I’m always on the lookout for the next best place for breakfast. I’d have to say breakfast is – by far – my most favorite meal of the day. If I had my way, more places would just specialize in breakfast 24/7. Because honestly, who doesn’t like an omelette for lunch sometimes or some pancakes for dinner?

Well, there’s a new place to get breakfast (and those other two meals a day) on Boston’s North Shore. Red’s Kitchen and Tavern opened earlier this summer and has been busy.

But, let’s take a step back about 50 years and start over in Salem, Mass. This is where Red’s Sandwich Shop first gained a loyal, local following. The sandwich shop stands in a building that dates back to the 18th century and has served meals to many over the years. Based on that popularity, it was a natural progression to open up a second location. Flash forward to May 2012, when the second location – Red’s Kitchen and Tavern – opened up on Route 1 in Peabody, Mass. This location is spacious and new. So, let’s take a look inside…

Red’s building looks beautiful from Route 1. A lot of the other nearby buildings are sprucing up their facades to keep up with the neighbors.
Inside, you have your pick of sitting at two horseshoe-shaped counters overlooking the bustling kitchen. Or, you could sit in the more laid-back dining rooms.

If there happens to be a wait for seating in the dining room, you can easily plop down at any one of the open stools at the counter for immediate food gratification.

The dining room is decked out in black booths (and a few scattered tables). The pendant lighting, along with lots of windows, keeps it nice and bright. Artwork is sort of reminiscent of an old Parisian bistro.

There’s a fully-stocked bar where you can get your Sunday Bloody Mary or Mimosa with brunch. It also looks like a nice place for a quick libation after work.

We’ve been to Red’s twice now and haven’t been disappointed on either occasion. Staff have been very friendly and seem to know many regulars already.

Portions are huge so you won’t leave hungry. On our first trip, Brett ordered Red’s All Meat Omelette, a mixture of ham, bacon, sausage, kielbasa, steak tips and cheese. This is a carnivore’s morning delight! I was a bit leery of steak in an omelette, but these tips were so juicy. All omelettes are served with home fries and a choice of toast.

Guess who ordered the Mickey Pancake? Yeah, that would be me. What Disney fanatic could resist this?

This pancake was fluffy and hearty. I asked for the whipped cream on the side so I could switch between that and syrup. This little guy’s ears were almost enough to fill me up for the day!

I’m also a huge sucker for corned beef hash if I see it on the menu. Red’s Kitchen’s hash is really good. It had a really good crunchy crust on it, too.

On our second visit, I had the Corned Beef Eggs Benedict. This traditional dish with poached eggs over English Muffin, plus Red’s Corned Beef, was glorious! It also was served with nicely crisped home fries. My mouth is watering right now…

For Brett’s second dish, he ordered the blueberry pancakes. The fluffy mound of three flapjacks was just as good as Mickey but also had heaping piles of blueberries in it. All I know is that Brett was really happy. But even with his hunger, he couldn’t finish off the three ‘cakes.

Now, Red’s also serves lunch and dinner. Everything from soups, salads, pot pies, sandwiches, seafood, steaks and pastas. To finish off any meal, you could pick one of their cakes or pies for dessert.

All in all, Red’s is a really solid place for breakfast. We’ve tried to go on several other occasions, but since word is spreading about the place, the wait has been much, much longer. There isn’t the biggest waiting area so people have been outside for the duration. Not quite sure how that’ll pan out once the New England winter comes along.

You can learn more about Red’s Kitchen and Tavern online at www.redskitchenandtavern.com.