I half expected a Soup Nazi-style welcome at Hugs & Sarcasm, but even during a busy brunch service, they leaned far more toward the hugs than the sarcasm. Reservations are highly recommended, and the process is refreshingly efficient. We were told to head upstairs and find our names on a reservation card at the table. The efficiency lover in me was thrilled.

With a United Kingdom influence on the menu, I could have gone for a proper fry-up complete with blood pudding. But the moment our server confirmed the fried chicken eggs benny ($19) meant poached eggs on top of fried chicken, I was sold. Give me that protein-packed start to the day!

I’m happy that the poached eggs were cooked longer so the yolk wasn’t a liquid mess, but one of the two was completely cooked through. You get a choice of home fries or salad, and I went with the latter to lighten things up. Not that it really mattered. The salad was surprisingly substantial, with cucumber, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, feta, and even a bit of coleslaw mixed in.

Who am I kidding? The salad was just justification for ordering the pancakes with blueberry compote ($21) to share. As a celiac-friendly restaurant, I expected something dense and oatcake-like, but while the pancakes are hearty, they still have a nice fluffiness. Three thick cakes make for a generous portion. One was more than enough for me. The only letdown was the syrup… table syrup instead of maple, though the whipped cream helped make up for it.

While best known for brunch, Hugs & Sarcasm keeps things going into the evening with events like euchre on Tuesdays and trivia on Thursdays and Fridays. They’ll even host private trivia nights, complete with a live host and customized questions for your group.

Give yourself some time during peak hours as the food does take a while to arrive. Still, the wait felt worth it. Luckily, despite the name, Hugs & Sarcasm is more warm than snarky.