The Best Brunch in Every State
What's not to love about a meal that combines the best of breakfast and lunch and, in some cases, bottomless mimosas or a bloody Mary bar? We researched where the best brunch in each state — and Washington, D.C. — can be found, looking at reviews from expert food writers and thousands of hungry customers, online rankings, and yep — some personal experience. Find out where you should go and what you should be ordering, including everything from breakfast classics like eggs and waffles to regional twists like reindeer sausage.
Related: Where to Find a Good, Cheap Breakfast in Every State
Birmingham
What to get: Gulf shrimp and grits
Galley and Garden has delicious offerings like chilaquiles verdes, cranberry orange stuffed French toast, and a salmon cake Benedict. Located in a grand, historic house, the restaurant also serves a shrimp and grits dish that captures the southern spirit of the setting.
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Anchorage
What to get: Kodiak Benedict
In business for more than 20 years, Snow City offers locally inspired brunch specials made with reindeer sausage, and also uses snow crab in its omelets and smoked sockeye salmon in its salmon cakes. The Kodiak Benedict pairs its poached eggs with red Alaska king crab cakes for a welcome twist.
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Phoenix
What to get: Julia's chicken enchiladas
The Farm at South Mountain uses the Morning Glory Café as its farm-to-table patio restaurant. The house-smoked trout board and chilaquiles made with house tomatillo salsa are worth a look, as are the popular weekend-only chicken enchiladas, which stuff corn tortillas with chicken, house-made salsa verde, melted cheese and two over-easy eggs. Be aware that the restaurant closes for a "summer break."
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Fayetteville
What to get: Sausage roll
Rick's Bakery built its reputation as a bakery (there's also a second location in Rogers). However, if you're hungry for more than pastry, their smoked sausage filled with cheese and encased in a homemade bread roll should hit the spot.
San Francisco
What to get: Dutch pancake
While the sticky buns and fennel sausage-fueled biscuits and gravy at Outerlands are worth trying, save room. At this cafe tucked in a laid-back, surf-infatuated corner of San Francisco, the Dutch pancake, served sweet with apples, walnuts, and Greek yogurt, or savory with Dungeness crab, sour cream, and fresh herbs really stands out.
Denver
What to get: Maple bacon donut bites
Jelly has playful retro cereal boxes on the wall and serves up hash, Benedicts, and some fine coffee, too. If you're not up for a full breakfast, get some Mexican chocolate, cinnamon sugar, Thai peanut, lemon-filled, or — naturally — jelly-filled doughnut bites. Try the maple bacon for a sweet-savory experience.
Related: 33 Unique Doughnuts You Have to Try
New Haven
What to get: Breakfast nachos
Elm City Social has made brunch tapas its focus, so have your pick of the "social plates." Mahi mahi tacos and sausage egg bites are available, along with house-cured salmon. But for a great start to your day, try the breakfast nachos: House-made kettle chips topped with bacon, spicy sausage, scrambled eggs, and more.
Newark
What to get: Breakfast nachos
This egg-centric eatery puts eggs into many (though not all) dishes, so it's surely a hit for anyone craving a good yolk. Yelp reviewers rave about everything from the lemon ricotta blueberry pancakes to the cheese grits, plus the omelets and crepes get plenty of love, too.
Related: These Beautiful Brunch Photos Are Making Us Hungry for the Weekend
What to get: Savory oatmeal
This sister restaurant to Baked & Wired has limited outdoor seating, but it's possible to order food for takeout or delivery online. Yelp reviewers rave about the sammies, and the fresh-baked bread is described as out of this world.
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Coral Gables
What to get: The Sunday Champagne brunch
Fontana at the Biltmore has been doing a brunch buffet fountain side for more than 80 years. This isn't just some bagels-and-Benedict bar: This is unlimited Champagne, cured meats, muffins, an omelet bar, and a chocolate fondue fountain, though there are additional charges for some items. That's just a minor sampling of what $90 buys you.
Atlanta
What to get: Crispy fried chicken and waffles
While the menu is short, every item gets enthusiastic reviews on Yelp. Happy customers point out the peach cobbler French toast, breakfast tacos (the tortillas are French toast battered) and shrimp and grits, but the fried chicken paired with Belgian waffles is definitely worth sampling.
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Waimea
What to get: Banana macadamia nut pancakes
For more than 40 years, Longhi's has had access to some of the freshest fruit available anywhere and has stocked its breakfast with fresh strawberries, passionfruit, papaya, and Maui pineapple. You can have the fruits juiced at the juice bar or try them as sides to the banana macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup.
