From Westerly to Woonsocket, Rhode Island has an abundance of diners and mom-and-pops slinging "breakfast all day," and everyone seemingly has their own favorite breakfast nook. Our revolving crew of recovering weekend warriors includes a Pawtucket resident (and East Haven transplant) who rarely strays too far beyond his beloved Modern Diner on the East Side/Bucket border, but that local landmark is also well-known for the sometimes-lengthy wait, particularly when churchgoers and dizzy college kids collide on weekends. Thankfully, word of mouth hipped us to another promising entry — the Classic Cafe in Providence’s West End.

Scoring an unoccupied booth never seems to be a problem within the stretched interior, which served as a pharmacy and soda fountain a half-century ago. The old-school vibe remains prevalent for those traveling along Westminster Street and spotting the sleek ’41 Plymouth roadster parked out front, the wheels of owner/ head cook Ray Burns. He dealt with a brutal winter of discontent ("slow contractors" became a fixture on the chalkboard of daily specials), but with some neighborly help from the Providence Preservation Society Revolving Fund, the Classic Cafe is back and better than ever. New awnings and spacious windows infuse personality for the unassuming exterior, and rumor has it that the summer months may bring outdoor dining; bacon and eggs al fresco along Winter Street, ironically enough.

A recent Sunday afternoon found our trio stumbling in, glazed eyes already affixed to the daily special chalkboard. We slid into a booth, and yours truly was particularly famished. Our waitress, Evie, was already equipped to dispense the iced water and our usual round of bottomless iced coffee ($1.75).

For starters, the homemade chili ($2.50/$3.95) is the star attraction offered atop burgers and dogs, or slathered over a crock of loaded nachos ($7.95). The lunch menu offers such usual suspects as clubs, melts, soups, and salads. The one-third pound charbroiled "chicken burgers" are also available as a low-carb plate, served atop a tossed salad. The tuna melt ($5.95) with cheddar, bacon, and tomato on Texas toast is a perennial favorite, as is the CAB melt ($6.95), with chicken, avocado, bacon, tomato, and Swiss on buttery grilled sourdough. Another honorable mention goes to the giant charbroiled specialty dogs ($4.95), such as "The Works," with cheddar, bacon, and grilled onions, while "The Philly Dog" combines sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms blanketed with melted Swiss.

The back page of the menu is devoted to breakfast choices, and the chicken-fried steak ($5.95) receives big props, composed with a flattened flank steak and a quick flour dip, sizzled until crispy rather than batter-dredged, and drowned in a fryer. The "Small Time" section of the menu is great not only for the indecisive, but also those of us who eat our words for a living, so to speak, and the No. 4 ($3.25) is a personal favorite, a half-order of hearty biscuits and gravy accompanied with hash browns and toast. But the star attraction could well be the mammoth three-egg omelets ($6.50-$7.95). Aside from the dozen available combos (with names like "The Kitchen Sink," and "The PMS" with peppers, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese), typical weekend specials include "The Boss," combining bacon, sauteed onions, spinach, and Swiss, and a newcomer billed as "The Meat Lover’s."

Considering ourselves regulars, we’ve become comfortable enough to fire off our order with standard diner diction — something like, "OK, I need a Meat Lover’s-add jalapenos-rye-no hash browns-add cakes," as often overheard by Evie. Eggs are speedily cracked and whisked as every conceivable cured pork product (that’s right, bacon, sausage, ham, and pepperoni) is mixed with mozzarella and cheddar.

Whatever you do — breakfast, burger, or big salad — go for the potato cakes. The decent hash browns (shredded, not diced), the standard fries, and the crunchy, fried chips are all worthy carb contenders, but an extra buck gets you a pair of their famous potato cakes. Equal parts creamy, crispy, and garlicky; they won’t help the waistline, although they will guarantee a return visit.

Like all men, my buddy isn’t much for words while wielding a fork and knife. On arrival, our friend was delightfully taken aback by the presentation on his bleu cheese-and-chili pepper-chicken burger ($6.50). A skinless chicken breast is rolled in crushed red pepper and smothered in a sinfully thick bleu cheese, creating a utensil-worthy, open-faced affair. Meanwhile, our three-egg, carnivorous concoction left us speechless, although I caught a few memorable cuisine quotes between mouthfuls: "Guy, the Meat Lover’s is on another level," and, "This omelet is no joke." ’Nuff said.

Chris Conti can be reached at buckeebrooks@cs.com.