Breakfast Beat: A Hotel Breakfast With a Cult Following

Mission Grille at Tempe Mission Palms
60 East Fifth Street, Tempe
480-894-1400

The Scene: At Mission Grille in Tempe Mission Palms, you do breakfast in a hub of people often coming and going from afar. Some people are here for business, while others may have just rolled out of bed with nothing but a sweatshirt and a room key.

Some of the hotelgoers, though, are locals who have come for a cult favorite breakfast.

Located just east of Mill Avenue, Tempe Mission Palms has been around for over 30 years. Built in 1985, this hotel sits in downtown Tempe, in the middle of all of the college-town action. Its restaurant, Mission Grille, is the place to set up your own ideal breakfast — just the way you like it. 

Guests wander around the tiered exhibit of pastries at Mission Grille, deciding on the best vehicle for a morning sugar rush. Police officers sit sipping coffees with a fresh plate of waffles before their shifts at the station down the street. A meal's pacing is set to your preference. Some guests grab a bagel and split. Others indecisively linger around the countertops scanning the many options.
The Goods: At the omelet bar, you can customize your egg breakfast with toppings of your choice. Two vats are loaded practically to the brim in a bed of ice, one filled with yolks, the other egg whites. Onions, mushrooms, cheeses, tomato, ham, bacon, spinach, and other toppings can be added. There's no additional charge for added toppings. If that doesn’t sound like a bang for your buck, consider this: Here, a buffet gets you endless plates of food. You can eat omelets until they put the eggs away.

Looking beyond the egg, there's mixed fruit, yogurt, cereal options, oatmeal, and all kinds of pastries. You can grab muffins, waffles, bacon, and sausage. You can even get hot crepes. Tempe Mission Palms won’t let you leave hungry, or at least without second-guessing that chocolate muffin on your fourth walk around the breakfast lounge.

The Bottom Line: You wouldn't really think to enjoy breakfast at a hotel unless you stayed there. However, a walk through Tempe Mission Palms’ buffet line will leave you considering continental breakfasts regularly. From the hotel lobby, you wouldn't stumble upon the Mission Grille. The hotel restaurant is tucked away in the northwest corner of the quiet, Spanish-styled courtyard. To find this buffet gem, head through the entrance of Tempe Mission Palms and continue walking straight through the second set of doors. This will take you to that citrus-filled courtyard, where Mission Grille is located to the left of the fountain. With beautiful outdoor seating and plentiful options, this hotel breakfast is tough to beat.

Special Something: Breakfast buffet and omelet bar that offer your eggs any way you like them. Mission Palms offers a 25% discount to Arizona residents.
Hours: 6:30 to 10 a.m. daily
Price: $, not free for hotel guests
Coffee Options: Bottomless mug, however you like it for a flat rate of $4.
Fresh-squeezed juice: Orange.
Wi-Fi? Yes.
Drinking Before Noon: Mimosas and Bloody Marys upon request.