Breakfast at Harlow’s Cafe in Tempe

There’s nothing fancy about Harlow’s. Or wait, maybe there is. On a recent visit, we noticed chandeliers hanging from the ceiling — not so unusual for a restaurant, except that this longtime wood-paneled Tempe breakfast spot also sports a prominent sign warning patrons to leave their guns outside, and other signs of the hand-carved variety, offering menu items like biscuits and gravy. Then there’s the assorted, randomly placed stained glass, which — along with portraits of Jean Harlow and Marilyn Monroe — is our favorite part of a visit to this quirky place.

The food’s good, too.

Breakfast is refreshingly straightforward. The bacon’s just bacon — not dipped in chocolate or raised on a special farm. The coffee’s just coffee.  

The clientele was almost entirely men of a certain (read: AARP-qualified) the Tuesday morning we stopped by. But if you’re a hipster sick of the lack of breakfast selections around town, you’d do well to try Harlow’s. We ordered a couple of eggs and a side of cottage cheese, and were pleased with the results: a heaping plate of protein, with fresh sliced tomatoes on the side.  

Nothing fancy. Except for the decor. Sort of.