Yasi's Place is a small neighborhood diner tucked away in an area east of the Junction. It's a rather 'off the beaten path' of a restaurant as there is nothing around it but residential and a local church. How this place came into existence I theorize that it once was a corner store that had closed down and was later remade into a diner by a few young upstarts.
When you first step into the place you'll feel like you went back in time to the 60's or 70's. The kinda place your mom would've gone to for a vanilla coke after school. It's retro but not in a kitschy "new-retro" way, but rather in a more natural time honored fashion. The place is small with a couple of deuces, a few four-tops and a pair of horseshoe counters for seating. Outside is a decent sized patio which, as expected, is in high demand during the summer months. The overall feel of the place is low-key and casual with an eclectic mix of local urbanites.
I went for breakfast to which the menu offered a standard "All Day" as well as an "Eggs du Jour," a "Notorious Breakfast Bagel," "Breakfast Burrito," and finally a simple granola with yogurt. All breakfast items are vegetarian friendly with meat being optional ($2) for the "All Day" and the "Breakfast Bagel." I opted for the All Day Breakfast with Bacon as well as the "Bottomless cup" of coffee.
My server was prompt, friendly and the food arrived in a timely fashion hot on the plate. Everything was delicious, especially the homefries which were delightfully spiced much to my surprise and enjoyment. It's worth mentioning that much of, if not all the food served is grown locally and organic. As well the coffee is fairly traded i Deal coffee. The difference in the taste of the food is subtly better and I'm sure you'll be thankful for the extra nutritional value.
My only minor complaint is that I found the portions on the small side for a $9 standard breakfast. Or that $9 was a tad steep for what I got. Then again perhaps it's me having problems reconciling with the fact that whenever you go to a restaurant that offers anything remotely organic it's automatically going to cost you a few bucks more. I suppose if you don't bat an eyelash at paying $11-$12 for a simple breakfast and coffee then Yasi's place is as good as any. Here's a tip on the coffee: Their coffee mugs are a decent size so you may want to skip paying the extra $1 on a bottomless cup.
I definitely plan on returning to Yasi's Place to try one of their special grilled cheese sandwiches and perhaps the "better than sex" brownies. Overall I feel confident in saying that if you are up in the Junction area and looking for some decent grub Yasi's is well worth searching out.