hasn’t been open a year, the newest version of Perly’s has quietly taken a place of favor, hardly surprising given such fine eating as the Benny Friedman, a combination of potato latkes, smoked salmon and poached eggs, or a serving of the mandatory corned beef hash with fried eggs on top.