The Top Everyday Brunch Spots to Check Out in 2024

This Southern chain opened in 2000, meaning it’s now nearly a quarter-century old (a fact as wild as its namesake). Back then, it was a late-night restaurant established by Sharon Scott in Asheville, North Carolina meant to offer a “healthy” taste of the South and Appalachia. Today, it’s a 22-location brand serving up modern takes on Southern comfort food.

Despite 2024 projected earnings that rival Chili’s and Olive Garden, Tupelo Honey remains a from-scratch, responsibly sourced, locally inspired concept that can still fit in the Rachael Ray “$40 a Day” parameters that catapulted it into the national spotlight in 2004. Now, with an upscale 2015 rebrand, two cookbooks authored by longtime executive chef Brian Sonoskus, and kitchen leadership by James Beard Rising Star Chef USA Eric Gabrynowicz, it’s a sweet addition to the national brunch scene as it makes its way from the South all the way up to Wisconsin, Nebraska, and west to Colorado.

Order: You can’t go wrong with the signature honey-dusted fried chicken; mac-n-cheese buttermilk waffles with Asheville-style hot chicken thighs and housemade pickles; and the enormous cathead Biscuits for a Cause, a COVID-inspired initiative that has so far awarded $550,000 to employees in need. Drink housemade ginger beer, lavender lemonade, and cocktails of similar caliber and lightness.

“Breakfast but different” was the idea behind Jon and Adam Schlegel’s Denver luncheonette (est. 2006), where a single shift structure—in the interest of making sure all employees can make it home for dinner with their families—remains to this day. This ethos is foundational to the 59-store brand, whose eggs and meat are all raised in unconfined spaces and ingredients are free of anything artificial. Snooze does carbon offsets for deliveries, uses recyclable or compostable sugarcane takeout containers, donates to the surrounding communities, and employs Change Makers in every restaurant who are responsible for facilitating green initiatives and community service.

But just as important, the food is absolutely aces. The menu is massive, full of sticky syrups, gooey cheeses, well-considered sauces, and a full bar with creative craft cocktails. The Pancake of the Week, dreamed up by staff across the country, gives Snooze Bennyfits loyalty club members all the more reason to return.

Order: The pancake flight, featuring smaller pancakes but maximum exposure to various flavors; the Blueberry Danish and Pineapple Upside Down flavors are the most popular. The Habanero Pork Belly Benny is great, as is the pulled pork and chile hollandaise Pork Chile Verde Benny, but Benny Duos mean no need to make a decision. The hash browns are crunchy, well-seasoned pucks of shredded potatoes, and that’s just one option for vegetarians—tofu scrambles, breakfast burritos, and the Bountiful Buddha Bowl offer plenty to choose from. Don’t miss out on the seasonal items, either, like chilaquiles and bread pudding French toast. Have those with a Brewmosa or Boozy Blackberry Mint Limeade, respectively.

Established in 2012 by Gus Evans and Scott Moore in Jacksonville, Florida as the Maple Street Community Store, it’s now a 63-location brand mostly in the South, in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and, randomly, Ohio. Part of its catapult to fame was its Squawking Goat, a precariously stacked tower of fried chicken, a goat cheese medallion, some pepper jelly, and biscuits on either end that was featured on Food Network’s Guilty Pleasures in 2016.

Maple Street continues to offer “comfort food with a modern twist,” promising (despite recent acquisition by Cracker Barrel in 2019) from-scratch, never-frozen biscuits that are “never boring.” How can they be, with accompaniments like apple butter and shiitake gravy? The appropriate drink to counter the heaviness of biscuit French toast is the Muletown Coffee from Columbia, Tennessee, served at all locations. Or a mimosa.

Order: Biscuits, duh. With a category called “Biscuits That Wow,” why look anywhere else? Go HAM on everything but ham with The Cowboy, where country fried steak, bacon, egg, and cheddar are smothered with sausage gravy; get the Five & Dime to swap beef for chicken. Then get an iced cinnamon biscuit, studded with cinnamon chips, to go. But if biscuits aren’t your jam, this spot offers asiago-bacon waffles with fried chicken, too, and Frittaffles, which are waffle iron-baked omelets and a damn good time.