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Boise
What to get: Boise Basin omelet
Downtown Boise's Bacon offers five different varieties of bacon and claims to move eight tons of it each year. Bacon serves up its namesake in mac & cheese, lasagna, and paninis. The meat isn't quite as unexpected in a Boise Basin omelet, next to some cheese, onion, and pepper.
Chicago
What to get: Belgium malted pecan and bacon waffle
More a diner than restaurant or bakery, Lou Mitchell's will make just about anything you order (there are three Benedicts and six breakfast meats on the menu), but the pecan and bacon waffle hits the right balance of sweet and savory. Also, if you ever find yourself waiting in line for brunch here, you'll do so with a complimentary cup of coffee and some free donut bites.
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Indianapolis
What to get: Dutch baby
With Milktooth serving two mimosas (including a beer-mosa) and a bloody Mary in "for the table" sizes, some food is a must. The menu is dense, but their rotating take on the Dutch baby pancake — which was even recently got a pad thai version — is a good start.
Iowa City
What to get: Corned beef hash
Pullman Bar & Diner owner Cory Kent insists on local, organic eggs, and his menu features lots of them. The Croque Madame, the huevos (a take on huevos rancheros), and breakfast tacos all stand out, but the hash, made with house-made corned beef, potatoes O’Brien, soft-cooked egg, and sauce mornay, is a classic that can't go wrong.
Topeka
What to get: Chicken-fried steak bowl
Banjo's has made dishes like chicken-fried chicken, kitchen-sink omelets, biscuits and gravy, and daily meatloaf brunch staples in Topeka, but the chicken-fried steak bowl is both inexpensive and delicious. Golden chicken-fried steak is combined with fried potatoes, onions, sausage gravy, two eggs and either toast or pancakes for only about $11.
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Louisville
What to get: Short rib Benedict
A place that bills itself as "the ultimate Louisville brunch experience" better live up to its billing, and luckily many Yelp reviewers think the Morning Fork does just that. They rave about the exceptional service, "crafty" cocktails, and reasonable prices.
New Orleans
What to get: Bloody Mary
Commander's Palace opened its doors to New Orleans in 1883, and this world-famous restaurant lives up to its reputation. The 16-hour barbecued pork shoulder over buttermilk biscuits is delicious, but a Bloody Mary that gets its vodka from a bottle stored in an ice block by your table is a treat unto itself.
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Portland
What to get: Breakfast burger
This James Beard Award-winning eatery has an expansive, ever-changing menu that sometimes puts a breakfast burger topped with egg, bacon, and fried onion next to yellowfin tuna crudo and foie gras parfait. Central Provisions and its neighbors in Fore Street's de facto restaurant district have helped transform the town into a foodie destination.
Baltimore
What to get: Bacon and apple pancakes
While the three crab Benedict dishes at Blue Moon are tasty, such crab-centric food is to be expected in Baltimore. The bacon and apple pancakes buried in this menu, however, outshine the scrambles, burritos, and Benedicts that take center stage on the menu.
Related: The Best Breakfast Burrito in Every State
Gloucester
What to get: French toast
Sugar Mags, as fans call this brunch mecca, has a wide variety of specialties ranging from a lobster avocado salad to pineapple fritters and beyond. As one Yelp reviewer gushed, "If you are visiting Gloucester, in town for the weekend, or just plain live here all the time, you have to go to Sugar Mags for breakfast. Period."
Fenton
What to get: Bacon and brie hotcakes
The Laundry does its best to emulate Paris in the middle of The Mitten. The pork 'n' porridge, breakfast pizza, and Applewood ham steaks may not be incredibly Parisian, but they're joined by a tempting menu of more than 110 cocktails. The bacon & Brie hotcakes are a nod to European flavor.
Minneapolis
What to get: Crepe cake
Layers of crepe topped with seasonal fruit are a fine glimpse into what awaits you on the rest of the menu. Confit duck leg with kimchi and steak and eggsare just some of the options, though the sorghum waffle is the closest you'll get to the perfection of the crepe cake.
Oxford
What to get: The Low Country
Though Big Bad Breakfast has spread to Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina, it got its start here in Mississippi. Head to the skillet portion of the menu and get the Low Country, a scramble of eggs, shrimp, andouille sausage, onions, peppers, tomatoes, hash and cheddar.
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Joplin
What to get: Buttermilk pulled-pork pancakes
The Bruncheonette has a limited brunch menu, and its dining area is similarly cozy. However, from Wednesday through Sunday, you can get eggs Benedict dishes, poutine, crepes, Hawaiian French toast, or half a bruleed ruby red grapefruit. Our pick? The buttermilk pancakes topped with pulled pork and doused with 80-Acre beer syrup.
