You’ll need energy for whatever hiking, climbing, skiing, or boating adventure you have planned around the lake, so start your day with a breakfast that will have you going for hours. Whether you’re in the mood for mimosas and Benedicts or grease on the griddle, check out our list of 10 great breakfast spots to find the one that will make your morning:

South Lake Tahoe

• The Red Hut Waffle Shop & The Red Hut Café
Collectively owned and operated, The Red Hut Waffle House and Café offer two locations with the same down-home menu and old-school comfort that’s made it a South Shore institution for 49 years. True to their name, the restaurants cook up a mean waffle sandwich and offer an excellent variety of fruity pancakes and a renowned plate of biscuits and gravy. Go early or expect a bit of a wait on busy weekends.

• Wide Awake Conscious Café
Wide Awake Conscious Café is a cozy spot with friendly service and an emphasis on organic and sustainable dining. Try one of the tasty frittatas, crepes or fresh specialty baked goods. Quench yourself with fresh-squeezed juices or a variety of organic coffees. This is a great healthy alternative to South Shore’s chain restaurant options and the fireplace and internet service will make you comfy enough to want to stay all day.

• Bert’s Café
Bert’s is a local greasy spoon that does breakfast like it should be done: fluffy pancakes, fresh-squeezed OJ and a friendly staff that keeps your coffee cup full and steaming. Don’t be wary of a little grease – get right on into some homemade hash, potatoes or an omelette stuffed with goodies. Bert’s is a great stop on the way out for a ski day, or on the way in from that rager of a gambling and dancing South Shore evening.

West Lake Tahoe

• Fire Sign Café
Just past Sunnyside, the Fire Sign Café is one of the West Shore’s gems and often ranks as one of the best breakfast spots on the lake. Their large menu has something to please everyone in your picky party and their daily specials, fresh ingredients and summertime deck dining provide a beautiful start to a Tahoe morning. Do not miss the freshly-baked pastry of the day, the veggie potatoes or any entrée with fresh berry sauce. Plates are large, but many are available as ½ orders. It’s busy in the high season, so be prepared to have a seat (and a game of checkers) in their waiting area.

North Lake Tahoe

• Syd’s Bagelery and Espresso
It can be tough to find a bagel in this part of the world, but Syd’s offers it all – bagels and schmears, fresh lox, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and great coffees, teas and espresso drinks. Sweet tooths try the Sierra Bagel with cream cheese, jam and cashews. For a more traditional bagel fix, order an everything bagel with lox, tomato, onion and capers. Syd’s is a great spot to stop before a day at Squaw Valley or Alpine Meadows, and they also offer free wireless internet for those looking to hunker down and work on through till lunch.

• Old Post Office Coffee Shop
As its name implies, this cheery spot was an actual post office for 33 years until it was turned into a breakfast eatery in 1976. Still under the original owner/operators, the Old PO offers sunny tables in its dining room and indoor porch, as well as a bustling counter where regulars and solo diners jockey for position. The Old PO has all the breakfast standards, as well as specialty Eggs Benedicts, a Hangover Helper plate, healthy options (like oatmeal or fruit and yogurt parfaits) and a killer Breakfast Burrito. It, too, is a popular spot, but the line tends to move quickly.

• Log Cabin Café
Don’t drive past this excellent spot in King’s Beach. Tucked into a cozy log cabin with a stovepipe fireplace to warm your winter mornings, this KB favorite has one of the most creative, yet consistently yummy breakfast menus around. Their twists on Eggs Benedict are famous, with offerings like Lobster Benedict, Crab Cake Benedict and Cajun Benedict (which has been written up in Gourmet Magazine). Perennial favorites also include the Arizona French Toast (coated in cornflakes) and the Custard Pancakes. You may slip into a food coma after breakfast here, but you won’t regret it. A busy spot during high season, call (530) 546-7109 ahead to put your party’s name on the waiting list.

• Sunday Brunch at the Lone Eagle Grille, in the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
When it’s time to celebrate – a graduation, great girlfriends, Grandma coming to town – head to Sunday Brunch at the Lone Eagle. You’ll shell out some cash, but the endless spreads of seafood, salads, specialty entrees, pastries and free-flowing champagne make it worth it. Sit in the Grille’s cavernous dining room and sip a mimosa as you take in a lake view (and sample a Beef Carpaccio and a Chocolate Marshmallow Parfait). Call (775) 832-1234 for reservations and leave yourself a couple of hours to soak in all the food, bubbly, and beauty around you.

Truckee

• Squeeze In
The Squeeze In has been an integral part of Truckee’s downtown for over 30 years, and one glance at their menu will tell you why; 60+ innovative omelette offerings flow down page after page, providing diners the chance to sample completely unique flavor combinations. Feeling carnivorous? How about the “Dirty Dick” with ham and bacon. Adventurous? Try the “Happy Hoppin Heidi Ho” with fried bananas and cinnamon. Or order yourself a “Hot Sweaty Busboy” and make your own ingredient choice. Squeeze In’s décor is a beaded, hippie, write-on-the-walls visual playground that will be sure to spark discussion. This spot is tiny and the wait can be formidable – pass the time by shopping up and down the main drag or start the daunting task of deciding on your order!

• Donner Lake Kitchen
13710 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee, CA. Hours: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. daily.
When you’re on the north shore and are looking to get away from downtown Truckee’s tourist throngs, drive over to Donner Lake Kitchen for a local’s respite. Serving a full menu of traditional breakfast faire and sandwiches, Donner Lake Kitchen is a homey, family-friendly and unassuming spot in the woods that makes sure you don’t go home hungry. Peruse the shelves of reading material and historic photos on the wall while you nosh on one of their excellent Mexican breakfast entrees.

OK, early risers – did we hit all your favorites? Let us know in the comments below:

Do you have an upper-end for what you'll pay for an omelette? Let us know in the comments below! Top