Nena’s Breakfast House

Service was quick, waitress was always checking for our satisfaction topping coffee and drinks, food was what was advertised. great little breakfast spot for a good old fashioned «eggs and bacon» only downfall is cash only but worth that little discomfort.

The breakfast poutine is intense. So good. I love this restaurant. Great food, great service, great prices.

Breakfast poutine should have some type of onion and green pepper in it. As well customers should have a choice of either bacon OR sausage. Not both. Have with Cheese curds not grated cheese. Should be in a bowl with some garnish. Increase price if have to.

I’m not in Dartmouth that often, but had a commitment here at noon on a sunny Saturday in October, I felt like trying something new for breakfast on the way. Googled the area and discovered this place. Although it’s tiny and easy to miss if you were driving by, it was very easy to find. A tiny hole-​in-​the-​wall in the middle of a corner «strip mall at best» of small businesses. Some free parking out front and I got a place within a few feet of the door. A few smoking folks were hanging around the cars outside. Inside, there are about 8 tables in total? I took a small two-​seater by the window as the rest of the place was mostly full. Your basic simplified diner style with the counter area/​kitchen dominating. Friendly service. I tried the $ 10.95 eggs benedict with tomato slices (in lieu of meat) and it was good. Not the best I’ve ever had, but nothing wrong with it and I cleaned the plate. The home fries were a bit dry and lacking flavor, but I finished them off no problem as well. If you an eggs & bacon type of person that just wants food and no frills, I’m sure this place would suit you just fine. I have no reason to go back because I don’t see myself in the area that often in the future, but if I lived within walking distance, I’d probably pop in here for the occasional greasy hangover cure.

Why, yes, Unilocal rating system, I am indeed a fan of Nena’s. And it’s mostly for their cheese pancakes. But I’ll get to that.
Sometimes I feel like expectations need to be managed. This is one of those times. While I’m a fan of this place, I don’t want people thinking that a 4-​star review equals a high end or fancy place. This diner is very grounded and realistic. The vibe is very «small town diner» and that works just fine for me.
The staff are friendly, welcoming, and helpful. The interior is simple (almost spartan but in a good way).
The food: Well, I’ve only had a few things but the real draw here for me is the cheese pancakes. The story (as I’ve been told) is that they were a typo in the very first menu order but people kept asking for them so they added them to their lineup. And they are so good. And so simple! I’ve made them at home but there’s something extra nice about theirs. I’ve gone with others including friends and my parents and everyone’s enjoyed it. I appreciate the simplicity of the menu — great for older people who don’t want a fancy breakfast. And the food may be «simple» but it’s delicious and that’s what matters most.

Visiting from Calgary, was in need of a place that served all day breakfast and found this place on a gps search. Had a great breakfast «Nenas Choice» from the menu. We’ll be back for more before we go back home

Awesome basic eggs and bacon breakfast stop. Greasy spoon done right. Clean and bright with friendly staff and quick service. I would love to see Java Blend Coffee here.

Finally tried this place out today — kicking myself for not having done so when I still lived in NS.
Eggs: perfect;
Bacon: mine was soft and Don’s was crispy, as we’d ordered it (and it’s real bacon);
Home fries: best I’ve ever had;
Sausage: perfectly cooked;
Toast: mmm… bread!
Speedy, friendly service and great prices (cash only). Atmosphere is cozy.
Conclusion: way better than Cora’s. Fantastic value!

Theres nothing really outstanding or exceptional, but I think thats something thats pretty hard to do when it comes to breakfast anyways.
No real complaints, home fries were great, eggs done perfectly.
Its a cute little place thats perfect to nurse a hangover with a huge plate of food and good coffee.

Good food at good prices. The breakfast poutine (home fries, cheese, egg, bacon or sausage and hollandaise sauce) is amazing! I love that this place is open early and the staff are always friendly. The only downside is that it’s cash only. Otherwise a great place to try out!

