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Ever since I was seven years old playing Crusin’ USA on Nintendo 64, I’ve wanted to see the gigantic Californian Redwood trees in person. Finally, almost 20 years later, now that I’ve moved from NYC to San Francisco, I easily have the ability to go to them whenever the urge strikes. All it takes is a short drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to the North Bay followed by a truly treacherous, narrow, winding, fog-shrouded, mountainside drive up to Muir Woods.

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Trekking to Muir Woods is a very popular activity for tourists and locals alike and since it’s literally on the edge of a mountain cliff, there’s very little parking available. In order to find parking, we were given the advice to arrive early and attempted to do just that. Since we decided to arrive at around 10 AM and were going to be hiking through the woods, we thought it would be a good idea to pitstop for breakfast on the way there. After consulting the internet, the consensus for the best breakfast in the area was at The Dipsea Cafe just off the highway in Mill Valley.

This early on a foggy Friday morning, Dipsea was still fairly empty which was a pleasant surprise for us New Yorkers who are so used to all brunch hotspots being mobbed at all times. The cafe had a real country vibe with lots of gigantic farmhouse murals covering many of the large walls and plaid tablecloth-covered furniture filling the space. The menu was loaded with all of the homey breakfast and lunch staples you would expect along with a variety of Greek special just like the Greek-owned diners I grew up with in New Jersey served. A quick glance at the decor and the menu and we were fairly certain breakfast was gonna be awesome.

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The Restaurant

Even though it was early in the morning, I was already pretty hungry and wanted to fill up well before the coming hike’s exertion ahead. I selected a Chorizo Tortilla Scramble which was loaded with all of the classic Mexican ingredients you would expect like meaty chorizo, soft tortilla, onion, poblano pepper, melty Jack cheese, tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole.

The omelette was huge and was truly loaded with a ton of all of the fresh, flavorful, Mexican ingredients I love so much. Along with my eggs, I also received a homemade buttermilk biscuit and home fries, but the biscuit was nothing special so I didn’t even bother with it.

The omelette and home fries on the other hand were fantastic together. And as good as the eggs were, the home fries may have been even better. With skillet-crisped edges and plenty of herby, lemony, and garlicky flavor, the Greek menu’s influence was definitely showing.

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Chorizo Tortilla Scramble

Eventually we finished our meal and continued on our climb up the winding mountainside to Muir Woods. It really was quite beautiful up there and the trees were just as incredible as I’d hoped they would be. This park is certainly worth a visit if you’ve got any interest in nature and if you’re headed there you might as well fill your belly up with some homey breakfast at Dipsea Cafe on the way.

Got another place worth stopping into the next time I head up to Muir Woods? Let me know in the comments below.

And now, some gratuitous nature shots!

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Dipsea Cafe
200 Shoreline Hwy Mill Valley, CA 94941

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