I often find myself at one of these 25 (by manual count) locations when I’m visiting New Orleans, city of my alma mater, and am been reminded I can’t drink like I used to. Founded post-Katrina in Mid-City by Jennifer and Erich Weishaupt, Ruby Slipper & Ruby Sunshine is everywhere in NOLA and has expanded to Charlotte, Charleston, Birmingham, Destin, and Pensacola, its popularity bolstered by a feature in Food Paradise on the Travel Channel.

Fresh batches of biscuits are available all day, and the restaurant now serves more than 40,000 a week with a side of housemade cane syrup butter. But if you want something a little more distinctly NOLA versus general South, not to worry. That accent is all over the menu, from seasonal beignets and loaded tots with pork debris to apple-braised cochon and Gulf shrimp.

Order: The Trifecta Taste of Ruby, which includes the three most popular benedicts: Cochon, St. Charles with fried chicken on a buttermilk biscuit and tasso cream sauce, and Bayou shrimp with Creole tomato sauce on fried green tomatoes. For your sweet tooth, share French Toast Bites, which are tossed in cinnamon sugar with cream cheese icing and praline sauce. You can turn it into an entrée with Sweet Heat Chicken with fresh strawberries, too. If you like things saccharine, get the Bananas Foster French Toast with rum-flambeed bananas and raisins and White Chocolate Bread Pudding Pancakes, with real chunks of bread pudding in the batter and a white chocolate whiskey sauce on top. Don’t forget coffee by local French Truck Coffee or a Mimosa Flight.

Another Louisiana-born brunch option, this one’s got a decade over the last one and, as a franchise, considerably more locations. Currently, there are 90+ in more than 15 states, serving up Southern-inspired fare with a full bar, including hand-crafted cocktails and spiked cold brew.

Its whole schtick is “craveably delicious dishes,” and the menu is pure Instagram fodder, bright colors and dramatically stacked biscuits with everything society tells us to feel bad about eating. To hell with food guilt when I can have chicken tenders, pimento cheese, a drippy egg, and bacon jam on a toasted fresh biscuit (I’m talking about the Deep South Biscuit; you’re welcome) for a limited time only. It’s currently on the menu as a seasonal special along with sweet thangs like Lemon Pound Cake French Toast with a tower of berries and a S’mores Belgian waffle, but the regular menu doesn’t shy away from excess either.

Order: Strawberry Pound Cake French Toast if you don’t care for the seasonal spin, or the Cinnamon Roll French Toast with cream cheese icing and rum butter sauce. There’s also an apple fritter French toast, which begs the question: what can’t we French toast? On the savory side, try an omelet with cream cheese filling for a unique delight. Nods to home include Shrimp ‘N Grits with Gulf shrimp and andouille, an omelet with crawfish, and beignets, but made from biscuit dough.

Are we over biscuits yet? If you’re asking that, how dare you. This Atlanta-based chain by chef Delia Champion and Indigo Girls band member Emily Saliers is nailing it, sending 5,000 biscuits flying into happy mouths per week at each location. It began with one Candler Park restaurant in 1993, and it’s now a chain of 36 in Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas. Under Daryl Dollinger, president of the now-franchised brand’s parent company, it’s gone on to earn a lot of unspecified, uncited accolades (America’s #1 breakfast brand? “Award-winning,” but what awards?). But one thing that’s undeniable is its uniqueness in the space.

I’m not talking just about the slightly sweet Fluffy Flying Biscuits, either, which rise as high as Atlanta’s Midtown, and probably just as structurally questionable as the quick-build luxury apartments cropping up in the A. But this restaurant is no one-trick pony; the menu’s got plenty of variety and offers dinner, too.

