The popular online language learning platform Duolingo recently caused a stir with reports that its eponymous owl mascot Duo had perished after being hit by a Cybertruck. Whether this was just a publicity stunt or a bit of political satire directed towards the outsized role of Elon Musk in the federal government, the outpouring of sympathy for Duo showed just how much affection people can have for owls. In Uptown Phoenix, a breakfast and lunch restaurant at the Newton harnesses that owl enthusiasm in both its decor and its name: The Toasted Owl Cafe.
Toasted Owl is a branch location for a Flagstaff favorite that has just begun to expand via franchising. The Phoenix location is just a block west of Central/Camelback station on the B Line in the Newton. development. A bright yellow bike rack is found right outside the door with another closer to the building’s other restaurant, Tesota. From the outside, the restaurant is distinguished mainly by the orange lettering on an overhead sign and big windows that open all the way during nice weather. The inside, however, is all about owls.
They’re on the walls in various pictures and three-dimensional formats like macrame. They’re on shelves in figurines of all sizes. They’re on the mugs in which strong coffee is served. For the most part, they’re all for sale too. The restaurant doubles as a sort of shop for owl paraphernalia. Some mass-produced items like t-shirts and cups are sold for a fixed price. Other one-of-a-kind items seem more like thrift store finds, and staff have been overhead negotiating and accepting offers from customers buying a few knick-knacks as souvenirs of their visit.
Even the menus, both the main one and the parallel plant-based one, are shaped like the silhouette of an owl. The food is for the most part standard breakfast and lunch diner fare with a few Southwestern touches. It’s consistently competent, even if not particularly innovative or exciting. Breakfast fare includes standards like pancakes and waffles with sides like sausage or bacon. Eggs are generously represented in omelettes and “scrambles” with all sorts of added ingredients like brie, cheddar, prosciutto, chorizo, mushrooms, and roasted vegetables.
Breakfast potatoes, typically thought of as a side, form the foundation of the Owl’s Nest, a sort of loaded version of home fries covered with scrambled eggs, onions, chorizo, jalapeños, olives, and melted cheese. An equally indulgent platter is the Horned Nest of Goodness, which includes two chicken tenders, two strips of bacon or sausage, two pancakes or pieces of French toast, and fries. Needless to say, this is something best shared. At the other end of the spectrum is the avocado toast, accessorized with diced tomatoes, mesclun greens, and feta cheese.
Under the heading of “The Owl Flies South,” one can find all sorts of breakfast burritos, tacos, and tamales. Several of these fall under the build-your-own format with customer-selected choices of vegetables and meats augmenting core ingredients like scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, four tortillas, breakfast potatoes, and a mild green salsa. The “Planted Owl Cafe” is a separate, smaller menu that essentially replicates many of the above with meat and dairy analogs creating approximations of items on the main menu as seen through a vegan lens.
As with most places of this type, the owl’s backside is devoted to lunch entrees. Lighter fare begins with a beet salad, a standard array of cubes of root vegetables over lettuces with walnuts, fresh blueberries, dried cherries, and goat cheese. A taco salad is a bit more hearty with a choice of chicken or chorizo with greens and black beans. Likewise, the Cobb salad incorporates the expected hard-boiled egg with bacon, feta, and chicken over a spring mix base. These can be customized with meat additions or subtractions, as well as vegan modifications.
Toasted owl offers hot and cold “owlwiches,” as well as a few burgers and a fried chicken sandwich. The Grilled Cheese Incident is one of standouts with gooey cheese that melts and blends seamlessly with artichoke hearts, pesto, and tomatoes between slices of sourdough bread to create a creamy interior. A reuben can be made with either pastrami or turkey on marble rye with sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, or Swiss cheese. Other sandwiches like prosciutto and brie or turkey and havarti are structured with ciabatta as the bread of choice.
The Jalapeño Owl burger is not as spicy as expected but well prepared with white cheddar and plenty of grilled onions in addition to the seeded peppers within. All sides come with fries by default or an option of a side salad, sweet potato waffle fries, or onion rings instead. Although many items at Toasted Owl like pancakes and French toast already have a certain level of sweetness, the concept of breakfast dessert is not overlooked here. A cinnamon bun oozes its sweet glaze all over its plate, resulting in a messy but shareable finish (or start) to a meal here.
Toasted Owl does not offer espresso drinks but offers unlimited pours of its robust coffee in a colorful collection of branded mugs. There is a liquor license that allows for mimosas and “bloody Mary’s.” (Although owls are thought of as wise, this one adds an unnecessary apostrophe.) Maybe a lesson on Duolingo covers that, and thankfully the company’s mascot appears to have been resurrected after its Tesla takedown. Whether it’s learning languages or eating breakfast, lunch, or brunch in Uptown, the owl seems to be the species of the movement.
300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix AZ 85013
https://www.thetoastedowl.com
PHX Rail Food 