Other Than That, Mrs Lincoln, How Were The Waffles?

Our breakfast friends were already seated at one of the horseshoe tables at Lincoln’s Waffle Shop in Washington, DC when we arrived. My partner and I squeaked past the long line extending out the door and then squeezed our way in between stools at the bar. There was room for 4, we were 5, but we were going to make it work.

“Let me get you some chopsticks,” our waiter announced with a punchy accent, his long permed mullet flapping in the wind as he beamed a bright smile. He returned seconds later with a knife and fork and the whisked away again to get a coffee pot he deftly backhand poured into my cup.

Such was my introduction to breakfast at this DC favourite.

Lincoln’s Waffle Shop is across the street from Ford’s Theatre in DC, where the former President was assassinated.

The restaurant opened in 1990, so there’s no direct connection between the waffles and Lincoln other than a convenient location and name.

But don’t tell the owners that. They take their upbeat service to their website to playfully describe the restaurant’s history:

Legend has it, Abraham Lincoln was a regular at Lincoln’s Waffle Shop and ordered the Waffle with scrambled eggs and bacon every day as he was adamant on the idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Lincoln never ate here, but had it been around a century earlier, he likely would have – if just for the service.

The food at the Lincoln’s Waffle Shop is okay. I mean, it’s eggs, sausage and waffles, right. Toss in some toast and coffee and you have all the food groups covered.

This is your classic $10 breakfast and it was great.

It’s not rocket science, but it was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long time because of the environment.

The friendly jeering of our waiter, whipping out his phone to proudly show a picture of Amy Poehler doing a scene from Parks and Recreation in the same seats were in, the long line snaking outside, the random posters on the wall, the guys I was eating with, all that made the meal memorable.

After a weekend of inspiration at the Dad 2.0 Summit, my roommate, Phil (right) and I were heading out to go for a bike ride around town. We bumped in to Daniel, John, and Michael (left to right) in the lobby and they said they were going to Lincoln’s Waffle Shop, a greasy spoon a mile or so away.

Phil and I hopped a couple of bikeshares, the other guys grabbed a cab, and a Sunday Morning Waffle Crew was born.

The Trip Advisor reviews all say the same thing: the service is friendly, fast, and the joint serves up classic greasy spoon diner fare in an amusing way. The experience is what they rave about every time.

Look back at how I opened this post: talking about the waiter. I don’t particularly remember the way the waffles tasted or the texture of the sausage, but I do remember that bouncing mullet of a smile hopping around our horseshoe table.

The line moves quickly at the Lincoln Waffle Shop. So grab a spot at the back of the queue, wait your few minutes and then enjoy a simple, classic breakfast served with a smile.