Located at the bottom of the third street hill, Paolucci’s is well known among Benedictine College students as an Atchison staple. Known for its breakfast and Italian foods, Paolucci’s dates back to 1894 when two Italian brothers, Felix and Dominic Paolucci, started Paolucci’s grocery store. Eventually, as the family added more members, in 1983, Paolucci Begley restaurant was founded, turning the upstairs “Traveler’s hotel” into the Begley lounge.
The restaurant still sports the iconic, old-time diner look, which adds to the general comfort food feel that the restaurant gives off. The staff is friendly and is happy to help you to your seat. For this review, we’re going to hit one of the most popular menu items: the all day breakfast. The all day breakfast consists of 2 eggs, hash browns and toast served up with your choice of sausage or bacon. A true American breakfast needs to have an egg dish in the center, some level of savory items usually based in potatoes, any type of breakfast meat- usually pork, and a side dish to complete the meal. This breakfast dish combines with every taste needed to finish out a well rounded breakfast, with eggs, potatoes, meat, and toast as the side.
The eggs served with the all day breakfast, I got them done over easy, were a great way to start the meal. Eating your eggs first is a great way to adjust your palette to a breakfast taste, and the yolk adds a sweet condiment to the rest of the plate. Paolucci’s eggs had a buttery brush on the outside, followed by a smooth taste. The hashbrowns come next, as the starchiness of potatoes is a great way to prepare for the meat dish. Paolucci’s hash browns walked a fine, delicate line between crispy and soft. The outside had a nice, crunchy crust while the insides had a soft, greatest finish. Although they were still great, this leaves the patron wanting the hashbrowns to pick one side or the other. Although they were very good, there was room for them to be great. Meat wise, we chose to go with bacon. Paolucci’s served up three slices of thinly cut bacon. These were some pure bacon strips, the only flavor in them was the natural flavor that bacon gives itself, and luckily that natural flavor packs a punch. I think ideally this bacon would’ve come with a more thick slice, however there is very little complaining to do about this bacon. Lastly, the toast. We unfortunately live in a world that is plagued with people who don’t think toast is a top tier breakfast side. This mentality needs to go. Buttery toast with some fruit jam seldom disappoints, and Paolucci’s was able to pull through with it.
Overall, this all day breakfast platter lived up to its hype. Although there was some room to grow, this was a satisfying meal that would not leave anyone disappointed. Critics score of this meal is a 8.5/10.
