Spreading holiday cheer can leave the wallet a little light this time of year.
Through our Eat See Do newsletter (sent out every Thursday) we put out a call to readers to send in their favorite cheap breakfast spots.
With those suggestions – and a few of our own – here’s a list of Long Beach eateries where you can grab a good breakfast for under $10:
Friendly Cup Cafe (1150 East Fourth Street)
Our reporter John recommends Long Beach’s best-kept breakfast secret in the Alamitos Beach neighborhood. The Long Beach Senior Center is open to the public and everything on the menu is under $5.
For $4.50, you can choose a breakfast burrito, a breakfast sandwich or a breakfast plate that comes with scrambled eggs, two pieces of bacon or sausage, a hashbrown and toast.
Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are all available for $1 for the regular size or $1.25 for the large.
The Friendly Cup Cafe is open 8 a.m. to noon every day except Sunday.
The Library Coffee House (3418 East Broadway)
Reader Julie recommended the breakfast sandwiches from this cozy Bluff Park coffee shop. Heartier options cost $8.25 while simpler breakfast sandwiches are $6.75.
Pastries are also available ranging from $3.75 for a croissant to $4.75 for a cream cheese danish.
The Library Coffee House is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Grounds Bakery & Cafe (6277 East Spring Street)
Grounds, a family-owned cafe near El Dorado Park, has an array of breakfast options under $10. Those include various omelets, skillets and breakfast sandwiches on your choice of bread, bagel or croissant.
One of the only options that tops $10 is the huge triple-decker sandwich that comes with two eggs, ham, two sausage patties, four slices of bacon and two types of cheese.
Grounds Bakery & Cafe is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Leo’s Mexican Grill (225 E Broadway)
Reader and Downtown Long Beach business owner Kimberly recommended Leo’s breakfast burritos, which are $6.50 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Choose between bacon, ham, sausage, chorizo or machaca, but if you place a phone order you must pick up your burrito by 10 a.m. to get the discount price. Bonus tip, their taco Tuesday and taco Friday deals are great for a cheap lunch at only $1.75 per taco.
Leo’s Mexican Grill is open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Still hungry? Here are a couple more suggestions:
Reader Julie also recommends Manna Donuts (3199 Pacific Coast Highway) for the $7 ham and cheese croissant.
I’m partial to DoLy’s Delectables (245 East Broadway) for their $6.75 breakfast sandwich or any of the freshly baked pastries.
Do you have more suggestions? I’m sure we missed some. Email them to me at [email protected].