24 Diner: Well worth the wait

Six sleepy roommates rolled out of bed on the Sunday morning (afternoon really) after spring break, all feeling many feelings. Mostly exhaustion mixed with immense hunger. It didn't take any convincing of my five friends to go to breakfast with me and find a new diner to write a post about. We came to a group consensus that we would try 24 Diner on North Lamar. Again, a spot we drove by almost daily but never ventured inside.

Leslie vibin' during our long wait for a table
(photo: myself)

We drove by around noon and dropped off Katie Waters to see how long the wait would be. She ran back to the car and reported that it would only be 30 minutes. This was doable. We browsed through Waterloo Records next door to kill some time, not remembering the last time we bought a physical CD. Quite the trip down memory lane. After we got bored of that, we strolled back to the diner presuming we would be up any minute. Oh we were so wrong. We failed to remember that it was the Sunday of South by Southwest. A normally calm and casual breakfast spot had turned frantic and was swarming with hipsters and musicians that were much cooler than us. The number of tattoos and fedoras counted was unbelievable and thats saying a lot considering the habitants of this weird city. Our people watching was paired with much recap of our long spring breaks apart.  An hour and a half later, and after much pestering of the hostess by Paige, we were seated and starving.

It was a little embarrassing how giddy we all got when the waiter approached our table, but hey, we had waited long enough and seen way too many delicious meals through the window. It was completely appropriate. He explained the specials but all of us pretty much zoned out. We knew what we had our eyes on and we wouldn't be led astray. An onlooker was probably mortified by these six girls and their intensity over breakfast.

Paige's gorgonzola burger
(photo: a very excited Paige)

We all ordered quickly (probably too quickly). Paige went with a bacon gorgonzola burger and Katie Waters with a bacon avocado burger with a side of mac and cheese. Christina bravely went for the goat cheese frittata, this was uncharted territory. Katie Johnson with a grilled cheese (the lady loves cheese more than most things). And Leslie and I went for the waffle meals. Hers was paired with scrambled eggs and bacon. Mine was a sandwich of waffles, sausage, bacon and fried eggs.  Whoever came up with that deserves some sort of medal.

Christina's frittata
(photo: Christina)

Katie's avocado and Bacon Burger,
 side of deliciousness
(photo: me)

We all again almost yelped with glee when our plates arrived. I honestly feel terrible for our waiter. Katie Johnson and Christina quickly scrambled and ordered their own mac and cheese after seeing Waters's.

Johnson's grilled cheese
Gone in maybe 20 seconds
(photo: me)

Leslie's waffle breakfast
(photo: me)

My waffle sandy
I was a happy girl
(photo: my drooling self)

We all did well. Very well. Bites were shared. Little conversation was had. Meals were inhaled. Food comas followed. So did long naps.

We all soon agreed that we needed to return pronto and try everything else on the menu.

I've tried many the breakfast spot. This might make the top 10. I loved everything about it. Sure, the wait was long but the ambience was funky and retro, the service was exceptional and the food was absolutely delicious.

Austin does many things right. Music, movies, hikes, tattoos, but food trumps them all. And I'm starting to believe breakfast in particular. 24 Diner is just more proof that this city specializes in gourmet and exquisite food, in the most unpredictable and casual of spots.