At the weekend I really wanted a fry up and I was looking for one in the greasy spoon category, nothing too fancy but also nothing too dubious. I recalled that at Plymouth Market there were a lot of cafes perched up on the gantry overlooking the main hall.

We climbed up the stairs and walked along checking them out, furtively looking at what people were eating, well the ones scoffing breakfast anyway.

There are a few options on the Mezzanine, Irene’s Pantry, Apollo Snack Bar, and Tasties Cafe all of which were looking very popular with the locals

When we reached the Apollo Snack Bar, the plates at the Apollo looked the best so for no better reason than that, that we decided to eat here.

A BIG BREAKFAST of sausage, two bacon, two eggs, two hash browns, mushrooms, beans , tomato and fried bread set me back just £5.75, a mug of tea for a £1

Other places were offering tea as part of the deal but they were more money still and hadn’t look as tasty when I had checked out the plates on the tables. I am sure that they would have all been good options though

BIG BREAKFAST

This is probably one of the ‘unhealthiest’ platefuls of food that I have scoffed for quite some time but my god it was good! 😊

The sausage was certainly cheap, and the crispy skin was probably it’s only redeeming feature, Normally the sausage is the star of the breakfast plate but today it was playing second fiddle to some excellent thick meaty rashers of bacon.

The two fried eggs with lovely golden yolks sitting upon slices of fat laden fried bread also shone through

BIG BREAKFAST WITH TOMATOES

The Hash browns went really well with the juicy tinned tomatoes, as did the beans mopped up with the potato hash and the fried slice.

I do not usually like a tinned plum tomato on my breakfast plate but today for some reason it was really working for me and I really enjoyed eating one, two of them was a stretch though and my dining companion who opted for just beans may have made a sensible decision

The Mushrooms fried on the hot plate had absorbed both the meat flavour and the fat in equal measure. I can’t decide if that was a good or a bad thing but it was jolly tasty 🧐🤪

My heart may not forgive me for eating this meal for a while but I have no regrets and would come back again.

Massive portions, cheap prices and friendly staff make this a classic cafe to visit and while there are other spots on the gantry or mezzanine I was glad that we chose this one today

The Apollo Snack bar is located on the Mezzanine in Plymouth Market in Stall 148 to be precise.

On the market website they are introduced as thus

‘A delicious selection of mouth-watering breakfasts and a wide range of classic café food including home-made quiche, sandwiches and salads. The Apollo is renowned for its hearty and generous sized home-made roast dinners, steak and kidney pie, liver and bacon as well as cottage pie all of which are served with a potato side and a selection of four seasonal vegetables.

Our commitment to quality is evident as we source many of our premium ingredients directly from the vibrant fresh food traders within the Market or local suppliers.’

Plymouth Market can be found on Cornwall Street, Plymouth, PL1 1 PS