HOUGuide
The Best Brunch Spots In Houston
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Brunch holds a special place in our hearts. There are mimosas and eggs benedict, and the cheers of folks reveling in their weekend. But finding a spot worth leaving your couch and favorite TV show can be a bit of a challenge. Whether you’re looking for a massive brunch buffet, a casual counter-service joint doling out chicken ‘n waffles, dim sum carts whipping around a palatial dining room, or a white tablecloth establishment that requires your best pastel dress, here is our list of the best brunches that H-Town has to offer.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Becca Wright
The coffee shop and breakfast spot Dandelion Cafe is beloved by the neighborhood folks in Bellaire. We can’t tell if that’s due to how bright and colorful every square inch of the cafe is, or how ridiculously good the fried chicken and waffle tastes. Probably both. If you want breakfast, Dandelion can set you straight, fill you up, and maybe even make you feel as though you are being lovingly tucked into bed. Try a soft scrambled egg breakfast sandwich on a kaiser roll, chicken chilaquiles, and, of course, the 24-hour marinated fried chicken served over a fluffy cornbread waffle with spicy maple butter. Load up on espresso, juice, or even a few flavored mimosas if that’s how you roll at brunch.
As fabulous as the dinner at Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers in the Garden Oaks neighborhood might be, the down-home Southern brunch is the real heavy-hitter. Stepping into this retro diner means having all of the best dishes offered during dinner service (think loaded gumbo with a mountain of seafood) while having more brunch classics. Get golden fried catfish with fluffy grits, crispy chicken wings with cornmeal pancakes, and the same pillowy biscuits with tart seasonal jams.
photo credit: Liz Silva
Brunch at Squable in The Heights is somehow both over the top and classy all at the same time. We recommend sitting at the polished brass bar (to get drinks faster). Start with a giant boat of spongy focaccia slathered in ragu and a fried egg, or a tiny mountain of hash browns smothered in au poivre hollandaise and trout roe. And, because the restaurant is so pretty and the drinks are served in fancy glassware, ordering more food than is physically possible doesn’t feel like an unhinged choice.
Sometimes the best brunch is one that feels like you’re dining at your own table. Enter Lucille’s: a restaurant serving Southern comfort food in the Museum District with a multi-story dining room that feels like the inside of someone’s home. You might even find yourself admiring family photos decorating a mantel in between bites of an oxtail omelet or the fluffy croissant french toast. Swing by with your clan, share a sweet potato waffle, and maximize your much needed quality time.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Transport yourself straight to The Hamptons, or what we imagine Ina Garten’s guest house to look like, with a trip to Tiny Boxwoods. The ultra-chic garden cafe in River Oaks does have neatly trimmed hedges, a plethora of wicker furniture, and an impeccable and reasonably priced brunch. Try a lush pastry board with croissants and whipped butter, go minimalist with the Southside’s perfectly soft scrambled eggs and salsa, or get the brunch Lucky Burger with double-stacked patties between housemade brioche. And while the dining room is indeed tiny and busy, just don’t try to sit before you order—the staff keeps things moving and will seat you as soon as possible.
Brunch at Hugo’s should be experienced at least once by every serious weekend warrior. The Montrose Mexican restaurant serves a la carte brunch on Saturdays, but on Sundays there’s a mile-long brunch buffet that cannot be missed. With eggs in just about any way you can imagine (like eggs benedict, huevos rancheros, and topping chilaquiles) and an entire table dedicated to dessert (lined with pan dulces, flans, churros, and more), brunch at Hugo’s is indulgent but also very delicious. Plus, how can you be a grump while being serenaded by a live band? There’s rarely room for walk-ins on Sundays, so be sure to grab a reservation to guarantee your spot.
photo credit: Michael Anthony
While the wait to get inside The Breakfast Klub is inevitable on the weekends, the food on the other side of the line is worth it. Because at this Southern breakfast spot in Midtown, the eggs are fluffy, the katfish is krispy, and the hot syrup is on tap right next to the coffee. Everything comes out astonishingly fast out of the kitchen, so you’ll spend most of your time carving into hearty pork chops, spooning cheesy grits, and coating chicken ‘n waffles in syrup. The food here is comforting and hearty, which is why you’ll see families out on a Sunday brunch, couples on breakfast dates, and solo diners having a waffles and wings moment.
