Who doesn’t love brunch? The meal gets more and more popular as each year passes. It is a popularity that the restaurant industry in Boston does not overlook.
While Boston is probably most known for its clam chowder and lobster, it should be known for where to get brunch, given the number of stellar brunch restaurants in and around the city.
From fun, boozy brunch spots to satisfying a bottomless mimosa craving to fine dining for Sunday brunch, here’s where to get the best brunch in Boston. I’ve taken the liberty of trying them out for you, so you’ll know exactly where all the locals eat.
Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant
425 W Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127
Phone: 617-765-8636
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The Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant is a space that cultivates community and conversation with its comforting, spacious booths and laid back atmosphere. The spot draws inspiration from the local community in South Boston near the Reserved Channel.
Uniquely, the restaurant offers separate menus for weekday and weekend brunch. You can find fun brunch appetizers on both menus like apple cider donuts, maple-cider braised bacon, and loaded hash browns.
As for the weekend brunch menu, you get specialties like the smoked brisket burrito. The weekday menu shares similarities with the weekend menu, like the fruity pebbles pancakes and smoked salmon platter, but is more limited.
The Friendly Toast Restaurant
35 Stanhope St, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-456-7849
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An all-day brunch and bar? Say less. The Friendly Toast Restaurant, located in the Back Bay neighborhood near Copley Square and the Prudential Center, is a fun, vibrantly decorated chain concept. The restaurant is eclectically decorated with artwork covering the walls and peculiar sculptures scattered around the dining room.
Much like the decor, The Friendly Toast has fun signature brunch dishes with apt names, such as the Doughnut Stop Believing, Taco After-Party, and Monster Breakfast. More than signature dishes, the restaurant offers brunch bowls, sandwiches and handheld items, sweet stuff, eggs benedict, and classic brunch dishes.
What fun brunch is complete without a spicy Bloody Mary or refreshing mimosa? Fortunately, The Friendly Toast has plenty of boozy brunch options and variations, including the Toast Classic Bloody and the Irish Red Eye.
Myers + Chang
1145 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118
Phone: 617-542-5200
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Located next door to Peter’s Park in Boston’s South End neighborhood, you’ll find the popular Meyers + Chang restaurant and cafe. The eatery features Asian-inspired dishes that you might not normally associate with brunches, such as dumplings, buns, and soup.
If you want more traditional brunch or breakfast fare, you can look at their coffee, tea, and desserts menu. There, you’ll find classic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, a vanilla bean parfait, and house-made ginger fortune cookies, all of which pair nicely with their tea and coffee selections.
Brewer’s Fork
7 Moulton St, Charlestown, MA 02129
Phone: 617-337-5703
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If you’re looking for a quality weekend brunch spot in Boston, you might want to consider this local favorite. Brewer’s Fork is open for Saturday and Sunday brunch only but offers delectable dishes, such as a woodfired frittata, brunch pizza, and waffles that change weekly.
You’ll find Brewer’s Fork close to the water in the Charlestown neighborhood, neighboring the USS Constitution Museum and the Bunker Hill Monument. The space offers indoor and patio seating, which is nice when the weather permits, especially on a weekend afternoon. But, Brewer’s Fork doesn’t take reservations, so keep that in mind before you venture over.
North Street Grille
229 North St, Boston, MA 02113
Phone: 617-720-2010
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North Street Grille oozes comfort, and so does its brunch menu. Here, you’ll find recipes passed down from generations used to create homestyle favorites, including french toast sticks, chicken and waffle sliders, oatmeal, and buttermilk pancakes.
However, North Street Grille also uses those recipes to create unique, original spins on favorite dishes, such as burrito pancakes, breakfast nachos, and s’mores pancakes.
That creativity spills over into their brunch cocktail offerings. You can play it safe with a classic mimosa or Bloody Mary, or you can opt for chocolate milk martini, maple waffle martini, or margarita mimosa. You’ll find North Street Grille Downtown near the waterfront and Paul Revere Square.
Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant
162 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
Phone: 617-241-0202
Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant is a North End neighborhood staple for lunch, known for its sweet, fruity pancakes and french toast. As the name implies, Theo’s is a cozy spot for a quaint brunch bite with friends or family. The family-run area welcomes all walks of life inside and outside to its patio seating.
Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant sits in the North End near RUFF North End Dog Park and the Old North Church. When you grab a bite here, make sure you bring your appetite because Theo’s always serves healthy-sized portions.
Mike’s City Diner
1714 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118
Phone: 617-267-9393
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Huge portions and great food. That’s Mike’s City Diner’s motto, and that’s what you can expect when you look to this eatery for where to get brunch in Boston. With breakfast and brunch items at the forefront of its menu, you can expect to find all of your favorites here, including breakfast sandwiches, build-your-own omelets, and pancakes.
If the breakfast side of brunch isn’t your thing, Mike’s City Diner also has many lunches and standard dinner fare to choose from.
Inside Mike’s City Diner, you’ll find a spacious dining area with a black, white, and red art-deco-inspired look. The space is comfortable and accommodating for large groups to stay for a while or for pairs and singles to grab a quick bite.
Harvest
44 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-868-2255
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When you think of a harvest, you might think of warmth and homeliness, and that’s what you’ll feel at Harvest in the heart of Harvard Square.
The restaurant has a warm color scheme featuring golden walls and rich wood paneling. It also features an authentic wood-burning fireplace in the dining room. Outside, you’ll find quaint patio seating with soft-glowing string lights.
As far as brunch fare goes, Harvest offers fine-dining options, including sweet corn donuts, eggs benedict, and a greek yogurt parfait. You won’t find your everyday buttermilk pancakes here, but you can find innovative takes on other classics, like fried chicken and foie gras waffles and brioche French toast.
Parker’s Restaurant
60 School St, Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-725-1600
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Located in the Omni Hotel and Resort between the Government Center neighborhood and Boston Common, Parker’s Restaurant offers hotel guests and locals one of the best brunches in Boston. It won awards for its authentic Boston cream pie, Boston Scrod, and “Best Chowder” during the 38th annual Chowderfest.
As a fine-dining restaurant, you can expect elevated interpretations of traditional breakfast fare at Parker’s restaurant for brunch. For instance, they make their French toast with fluffy brioche and cornflake crumble with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and Vermont maple syrup to top it off.
As usual for many brunch destinations, Parker’s restaurant also offers breakfast egg plates and omelet options, among other staples.
Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar
381 Summer St, Somerville, MA 02144
Phone: 617-629-9500
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If you’re looking for where to get brunch during the week in Boston, you can’t go wrong with Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar. This restaurant is a rustic-meets-retro eatery just outside of Boston near Tufts University.
From the outside, the restaurant looks like your classic American diner. Inside, you’ll notice rustic farmhouse touches from the wood features and painted white brick walls.
Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar loads its menu with brunch staples like French toast, eggs benedict, pancakes, and chicken and waffles for food. You’ll find similar fundamental brunch items on their boozy brunch drink menu, which offers three different Bloody Mary variations.
Thornton’s Boston Breakfast & Lunch Restaurant
150 Huntington Ave #02115, Boston, MA 02115
Phone: 617-267-6336
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“Options, options, and more options” is the motto of this restaurant. Thornton’s Boston Breakfast & Lunch Restaurant has a brunch menu item for everyone, from nearly endless standard breakfast meals to specific poached egg options and succulent crepes.
If you can’t decide on an item from the lengthy menu, you might want to consider the Sunrise Croissant breakfast sandwich, Alex’s Crazy Twos breakfast platter, or Challah Bread French Toast.
At Thornton’s, you’ll find comfort in the food and atmosphere. The fun brunch location is spacious with indoor and outdoor seating ideal for a casual gathering.
Oak Long Bar + Kitchen
138 St James Ave, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-585-7222
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With a fresh, farm-to-table menu and a warm, rustic interior design, Oak Long Bar and Kitchen is like the Back Bay area’s neighborhood kitchen featuring locally inspired dishes.
