San Antonio nabs new restaurant devoted to breakfast all day

In the mood for a weekday brunch or eggs Benedict in the evening? A new San Antonio will meet your expectations.

Eggspectation, a Canadian breakfast chain that specializes in all-day breakfast, has cracked open its first San Antonio location. Set up in a standalone structure along Loop 1604 near Blanco Road, Eggspectation raises the bar for breakfast-loving foodies.

The chain began in the 1990s and has more than 10 locations across Canada, plus five between Virginia and Maryland. San Antonio — Stone Oak to be specific — is the company’s first foray into Texas. They hope to expand statewide. 

CEO Enzo Renda helped oversee the local launch earlier this month. Alfredo Garcia is the local franchisee. Renda said that despite being surrounded by continuing growth, Stone Oak offered the right property for the restaurant. “And the demographics were right, they were what we’re looking for,” Renda said.

According to Renda, Eggspectation was one of the first restaurants with the concept of serving breakfast all day. “If you look at the restaurant business environment now, everybody is doing it. To us, it’s second nature,” he added.

The chain boasts more than 100 items. The breakfast/brunch menu is one thing, but the crew picks highlights from that menu and adds them to the dinner menu, which itself has more traditional nighttime meals.

Renda said each Eggspectation location serves up free-range eggs, and many items carry different cultural inspirations, from French-Canadian to California to a bit of Polish cuisine. No doubt the San Antonio restaurant will have some Tex-Mex touches.

The restaurant’s signature plates, called Great Eggspectations, include Uneggspected, a 6-ounce New York strip steak with two eggs made to order and homemade Lyonnaise-style potatoes.

There’s a variety of eggs Benedict dishes, such as the Montreal Benny, with Montreal’s version of corned beef — smoked meat — thinly sliced on toasted English muffin with Dijon mustard, Swiss cheese, two poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce, all with fries and a pickle.

The selection of omelettes includes one with a quarter-pound of sautéed lobster, brie cheese, and green onions, accompanied by hollandaise sauce and Lyonnaise-style potatoes. The bagel sandwich comes with a Montreal-style, wood-fired bagel; fried egg; Swiss cheese; onion; and a choice of bacon or ham.

Can’t have breakfast without waffles or pancakes, right? There are Reese’s peanut butter chocolate pancakes, as well as S’mores French toast and Belgian waffles topped with maple salted caramel sauce, pears, and bacon.

Additionally, there’s a solid offering of salads, burgers, sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, and pastas, as well as small dishes and appetizers such as crab cake, poutine, and salmon crostini. Desserts run the gamut from the ultra-sweet crepe Suzette to gourmet tarts and cakes.

The day menu features a juice bar with fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juices and an array of smoothies. The espresso and tea bar menus are stocked, and if you’re seeking a boozy everyday brunch, Eggspectation fulfills those desires with a Bellini, mimosas, Bloody Caesars, Bloody Marys, and more. 

Eggspectation is open seven days a week from 7 am to 10 pm. The breakfast menu is served until 4 pm daily; the evening menu runs 4 pm to close.