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Bakersfield's 24th Street Café is a ledgend in it's own time, and a favorite of the locals. Yes, even on Monday morning, December 27, 2010, the place was packed with happy Bakersfield locals, as my Bakersfield dining guide, my son Matthew, and I decided to enjoy breakrast at 24th Street Café. The photo tell the rest of the story....
Photo: 24th Street Café is located in downtown Bakersfield, but unlike many other downtown restaurants, they have a convienient, FREE parking lot located adjacent to the restaurant. They also offer outdoor dining on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant - good for afectionados of "street photography," and semi-outdoor dining, in a heated annex, located on the side of the building.
Photo: Inside, it's pure nostalgia for your retro-dining pleasure. 24th Street Café features a large, u-shaped counter. Since it's only a couple of days-after-Christmas, holiday decorations are still the norm of the day. Yes, even on this Monday morning, December 27, 2010, the place was packed with happy diners, and folks waiting to enter. My son, Matthew, who as lived about 80% of his life in Bakersfield told me this is the way it as, as 24th Street Café is the place "to be," if you're a Bakersfield local.
Photo: Matthew and I were seated at a booth near the entrance to the kitchen, and I snapped this photo of fellow diners, looking over toward the counter. Note the vintage signs on the wall, such as the Hires root beer sign; I haven't had a Hires root beer since the 1960's...
Photo: After delivering our meal to the table, our friendly waitress poses with Matthew, attired in his "mad bomber hat" to combat the freezing temperatures on this early Monday morning. Yes, it gets cold in Bakersfield, and the area had just endured torrential rainfall, and there were puddles everywhere, and the Kern River was flowing well through Bakersfield. All that weather data aside, it didn't stop us from enjoying a wonderful breakfast!
Photo: This is breakfast as good as it gets, as served at 24th Street Café. Matthew and I both ordered biscuits and gravy, which is a father-son thing with us; check out the two biscuits an a bowl of gravy. Matthew's Denver omelette and hash browns are on top, where my order of pan fried trout, hashbrowns and eggs are on the bottom. Kids, this breakfast was to "die" for! I love retro, and 24th Street Café is about as "retro" as it gets, complete with the huge u-shaped breakfast counter. If you long to fish in the Kern River, you'll be happy as there are fly fishing rods and reels attatched to the walls, but it's mostly decour, as the Kern River runs dry for much of the year, sadly, in the intrests of agriculture. In true diner style, 24th Street Café is open for breakast and lunch only, so if you're a lover of breakfast, as Matthew and I are, you know you've found true breakfast nirvana at 24th Street Café'
Photo: Left to right... Eric (father... duh?) and Matthew Rench enjoy breakfast at 24th Street Café. Our friendly, attentive and nice server Crystal, graciously snapped the photo. Matthew ordered a Denver omelette, eggs, and like his father, biscuits and gravy. I ordered pan fried trout as my main entreé. What is it in Bakersfield where fish is featured on the breakfast menu? I'd eaten at over 40 restaurants in my "sort-of" home town of Sacramento, yet only one restaurant has offered catfish and eggs for breakfast. I guess pan fried fish is a "Bakersfield thing" but whatever it is, I love it! I love everything about 24th Street Café!!! Good food, good local cuisime, good people and very reasonable prices. No wonder this place is a Bakersfield institution... 24th Street Café rocks the Bakersfield planet! As an aside... they have a great web site, so check it out! 24th
Street Café Copyright(c) 2010 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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