I like East 74 Family Restaurant because it’s a reliable, comfortable spot for simple breakfast food. The restaurant has a steady mix of regulars, police officers, workers, and other locals, and it has a welcoming, neighborhood feel. The food is consistently good and reasonably priced, with my go-to being the country fried steak. Overall, it’s a dependable breakfast place that I keep coming back to.

East 74 Family Restaurant is a great place for simple, comfort food breakfast. It is my local go to place for early morning fare; I discovered the restaurant a few years ago and if you pop in (very) early most any Saturday you'll find me in a booth (never a table) having breakfast.

Its a good sized restaurant with a bunch of booths along two walls, a bunch of tables and a counter. If you get there early enough, just grab a napkin wrapped set of flatware plus a menu and find yourself a seat. If you come in later in the morning (typically around 7 AM) the hostess will be there and will help you find a table.

Several of the wait staff have been around for many years (my favorite is Ashley, who I seek out every time I'm there). There's apparently even a few customers who eat there every day. When I come in on Saturday mornings, there's usually a few policemen in the back (with their backs to the wall facing the door, of course), groups of friends gathered around a table discussing a variety of topics, or work crews grabbing breakfast before heading out on a job. The owner and at least one of the wait staff speak Spanish, so you'll often hear them conversing with some customers in that language.

One of my most interesting experiences in the restaurant was the morning when a fire engine company and some EMTs came in for breakfast. The restaurant staff setup a very long table for them and they quickly filled it and started talking loudly (ribbing each other and talking about their night). It wasn't long after their meals were served when a call came over the radio and they all took off with lights and sirens. The staff kept the table in place for them and I imagine they replaced the cold food with hot once the first responders returned.

Their menu offers standard breakfast fare and the food is consistently good and offered at a very reasonable price. I can't think of anything on the menu that I would say is uniquely theirs, but the food is good and of a consistent quality. I go there for their country fried steak which is my standard Saturday morning meal.

If you like your hash browns crispy (like I do) then let your waiter know that since when they're busy they don't come out cooked but without a brown crust. Like most restaurants, they don't toast their breads very well; they're warm and have a slight crust to them where I like them to be browned (not burned). fortunately for me, Ashley knows this and always has my hash browns and english muffin delivered in perfect state.

For the country fried steak, you can tell when the owner's working in the kitchen. The gravy is usually run of the mill plain gravy, but when the owner is on the grill you usually get big chunks of sausage in the gravy (which I love). One of the ways they could distinguish themselves is by seasoning up the gravy a little bit to give it character.

They do a really good job with over-medium eggs as well as the poached hard eggs my wife requires. I've never had a problem with the food, certainly never sent anything back except once or twice when the hasbhrowns weren't brown enough for me.