Review: Eva's Restaurant, Summerville, SC

Tucked in between a theatre and a cupcake store is a little restaurant that has been a part of Summerville for almost 7 decades. Stepping in the door is like stepping back in time. It's a place that so many Summerville residents have seen, but not so many have gone in. Why? Well, they run the restaurant just like it has been going since 1944. There's no fancy foods on the menu, they take cash only, and they are open for breakfast and lunch only. Until recently, the last two of those kept me from venturing further than the occasional peek inside the window.

So on a whim a few weeks ago, my husband, who was taking the day off work, my daughter, and I decided to hit the ATM and then get breakfast at Eva's. When I walked in, I immediately thought of my grandmother. Seriously. And not because there were mostly senior citizens in there, but because the atmosphere just reminded me of grandma. It was the type of place of time gone by that I wanted to expose my children to. They needed to learn there was a time where TVs aren't on the walls of a restaurant, there are no "kiddie" menus, and everyone in the restaurant talked to everyone else, including the occasional shout to the kitchen. That was when I decided I was going to become "a regular" at Eva's (pronounced 'E-Vuh's, as I found out. This is not the Eva like the Longoria on TV).

So I called my friend, Janet, and proposed a sort of breakfast club for us girls, Abigail and me with Janet and her twin girls. We decided every other Friday at 9 am, we would going to start making our appearance. This is where we truly learned how old fashioned Eva's really was.

Janet rolls in with her 18 month twins, and she and I scan the restaurant for high chairs or even a booster seat. There is one (1) high chair and two booster seats. Janet asked if the booster has a seat belt. I unintentionally ruffled some feathers when I said, "No. They're the old fashioned kind without seat belts." The waitress, a sassy 60 something year old, who knew all the other customers by name, regular order, and family history, looked at me and informed me about how "old fashioned" Eva's was. She jokingly told us two stories: 1) Someone asked for mushrooms in her eggs. She said, "Mushrooms?! Honey, we don't serve omelettes here." and 2) Someone once asked for cocktail sauce to which she replied, "Cocktail sauce?! They didn't have cocktail sauce back in 1944, why would we have it now?" So we knew our place. Order what's on the menu.

So, laughingly, we ordered eggs, pancakes, grits (the twins' first try; one liked them, the other didn't), and coffee. But there was a glitch with the coffee. They don't have decaf...well, sort of. They have Sanko packets that we were welcome to use. So, caffeinated it was. We enjoyed the rest of the meal with good conversation. The table of 8 regulars that sat at the front of the restaurant came to ooh and ahh over our girls, and I learned that most of the other local shop owners in downtown Summerville ate there on a regular basis. Who knew?

So overall review:

Food: Good. Seriously just like grandma used to make. The lunch, which I haven't tried yet, is a "meat and 3" menu for $7.95. There are other options on the menu that are less heavy and all around $5.

Atmosphere: Love it! It really reminded me of my grandma's house, and I could easily see my granddaddy meeting his friends there every morning for coffee and pancakes.

Prices: Expensive for 1944's taste, but really on the reasonable side for today's standards. You get more than you are paying for.

Service: Once you understand that the waitress is a fun, talkative lady, you are good to go. I think if you aren't expecting to have someone ask about your family and life story, you might be taken back. Otherwise, it was great!

They are only open Monday-Friday from 7am to 3 pm. It would be a great Saturday morning breakfast place, but I think that them being open M-F is part of the charm.

If you get the chance, grab some cash and come enjoy Eva's Restaurant. You won't regret it.

Photo Credit

Our Little Breakfast Club