Don’t you just love finding those little quaint, homey breakfast- and lunch-only eateries tucked away indiscriminately around your towns? If you’re like us, they’re our favorites – and finding them has become our secret obsession.
Breakfast Station #8 in Leesburg is exactly one of those precious finds. Since the franchise opened in 2016, we have become regulars and it’s our “go-to” place when family and friends visit from out of town. And for those who live in The Villages and want a great place to eat, it’s close by!
Breakfast Station is located in the strip shopping center that houses Aldi’s and Harbor Freight Tools, next to Wal-Mart on U.S. Hwy. 27/441. The address is 2229 Citrus Blvd. and the eatery is located just inside the Leesburg city limits and not far from Fruitland Park.
Here’s some more good news – the restaurant is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and you won’t have any trouble finding a parking spot due to the ample-sized lot for the shopping center.
The name of the restaurant immediately gives away the quaint décor. The train depot/railway theme is prevalent throughout. It’s quite cozy inside, with both booths and tables for seating. Usually, we’re seated right away, however, if you have to wait, it won’t be long. Just be sure to write your name down on the wait list.
The menu (click HERE) isn’t very large, but the selections are plentiful. There are about 30 breakfast items, as well as lunch choices, and there’s always a daily special. We’ve tried most of the items and have never had a bad meal there.
During our recent visit, I ordered steak and fried eggs, with a side of corned beef hash and an English muffin. I washed it all down with orange juice and coffee. The steak was a good size for breakfast and served perfectly medium rare. I like my eggs over medium and they also were done to perfection. And my favorite thing though is their corned beef hash – always cooked for me with a light crunch around the edges.
My dining companion ordered the Eggs Benedict – again, one of our favorites. The Hollandaise sauce is never curdled and always rich and creamy. The poached eggs were perfect and weren’t overcooked. It was accompanied with an order of hash browns that were light and crispy on top – as they should be.
While you’re enjoying your meal, you may get a surprise from the staff when someone occasionally comes into the dining room blowing a train whistle. It always makes a meal at the Breakfast Station fun!
Speaking of the staff, they are absolutely charming. There’s Bride, Shawna and Karen, to name a few. They’re funny, nice, quirky and always there when you seem to need something – kind of like family. By no means is this eatery a quiet, somber place. The colorful wait staff makes sure of that!
The history of the franchise is very endearing as well. The founders are Cash and Cathy Smith. Their quaint love story goes – server and manager meet and fall in love at Perkins restaurant in Bayonet Point in 1989, married by 1990, left Perkins but stayed in the restaurant business.
The Breakfast Station has 13 other locations throughout Florida: Port Richey, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey, Beverly Hills, Brooksville, Spring Hill, Crystal River, Homosassa, Seminole, Dunnellon, Crawfordville, Melbourne and Land O’ Lakes. They’ve obviously got the formula for good food and happy diners right!
As posted in its blog, the Breakfast Station encourages supporting their local communities. And they are big supporters of International Women’s Day: “Today and every day we are proud to recognize all the exceptional women in leadership positions throughout Breakfast Station. We are honored to have women in leadership at 11 of our 14 locations.”
