Out early in Ascension Parish? Carli-Co Cafe opens at 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday on the corner of Airline Highway and Bayou Narcisse Road in Gonzales. The cafe calls itself a true mom-and-pop breakfast and lunch spot, known for generous portions and homestyle Southern cooking.

Breakfast Plates Worth the Early Alarm

Breakfast specials on the online menu include:

Shrimp and grits or catfish and grits, from $14

Pork and pancakes, from $14

Breakfast platter, from $17

Breakfast sampler, from $12

There are eight omelets, from a three-cheese or garden omelet at $10 to the Cajun and Philly steak omelets at $15. Smaller appetites can start with beignet bites, biscuits and gravy, avocado toast or a link of boudin. Specialty coffee runs from café au lait and cappuccino to an iced specialty coffee, and the house Irish coffee is on the list for a brunch-style morning.

Lunch Specials by the Day

Each weekday has its own lunch special, priced from $14 to $17 on the menu, with a Saturday special as well. The regular lunch lineup leans Louisiana: crawfish étouffée, shrimp stew, red beans and rice, fried shrimp and grits, and a Catfish Lillie plate. All-you-can-eat fried catfish starts at $18. There are also steaks, pork chops, hamburger steak, country fried steak and a long list of sandwiches and po-boys, including a Reuben, a hot roast beef and a featured po-boy.

Sides cover the Southern basics, from fried okra and green beans to rice and gravy and sweet potato tots. Save room for bread pudding with rum sauce.

Bringing the Kids

A kids' menu covers pancakes, grits and breakfast plates in the morning, plus fried fish, fried shrimp, chicken and spaghetti at lunch.

Visit

Carli-Co Cafe is at 1506 N. Airline Highway in Gonzales. Hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with carryout until 1:30 p.m. It's closed Sunday. Call (225) 647-2233 to order ahead.

Photo courtesy of Carli-Co Cafe.