With fancy restaurants and fast food joints alike eager to cash in on the brunch craze, it can be comforting to find an honest-to-goodness breakfast spot. Heavenly Bistro in Walnut Creek is that kind of place.

Locals stop in every morning for coffee and pastries to go, or to enjoy a breakfast sandwich while reading the paper. During the weekends, it becomes one of the neighborhood’s hottest brunch spots, with a wait that can sometimes get to 45 minutes. Regulars insist that it’s worth the wait, saving special praise for the quality of the service, the creamy Hollandaise sauce on the eggs benedict, and the fluffiness of the pancakes. Insider tip: check in on Yelp and you can score a free chai latte.

Public Domain/Pixabay/ponce_photography