One might think it’s a massive giveaway of dusty porcelain and Queen Anne curio cabinets when driving past Antique Row Café on weekend mornings. The crowd gets so thick you can’t even see the front door. But jump into the fray, and you’ll end up instead with some of the best bacon and eggs this neighborhood has to offer.

The Normal Heights café, nestled within a modest succession of antique shops, also offers a full and homey lunch menu. But generally speaking, it’s easy to overlook the burgers and tuna melts when you’re faced with such delectable morning fare as the Chick-A-Dee Omelet made with chicken breast and broccoli or the big, honkin’ Cinnamon-Apple Pancakes that taste like buttery apple pie.

My eating companion, intent on safeguarding her petite body frame before heading to Palm Springs that weekend, became the victim of my desire to over order from both the breakfast and lunch menus. From the “Time-Tested Favorites” category, we tried the Irish Croissant filled with good-quality corned beef, scrambled eggs, spinach and Hollandaise sauce infused with a discreet hint of nutmeg. The accompanying home-style potatoes were also excellent – the kind that turns slightly soft from extended grilling.

My companion’s over-easy eggs were cooked perfectly – crunchy on the edges, beautifully runny in the middle. And considering how fast our plates arrived in piping hot form, the bacon didn’t taste pre-cooked. Nor was it greasy.

Those cinnamon hotcakes are among the dreamiest, although not the same recipe that my companion recalled experiencing here some years ago when it was served as a single German-style pancake in a heavy skillet. However, what we got instead didn’t disappoint. The not-too-sweet apple compote (which we guessed wasn’t canned), joined forces with the melting butter cascading off of the top cake. You’ll bid fond adieu to I-Hop after trying these.

In a subsequent visit, the chicken omelet proved novel, although I could have done with a little less cheddar cheese inside. Another unique choice is the Kielbasa-Mushroom omelet, which rightfully captures the Polish tradition of mingling sausage and eggs together in the morning. It’s very tasty, and not as fatty as you’d expect.

The atmosphere on weekdays is much calmer, as seen in my initial lunch-hour visit. A second dining section was added a few years ago to better accommodate spillover. The retro theme carries through with banquettes upholstered in a Route 66 theme, which plays up to kitschy memorabilia and old toys hanging from the walls. “It’s the illegitimate child of the Corvette Diner,” my companion blurted as she spotted DJ “Shotgun” Tom Kelly walk through the front door. Strangely, we had been sitting right under a yellowing photograph of him.

From the lunch grill you’ll find a plethora of flat-grilled burgers, plus Sloppy Joes, salads and a few pasta dishes that I would probably rather consume elsewhere from red-and-white-checkered tablecloths. There’s simply too much Americana swirling around this joint to start thinking about ravioli.

Yet for those who can resist the almighty breakfast lineup, the Texas Chicken Melt is a winner. It’s made with a tender breast filet, plus veggies and Jack cheese all slapped between two slices of yummy grilled egg bread. Other savory sandwiches include a Philly Cheese Steak, Tuna Melt Supreme, French Dip and grilled Rueben. Smoothies, sundaes and ice cream sodas are also available.

Though rushed, service is fast and efficient. And a large percentage of customers stem from the GLBT community, which comes as no surprise in a café that cooks up flawless eggs in the middle of “antique row.”