This place is open early! Just what I needed after flying the red-​eye into Halifax. We pulled up to an unassuming storefront, and were greeted by a brusque woman who waved us to a seat. We nearly had the place to ourselves, and it is a touch on the small side, so that was good. The woman came to take our order pretty quickly. In my sleep deprived state, I numbly ordered the Early Bird Special for $ 5. Despite the NO SUBSTITUTIONS printed clearly under the special, I asked if I could add a sausage to that. She said sure, why not? How about for an extra $ 1? Well, who can argue with that price? THe woman went back behind the counter to the sunny grill area, and promptly began to cook our food! This must be a one-​woman show, I surmised. Maybe not too busy here, then.
Well, my assumptions were soon to be proven wrong. Our food came out very quickly, and another woman had appeared, clearly the usual waitress. And not a moment too soon, and people began trickling in, filling the small seating area. Some were greeted by name, clearly regulars.
My meal was good for the money, with nice just-​crispy-​but-​not-​too-​crispy bacon, eggs just as I had asked, and a decent amount of sides. Not too much food, not too little. The sausages were a touch on the greasy side, and I really could’ve skipped them, maybe in favour of more bacon!
We left happy and not too much out of pocket, just as the day, and the seating area, were beginning to heat up.

Enjoy the friendly staff and regular customers. Service is prompt, food is hot and freshly cooked. And the coffee is the best in the area. Apparently they had received a bad review for their coffee a while back so the cook decided to make it his mission to redeem the restaurant and he has succeeded. The coffee is delicious, along with the food.

This place gives the feel of an old time dinner and so does the food. really great, affordable spot that gives a down home feel. I had eggs and bacon, not much to mess up on there but the home fries are homemade, that are seasoned, delicious! ! My niece loved the French toast and I’ve heard they have amazing eggs bennie! Great little spot for homestyle breakfast!
Big tip, cash only! But the store next door «One Stop» are the owners and will give you cash off thier debit machine if you’re eating there!

Went to Nena’s Breakfast House this morning and am thrilled that the North End of Dartmouth has such a wonderful little «greasy spoon».
The food reminds me of my mom’s Sunday Breakfast, bacon, sausage, potatoes and eggs. It’s a quaint little place with a ton of great energy.
Nena’s was staffed with laid back, down to earth people and the atmosphere was relaxing.
Nena’s is a hop, skip & a jump from my place so I will definitely be back.
Those of you unfamiliar with the neighbourhood may think it’s a «bad part of town», it’s not, Northend Dartmouth has it’s good & bad, but we can’t all live in gated communities and I will take this diverse neighbourhood over houses that look exactly the same… anyday.
Bravo Nena’s! Glad to see such a fabulous place representing «the hood» :)

I had any early morning so, with the extra time, I thought I’d treat myself to breakfast. One of my favourite things is a long, leisurely breakfast over the morning paper. It’s something I don’t get to do often, but I love it.
With that in mind I decided to try somewhere new, and close to my office. I did a quick Unilocal search and saw Nena’s had some good reviews so I headed over.
I was the only one there! It was lovely! The place is clean, modern, and had a lovely granite counter that I quickly took over with my paper, after ordering the special (two eggs, any style with 3 bacon and toast). I got a nice glass of cold milk and my breakfast was out in minutes. It was delicious. My scrambled eggs were perfect. Bacon was crisp but not over-​done. It was also not greasy, yay! The toast was great and the milk super cold. It was excellent!
About half way through my breakfast, an older couple came in and sat at a table behind me. The lovely lady who was serving me, I assume she may be The Nena… maybe?, knew what they wanted an brought over their coffee to start. I love a place with regulars!
All told, my bill was only $ 8. Breakfast was excellent, service was fast and friendly and I’ve now found a new, delicious breakfast place!

Their all day breakfast wasn’t extraordinarily good or terrifyingly bad either.
It was ok food, in an ok atmosphere in a not-​so-​great part of town. I’d eat there again if I was in the neighbourhood, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to get there.

After all the other positive reviews I decided to take myself out here. I ordered pancakes and bacon. The interior is charming and well lit.
My bacon was perfectly cooked. Crispy without being bark and not greasy at all. My pancakes were massive! I really didn’t need the last one. Haha.
The coffee was good — I drink my coffee black so a good cup of coffee is hard to come by.
The cook and only waitress were in and out of the shop a lot. It didn’t affect me but a couple ladies ended up waiting a couple minutes to pay.
If I had got one of the specials it would have been cheaper. But $ 11 isn’t too bad for a custom meal. I’ll definitely be going back.

