UPDATE: Brea Lu moved from Portland to Westbrook in 2017, but is still serving the same delicious food!
When my friend suggested breakfast after an early morning apartment hunting, I thought she meant short and quick and cheap. As I walked into Brea Lu (short for Breakfast and Lunch) I was overcome by how at home I felt. Everywhere I looked, there were books or reviews from years past praising the great food and people. If any place looks and feels like home, it’s this one. Our waitress was even nice enough to seat my friend and I near the fireplace. Talk about homey!
But if you really want to talk, how about we start with the food. Because that is the best part. Good food on a college student budget without the use of a Groupon or Livingsocial Deal is pretty hard to come across these days. But Brea Lu has been around a long time, and I imagine that they are going to be around forever.
Eggs Bennedict Special: prosciutto, Artichoke hearts, Hollandaise sauce, sun dried tomatoes with home fries
Oh boy, this is a special if I’ve ever tasted one. Artichoke hearts and prosciutto so tender it emanates flavor. Eggs bennedict in a perfect hollandaise sauce, with toast to mop up the yolk. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day they say, and with this entree, you can see why. I got an incredible amount of food, and left with enough for breakfast the next day. Prosciutto and sun dried tomatoes instantly brought me back to Italy in the morning before I went to class. A divine meal, for a less than hellish price. A must try!
Home is the feeling you’ll get when you step into Brea Lu, and full to the brim filled with an amazing breakfast (or lunch) is how you’ll leave Brea Lu. I have nothing but praise for this Portland classic.
