Hamilton Restaurant

I’ve been to quite a few of your standard «breakfast spots» in this city, but this was, by far, one of my best experiences. Ordered a blt w/​cheese and sunny side up egg, home fries with peppers and onions, and a waffle, which I was advised to order with butter, powdered sugar and cinnamon. Everything was delicious and the waffle was nearly life-​changing. On top of that, Dawn, one of the waitresses, is a joy to behold – kind, expedient, attentive. I highly recommend this place if you want to start your morning off right!

This restaurant is one of the only diners within a short walking distance of me and I don’t even mind because it’s so great. Cheap breakfast, comes out fast, and the employees are very friendly. Only downside– idk what’s up with their coffee situation. They ask what size coffee you want and serve it in a styrofoam cup. Coffee refills are one of the best parts of breakfast! Get your coffee act together, Hamilton.

I loved this little diner. The food was so good, I had the veggie omelette, with tons of perfectly cooked vegetables and crispy home fries. Good coffee too. The place had tons of regulars, and felt like a neighborhood place.

Well. We chose this place from the Unilocal reviews. The University City area seemed to have only coffee shops and no where to get a real breakfast. We walked 5.5+ city blocks to get breakfast. It is not fancy but has ample counter space and seating. The staff were warm and welcoming, really great. Seemed like a good city breakfast joint. In a little bit shady area on the fringes of University City but seemed clean (in dining area). We ordered regular breakfast foods– coffee fried eggs, hash browns, chipped beef. Coffee was good. The food was nothing to write home about and I have no problem with average breakfast fare. Homefries were bland, mushy and over cooked. Eggs done perfectly. My friend said the chipped beef was just ok but tasted like eggs??? I would have given it an average rating if not for the following: 1) there was a long hair in my hash browns 2) the bathroom was just plain nasty and you have to duck down to go in– like going in a dirty, hidden closet! and 3) they rolled metal drums of trash/​grease/​oil past all the customers to take out the front door, which caused some to have to cover their nose and mouths due to odor. I can take a lot of things but not hair in my food… gagging sounds and nausea… Ugh ugh ugh. If it wasn’t for the staff, they would have gotten one star.

Great spot! Great food and quiet. One of the best lil discoveries I made today looking for breakfast!

This is the best discovery I have made as a student at Penn. There is no where in the University city area to get a real dine breakfast except for this place. The proprietor, Grace, remembers your order after a few times in the restaurant and the service is always prompt and on-​time. Beware, it is cash-​only but it is even worth the ATM fee if you forget. The Homefries are extremely good and their large selection of breakfast meats is unparalleled.

You can’t go wrong with a corner breakfast and lunch joint, especially since they open at 5:00am and the prices are super reasonable. However, even though this place looks like it has its regulars, the service, at least in my opinion, left much to be desired. The food was pretty decent, but the counter staff was sparse and my check took a bit longer to come since the employee at the counter was chatting with some customers at a nearby table and didn’t bother to check on me until quite some time after I had cleared my plate. That aside, it’s a great option for a cheap early morning or afternoon meal.

This place is my secret, and now I’m sharing this secret with you. I have wandered the streets of Philadelphia in search of true homefries — homefries meaning potatoes that have been chopped up in some unidentifiable way and cooked on a flat top with onions. Homefries that can be made extra crispy on the outside and then doused in ketchup and consumed at a breakneck pace, fulfilling my deepest needs. Hamilton has those homefries. Every place else has some weird shredded potatoes that they call homefries, but it’s a ruse and that is NOT OKAY.
They also have lots of other average diner breakfast food, served quick and cheap. I love to come in here late on Saturday mornings and sit at the counter and listen to the people that work there playfully argue with each other. I’ve never had any of their lunch stuff, but I am so in love with these homefries that I’ve eaten them for lunch, because breakfast is served all day! Woohoo to that!

the food is okay.
average breakfast food.
kind of like diner breakfast food minus being open ²⁴⁄₇ part.
very cheap.
there is always old people and i love it.
i do come here every sunday!