Great Eggspectations: 20 Best Brunch Restaurants In The US Foodies Need To Try

If you haven’t eaten before reading this, you might want to sit down. There’s no debate that breakfast is the best meal of the day. That’s why the entire human race came to the conclusion that stretching out past noon into brunch was a great idea. Let’s be honest it’s probably one of the best ideas that has come out of evolution. It serves so many purposes from curing a hangover, to creating more hangovers, to sparking caffeine spells, and inducing midday food comas. I’ve happily participated in all of these and in many cases am the main one encouraging it.

So back to my first point. If you haven’t eaten today take a deep breath in. These pictures of brunch across America is most certainly going to make you salivate then make you google which one is closest. These days there’s a brunch on every single corner, and if there isn’t one near you, move immediately. Narrowing them down to 20 is nearly impossible because brunch chefs are on the top of their game right now. There’s gastronomic brunch, there’s chicken and waffles brunch, there’s bottomless champagne brunch, and there’s even build your own brunch. We’ve come to a pivotal point in our lives when we are at the height of our breakfast eating game. These are the good days. Enjoy them.

Here are the 20 brunches that has America sunny side up.

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Café Du Monde Is Now A Landmark

via Refinery29

Cafe Du Monde has been serving Louisiana’s state doughnut since 1862 and is now a state landmark located directly across from Jackson Square in the French Quarter. It’s not only a brunch favorite, it’s a late night snack proving that breakfast is the best meal for any time of day. The menu is small with offering beignets as the only food option. I mean, would you want anything else? The fried doughnuts drenched in powdered sugar are a New Orleans staple always served with a sweet cup of café au lait. You really can’t have one without the other. You haven’t seen Louisiana until you’ve seen Cafe Du Monde.

Urban Egg

Via www.rockymountainfoodreport.com

Well hello Sunshine. Previously known as Over Easy, Urban Egg A Daytime Eatery, is spreading plates of poached and sunny side eggs up all over Denver. This vibrant breakfast joint believes in brunching every day of the week and they’re doing it in five different locations. Their extensive menu is made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients giving customers the true feel good comfort of brunch favorites. The menu also happens to be huge so buckle up and spend some time glossing through breakfast stunners like Colorado Blueberry Streusel and their award winning Buttermilk Biscuit and Sage Sausages. There’s even a section devoted to Avocado Toast. To top it off they even have a build your own Bloody Mary bar to stack your favorite breakfast goodies high with some tomato spice. Just go nation wide already, guys.

Jack Wife’s Freda

Via www.ny.eater.com

When Jack met Freda in 130 Johannesburg did they have any idea that their family cooking would turn into a Millennial haven in New York City? Like always NYC’s food scene is full of cinematic love stories. Jack’s Wife Freda is where US brunch meets Israel and South Africa. Sounds like the perfect food love child quite frankly. They’ve gotten so much attention that the restaurant currently has three locations in New York. Find them in Soho, West Village, and Chelsea where you can try their Rosewater Waffles, Green Shakshuka with eggs, and gorgeous breakfast bowls.

Diplomatic In D.C.

Via www.stgregoryhotelwdc.com

Hands down, Le Diplomate is one of the best restaurants in the nation’s capital. If there was a restaurant that embodied the long standing France-America bromance, it would be this one. Bloggers and critics can’t stop giving this place accolades and going back for seconds. Just a look at their menu and you’ll see why. One of the top recommended dishes is their Petit Plateau or gastronomic platter of juicy seafood. With its mussels, shrimp, and lobster it’s made to feed up to three people. Then there’s their take on a breakfast parfait which includes a velvety foie gras with a strawberry rhubarb marmalade. Put on your best french accent and throw on a beret before walking through these Franco-America doors.

Red Rooster Bird Royale

via Departures International

If there was a restaurant that could highlight New York’s immigrant roots and beautiful diversity, it’s Harlem’s Red Rooster. The owner is an Ethiopia-born Sweden-raised chef who gives his take on the US brunch. He’s Food Network’s very own Marcus Samuelsson and frequent Chopped judge. Forget fried chicken wings, Chef Samuelsson has fried the entire yard bird. He’s completely mastered cuisine storytelling in one meal by creating a breakfast that blends so many worlds. He talks more about how his unique backgrounds in Scandinavia and Bermuda have always inspired his menus in his new book “The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem”.

Where The Kardashians Brunch

via Vogue

West Hollywood is the celebrity’s playground and it’s also where tons of them go grab a bite to eat. One place that is catching celebrity eyes more and more is Catch LA. With sister restaurants all over the world in places like New York and Dubai, the LA location has been gaining the most attention. The gorgeous menu screams California beauty with sushi rolls and pink waffle towers. The Chef himself Andrew Caroll says everyone should try the Truffle Sashimi. It features Hamachi and Yellowfin with Ponzu and Black Truffle. What a great way to feel like a California socialite.