Helena
What to get: Biscuits and gravy
The wait to get into this popular brunch spot can be up to an hour, but Yelp reviewers say its worth it. The veggie omelet, redneck skillet, and savory crepes all get love. Unsurprisingly, the restaurant gets a perfect five stars from 100 reviews.
Omaha
What to get: Sweet potato chorizo hash
This neighborhood joint has elevated midwestern favorites and premium coffee, so visitors are sure to find something on the menu that appeals. The ricotta pancakes and chicken fried steak get a call out from fans on Yelp.
Reno
What to get: Bacon avocado Benedict
The Cup has used fresh produce and beer to make its diner breakfasts since 2011. The Cup's extensive menu features cherrywood-smoked bacon, and the bacon avocado Benedict showcases everything The Cup does right.
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Manchester
What to get: Free Ranger egg sandwich
The Local Moose Cafe uses free-range eggs, nitrate-free bacon, local greens, Vermont cheddar, and seasonal toppings on a house-made brioche bun for its Free Ranger egg sandwich. The cafe puts more thought into its sandwiches and coffee (roasted in nearby Amherst) than most people put into their taxes.
Related: The Greatest Breakfast Sandwich in Every State
Montclair
What to get: Raymond's French toast
Raymond's opened in 1989 in a state with hundreds of diners, but stood out thanks to its location on the most picture-perfect street in Montclair, and a menu stocked with premium ingredients (and prices) other diners wouldn't match. More than thirty years later, Raymond's has built an empire on fluffy French toast with fresh fru
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it and Berkshires maple syrup.
Albuquerque
What to get: Enchiladas and eggs
It's not every restaurant that has a farm in the backyard. Farm & Table does, and that should clue visitors in to what they'll find on the menu: lots of locally sourced ingredients, which change with the growing season. For the Saturday and Sunday brunch (which isn't available in winter), there are sweet and savory options, including the enchiladas and farm-fresh eggs, served with pinto beans, and Tucumcari cheese rolled in a corn tortilla and served with red or green chile.
New York
What to get: S'mores Stuffed Cakes
Featured in the 2004 documentary "I Like Killing Flies," Kenny Shopsin and his restaurant can seem cantankerous, but also comforting. The Shopsins menu is remarkably dense, so know that the greatest item amid the mess is a pile of chocolate chip pancakes stuffed with marshmallow, Nutella, and graham crackers.
Raleigh
What to get: The Reunion
It's difficult to go wrong with fried chicken, especially if it's your mom's recipe and uses a hint of honey. Chef Ashley Christensen brines the bird, dips it in buttermilk, dredges it in flour and cooks it in a pressure fryer. You can have it with waffles, and it's also featured in The Reunion sandwich, where the chicken is placed in a buttermilk biscuit and topped with a fried egg, cheese, and Tabasco sauce. The eatery currently has limited dine-in space but always offers takeout.
Mandan
What to get: Caramel roll
Fried's has heartier fare like hamburger steak, biscuits and gravy, and Trucker's Hash — two eggs with hash browns, diced sausage, onions, and toast or pancakes — but the prize offering is the caramel roll. It's listed as a side, but this brown-sugar glazed treat is available by the dozen if you order a day in advance.
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Cleveland
What to get: Apple, cherry, and granola French toast
This cozy spot promises seasonal, scratch-made food with ingredients from small, local farmers. If the beet salad or double sausage biscuit sandwich isn't enough to draw you in, ask for the cocktail menu. Choices include humorously named drinks like Cereal Killer and Apple Pie Moonshine.
Related: 17 Refreshing Summer Cocktails From Around the World
Oklahoma City
What to get: Eggs Cochon
Sitting in a former Packard automobile dealership, Packard's mixes eggs Benedict, biscuits and gravy, and chicken biscuits with more updated brunch fare like crab beignets, crunch-berry French toast and eggs cochon — a Benedict that adds pulled pork verde to the mix. If they'll let you add some donut bread pudding from the dessert menu, do so.
Portland
What to get: Gnocchi mac and cheese
This "indoor jungle" spot has a constantly rotating menu, with items ranging from shrimp and grits to the open-faced Bizarro Jerry, but the gnocchi mac and cheese is likely to stick around on the menu and stick to your ribs to boot. With pretzel crumbles, cheese curds, and chives, this dish inspired one Yelp reviewer to call it a "gooey carb dream."
