Restaurant Review: Go Out for Breakfast at Southampton Inn's Café Oso

Overall, breakfast has to be the most undervalued going-out meal of the day. Though weekend brunches are popular, especially with the 20-something set, I’m talking about no-nonsense breakfast. A meal to charge your internal batteries for the day and not necessarily to take up an entire day. Southampton Inn’s Café Oso has perfected the art of the going-out breakfast, offering a menu with all of the typical, home-cooked breakfast fare.

All the major breakfast specialties are represented: Choose from eggs any way; or the omelet of the day. You’ve got your carbs—French toast and pancakes. And your regional delicacies like Southern-style biscuits and gravy and huevos rancheros. On the lighter side, enjoy yogurt with granola or organic cereal.

Breakfast is served daily from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Lee and I ventured into the inn—notably within walking distance of the village—on a Wednesday morning, appetites ready after closing an issue the previous evening.

The Southampton Inn is beautiful and bright, both outside and inside. Walking in, we were immediately greeted by a concierge, who directed us to the downstairs restaurant. The staff was friendly and welcoming, immediately seating us and offering us coffee, a morning must. Our waiter was prompt and prepared, ready to answer any questions we had about the menu.

I started off with the farm-raised egg platter, which includes two eggs any style with your choice of bacon or sausage, plus home fries and toast. I went with over-easy eggs—extra runny please!—the sausage and whole-wheat toast.

The eggs were cooked exactly the way I would have cooked them myself, which means that I got a meal that met all my expectations, without having to clean egg yolk out of a scorching hot pan. Plus, a fixin’ like sausage, a rare treat.

Our waiter brought us a small side of butter and jam for the toast. The butter was chilled a bit too much to make for easy spreading, but I had enough runny egg yoke to soak the toast in instead. I quite enjoyed using the toast to make my own mini egg and sausage sandwiches.

Lee went with the Southern-style biscuits and gravy, with his eggs over-medium. A self-proclaimed huge fan of comfort food, Lee was excited to find biscuits and gravy on the menu; it’s not too common around these parts. Lee enjoyed the savory breakfast very much. The gravy, which was the most flavorful item on his plate, had a slight spicy “kick,” which complemented the salt and pepper on his eggs. Although the combination of the eggs and gravy made for a wet, messy dish, the biscuits still stood out, thanks to the fluffy texture and warm, buttery taste. And the over-medium eggs were made just right—runny but not overwhelming.

Café Oso offers “Buy One Get One” breakfasts with a coupon given at check-in and/or distributed around town. We would absolutely return. With a wealth of breakfast mainstays, as well as good service and peaceful ambience, it’s very easy to recommend this hidden Southampton gem for a good, satisfying breakfast out.

Café Oso is located at the Southampton Inn at 91 Hill Street, Southampton. For more information on Café Oso and the Southampton Inn, call 631-283-6500 or go to southamptoninn.com.