Jazz Brunch In NOLA

Via www.atchafalaya.com

It’s always a good sign when there’s more people than tables. Atchafalaya in New Orleans is known to always be packed with eager foodies lining up out the door. With live music and a jazzy modern menu, it’s best to get reservations with crowds dying to get in. Their Shrimp & Grits have Creole andouille sausage with smoked tomatoes while their famous Eggs Louisianne are made of jumbo crab cakes with a brown butter hollandaise sauce. They even have a Truffle Gumbo and Duck Hash made with poached eggs and duck confit. This is French cuisine meets comfort Creole food. It’s the best and most innovative food in New Orleans.

Texas Fried Chicken & Waffles

Via www.austinot.com

Texas does it big with the biggest brunch menu we’ve ever seen. In the country’s capital, oops we mean state capital, Chez Zee has a giant menu with over 50 brunch options. Good luck picking between their Southern Pork Chops, Crème Brûlée French Toast, and Lobster Eggs Benedict. We haven’t even mentioned their Fried Chicken that sits on top of buttery Belgian waffles before being topped with a fried egg and bourbon pecan syrup. Guests can even build their own mimosas by choosing sparklers than juice mixes. With a menu like this it’s best to get a hungry team together to divide and conquer multiple dishes. Go in Thursdays through Saturdays to check out the live music on their cherry red piano.

Little Goat Chicago

Via www.cnn.com

Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard has taken the crown in Illinois for the best brunch with her sizzling diner menu. Little Goat in Chicago has a shiny Michelin star but is more than affordable for the breakfast junkie. Their most photographed and devoured dish is their This Little Piggy Went to China plate listed under their Cereal Killers section. Sichuan Pork Sausage is placed on top of a hearty cheddar biscuit with a fried egg that is just dying to have its yolk broken. Top it off with their Pumpkin Pie Milkshake and you may not be able to walk out of the restaurant.

Great Maple Doughnuts

Via www.thegreatmaple.com

They don’t call it The Great Maple for nothin’. With four locations you should know that their Fried Chicken and Doughnuts is available at their restaurants in Newport Beach, Pasadena, and La Jolla. Does fried chicken and waffles even stand a chance against maple bacon doughnuts? That’s not all, these California chefs also offer Maple Glazed Salmon and Great Maple BLT burgers. They’ve got a lot more going than just their sweet bacon syrup dishes though. Their brunch Bloody Marys and Rosé options are mouth watering. Their 7 day a week brunch offers some of the best modern artisan brunch in California.

Flying Pigs In Chicago

Via www.cochonvolantchicago.com

Chicago gives their take on a French Brasserie brunch at Cochon Volant, which literally means flying pig in French. Once you eat here you will certainly walk out thinking pigs do fly. There’s France-born favorites like Croque Madames with puffy pastries along with modern Franco-America twists like giant Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes and Cochon House Benedicts made with fresh country ham. The Chicago brunch scene is really turning it out. Cochon Volant serves theirs up on weekends from 8am – 3pm.

Bottomless Brunch In Hell

via Meet Minneapolis

With live music and an award-winning brunch, hell isn’t such a bad place to be, as long as it’s in downtown Minneapolis. Hell’s Kitchen is the place to be during brunch time with its 35-ft bottomless drinks bar and rock n’ roll inferno vibes. Minneapolis has even ranked the restaurant as their number 3 place to visit within city lines. Bloggers claim their lemon ricotta pancakes will make you “sell your soul to the devil”. The bloody marys are just as sinful. You can put an entire waffle, slices of bacon, and blocks of cheese onto your drink if you so dare.

Brimstone Doral

Via www.miami.com

This is one of those brunches that you go in to Sunday morning to cure your hangover then find yourself still partying at. The Brimstone Doral calls themselves a casually chic spot with some of the most influential mixologists. So influential that they want to get the party started with endless mimosas at brunch. The menu is short and sweet with brunch bangers like Shrimp & Grits made with jumpo gulf whites and a creole sauce and Hawaii-style pancakes grilled up with a pineapple compote, macadamia nuts, and coconut cream. They also boast of having the best eggs Benedict in Doral, aptly named Doral’s Best Eggs Benedict. These bad boys come with a choice of lump crab cakes or beef tenderloin. Miami sure knows how to get down.

