The Best Brunch In States
Delaware: Deerfield (Newark)
The Sunday brunch served at popular Newark, Delaware, golf club and wedding venue Deerfield is nothing short of incredible. Offered from late September through early May, this 111-foot brunch spread features a seafood station with crab cakes, oysters Rockefeller and more; made-to-order omelets and breakfast sandwiches; a carving station with lamb, strip loin and salmon; a pasta station; soups and salads; bagels and breakfast pastries; a yogurt parfait station; a kids buffet; a “doughnut wall” and a huge dessert spread. If you want to make your own mimosas, Deerfield will happily supply a bottle of Champagne and juice.
Florida: The Circle (Palm Beach)
Palm Beach, Florida’s Italian Renaissance-style Breakers Palm Beach has been one of the country’s premier high-end destinations since it was built in 1896. There’s no shortage of fantastic dining options at this luxurious retreat, but for brunch, one rises above every option in the state: Sunday brunch in The Circle’s splendid and opulent dining room (think ocean views, 30-foot frescoed ceilings and oval murals depicting Renaissance-era landscapes). Crab claws, sushi, caviar, baby lamb chops, carved-to-order beef tenderloin, Belgian waffles, eggs Benedict, omelets, imported cheeses and more than 30 desserts are all for the taking, with a harpist strolling from table to table to boot. The Champagne, mimosas and bloody marys are free-flowing. Come hungry, and it’ll be well worth the expense ($125 per person or $50 for children 12 and under).
Georgia: Buttermilk Kitchen (Atlanta)
At Atlanta’s Buttermilk Kitchen, chef and owner Suzanne Vizethann prides herself on making just about everything on her Southern-inspired menu from scratch using sustainable, local ingredients. Bagels with house-cured salmon, fried chicken biscuits with red pepper jelly and pimento cheese grits, fried chicken and waffles, short rib hash, and a lobster omelet are some dishes on offer. Buttermilk Kitchen doesn’t take reservations, so make sure to get there early, and whatever you do, order the banana pudding for dessert.
Hawaii: Koko Head Cafe (Honolulu)
You may have spotted chef Lee Anne Wong on Food Network and “Top Chef” (she was a contestant during Season 1 and made a brief cameo in Season 15), but what you may not know is that she also happens to run one of America’s hottest, funkiest brunch destinations in a quiet Honolulu, Hawaii, neighborhood. Koko Head Cafe has a huge menu of baked goods, pancakes, awesome egg dishes and skillets, as well as a lovely assortment of Asian- and Hawaiian-inspired plates including black sesame yuzu muffins; breakfast congee; omelets filled with miso-smoked pork or poke; and breakfast bibimbap.
Idaho: Fork (Boise)
“Loyal to local” is the motto at farm-to-table Boise, Idaho, hotspot Fork, run by husband-and-wife duo Cameron and Amanda Lumsden. Many of the ingredients are sourced from local Idaho and Northwest farmers, ranchers, bakers, producers and cheesemakers. Start with a trip to the bloody mary bar, and follow that up with a crazy house-baked cinnamon roll with butterscotch sauce and cream cheese frosting; short rib poutine with crispy polenta sticks; cast-iron-seared lamb lollipops; or pork belly banh mi. Save room for the butter cake.
Illinois: M. Henry (Chicago)
In Chicago, brunch is synonymous with M. Henry. Local and organic ingredients are used whenever possible, and even though you could find yourself waiting for a table for quite some time, this wait is worth it. The seasonal menu is split into two sections: sweet and savory. Some all-star plates include lemon shrimp and corn cake Benedict; soppressata-wrapped baked eggs with creamy polenta, goat cheese, herb-roasted plum tomato and walnut pesto; smoked salmon rotolone; mango-cranberry hotcakes with vanilla mascarpone and brown sugar; and apple-cranberry brioche French toast.
Indiana: Milktooth (Indianapolis)
This Indianapolis, Indiana, gem is a must-visit for brunch. Milktooth’s menu is as delicious as it is creative, and it eschews convention every chance it gets. While there is a traditional sweet Dutch baby with lemon curd, cranberries and candied pecans, a Korean version gets mushrooms, gochujang (red chili paste), marinated cucumber, crispy wonton and sesame. The burger is made with blue cheese mascarpone, caramelized onion and coffee-pickled turnip. And porridge is made with ancient grains, coconut milk, pears, hemp seeds and pistachio. Delicious sweets include Key lime sourdough cake doughnuts; griddled house biscuit with roasted squash butter, apple fennel jam and fennel pollen; and chocolate almond twice-baked croissants. The lengthy list of boozy beverages includes a cocktail called the “Florida man,” built with passion fruit rum, alchermes, lime and simple syrup.
Iowa: Americana (Des Moines)
This classic Des Moines, Iowa, restaurant draws crowds during the week for its stellar steaks, shared plates and signature pizza pot pie, but Americana really shines on the weekends when it unveils its Bombshell Brunch Buffet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 40 items are available for the taking, including all the classic breakfast dishes, a grilled cheese station, mashed potato bar, build-your-own breakfast taco station, a ton of desserts and bottomless bloody marys and mimosas. Plenty of gluten-friendly items are available as well.
Kansas: Urban Table (Prairie Village)
Fresh, seasonal ingredients are used just outside Kansas City at Urban Table in the preparation of an outstanding and wide-ranging, rustic brunch menu. The weekend offerings here are decidedly outside-the-box and downright delicious. Chilaquiles; egg and cheese waffle sliders with sausage and bacon praline syrup; an egg white omelet with roasted turkey and avocado; a quinoa burger and breakfast tacos stuffed with delicious scrambled eggs, chorizo, potatoes, avocado, pico de gallo, radish and white cheddar are just some of the brunchtime possibilities. Even better, some specialties can be made gluten free.
Kentucky: Butchertown Grocery (Louisville)
At night, Louisville, Kentucky’s Butchertown Grocery is one of the city’s hottest cocktail bars. But on the weekends, the sleek restaurant with cozy banquettes and exposed ceiling beams becomes the best brunch destination in the state. Chef and owner Bobby Benjamin has crafted a creative, fun menu that revolves around local ingredients. Look for dishes like fresh blueberry scones with lemon curd and bourbon barrel sugar; eggs Benedict with pork belly on an English muffin with truffle bearnaise; and a prime beef burger with green goddess, goat cheese, arugula, bacon and pickled red onion.
Louisiana: Arnaud’s (New Orleans)
Since 1918, Arnaud’s has been one of the grand dames of Creole cuisine in Louisiana, and its jazz brunch is nearly as legendary as the restaurant itself. A Dixieland jazz band plays while diners enjoy traditional Creole items including the eatery’s famous shrimp remoulade, turtle soup, seafood gumbo, grillades and grits, eggs Sardou (with artichoke, creamed spinach and hollandaise), and eggs Hussarde (with Canadian bacon and tomato on French bread crostini with hollandaise and marchand de vin sauces). For dessert, don’t miss the bananas Foster. Wash it down with a cafe brulot, spiced and spiked coffee flamed with brandy tableside.
Maine: Bayside American Cafe (Portland)
Bayside (formerly Bintliff’s) in Portland, Maine, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. serving some of the finest dishes you’ll find anywhere. In the breakfast department, there’s homemade corned beef hash, Gulf shrimp scampi scramble, custom omelets, a house-smoked salmon platter, and Maine blueberry and cinnamon bun pancakes. For lunch, there’s an awesome butter-poached lobster roll, a house-braised corned beef Reuben, a burger with bourbon honey mustard and fried shallots, and a killer Caprese BLT.