That’s right, if you’re looking for New England’s famous clam chowder, you can find it here at Oak Long Bar and Kitchen, alongside other regional staples like the lobster roll.
Of course, the restaurant also has fundamental brunch meals like eggs benedict and corned beef hash. If you have a sweet tooth, you might want to try the restaurant’s double chocolate pancakes for some gooey, sweet goodness.
Combining locally sourced and inspired cuisine, Oak Long Bar and Kitchen features an elevated interior design for a high-end dining experience.
The Paramount
Multiple locations
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Why settle for a weekend brunch or a Sunday brunch only when you can have the meal seven days a week? At either of Paramount’s locations in South Boston or Beacon Hill, you can. The Paramount is reminiscent of the archetypal dinner, serving various breakfast and brunch meals on classic white dishes alongside white mugs of endless drip coffee refills.
The establishment’s location in Beacon Hill is sandwiched in between Boston Common and the Charles River waterfront. In contrast, the South Boston location sits on the Dorchester Peninsula on East Broadway Street.
South Street Diner
178 Kneeland St, Boston, MA 02111
Phone: 617-350-0028
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You can’t live or visit Boston without stopping by the South Street Diner for brunch. The eatery is a quintessential restaurant to see, featured in many feature films, like The Equalizer, 21, and Hiding Out. They provide comfort food, including brunch, 24 hours a day for seven days a week.
As far as food goes, you can find anything from Boston cream pancakes to portobello mushroom sandwiches here.
Their menu has pages and pages of food options to choose from, no matter the time of day. However, if you’re going to visit this diner, you might as well go for brunch to get a mimosa and the diner’s signature grilled banana bread.
Mike & Patty’s
12 Church St, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-423-3447
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Profiled on numerous networks and recently shortlisted to Thrillist’s list of “Best Breakfast Sandwiches in the USA,” Mike & Patty’s is a must when visiting or living in the Boston area. It doesn’t have extensive menu options like other brunch places do, but its opportunities are phenomenal.
More specifically, Mike & Patty’s specializes in breakfast sandwiches. Some sandwich options include the Grilled Crack (a fried egg, American, cheddar, swiss and gruyere cheeses, and double bacon on buttered sourdough), and the Jersey Shore (a fried egg, Jersey Pork Roll, American cheese, red onions, and house mayo on a sesame seeded roll).
Whether you’re looking for a classy, high-end Sunday brunch or a boozy brunch excursion, you’ll find no shortage of great brunch spots in Boston. This fancy city is a must-see for foodies and tourists alike.
If you’re making your journey around the city with a bunch of friends or family, be sure to check out some of the best private dining rooms in Boston, too, in case you need to reserve a spot. Or, get a view of the whole city at rooftop bars on this list.
Did we leave a restaurant out of this list? Make sure you leave us a comment, and we’ll check it out!
Why Trust Us?
When it comes to local restaurant recommendations, we pride ourselves on being a reliable and trustworthy resource. Our suggestions are not just based on our personal experiences, ensuring a more authentic and well-rounded perspective, but also on extensive online research. We diligently searched the internet and reviewed 6 credible sites and blogs, including Boston.eater.com and Timeout.com.
We compiled all the findings in one location and sorted them by the frequency of mentions to ensure you receive top-notch recommendations. We strive to present you with a curated list of establishments that truly stand out, allowing you to enjoy the best dining experiences possible.
Interested in the sources we consulted? Check out the list of all 6 sites we referenced below this paragraph, offering transparency and an opportunity for our readers to explore further. Our commitment is to deliver trustworthy and unparalleled recommendations, helping you make informed decisions on your culinary journeys.
https://boston.eater.com/maps/best-boston-brunch-restaurants
https://www.timeout.com/boston/restaurants/best-brunch-in-boston
https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-places-for-brunch-in-boston
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2023/01/10/2023-brunch-guide/
https://www.thrillist.com/eat/boston/best-brunch-in-boston
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/best-brunch-boston/