Philadelphia
What to get: Stuffed challah French toast
Sabrina's has five locations in the Philadelphia metro area, but the brunch menu at each one fixes on its marquee dish: challah bread French toast stuffed with cream cheese, bananas, and honey and topped with bananas and vanilla-bean syrup. Hotter places have opened (and closed) in Philly since Sabrina's debuted in 2001, but Sabrina's is the gold standard.
Providence
What to get: New York System hot wiener omelet
This "snuggery" in an 18th-century building is almost too cute, but the Duck and Bunny's daily brunch means business. A selection of Benedicts and crepes is on the menu each day, but the New York System hot wiener omelet is filled with hot dogs, chili, cheddar cheese, celery salt, and yellow mustard — and it's a Rhode Island classic.
Myrtle Beach
What to get: Red velvet waffle
With a menu so dense you "could come daily for months and never order the same thing twice," it can be hard to choose. But if you've got a sweet tooth, go with the red velvet cake batter waffle — wowed over by multiple online reviews — which is drizzled with cream cheese icing and topped with cinnamon sugar & butter.
Rapid City
What to get: Tally's Original
Tally's has been feeding Rapid City for more than 60 years, but its most recent owners added luxury items like smoked salmon Benedict and Duck Duck Goose (sweet potato with onions, duck confit, and gooseberry jam topped with foie gras and a sunny-side-up egg) to the menu. What they didn't change was a pancake with bacon or sausage and one egg for $6.50.
Nashville
What to get: Dirty Benny
The line to get into this modern diner was always long pre-COVID-19 and now diners are lining up again, so be prepared to wait. Inside you'll find a menu loaded with mouthwatering items like hot chicken and waffles, a "big kid" breakfast (eggs, bacon, toast, home fries, roasted tomatoes, and fruit), and something called Hot Mess (biscuit, avocado, pepper jack cheese, and cilantro are just some of the ingredients).
Houston
What to get: Chicken fried chicken
Prepare to make a reservation at this popular restaurant or order takeout. Beignets, cinnamon rolls, Dutch babies, deviled eggs, and huevos rancheros all make appearances on the State of Grace menu. However, the chicken fried chicken, which comes with a butter biscuit, sausage gravy, and sunny-side-up eggs, can almost guarantee you won't eat again until dinner.
Salt Lake City
What to get: Bialy
It isn't as if The Bagel Project doesn't use traditional fermentation to make the bagel dough, but they don't use sugar, honey, eggs, or various preservatives. The bagels hold up, but it's the bialy (a hole-free bagel with caramelized onions and poppy seeds where a hole should be) that has made this spot a success.
Related: The Best Bagel Shops Across America
Montpelier
What to get: The Breakfast Monster
Breakfast is offered all day at The Skinny Pancake, and while crepes (both sweet and savory) make up a fair portion of the menu, there are other choices, too. There is a pulled pork sandwich, breakfast burrito, and a number of burgers to choose from, and you can even order a frumple. We're guessing that's a crepe that didn't hold its form, but that's only a guess.
Richmond
What to get: Ham biscuit
Early Bird Biscuit Company is one of the few brunch spots that acknowledges its surrounding region and sometimes adds Old Bay seafood seasoning to the biscuits. Biscuits come with a big helping of Virginia cured country ham, too. This place isn't open on Sundays, so try it on Saturday.
Snohomish
What to get: Cinnamon roll
The Maltby Cafe has been in business for 30 years and pulls in customers with big plates of eggs Benedict, potatoes and eggs, egg scrambles and griddle items. However, the cafe's pride and joy is a plate-sized cinnamon roll oozing with frosting and walnuts. If you're forced to wait for a seat, visit the cup-shaped coffee stand outside until your name is called over a schoolhouse loudspeaker. Try indoor or outdoor dining.
Fayetteville
What to get: Flaky French toast croissants
A cafe located inside a former cathedral, this charming spot is a community hub and beloved by climbers and hikers exploring the nearby terrain. Consider the Gigantic Cinnamon Roll if you need to carb load.
Madison
What to get: Poached eggs
The Marigold has an extensive menu for its Saturday and Sunday brunch, ranging from griddle items like citrus ricotta pancakes to duck confit hash. However, a plate of poached eggs, French rosemary toast, prosciutto and manchego cheese can be easily had.
Wilson
What to get: Breakfast burrito
Nora's Fish Creek Inn was founded in 1982 and sells the most expensive item on its breakfast menu — chicken-fried steak — for $18. The rest of the menu is populated with local trout, huevos rancheros, sweet rolls, chicken-fried steak, and more. But don't miss the delicious breakfast burrito, which more than one Yelp reviewer called huge and good.
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