Hubby & I finally got around to giving this place a try today now I want to go every day!
Interior was clean, the two staff on were friendly and attentive without being intrusive, food came quick (though, we were the only two in there at this time), and it’s dirt cheap!
That being said, the food was delicious & the portions were not skimpy at all. For example, I ordered chocolate chip pancakes. You get three for $ 5.95 & they were massive, I finished about half of them before grudgingly sweeping them onto the hubby’s plate because I was going to explode. For me it was the perfect amount of chocolate chip for the pancakes but I also don’t use syrup for that type so if you do it may be too much. (Too much chocolate, pfft).
The hubby got some sort of big breakfast thing, came with two eggs, two toast, 3 bacon slices (maybe two, can’t remember), two sausages, home fries and maple beans. He also got a side order of a single pancake which he regretted after seeing the size of it, and realizing he’s be eating at least one of mine, lol. I don’t eat pork but those sausages looked delicious perfectly browned, and his eggs were perfectly done. It always surprises me how many times an over-​easy egg is mucked up, but not here. I loved the home fries, but since I rarely eat a deep fried potato maybe that was just a rare treat because they pretty much looked like chopped up french fries
The only downfall for me was that there is no debit, but that’s pretty easily fixed by the bank machine next door. And that’s really just a personal thing because I rarely carry cash.
All in all, I cannot wait to go back & try more things off the menu.

Fantastic! I am beyond excited that there is a place to get eggs Benedict at any time of day in Dartmouth.
I didn’t expect Nena’s to be so lovely inside. The sketchy strip it’s located in is far, far from the bright, clean, inviting interior. The staff was friendly and attentive, and everything was served quickly and perfectly. There aren’t many vegetarian options, but they offered extra hash browns on the plate without meat, which was a nice touch. The main problem is that now that I’ve been here once, I’ll want to go every weekend. And in the morning for their big $ 5 breakfast. And to get takeout on my way home from work. Oh, and to try their cheesecake.

I was so excited to hear an all day breakfast place was opening in Dartmouth — this is so my jam. I’ve been to Nena’s a couple times now and have been delighted both times. A friend and I popped in for brunch last weekend. I crave eggs benny for supper all the time, so this was going to be my eggs benny test run. I was not disappointed. The eggs were perfectly poached, the hollandaise was tasty and the home fries were just right. My friend and I wanted to also try the pancakes, so we split a side of one chocolate chip pancake for $ 1.70. They forgot to put chocolate chips in the batter and put them on top instead. A happy accident as the chocolate chips melted into the butter we spread on top. So good.
I dropped in after work one day this week to try pancakes and bacon for supper. Another hit! I went with plain pancakes this time and they were so good, as was the bacon. Breakfast is my favourite meal, and having it readily available at all times is both amazing and oh so dangerous.
It’s a small spot, but the space is maximized. Clean and modern, it’s going to be a great addition to the neighborhood. Service was friendly, and they even threw in a free dessert to go as I was paying for my pancakes and bacon.
Two issues are holding back the 5^th star. It’s cash only, which is a huge problem for me. There is an ATM next door which helps a bit. But I hear it won’t be cash only forever. Also, on my first visit, the server was cleaning the other tables with a very strong-​smelling cleaning product. The smell was very distracting and took away from the flavour of the food. It might be time to switch to unscented products.
I’ll be back. Often.

My friends and I walked into Nena’s and were immediately greeted by the owner and the waitress. This l’il joint opened a week ago, and their menus and menu boards haven’t arrived yet, so our options were written on the white boards at the front. There are a bunch of different meaty combos, some pancakes (with ice cream or seasonal fruit if you like), a couple breakfast sandwiches, and lots of eggs. So far, there’re no vegan options, but apparently the waitress’ mom’s gonna provide some gluten-​free baked goods, and soon they’ll be serving green and herbal tea.
Our food was served in a Goldilocksian amount of time– not suspiciously quick, and not too slow. Everyone’s eggs were cooked to their specification, and most pleasing of all, the homefries were delicious. My brother’s request for cheese on his eggs benny amused the chef to no end, but he came through deliciously, with a delightful touch of dill on his order. Our only complaint was that the beans were a little too mapley-​sweet.
The staff of this new 40-​seater was super nice, taking the time to ask where we’d heard of the restaurant, where we were from, how we liked the food. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it even more as they add some healthier options, and we’ll definitely be back to check up on ‘em. It’s pretty dope to have a breakfast place in this part of Dartmouth, and they seem to be genuinely eager to meet the neighbourhood, and to meet the needs of their customers.