Ask any Vancouverite worth their salt to name a cheap eat in the city and Bon’s Off Broadway is sure to earn a mention.

Its $2.95 breakfast has attained legendary status among cheap eats aficionados, and any mention of affordable breakfasts in the city is sure to elicit more than a few “what about Bon’s?” responses.

With an empty stomach and a light wallet, we arrived at Bon’s ready to see if the cheapest breakfast in the city was really worth the hype.

To call the decor in Bon’s unique is an understatement. 

Like Applebee’s evil cousin, every inch of the restaurant’s walls is plastered with faded posters and an endless variety of handwritten notes, Sharpie illustrations, and proud “I was here” declarations.

The service was casual — we were invited to sit wherever we’d like and were quickly offered two black coffees with bottomless self-serve refills.

Despite being known for one unique menu item, the offerings at Bon’s are extensive, including a wide variety of breakfast options as well as lunches, beverages, and a surprising amount of desserts.

Wanting the best of both worlds, we ordered the famous $2.95 breakfast as well as a $12 plate of perogies with sausage and a fried egg.

As it turns out, the famous cheap breakfast lives up to the hype: the ingredients are good quality, the portion is generous, and the flavours are solid.

The perogie dish was similarly tasty, but priced on par with other diners in town, and with two coffees and an orange juice, our bill added up — those looking for a truly cheap meal should stick with the all-day breakfast option.

Still, we walked out having spent less than $30 between us, a total that’s hard to argue with.

Bon’s has topped the list of affordable breakfasts in Vancouver for decades, and for good reason. 

It’s still a mystery how it’s maintained such a low price after all these years, but some mysteries are better left unsolved.

Bon’s Off Broadway

Address: 2451 Nanaimo Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-253-7242