House of Pies has long been our diner-breakfast favorite—we prefer its honest simplicity to the overpriced, overhyped Breakfast Klub any day. Plop yourself next to the pie cases at a counter that feels like a middle-of-nowhere truck-stop. If you’re lucky, a big-haired waitress will call you “hon.” Ask her for the corned-beef hash and eggs. The corned beef isn’t freshly shaved or anything, nor is it mealy and gross—and it’s crisped slightly on the grill. Why is this so hard to find at other breakfast joints in Texas? Order your eggs poached so you can break them over the top, forming a delicious pile of meat, potatoes, and runny yolk. Sop up the rest with toast, and you have one of the finest, most satisfying meals in town.

The pancakes, while not fluffy, are still a decent choice; stay away, though, from flimsy waffles. Really, the lunch and dinner options should be ripped out of the menu: steaks and burgers come out looking steamed, and salt is clearly not taken seriously. And those “famous” pies look and taste like something a group of 12-year-old girls made during a slumber party. They could rename the place “House of Hash,” but that would just make the midnight crowds even bigger.