The Brunch Dish That Was Humphrey Bogart's Favorite Meal

Humphrey Bogart was a creature of habit. Ranked as the number one male screen legend of Hollywood's Golden Age by AFI, Bogie was known almost as much for his preference for stiff drinks as he was for his acting roles. The leading man in such classics as "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon," Bogart always sipped Scotch on his movie sets, and by all accounts, when off of the stage as well. Along with his drink of choice, he also had a favorite meal that he rarely strayed from — bacon and eggs.

In a 1942 edition of Photoplay, Bogart stated that he liked to eat the same thing for lunch each day (per Click Americana). He would say — every single day — that he should switch things up, but when it came time to order, it was always eggs with bacon and toast. In fact, he didn't even have to place an order because as soon as he arrived at his usual restaurant, the waitstaff already knew what he wanted.

In the same exposé, he admitted to being "a difficult man when it comes to food," which may have been an understatement. He told the magazine that he only ate "steak or chops for dinner and that's it." He preferred his food plain — without any sauce or gravy hiding what it looked like, and he was not a fan of dessert. Even coffee was off the menu, as Bogie preferred tea with his repetitive breakfast (via Click Americana).

In the 1950 film "In a Lonely Place," Bogart plays a man named Dix who frequents a restaurant named Paul's. The character goes there to eat, get drunk on gin and tonics, and start bar fights. In one scene, he gets eggs with ham and toast, and in another, he asks for eggs over easy with bacon.

It turns out that the fictional Paul's was actually based on Bogart's real-life favorite brunch spot, Romanoff's in Beverly Hills. A regular there, he always sat in the same booth to knock back a few pre-meal Scotch and sodas. Come breakfast, brunch, or lunchtime, he usually had the same ham and eggs. According to Modern Drunkard, he would wash his food down with a couple beers, followed by Drambuie (a blend of Scotch whisky, honey, herbs, and spices) — though he was also said to have finished his meals with brandy.

There's real science behind why bacon and eggs taste so good together, but even Bogie needed to switch up his staple meal once in a while. When the craving for something different struck, his next favorite was French toast. In the book "Bogie: The Biography of Humphrey Bogart" by Joe Hyams, the owner of Romanoff's told the author that "Bogie didn't really enjoy food — he only ate to stay alive." Maybe he would have felt different had he known how ridiculously good French toast is with a splash of Irish whiskey.