Lovely Square

Tucked into a Gulf Gate storefront on Gateway Avenue, Lovely Square is the kind of place you'd drive right past if you didn't know better. The exterior is nothing to write home about, a modest strip-mall front that gives away nothing. But that's not why you come. Step inside and it's warm, comfortable, and unhurried, the sort of small room where nobody's rushing you back out the door.

What it is, underneath the humble packaging, is a French breakfast-and-lunch spot run with real care. The croissants are the headline, flaky and buttery and quite possibly the best in town. From there the menu fans out into the things a good French-leaning kitchen does well: eggs Benedict, omelets and frittatas, crêpes both sweet and savory, French toast, and baguette sandwiches at lunch. It's scratch cooking at neighborhood prices, with beer and wine if you're making a morning of it.

Order the croissant, obviously, and don't overthink the eggs, which come out cooked exactly right, harder to find than it should be. Come for breakfast or an early lunch; the kitchen runs mornings into the early afternoon and then calls it a day.

Skip it if you're after a scene or a view, because there isn't one and there doesn't need to be. This is a hole-in-the-wall in the best sense: you're here for the food, and the food delivers.

The scoop: Lovely Square, Gulf Gate.