Order: A biscuit to start, with cranberry apple butter by default, and the oven-roasted “Moon Dusted” potatoes, which is just a cutesy way of saying it’s got a proprietary seasoning on it. The chicken sausage patties are a signature, but vegetarians, who have a whole section on the menu, can order the Beyond ones. The “creamy dreamy grits” are another point of pride for the brand and come with many of the Fantastic Favorites. But if you’re a Benedict fan, be warned that although all-day breakfasts have many egg options, poached isn’t one of them.

Staying in Atlanta metro for a minute, this 23-location chain began in Marietta in 1996 and is going strong in the ’burbs while also branching out into South Carolina and Tennessee. Of those offshoots, 18 are still owned and operated by the original founders under licensing.

Despite its now uber-corporate background, J. Christopher’s holds onto its identity, which mirrors the menu philosophy of “Familiar food … with flair.” For example, renovations across existing locations introduced a softer dining atmosphere, greener tech and equipment, and local art that reflects the owner’s taste and community, just as the menu specials do. If you fall in love with one special dish, your J. Christopher’s might be the only spot that serves it. And that’s pretty cool.

Order: Try the local specials and seasonal menu items if you’re in the mood for something different. During the fall, that meant gingerbread waffles and a Turkey Monte Cristo. However, the recipes that made this spot a star include items like Blueberry Crunchcakes with granola griddled right in, the brand’s number-one seller. Then there’s stuff like challah French toast soaked in maple vanilla batter; the Eggs Christopher Benedict that piles on smoked turkey, bacon, and tomato; and club riffs like a burger with bacon and egg and a Classic Club that adds a fried egg in the middle. Savory crepes with balsamic chicken, rice, broccoli, and mushroom sauces mean you can have a sweet one like blueberry cheesecake for dessert. The $6 mimosas, where available, are a steal.

With the tagline “It’s never too early to get toasted,” you’d best believe this place is making food that’s fun. This popping Southern chain has 36 locations by my (probably inaccurate and definitely painstaking) count, with 15 listed on the website as “coming soon.”

Founded in 2010, Toasted Yolk hit the franchise circuit and has become the #1 brunch concept in all of Texas, serving up a medley of Creole, Tex-Mex, Southern, and Californian classics alongside chef-driven limited-time offers. Think fresh-glazed maple bacon doughnuts, chicken beignets, and bacon jam burgers with a fried egg and spicy bacon.

For your friends who are reticent to brunch and prefer a proper lunch (weirdos), this franchise’s marketing boasts the “best lunch menus in the category,” with dressings, sauces, and soups all made in house and a full bar on site in every location.

Order: A “Sweet Bookend” of churro-style cake doughnuts to start and, to finish, a four-egg omelet served with both a buttermilk biscuit and a hash brown casserole so well-loved that they sell it to customers to cook at home. “Arnolds” is what you’ll want to look for if you’re a Benedictine, but for an idea of why this restaurant is so well-loved in Texas, try hearty options like brisket scrambles and bone-in pork chop breakfast plates. French toast here is sourdough, but brunch bowls with quinoa, bulgur wheat, and brown rice as a base offer more nutritive value.

Despite being up to 22 locations across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Georgia, this brand gives off small-town country café vibes—probably thanks to three generations of wholesome Midwestern family ownership. Its roots were laid down in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale back in 1985 by a pair of college sweethearts who dreamt big and passed it down.

Values like active community engagement and educational partnerships are still a core part of the Egg Harbor brand, as are cage-free, certified humane egg, organic ingredients when possible, and an extensive gluten-free menu so that virtually anyone can bond over breakfast, brunch, and lunch as the founding couple, Jack and Paula Wright, did all those years ago.

Order: Chicagoans are top-notch at cinnamon rolls, and making them into French toast is a stroke of genius. For mains, order three-egg omelets like Gregg’s black bean and chicken chili with veggies and egg whites and a side of habanero hash or any one of the many varieties of skillets with those Harbor Potatoes at their base. Or change things up with Moroccan-spiced shakshuka and Swedish pancakes with lingonberry butter. Limited-run dishes also draw influences from everywhere, like a Bacon Bibimbap breakfast, habanero bacon, and red velvet French toast.

https://www.thebrokenyolkcafe.com/

“You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet,” the saying goes, and in this case it’s both literal and figurative. The first Broken Yolk opened in San Diego in 1979, but it didn’t get big until Man v. Food star Adam Richman took down the Iron Man Omelet, featuring a full dozen eggs, half a pound of cheese, chili and veggies, two biscuits, and a pound and a half of home fries for an eight-pound challenge. After that, investors came courting owner John Gelastopoulos, who opened up offers for franchising.

