Breakfast on the Colorado at Topock66

There's a particular kind of morning that only happens next to a big river. The air is still cool, the water is flat, and the first coffee tastes better than it has any right to. At Topock66, that morning comes with a full breakfast menu, a view of the Colorado, and a kitchen that serves breakfast until 11am every day of the week.

When breakfast starts and when it ends

The restaurant opens at 8am Monday through Friday, and at 7am on Saturday and Sunday. Breakfast is served from open until 11am. At 11am the kitchen switches to the lunch menu, and dinner starts at 4pm. Those are the hours the restaurant publishes for itself, so they're the ones to plan around.

That's a generous window if you're coming off Interstate 40 at Exit One with a long, hot drive ahead of you. The restaurant is at 14999 Historic Route 66 in Topock, Arizona. If you want to check anything before you leave the highway, the restaurant line is (928) 768-2325.

The plates people order first

The Topock Special is the one to look at if you want the whole spread. It's two eggs, your choice of bacon or sausage, and biscuits and gravy, listed at 16.99 on the current menu. The Two Egg Breakfast is the plainer version at 15.99, and it's the right call when you want to eat and get moving.

Then there's the Big Ass Burrito, which is the menu's own name for it and not ours. Scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheese, your choice of meat and a side of salsa, at 15.99. The restaurant's website calls its breakfast burrito famous, and it's easy to see why a handheld breakfast that big would earn a reputation with people heading out onto the water.

If you're a bacon person, look at the Woven BLT. It's a bacon weave with tomato, lettuce, bacon mayo and breakfast potatoes on your choice of bread, at 18.99. Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs and Ham Steak and Eggs are both 18.99 as well, and both are the kind of plate that makes a mid-morning snack unnecessary.

The sweet side of the menu

Not everyone wants a savory start. The pancakes are two vanilla pancakes at 13.99, and a tall stack is 14.99. The French toast is cinnamon vanilla, 15.99. If you only want a taste, a single pancake is a side order at 5.99, which is handy when you're splitting plates with kids.

The omelette is built your way: pick any three items, 15.99. That's the plate for the person at the table who always changes the order, and the menu is set up to let them.

Breakfast sides worth adding

The side list is long enough that you can build a plate from scratch. These are the prices on the current menu, so expect them to move over time.

• Bacon or sausage, 5.99
• Ham steak, 10.99
• Chicken fried steak, 10.99
• Breakfast potatoes, 6.99
• Biscuit and gravy, 7.99
• One egg, 4.50
• Toast, 3.50
• Tomato slices, 3.99
• Single pancake, 5.99
• Fresh fruit, 6.99

Eating on the river deck

Topock66 has patio and indoor dining, and the deck is the reason most people pick the patio. From there you can see the Colorado River, floating docks, a steel railroad bridge and the desert hills on the far side. Red umbrellas shade the tables, which matters a great deal in a part of Arizona where the sun doesn't ask permission.

The restaurant draws a crowd, and a Google reviewer named andy zinelis said so plainly: "Ate at the restaurant which has awesome food. Service was great. Drinks were good. Was slow but we were there off season. But during high season, look out!!!! It gets crowded." Take that as a planning tip. Show up closer to opening time in busy season and you'll have an easier time getting the table you want.

Making a morning of it

Breakfast works best as the first stop, not the only one. Topock66 sits on Historic Route 66 at the river, with a Route 66 mural and a shield sign on the property, a Riverstore and gift shop, and a marina with a launch ramp. If you're staying at the hotel, breakfast is a short walk. If you're passing through, it's a good place to stretch your legs after hours of highway.

Bring water and sun protection no matter what the morning feels like. The temperature in this part of the desert climbs quickly once breakfast is done, and the river deck is open air.

The restaurant holds 4.5 stars from 2,936 Google reviews. Breakfast is a good way to see why. Arrive hungry, order the thing you can't get at home, and let the Colorado do the rest.