Breakfast is great. So is brunch. Even brinner is awesome, when you can get away with it. But not all breakfasts (or brunches or brinners) are equal under the law of taste. And of all breakfasts, diner breakfast is king.

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Good diner food should be greasy, fast, cheap and tasty. Given this rubric, there is a sore lack of good diner food in the Elm City (or diner food at all, for that matter). Copper Kitchen is dead. Claire’s is not a diner, despite their breakfast menu, and is much too wholesome (and whole grain) to ever be one. A-1, though they have an extensive collection of “diner food”-esque options, is more of a drunk-food place than a post-drunk-food place.

Luckily, if you walk down Broadway, past Bank of America and onto Whalley Ave., you find yourself at Patricia’s. Glancing at the concise menu, it’s obvious that Patricia’s is about as cheap as they come: the majority of the menu falls under $5. And based on the slim but standard pickings — eggs, pancakes, French toast — if you order it, it’s probably going to be greasy.

On my first trip, I got a short stack of French toast (two pieces) with eggs, sunny side up, and bacon ($5.95). My companion had two eggs, scrambled, with home fries ($2.95). The food was unexceptional. So I went back the following Sunday to try the short stack of blueberry pancakes ($3.95 for two ‘cakes). The pancakes came highly recommended, but they were ultimately flat and lackluster (although still better than the French toast). Call me a hater, but I like my pancakes fluffy.

Service was spotty. Don’t go if you’re in a rush, but if you have time to eat, talk and catch up, then Patricia’s is a fine place to stop for breakfast or brunch (but not brinner — Patricia’s closes at 2 p.m.).

Is Patricia’s diner food? Sure. Is it good diner food? Perhaps, given the price. Go to fulfill your diner cravings in a true diner setting, but if you’re looking for complex flavors and textures, you’re in the wrong domain.

Patricia’s is located at 18 Whalley Ave.