To date, there are 34 locations across California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Florida, and Idaho, with more to come. And while this challenge is nowhere to be seen on the online menu (which now leads with Healthy Side Up, if that gives you an indication of its current direction), there are now better ways to earn free brunch than destroying your insides. Like Snooze, Egg Harbor Café, IHOP, and Denny’s, Broken Yolk offers a rewards program to score some grub.

Order: Go with some San Diego style, like eggs with chorizo, huevos rancheros, savory Mexican-influenced crepes, and chilaquiles—a permanent menu item that’s often only a limited-time offer at other chains. Benedicts like sopes with shredded beef and the Border with carne asada on sweet corn cakes are other good directions, especially when you can get one of each with the Choose Two option. Sweets-lovers might want to get the Tiki Toast with King’s Hawaiian bread and fruit, coconut, and caramel drizzle. Classics are also on the menu, including biscuits and blueberry muffins as your bread option at no extra cost (!). Be warned, however, that the chicken fried “steak” is actually a burger patty. Mimosa and Bloody Mary flights may help you not give a shit about that.

This Brandenton, Florida–based major player, originally from Pacific Grove, California (circa 1983), doesn’t want to be known as a chain restaurant. That’s why you won’t find the same design in every store, nor any mass-market advertising. Menus are changed up five times a year to give First Watch restaurants a local vibe. But with more than 500 locations in 29 states (including the former Egg & I locations), plans to expand to 2,200 units, and a 2021 IPO, it’s really anything but a local joint.

What has made this brand so successful? A few things: menus “inspired by the position of the sun,” an emphasis on seasonal produce, and ethics-based decision-making. For example, the coffee from Project Sunrise celebrates the female farmers, the Mujeres en Cafe of Huila, Colombia.

Order: Try egg dishes like a rustic frittata with roasted crimini mushrooms and kale, the Chickichanga with whipped eggs and chicken breast in a flour tortilla under Vera Cruz sauce, or a BLT Benedict on toasted ciabatta with lemon-dressed arugula. Limited-time stuff brings in more creative choices, like a pastrami-and-egg Brooklyn Breakfast Sandwich on an everything brioche bun. If you order an omelet, get the artisan whole-grain toast as your bread, if only for the house preserves. Traditional breakfast is offered with choices like a multigrain pancake or chicken/turkey sausage in addition to a regular Belgian-style waffle and bacon or pork sausage. Wash it down with daily squeezed juice.

The first time I went to La Madeleine, I had no idea it was part of a chain with over 85 locations in the American South and East Coast. Granted, I was a naïve baby bird of an undergrad, so what the hell did I know? Its distinctly French vibes made me feel like I was at a fancy Franco version of Panera Bread with its counter service and casual, affordable bistro eats, and this was even before LE DUFF Group—the company behind Brioche Doree, which is actually based in Brittany—bought it out from its Dallas-bred founders in 2002.

Now it’s a franchise with dine-in service at some locations, serving a limited but graceful all-day breakfast … with croissants for everyone! Seriously, nearly everything comes with a croissant, and there’s never a better reason to eat somewhere than an automatic croissant. The food is fresh, the pastries are never-ending, and the lounge vibes are on point, especially at the locations with patios and fireplaces.

Order: The Country French Breakfast, which comes with a potato galette (a baked French potato cake with Parmesan and green onions for something different than your staid home fries) and, of course, a croissant. Individual quiches in buttery pie crusts are another good option, as is La Madeleine’s modern take on the Croque Madame, complete with smoked ham, Swiss, and a fried egg and garlic cream sauce. Savory crepes include the ham and Swiss with Dijon garlic sauce and the balsamic chicken and broccoli in a mushroom sauce.

