Remembering Lubbock’s Legendary Late-Night Kettle

Oh, the good old days of greasy bacon after a night of drinking.

Some things just belong to a certain place and time. Yes, Lubbock has plenty of breakfast restaurants these days, but once upon a time we had something even better: a breakfast buffet you could hit at 2:00 in the morning.

At one point, there were actually three Kettle Restaurants in Lubbock, but the legendary location was at 19th Street and Brownfield Highway.

Why was that one so special?

Because it was perfectly positioned for late-night food after an evening at Speeds, New West or any number of other Lubbock party spots.

It was nothing to walk into The Kettle and find people absolutely HAMMERED sitting a few booths away from police officers quietly drinking coffee.

That was part of the charm.

The Kettle Was Lubbock’s Late-Night Breakfast King

After a long night of partying, you could walk in, hit the breakfast spread and pile your plate with bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy and whatever else your beer-filled stomach thought sounded like a good idea.

And believe me, at 2:00 in the morning, it all sounded like a good idea.

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The Kettle advertised “Breakfast All Day,” but for a lot of us, it was those late-night visits that made the place legendary. You'd spent the evening drinking, laughing and carrying on, and then you'd finish the night by putting an enormous breakfast on top of a belly full of beer.

Was it healthy? Absolutely not.

Was it glorious? Absolutely.

I don't drink much anymore, and I certainly try not to eat like that anymore, but dang, I still miss that feeling of ending a wild Lubbock night at The Kettle.