I’ve eaten French toast in diners across forty-two states, from Maine to California, and had resigned myself to the sad reality that most are simply bread with egg wash, indistinguishable from one greasy spoon to the next.
Then I discovered Luci’s at the Orchard in Phoenix, Arizona—and suddenly I understood why people willingly drive hours across the desert just for breakfast.
This unassuming culinary haven, tucked away at 7100 N 12th Street in Phoenix, has managed something remarkable: creating a French toast so transcendent that it’s not just worth the drive—it’s worth planning an entire Arizona trip around.
License plates in the parking lot tell the story—cars from Tucson, Flagstaff, even neighboring states, all making the pilgrimage to this breakfast mecca where the Funky Monkey French Toast has achieved legendary status among in-the-know food enthusiasts…