Bab's Delta Diner in Suisun City

Bab's Delta Diner is a legend of Suisun City. It has been around for, some say, as long as Suisun City has been alive. The popularity of this place just from word of mouth makes it a stand out among places to visit along the Suisun Waterfront. It has won countless "Beast of Solano" awards for favorite place to eat breakfast. Needless to say, expectations of getting a good breakfast here are high.

As we first entered Bab's (located on Kellog Avenue in the Suisun Waterfront ), we noticed one good sign of a great restaurant: we couldn't get in. It was very crowded and there were nearby restaurants serving the same type of food that had far less people. The general atmosphere of Bab's was very busy but attentive at the same time. The counterperson greeted us like he owned the place. The host was more than friendly to accommodate our seating.

The décor of Bab's is built on one theme: old Coca Cola signs. Everywhere. Calendars, plates, bottles, ads...you name it. If Coke made an ad for it before 1970, it's probably in Bab's. If you are a Coca Cola lover, this is YOUR restaurant!

Once we were seated, my wife and I scanned the menu for anything interesting. No one we spoke to before we got here recommended any specific dishes, so we watched what everyone else was ordering. I ordered a linguisa plate with scrambled eggs, potatoes with grilled onions, and biscuits and gravy. My wife ordered a pancake plate with scrambled eggs and toast. The kids ate before we left, so all my daughter ordered was cold cereal.

The linguisa plate came out with two long pieces of sausage uncut except for split in half, surrounded by eggs and the potatoes. I found the sausage to be decent but a little dry. I was expecting it to be cut up, but that wasn't a problem since I'm handy with a butter knife. I also found the eggs not to my liking. They tasted seasonless and a little tough, as if they were ready to encase an omelette. So far I wasn't impressed with the food.

The potatoes, however, were totally satisfying. They met the happy medium of crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Combined with the perfectly grilled onions, this was a dish worth coming back for. I also enjoyed the biscuits and gravy. I spent a lot of my time stateside in the South, so biscuits and gravy are almost a delicacy to me. Bab's came pretty close to giving me that down-home, artery clogging feeling I get when I sop up gravy with a tender biscuit.

My wife's pancakes were to her liking. I took a bite off of her plate and they weren't bad. They were very fluffy and you get more than you need when you order.

My daughter's cereal, surprisingly, came out in royal fashion. Her bowl had already been filled with the cereal and came out on a tray with two small, silver containers full of milk. You would think that Bab's was preparing cereal for a princess! This was a nice touch because it showed that Bab's is really about family dining and not just pushing food.

The overall experience at Bab's was satisfying. The only food I didn't like was the eggs. Other than that, the potatoes and biscuits and gravy are worth returning for on the menu. However, the overall dining experience at Bab's is where the heart is. A pleasant atmosphere full of tradition and care makes each bite of food taste just a little bit better than normal.