Those who love a classic breakfast diner would do well to head to Sam’s Log Cabin, situated in, well, a cabin storefront on San Pablo Avenue with a cute patio out back. Make sure to peruse the daily specials before consulting the menu — there could be a new scramble, pancake, scone, soup, or plate to catch your eye — but otherwise, go with whatever moves you. Try the Corn Cakes, the cornmeal pancakes, or the sourdough French toast if you’re leaning toward the sweet side. You also can’t lose with the chilaquiles or corned beef hash.

Sistory Thai Kitchen serves a menu that appeals to those who want the standardest of standard breakfasts — i.e. a proper buttermilk pancake or eggs Benedict — but it’s when the menu branches out that the food truly shines. For instance, the Get Up N Fly features crisp russet potato wedges (topped with a fried egg, it’s breakfast after all) with a yellow curry sauce perfect for re-dipping bites of potato. On the sweeter side, the pancakes with Thai tea syrup might be up your alley.

This bright Berkeley spot does a bountiful weekend brunch, when diners can order table-sized mezze platters piled high with all sorts of fresh-baked breads, dips, and pickled vegetables. There’s a cozy outdoor patio and an airy indoor dining room which a view of the kitchen, where you may even spot chef Mona Leena artfully building each of the many platters for guests.

The classic downtown Berkeley brunch spot, a favorite for generations of Cal students, is still welcoming long lines of diners to enjoy pain perdu, French-style omelettes, and combo plates like the Cote Ouest, a three-egg omelette with ratatouille, homefries, and a choice of toast. The garlicky breakfast potatoes alone are worth a visit.

Perhaps best known for its weekday focaccia sandwich brown bag lunches, Chez Panisse alum Kelsie Kerr’s West Berkeley breakfast and lunch spot also serves a mean Saturday brunch. The menu changes every day, but keep an eye out for sticky buns, sourdough waffles, and picture-perfect fried eggs.

This North Oakland institution serves a mean fried chicken breakfast plate, with or without the waffle. But the real star of its breakfast and brunch menu is what’s probably the creamiest, most delicious side of grits you can find in the East Bay. No one will blame you if you finish your morning meal with a slice of pie.

This Rockridge restaurant serves its brunch dishes every day. The menu aims to offer something for everyone, from pancakes and Benedicts to morning fare with Korean and other international influences: omurice, morning tacos with kalbi, and Korean fried chicken and waffles.

This cozy coffee shop across from the Temescal DMV serves some of the tastiest Eritrean breakfast dishes around. The shihan ful, a spicy fava bean dip that comes with two warm, crusty French rolls, is the must-order dish, but the cafe’s excellent Eritrean-style “frittata” (like an onion-y scramble) also has its fair share of devotees.

The East Bay is home to a number of excellent dim sum spots, with an honorable mention going to Saigon Seafood Harbor Restaurant. But if you’re looking for a more scenic spot for a group, Hong Kong East Ocean delivers. Located in Emeryville, the window seats of the bayside restaurant offer views of downtown San Francisco to go with its stellar selection of dim sum and seafood. Go for the siu mai and the Shanghai mini dumplings, and if you’re a fan of chicken feet, the restaurant offers three styles.

Sure, you’ve had an eggs Benedict, but have you tried a bulgogi Benedict? Such is the approach at the Sunday, which offers a menu filled with both brunch classics and Korean dishes. In fact, the menu includes both of those Benedicts, as well as chicken and waffles, loco moco, lemon ricotta pancakes, and more. Come hungry.

Huge classic American breakfasts are the calling card of this West Oakland diner, a reborn version of a beloved El Cerrito spot. Well-stuffed omelets and fluffy, buttery pancakes are the way to go here, but the Asian-leaning dishes (teriyaki plates and such) are worth trying.

You’ll find all the classics here, but also slightly more contemporary and hard-to-find options: Buried in the restaurant’s vast menu are gems like pan-fried daikon cake with XO sauce; crispy-garlic-topped “typhoon style” taro cake; and cute, Instagram-ready piggy-faced steamed custard buns.

Thsi chic Laurel District diner is open for breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch, Wednesday through Sunday. The waffles and biscuits are spectacular, as are the breakfast sandwiches, and there are plenty of vegetarian-friendly options — and bloody marys and Irish coffees to boot.