Brunch in Austin is quite the event. Many of the popular places will have hours-long queues and folks scrambling to get tables, but once you’re seated, you’re in luck: brunch means booze before noon, sweet or savory bites for any appetite and a lazy start to your Sunday.
Here are 24 tried-and-true brunch spots in Austin that every foodie needs to try at least once.
Also see: The top 20 restaurants to try when you visit Austin
24 Tried-and-True Brunch Spots in Austin
1. Suerte
This is the newest restaurant on the list, but Suerte fits the “tried-and-true” theme because this Mexican East Austin restaurant has been winning national awards left and right and has been recognized by big names like New York Times and Bon Appetit. This is already an Austin hot spot and it’s sure to become a staple in the Austin brunch scene.
WEBSITE | 1800 E 6th St
2. The Brewer’s Table
The Brewer’s Table is about beer and all the ingredients surrounding it, so the brunch menu has ingredients with hops, grains, and barley. Try the pretzel croissant with beer cheese foam and heirloom tomato marmalade, or the banana pancakes, cooked over an open grill and covered with sunflower seed toffee.
WEBSITE | 4715 E 5th St
Also see: the ultimate bachelorette weekend in Austin (with a free 3-day guide)
3. Jacoby’s
Jacoby’s serves ranch-to-table fare, so the food you’re eating at Jacoby’s was actually raised at Jacoby’s ranch! The burger, hash, pancakes, duck migas, shrimp and grits, and buttermilk biscuits are all hearty and delicious and I can’t. Get. Enough. Of. It.
If you order dessert, be sure to try a slice of that strawberry cake. It’s my favorite strawberry dessert in Austin!
WEBSITE | 3235 E Cesar Chavez
4. Sway
Sway Thai’s brunch has quickly become one of my favorite in the city! The moo sway congee is great for savory brunch fans, and the fried chicken and waffle (thai basil waffle, togarashi fried chicken, thai herb butter, tamarind + ginger maple syrup, pickled fresno) is a little sweet and packed with flavor.
WEBSITE | 3 locations
Also see: 8 best cocktail bars in Austin
5. Fonda San Miguel
This is one of the brunch kings in Austin! An all-you-can-eat brunch buffet will leave you absolutely stuffed. To be honest, I could fill up on the dessert table alone, which is overflowing with dozens of types of Mexican cakes, cookies, and puddings. The mole, cochinita pibil, and ceviche are all show stoppers.
WEBSITE | 2330 W North Loop
6. Josephine House
Josephine House is easily one of the prettiest brunch spots in Austin, but the food matches the hype. Those lemon ricotta pancakes are SO thick and fluffy, and the breakfast burger is served with those tasty little frites that we all love so much…
Psst: they have a weekday breakfast, too!
WEBSITE | 1601 Waterston
Also see: the ultimate guide to the best breakfast tacos in Austin
7. Better Half Bar
Part coffee shop, part bar, part restaurant, and Better Half is one of the most popular weekend hangs in Austin. Come for the food and stay for the ambiance! Try breakfast staples like a pastrami hash, egg and hash brown breakfast sandwich, and banana pancakes.
Psst: they’re near downtown but they have a full parking lot, which is very significant in Austin!
WEBSITE | 406 Walsh St
Also see: first time to Austin? here’s where to eat
8.Bouldin Creek Café
It’s a vegetarian restaurant, but the brunch doesn’t feel especially veggie-heavy. I love getting a Joe’s Smokin Omelet (cheddar-jack cheese, sautéed organic spinach & onion topped with chipotle-pecan pesto), an earl grey latte, and a vegan oatmeal cookie sandwich to go. 😉
WEBSITE | 1900 S 1st St
9. Dai Due
Dai Due serves the ultimate local Texas fare, and it’s one of my very favorite dinner and breakfast restaurants in Austin. The menu has a couple regular items (try the biscuits and gravy with venison breakfast sausage; the biscuits taste smoky from being heated over an open flame) and lots of rotating items based on what’s in season.
WEBSITE | 2406 Manor Rd
10. Café no Sé
Get your camera ready – Café no Sé, the healthy(ish) restaurant on the ground floor of the South Congress Hotel, was made for photos. The delicious food is all insta-worthy (as are the walls/floors/tables/EVERYTHING!), and the pastries, made by badass pastry chef Amanda Rockman will absolutely blow your mind. Please don’t finish your brunch without trying at least one pastry!
