Top 3 Places to Grab Breakfast in Marion

There’s nothing like a home-cooked breakfast from one of your favorite local eateries. Fluffy pancakes, scrambled eggs, flavorful bacon, and more will leave you full, satisfied, and ready to begin your day. We at Ike Honda would like to share a few of our favorite breakfast diners with you. From their family-friendly atmosphere to their excellent hometown food, you’ll be more than surprised with the amazing breakfasts at these Marion area restaurants.

Vault Café on the Square

“Eggs Benedict” licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 by balise42

Explore a bit of Marion’s history while enjoying breakfast in the Vault Café on the Square. This local favorite is located in a historic 100-year-old five-story building in downtown Marion. The restaurant itself is on the first floor where the town’s bank used to be. One of the most interesting features of this downtown café is the bank vault that can still be found inside the diner. In fact, the Vault Café offers seating for four right inside the vault. You won’t find a dining experience like this anywhere else!

Known for its local hospitality and friendly staff, the Vault Café offers a wide variety of breakfast foods and meals that everyone in your party will enjoy. Their Breakfast Favorites menu includes eggs with your choice of toast, potatoes, and breakfast meat like ham, bacon, or sausage. It also features their delicious and savory Eggs Benedict recipe. A popular breakfast choice, “The Money,” includes two biscuits topped with white sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, and cheese, with a side of hash browns.

On their Hot Off the Griddle menu, you can order Hawaiian Bread French Toast, 10″ Hot Cakes, or fluffy Belgian Waffles. Their scrambled egg platter, known as “The Bank Roll,” includes fluffy scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon, green pepper, onion, and sausage gravy all wrapped up in a grilled tortilla. “The Stack of Hash” boasts hash browns, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and your choice of either ham, Philly cheese steak, or corned beef, with two eggs cooked however you like them.

You can also build your own omelet with fresh fixings like spinach, tomato, green pepper, and your choice of sausage, bacon, diced ham, or diced turkey. If lighter fare is more your style for breakfast, order from their A La Carte menu that features oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, bagels with cream cheese, and more. At the Vault Café on the Square, there is no reason to leave hungry.

Andresen’s Café

Another historic breakfast diner located near Marion is Andresen’s Cafe. The restaurant has been kept in its original condition as much as possible since it first opened in 1927. They are known for their home-cooked food and recipes that have been passed down for generations. While they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, their breakfast offerings will keep you full and satisfied all morning long.

The cafe’s history begins back in 1917, when Alf Andresen, who hails from Norway near the Arctic Circle, arrived in the Marion, Illinois, area. His first few jobs included working as a window washer in Chicago and also as a baker and a cook. Over the years, with his wife and three children, he sold popcorn from a red wagon, built an ice cream business, and created and sold other homemade candies and sandwiches. In 1944, Alf opened a restaurant in the current Andresen’s Cafe building and the family name has stuck with the establishment ever since.

Andresen’s Cafe is known as a down-home diner, with straightforward delicious cooking and a family-friendly atmosphere. Their breakfast specials include a wide range of platters such as the Farmer’s Delight which is two eggs cooked your way, American potatoes, and a six-ounce ribeye steak, all served with toast and a half-order of biscuits and gravy. You may also want to order their Country Scrambler that includes two scrambled eggs with sausage, peppers, and onions, all topped with cheddar cheese and American potatoes, also served with toast and a half-order of biscuits and gravy.

Along with their appetizing breakfast platters, Andresen’s also offers a wide variety of homemade breakfast sandwiches. You can make your own sandwich by choosing your favorite meat, such as ham, bacon, or sausage, and your favorite bread like toast, biscuits, muffins, or croissants. Try one of their flavorful three-egg omelets with your choice of mix-ins, served with sliced tomatoes, and toast, pancakes, French toast, or biscuits and gravy. They also offer a children’s menu specifically created for the youngest in your group.

Jasones Bed & Breakfast & Restaurant

Located on Main Street in Marion, Illinois, Jasones Bed & Breakfast & Restaurant offers a cozy and pleasant setting for enjoying breakfast with a loved one or a close friend. They are known for their excellent breakfast and brunch dishes, as well as their friendly hometown service. With several breakfast choices such as eggs, omelets, and specialty brunch entrees, you’ll leave full and ready to start your day.

Their egg platters include your choice of eggs cooked just the way you like them, with toast and assorted jams and jellies. All omelets are made fresh to order with up to three toppings, and served with toast and jelly. Add any of their savory side items to your egg platter or omelet, like house potatoes, bacon, or sausage links.

If you’d like to try something unique and different, take a look at their specialty breakfast entrees. The Quiche Du Jour includes daily specialty quiche selections served with toast and jelly. You can also try their French Toast Lover’s breakfast platter that includes either three or six slices of their grilled French toast served with your choice of fruit and topped with whipped cream. If you love pancakes, you’ll absolutely enjoy their Old Fashioned Pancakes. This plate includes either two or three fluffy pancakes dripping with syrup and, of course, topped with whipped cream.

At Ike Honda, we’re proud to be part of the Marion, Illinois, community. This is why we’ve featured a few of our favorite local eateries that serve some of the most amazing breakfasts and brunch platters. Is there a favorite brunch place of yours that we forgot to mention? If so, let us know! We’d be happy to add it to our list.