Unlike evenings when reservations are required for the tasting menu, Tatemó is first-come, first-serve for Sunday brunch. So you should get there early. Mexican brunch here is more savory than sweet, with a menu full of puffy tlayudas, gooey cheese quesadillas with sauteed maitake mushrooms, and enmoladas with a fried egg. The star, however, is a short stack of golden yellow masa pancakes that smell like nutty, roasted corn and sunshine. Topped with a dollop of whipped cream and fruit preserves, we want to smash our face into them and bathe in the masa aroma.
Even bright and early on a Sunday morning, brunch at Kamp is a party. The Galleria clubstaurant serves Cajun style food, usually with a side of flavored hookah smoke and Lil Baby’s latest single. Fuel your daytime turn up with a plate of smoked oxtails and grits or a s’mores-inspired waffle that would put your best summer camp treats to shame. Come with enough friends to fill up a table on the patio—and to split the $400 table minimum—and your gang will be ladling cups of a turquoise mimosa out of a giant martini glass before you know it.
photo credit: Gianni Greene
What do a cracked egg pizza, a pork belly arepa benedict, and a giant slice of carrot cake all have in common? They can all be found on the brunch menu at Weights + Measures in Midtown. The American restaurant has huge windows, which means the sunshine pouring in will be there to give your breakfast an extra glow. Bring a group of friends to help divide and conquer the massive menu, or have some chilaquiles solo at the bar with a plum martini to keep you company.
Ocean Palace is quite literally a palace. The Chinatown institution is the largest dim sum restaurant in Houston, and it runs at full tilt, especially during weekend brunch. Expect all the delicious dim sum regulars: pork shu mai, turnip cake, har gow shrimp dumplings, those fun crispy crab croquettes with the little claw sticking out, and a seemingly infinite amount more. Pluck what you want from the carts whipping around the enormous dining room, or mark down what you want from the menu on the table. Go with a group of five or 50–Ocean Palace can handle it.
Somehow people forget that Tex-Mex powerhouse The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation serves brunch. While the East End spot stays packed out for dinner, brunch on Saturday and Sunday feels relatively quiet. Maybe everyone nearby is just hungover from a couple pitchers of Ninfaritas from the night before, or maybe they don’t know Ninfa’s brunch menu has seared skirt steak with eggs, red posole, or savory blue corn waffles with tart jamaica syrup. Add on a horchata borracha cocktail with kahlua and forget that hangover ever happened.
If you’ve ever wondered, “what would it be like to have brunch inside of a whiskey barrel?” then look no further than Bosscat Kitchen & Libations. The River Oaks restaurant specializes in Southern-style bar food and a huge list of whiskeys. Fill up on a massive country fried steak, or heal your inner child with a stack of fruity pebbles french toast. Sure, you’ll have enough sugar in your system to cut a backflip, but that’s half of the fun, right? Whether you decide to eat inside or on the adorable patio, a brunch spent at Bosscat Kitchen will be a breeze.
photo credit: Carolina Ayala
There’s only one place in town to get a saag wild mushroom dwaffle (dosa plus waffle) for brunch, and it’s at Pondi Bake Lab. The second-floor bakery and cafe above its namesake Pondicheri in Upper Kirby serves a kaleidoscope of colorful food. Think breakfast wraps, or frankies with cilantro chutney, masala-spice-spiked eggs, and warm brioche toaster sandwiches with gooey cheese. Order everything, including a mountain of pastries and cakes laced with hibiscus and saffron, at the counter. Then join the River Oaks athleisure moms sipping green juice on the balcony.
photo credit: Liz Silva
POWERED BY
Chapman & Kirby, a sprawling brunch spot in EaDo, is where you go to see and be seen. Particularly during “Sunday Funday,” when all the best fits will be floating around. While you should come for the impromptu fashion show, you should stay for buttery french toast that melts into your mouth, crispy fried catfish served on top of cheese grits, and chilled carafes of peach mimosas. And although brunch runs from 12-7pm, it’s still important to plan ahead— there’s rarely an open spot for walk-ins on Sundays, so you’ll need a reservation unless you pop in early for a seat at the bar.
