A late-morning brunch meal, typically enjoyed between 10 am and noon is beloved by people all across the country. So many restaurants serve breakfast foods in the morning and have a cut-off between 10 and 11 am when they switch to their lunch menus.
The best brunch restaurants in the US understand that many people don’t like an early breakfast and prefer to eat later in the morning without being restricted to either breakfast or lunch menus.
These restaurants have satisfying brunch menus that don’t make diners feel like they have to choose. They embrace the idea of brunch and serve a delicious combination of traditional breakfast foods and lunchtime staples.
Whether you want a plate of classic brunch Eggs Benedict with mimosas or Oysters Rockefeller and a bloody mary, these brunch spots offer the best brunch food and cocktails in the US.
Atchafalaya
901 Louisiana Ave., New Orleans, LA 70115
Phone: 504-891-9626
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This New Orleans staple made the 2015 Fodor’s Travel Guide list of the top ten best brunch restaurants in the US. They serve their brunch menu every day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 am to 2:30 pm.
The only thing I love more than brunch is a boozy brunch, and Atchafalaya offers a bloody mary bar that ensures people like me will keep returning. There’s live music from local and sometimes nationally known musicians.
You might have to wait even with reservations for this Southern-Creole spot, but the variety of locally sourced fish, meats, and produce make it well worth the trouble.
Get the Crispy Gulf Oysters with the amazing smoked tomato butter to start, and you’ll know you made the right brunch choice.
El Chorro
5550 East Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
Phone: 480-948-5170
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If you’re looking for a Sunday brunch spot in Paradise Valley, you can enjoy El Chorro’s offerings from 9 am to 2 pm.
Forget ordering individual brunch cocktails like mimosas. They offer a bottle of Champagne with a carafe of orange juice so you can make your own.
Their brunch menu might not be as extensive as some other restaurants that serve brunch more often, but they have a nice range of dishes.
The green chili pork stew is a great hangover soup, according to the menu, and a mix of the Champagne and orange juice cools the heat just enough.
Get everything from huevos rancheros, a perennial brunch favorite, to trout, burgers, and your choice of fresh salads.
Mala Ocean Tavern
1307 Front Street, Lahaina, Hawaii 96761
Phone: (808) 667-9394
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Mala Ocean tavern’s extensive brunch menu is served every day from 9 am to 2 pm.
The What’s Up Doc cocktail with gin, carrot, orange, turmeric, and ginger is a fantastic hangover remedy that’s refreshing anytime.
They offer small plates for those going light, like seared ahi bruschetta, coconut shrimp, flatbreads, and a hummus plate.
Many breakfast and lunch entrees, like various sandwiches, frittatas, eggs, pancakes, and fish dishes, appear on the brunch menu.
The ribeye steak with chimichurri sauce and the lilikoi-guava-lemonade made with local sugar cane on the island were some of my favorites.
Halls Chophouse
434 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 727-0090
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Hall’s Chophouse has five locations in Columbia, Greenville, Nexton, Nashville, and this one in Charleston, SC.
I’ve only been to this one so far, but when I visit those other cities and want a great brunch, I’ll look up this restaurant.
It’s no surprise that a Charleston restaurant has great oysters, shrimp, crab, and steaks, but their fried green tomatoes made me nostalgic for my childhood when we often had them fresh out of the garden.
You can enjoy brunch on the weekends with various standard brunch cocktails, seafood, steaks, sandwiches, and salads.
Buck and Rider
4225 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018
Phone: 602-346-0110
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Weekend brunch at Buck and Rider starts at 11 am on Saturdays and 10 am on Sundays. Enjoy delicious brunch dishes from one of the best brunch restaurants in the US until 3 pm on both days.
In the mood for a New Orleans-style beignet? Or a California-style avocado toast with a fried egg, heirloom baby tomatoes, burrata, and herbs on a piece of grilled sourdough? You can get both at this great Phoenix restaurant.
I chose a Crab Cake Benedict instead of eggs and a vegetable roll off their sushi brunch menu, which is something you don’t find at many restaurants.