Tupelo Honey

Via www.westworld.com

Originally crafted in the Carolinas, Tupelo Honey prides themselves on reviving Southern food made in scratch kitchens. Riding on their huge success they’ve now grown through the south with locations in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, all the way to Colorado. James Beard award winner Chef Eric Gabrynowicz has crafted a menu with Southern favorites like tomahawk ribeye steaks and his own twist on chicken and waffles. The waffles have been ditched for sweet potato pancakes with fried chicken and sugar pecans. With other favorites like the Debutante sandwich which features a croque madame made with duck confit are proving that breakfast for dinner is always a crowd pleaser.

Queens Comfort

Via www.domnthecity.com

Queens, New York is one of the most exciting boroughs to check out for food because of its exciting diversity. Queens Comfort calls itself a dining room for punk rockers and family fun. It’s no wonder then that they’ve gotten the stamp of approval from Guy Fieri who raves about their Atomic Fire Balls. The deep fried mac n’ cheese balls covered in sriracha and ranch are the perfect precursor to the “South by Southwest” Eggs Benedict. That’s a crispy corn tamale you see on top of a biscuit with pulled pork and a poached egg. Queens Comfort has a serious social media following where they update guests on daily specials. Their feed will make you want to try every kind of egg they have on their menu.

Butcher Bar

via Pinterest

This is a brunch made for your Instagram. Hold everyone back for a quick photo shoot of the Butcher Bar’s gargantuan “trough” brunch. This sucker is so huge you’ll need to call and let the staff know beforehand. It has pretty much every single brunch favorite you can imagine on one giant board made for sharing. There’s grilled skirt steak, cast iron pancakes, doughnuts, spinach frittata, maple bacon sausage, potato hash, and more. This is a meal you prepare with a fast for. The rest of their menu is just as delectable with Huckleberry Pancakes, Cinnamon Sugar French Toast, and Country Fried Steak. Take note that Butcher Bar only offers brunch on Sundays.

Magnolia Pancake Haus

Via www.texashighways.com

Texans everywhere agree that even their pancakes are bigger. The owner of Magnolia Pancake Haus in San Antonio says that the customers are dying to know the secret to their fluffy pancakes. The recipe is a 150-year old mix that has its ties all the way to Sweden paired with a homemade syrup. They’ve got every kind of pancake you can imagine including their World Famous Blueberry Pancakes and Applewood Smoked Bacon Pancakes. Those aren’t the only items fresh off the iron. These Texans have over 10 kinds of waffles to choose from too. We have our eyes on the Peach & Pecan Waffle made with Texas pecans and peach compote with a giant scoop of Euro-style whipped cream. Pancakes and waffles aren’t even the half of it. It’s no wonder Guy Fieri made a pit stop here.

Loco In Hawaii

via New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel

Waikiki is showing visitors what breakfast with a view really means. Two views, really, if you count the plate of heaven sitting across from you while you look out across the oceanfront. Located inside the Kaimana Beach Hotel, Hau Tree Lanai is making waves with its loaded brunch menu. They have six kinds of Eggs Benedicts including a Super Kaimana with beef, foie gras, and lobster meat, along with a gorgeous Crab Benedict with bacon and roasted potatoes. Those aren’t even part of the Islanders Choice menu section which features dishes like the incredible Loco Moco consisting of corned beef hash, ground chuck, and sausage on top of Tamaki Gold Rice. This is Hawaiian breakfast excellence.

Vegetarians Unite!

Via www.yelp.com

If you’re not a vegetarian, New York’s AbcV might convert you into one. Their meatless brunch will make you feel like such a productive clean eating human even if you eat the entire thing. The entire restaurant is plant based and GMO free made to inspire a cultural shift towards creativity. They’ve got a menu full of bright colored brunch bowls that you’ll look great on your Insta grid and all those sensual experiential moments like the coconut yogurt slowly being drizzled over roasted cauliflower. Some of the food is honestly too beautiful to eat.

One Eared Stag

via The Plasencia Group

Atlanta is one of the south’s hot spots for great food. Really it wears a crown for Southern food creativity. Tons of chefs are out there competing to be the best crafting some of the most innovative meals the food world has scene. One Eared Stag was one of the forerunners of Atlanta food in Inman Park, an area that has taken off recent years. The menu changes frequently giving customers a good reason to come back to see what’s been on the chefs minds. We can only hope that the don’t get rid of some crowd favorites like their golden rice grits with kimchi poached eggs or the wagyu skirt steak with chimichurri. They claim that their food comes from “really cool places and really cool people.” ‘Nuff said.

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About The Author

Lauren Janelle Green

(11 Articles Published)

Lauren is a freelance writer and third-culture kid who grew up across the globe. After spending her adult years studying food communications in China and Paris, she’s interested in where food and travel meet astrology. Her favorite dish is korean fried chicken with collard greens.