Eating at Evan’s Kitchen feels like an afternoon at grandma’s house.

You’re greeted with hospitality when you walk in, surrounded by flowery décor wherever you sit and leave with the urge to unbutton your jeans after a hearty home-cooked meal.

The restaurant has a homey feeling with wood-carved dining room tables and chairs. The booths have coat hangers on the side and there is a painting of Evan Elsberry, the owner and chef, on the wall next to the kitchen. A few feet away, the real Evan can be seen cooking through the kitchen pass-through.

The restaurant echoed loudly with the sounds of chatty patrons as joyous waiters walked quickly between tables, reciting daily specials and making sure no water glasses were less than half full.

The menu offers sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, pasta and a creative medley of two meals in one: Chef Evan’s famous hot meatloaf sandwich.

“For lunch, our meatloaf is homemade,” said waiter Alejandro Luna. “Our salads are great, (which) comes in big portions with homemade dressing (and) always brings a crowd in.”

There is a separate menu just for breakfast, which offers more than 40 items including pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy and breakfast burritos.

Luna said the most popular menu items were breakfast dishes like omelets and eggs Benedict.

The Scalzo – a three-egg omelet served with chicken apple sausage, mushrooms, spinach, onions and jack cheese – was, to my shameful confession, better than any breakfast my grandma has ever made.

The blanket of eggs and spinach that warmly wrapped around the other ingredients were light and fluffy. Tucked inside were caramelized onions that paired well with the apple-flavored sausage and added a mild sweetness that complemented the savory flavors of the salty and creamy jack cheese which oozed onto the plate each time I cut into the omelet.

The average price for a meal is about $10, but the portion sizes are generous. The Scalzo, which was $9, was as long as a child’s forearm and dominated half of the large plate; the rest of the plate was occupied by a small bowl of fruit and four slices of toast with strawberry jam.

The menu also offers vegetarian and vegan options such as a veggie omelet, a roasted vegetable pot pie and eggplant Parmesan.

Kitchen’s special offers include bottomless mimosas – a cocktail composed of champagne and orange juice – for $9 on the weekends and a Prime Rib dinner, which includes a soup or salad and dessert for $18.

Evan’s Kitchen offers dessert but they are not listed on the menu because they change daily. Some of the desserts include pecan pie, hot lava cake, carrot cake, brownie sundae and apple crisp.

My omelet was completely devoured – despite the large portion size – in fear of Evan emerging from the kitchen to tell me to finish my food like my grandma used to. The meal was so comforting, though, I had no problem finishing every last bite. I will most definitely be seeing Evan again – next time I will remember to wear loose-fit jeans.

Evan’s Kitchen is located at 855 57th St., Suite C and its hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Breakfast is served from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday to Sunday.

Cristina Lule can be reached at [email protected]