They have fresh fish selections that change daily and a NOLA espresso martini to keep sleepiness at bay.
Aqimero
10 Avenue of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (215) 523-8200
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Aqimero’s brunch is perfect for the late sleeper or someone who likes to take it easy on the weekends.
Their Saturday and Sunday brunch runs from noon until 3 pm, but the last reservation time you can book is at 1:45 because people tend to spend time enjoying the food and drinks.
You can choose an a la carte brunch experience with a variety of starters and mains, three different toasts, and several drink choices. Or you can select their Endless Bubbles & Brunch, which I enjoyed.
For one price, you get endless bubbly cocktails and four courses. You can choose which options you want, starting with pastries or fruit.
Enjoy your choice of toast, the main dish (I loved the bananas foster pancakes), and a dessert of churros for the table to make it a brunch experience to remember.
Vintage
12 Vail Road, Vail, CO 81657
Phone: (970) 479-0175
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Whether in Vail skiing or for some other reason, you can enjoy an amazing brunch spread from 8:30 am to 2 pm Friday through Monday at this top US brunch restaurant.
This French brasserie-style restaurant offers a champagne brunch with starters that range from sweet to savory and the most delicious bacon-wrapped figs with Roquefort cheese and honey.
Choose from salads, sandwiches, egg dishes, and specialty brunch cocktails to round out your meal.
I tried their bloody mary made with pickled peppers and chipotle-candied bacon, and now other bloody marys seem plain.
Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant
4 Clinton Street (btw. East Houston & Stanton), New York, NY 10002
Phone: 646-602-6263
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I love a great brunch, so I was thrilled when I visited this restaurant in New York.
It’s easy to see why they’re one of the best brunch restaurants in the US because they have a fantastic menu, and they serve brunch all day from 9 am to 4 pm every day but Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Go before 4 pm to enjoy typical breakfast foods well into the afternoon alongside lunch sandwiches, fried chicken and waffles, and cheeseburgers.
You can get their fluffy cheese grits, fried green tomatoes, and egg and potato dishes a la carte alongside classic cocktails like mimosas, bellinis, and bloody marys.
The Tipsy Palmer, a mix of tea, lemonade, and bourbon, is a favorite of mine.
State of Grace
3258 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098
Phone: 832-942-5080
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Sunday brunch lovers can hit State of Grace in Houston between 11 am and 3 pm for their fill of brunch standards with a few surprises.
This location is one of the best brunch restaurants in the US and Texas for Sunday dining, with southern classics like fried chicken, beignets, hushpuppies, and cheese grits.
I enjoyed some dishes not found on many brunch menus. The crawfish enchilada was a delicious surprise, and I liked their version of southern shakshuka with grits, andouille sausage, toast, and eggs sunny-side up.
Arnaud’s
813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Phone: 504-523-5433
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If you want to experience fine dining and know you’re in New Orleans every minute, you must try Arnaud’s jazz brunch, offered only on Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm.
They offer a choice of eight desserts, an incredible spread for brunch, fresh fish and seafood dishes, and several egg dishes.
Brunch consists of a three-course Prix Fixe spread or dine a la carte while enjoying Dixieland jazz entertainment.
The crabmeat cheesecake was a mix of cream cheese and Brie with fresh vegetables and Louisiana crab, herbs, and spices. It was a rich and satisfying savory dish I look forward to having again.
The Food Market
1017 W 36th St, Baltimore, MD 21211
Phone: (410) 366-0606
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Brunch at The Food Market in Baltimore’s Hampden location is from 10 am to 2:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Their brunch menu is a little more casual than some of the other best brunch restaurants in the US.
Choose “Funchies” from the appetizer menu, “Brunchies” breakfast foods and sandwiches from the entree brunch menu, and “Lunchies” with salads, seafood, and selections like burgers and tacos from another menu.
They also offer options reminiscent of fast-food meals like a double cheeseburger, a crispy chicken sandwich, and a cheesesteak.
The banana cobbler with fresh whipped cream was my favorite choice from their brunch menu.