Le Peep is le licensed, which means that although the original is in Aspen, Colorado, all of its 40+ locations have their own flavor to offer. Because it’s not a corporate-controlled franchise, owner-driven specials and menu additions are encouraged by the powers that be, and each restaurant bears its owner’s thumbprint.

That doesn’t mean there’s a lack of consistency, however. In fact, the whole menu is littered with superscripted legal marks: lightly cooked chunks of Sassy Apples®; almond-crusted Gooey Buns™ made with English muffins broiled with brown sugar and cinnamon; Eighteen Wheeler® and Lumberjack Breakfasts® and Drifter® and Gypsy® skillets, all with baked (not fried) Peasant Potatoes® … you get the idea. Portion sizes are as voluminous as this list of copyrights, and you won’t find anyone complaining about that.

Order: The Pancake of the Month, which follows a set calendar for those of us with FOMO; variations include ricotta, apple crisp, banana bread, churro, raspberry white chocolate macadamia, and more. Regulars count on the Gooey Buns™, custard-dipped French toasts, and blueberry granola pancakes. Savory highlights include saucy breakfast enchiladas, crepes that come in varieties like Monte Cristo with bacon, and a Tex-Mex breakfast burger served on hash browns instead of bread, topped with pork green chili, an egg, fried jalapenos, sliced avocado, and other accoutrements.

The aforementioned brunch brands aren’t the only ones slinging the good stuff daily. If you want an option with old-timey vibes, there are still plenty of options outside of Waffle House.

I’d be remiss to not mention a James Beard American Classic, the 146-location Original Pancake House, which started in Portland in 1953. The chain’s grandpa-basement-bar-style Chicago offshoot, Walker Bros. The Original Pancake House, stole my heart by letting customers swap toast for small, fluffy, crispy-edged pancakes cooked in peanut oil. The filled Dutch Babies and not-so-baby German Pancakes compete for attention against the ridiculous deep-dish apple “pancake” that’s really just a giant, super-sweet monkey bread-like glob of caramel, butter, and dough. And although the selection is enormous, the frilliest thing about this stuck-in-time chain is the edge of each sweet and savory crepe.

Texans might feel a way if I didn’t mention Jim’s by San Antonio restaurant king G. (Germano) “Jim” Hasslocher, since 1947, whose humble beginnings started with a bike rental business that sold refreshing sliced watermelon, too. Redditors describe it as a “Texas version of IHOP” and call it iconic, especially since it took over a bunch of shuttered Shoney’s locations. It’s notable for its “special batter” not buttermilk waffles, two-pork-chop breakfasts, and a whole lot of Tex-Mex.

Another great waffle are those of Huddle House, a 1964 Decatur, Georgia-founded 24-hour joint; one Redditor describes it as “Waffle House with a deep fryer,” while another says it’s “more [a] rural Denny’s than Waffle House,” but somewhere in the middle is a more than accurate description of this Atlanta-based 272-location franchise owned by a subsidiary that also includes the awful Perkins Restaurant and Bakery. You’ll find platter-sized buttermilk pancakes, “Golden” (not buttermilk?) waffles, Stuffed Hashbrowns, and country-ish beef dishes.

Finally, there’s ol’ Cracker Barrel, as ubiquitous as the aforementioned Waffle House on the side of the highway. There are 660 stores and restaurants in 45 states now—not too shabby for the concept Dave Evins threw together in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee, designed to improve gas sales as he worked for Shell Oil. It became publicly traded in 1981, and about a decade later, it (appropriately) became a public pariah when it released an anti-gay company policy, which has since been technically reversed. The purchase of Maple Street Biscuit Company is Cracker Barrel’s grab for the modern, younger demographic, much like the addition of booze to the menu in 2020.

So if you’re looking for that retro, kitschy, value-based, casual all-day brunch, hit up these restaurants. You now have a solid baker’s dozen of weekday brekkies whenever you rise in time to shine.