Ma & Pa's Diner

The gravy at Ma & Pa's is made from scratch, and it finds its way onto almost everything — the home fries, the breakfast poutine, the plates that carry the menu. That is the tell at this Sarnia diner: the parts most kitchens buy in, this one still makes, then serves in portions sized so a single sitting becomes the next day's lunch. The grill warms early and goes cold by one in the afternoon; breakfast and lunch are the only services it runs.

Breakfast is the reason to come, and the Mega Breakfast is the clearest first order — three eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausages, home fries, a pancake, toast, and a coffee, the whole diner on one plate. From there the menu goes deeper than the headline. The Meat Lovers Breakfast Poutine is the boldest plate, home fries buried under bacon, ham, sausage, scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, and hollandaise — a Canadian comfort mashup that eats like a dare. The Eggs Benedict keeps things composed: peameal and poached eggs on an English muffin under hollandaise, home fries alongside. The omelets give the table its range — a Western with ham and green pepper, a Greek with feta and tomato, a vegetable-forward veggie, a stacked meat lovers. The plainer Breakfast Poutine keeps the same idea lighter, with sautéed onions, green peppers, cheese, and gravy, and chocolate chip pancakes and cinnamon French toast cover the sweet side under whipped cream and strawberries.