WEBSITE | 1603 S Congress Ave
11. Fixe Southern House
One word: BISCUITS.
(But also try some of the other southern food, like the fried chicken sandwich or the lobster and crawfish pot pie.)
WEBSITE | 500 W 5th St
12. Contigo
Contigo is an outdoor restaurant in East Austin, so head here when the weather is lovely and you can dine underneath the big blue Texas sky. You’ll find lots of brunch staples with a Contigo’s own twist, like ox tongue hash and smoked trout benedict. Oh, and the pastries are RIDICULOUSLY good!!
WEBSITE | 2027 Anchor Ln
13. Holy Roller
Callie Speer’s badass diner is where you need to head for the ultimate hangover brunch. Order Bloody Mary’s for the table and soak up the booze with migas kolache, churro French toast, and brisket fries.
WEBSITE | 509 Rio Grande
Also see: 24 coffee shops in Austin you should try
14. Odd Duck
Odd Duck is a staple in the Austin brunch scene. The small plates of farm-to-table fare are made for sharing, and expect to be tempted by lots of delicious pastries! Servers walk around with them on platters, offering them to hungry guests.
WEBSITE | 1201 S Lamar Blvd
15. Banger’s Sausage House
This Rainey Street restaurant easily has one of the longest waits for brunch in Austin, but you can sip on a “manmosa” (a mimosa made with an entire bottle of sparkling wine) while you wait for your brunch feast!
WEBSITE | 79 Rainey St
16. Texas French Bread
They’ve been around since 1981, baking delicious bread and pastries and, more recently, serving hearty breakfast and lunch dishes to hungry locals. The challah French toast, bistro breakfast, and French omelette are all lovely.
WEBSITE | 2900 Rio Grande St
17. Hillside Farmacy
Can’t get enough of this place! Hillside Farmacy is a renovated drug store in East Austin with ALL OF THE CHARM. All of it. It’s been lovingly renovated, and now you can stop by and enjoy tasty bites like green onion biscuits & sausage gravy or blueberry pancakes.
WEBSITE | 1209 E 11th St
18. Geraldine’s
If you’re looking for a contemporary American brunch with a view, Geraldine’s is a hard one to beat! It’s located at the top of the Hotel Van Zandt where you can enjoy a view of the Colorado River while you sip mimosas.
WEBSITE | 605 Davis St
19. Cisco’s
Cisco’s Mexican bakery has been a staple in Austin since 1950s. It’s a great little place to stop by for a casual meal of breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros, and biscuits.
WEBSITE | 1511 E 6th St
20. Emmer & Rye
Chef Kevin Fink’s restaurant is centered around heirloom grains, so you can expect to find those as the theme for brunch, too. This is a lovely brunch spot for a special occasion. Oh, and don’t pass up on those pastries!!
WEBSITE | 51 Rainey St, Suite 110
21. Mattie’s at Green Pastures
The historic Faulk mansion, which has been a restaurant for many decades but was only recently renovated into its current version, is also home to proud peacocks, strutting around on the lush green carpet. Dine inside the mansion in one of the many unique rooms, or enjoy brunch outside on the patio underneath the giant Live Oak trees.
WEBSITE | 811 W Live Oak St
22. Counter Cafe
There are two locations to this little Austin breakfast/lunch diner: the original downtown location, which is literally just a long counter with a few tables squeezed in, and a new, larger, East Austin location. I love their giant blueberry pancakes, the crab cake benedict, and the tasty biscuits and gravy.
WEBSITE | two locations
23. Foreign and Domestic
Foreign and Domestic is tiny but mighty. The kitchen takes up about 50% of the restaurant space, but there are counter seats surrounding the kitchen if you like a front row seat while you dine. They serve farm-to-table fare, and Guy Fieri kinda sorta made their fried chicken biscuit famous.
WEBSITE | 306 E 53rd St
24. Il Brutto
I’ve been singing their praises since the day they opened, and I’m not stopping any time soon! Il Brutto has me giving out all the heart eyes for their authentic Italian cuisine, lovely Italian cocktails, and gorgeous outdoor deck shaded by a massive Live Oak tree. This is one of my favorite places to linger.
WEBSITE | 1601 E 6th St
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[…] Also see: 24 tried-and-true brunch spots in Austin for your bucket list […]