Best Breakfast Spots

Seattle’s Breakfast Hall of Fame

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Cafe Presse Perfect coffee and classic French omelets give Seattle U students a laid-back Euro spot to wake up with Le Monde and a laptop.

Chinook’s Every breakfast at this Fisherman’s Terminal spot, fisherman’s scrambles to breakfast tacos, begins with a basket of fluffy scones with marmalade butter.

Coastal Kitchen Goat-cheese rumbles and gingerbread waffles are the headliners at the classic Cap Hill go-to.

Dish Cafe If anyone’s kids could resist pancakes with fruit faces, the line in front of this Frelard joint wouldn’t be half as long.

Easy Street Records and Café Whopping breakfast burritos are guaranteed to cure your hangover—though the throbbing soundtrack at this record store won’t do it any favors.

Five Spot Cafe Tough call whether to order the rotating regional special or the good ol’ Kathryn’s Grand Slam at this buzzing happiness factory atop the Counterbalance.

Glo’s When you want a classic Bennie, this teensy old-school Capitol Hill diner is your place.

Hi-Spot Cafe Every goat-cheese round-up and tofu scramble at this cozy Madrona house comes with a heaping helping of ’60s chill.

The Lucky Diner Breakfast happens all day (and, on weekends, all night) at this sparkly new Belltown diner, where terrific four-egg scrambles have vaulted to top-tier breakfast status.

Maltby Cafe No Sunday drive is complete without a pilgrimage to the countrified center of the cinnamon roll universe, just 25 miles northeast of town.

Original Pancake House It’s all about the Dutch babies, light as a good souffle and snowy with powdered sugar, at the four local outposts of this national chain.

Pete’s Egg Nest Freakanormous portions of Greek-tweaked omelets and scrambles are the deal at this Greenwood haunt.

Portage Bay Cafe Pancakes and French toasts at these three bright and buzzing favorites come with a complimentary trip through the toppings bar, loaded with fruits, nuts, butters, and organic maple syrup.

Salish Lodge They really do pour the honey for your biscuit from high over the plate, in tribute to both Snoqualmie Falls out the window and the legendary breakfasts served on this site for nearly a century.

Salty’s The Big All-You-Can-Eat Kahuna around here, serving a grandstand view of Seattle’s skyline along with the smoked salmon hash, prime rib, Belgian waffles—and everything else.

Señor Moose Cafe Best chilaquiles in town, caballero, but we like the sopes with beans, eggs, and green salsa even better.

So Seattle: Brunch at a Bar

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Some of the most reliable spots for brunch are the very same venues you may have visited the night before. Local bar doyenne Linda Derschang may not have invented bar brunch, but many of her establishments are quintessential destinations for hair of the dog and better-than-average food. At Linda’s Tavern, recovering revelers take down omelets, Bloody Marys, and pitchers of mimosas as fast as servers can bring them. Up the hill at Smith, the brunch fare of steak and eggs or a brisket-and-fried-egg sandwich is more elaborate, but the same darkened tavern feeling prevails.

Bar brunch is the rare breakfast trend that permeates even the less yuppified neighborhoods. South Park mainstay Loretta’s Northwesterner may look like a place to get into a late-night brawl with a grizzled logger, but the kitchen produces a solid corned beef hash. To the east in Columbia City, Lottie’s Lounge just infuses the booze straight into breakfast, offering eggs Benedict with chardonnay hollandaise and French toast flavored with amaretto.

Other classic bets include the unabashedly surly The 5 Point Cafe (with breakfast served 24 hours!), Peso’s Kitchen and Lounge, where the Mexican-leaning menu is just as vast as that of Creole sibling Toulouse Petit, and beer-fueled newcomer The Publican.

Best Seattle Pastries

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Bakery Nouveau
The selection of breads is outstanding, but at this West Seattle charmer the sticky brioches loaded with brown sugar and pecans are the way to go.

Belle Epicurean
Founder Carolyn Ferguson’s confections are supreme—Belle consistently tops Seattle Met’s taste tests, and her pecan brioche bun is the stuff of legends.

Cafe Besalu
Croissant fiends craving a taste of Paris know to head here for a fix, as well as for some of the best galettes and quiches in the city. Lines are long, but does it matter when you’re getting whiffs from the kitchen the whole time?

Fuji Bakery
In July this Japanese bakery sent the blogosphere aflutter when it solicited suggestions for where to open a third storefront. In the meantime, sample the French-influenced brioche cubes filled with smoked salmon or red bean paste and raspberry puree, in the I.D. or Bellevue.

Hitchcock Delicatessen and Charcuterie
Come summer the sibling of Brendan McGill’s hyperlocal Bainbridge Island restaurant will open at 7 with an expanded breakfast bill. For now, we’ll start with a continental breakfast of fruit tarts or the Austrian coffee cake kugelhopf, the handiwork of Amber Abernathy, protege of Tamas Ronyai, who trained at the lauded Parisian patisserie Laduree.

Honoré Artisan Bakery
When Seattleites gush about this Ballard cafe, it’s often because of the icing-filled macaron cookies (and rightfully so). But early risers know that the caramelly canelés and the buttery Breton cake kouign-amann are just as deserving of attention. And calories.

Le Fournil
Almond croissants come out of many a local oven, but few as masterful as the flaky and fluffy and chewy ones with the intense nutty flavor at this Eastlake spot.

Le Rêve Bakery and Cafe
Queen Anners don’t come here to work (no Wi-Fi, really?), but to laze away the morning with The New York Times and velvety cappuccinos. And why rush, when such a splendid array of danishes, cinnamon twists, and pain au chocolat—so big and rich it takes two to eat one—beckons.

Bacon vs. Pork Belly

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0800

OH, BACON. FIRST THIS BREAKFAST classic started showing up on the dinner table. Then it was the dessert menu. And now you can find its flavor in vodka, gumballs, and even some dubious personal care products. Hence the stage was set for pork belly to step in as breakfast’s new porcine darling. We love its unctuous decadence at dinner, so why not slap it on a waffle and serve it up with some maple syrup?

But while bacon is enduring a moment of major overexposure, no upstart pork product could ever vanquish the cured meat from its revered spot on our breakfast table. There’s room for both bacon and pork belly on the morning menu. Just maybe not on the same plate, if only to appease your physician.

Both bacon and pork belly begin as a cut from the fatty underbelly of the pig. The curing process is what transforms pork belly into bacon, the smoky, salty breakfast classic we all grew up on. Pork belly, unlike those crisp greasy strips next to your scramble, is juicy with a texture more reminiscent of the familiar pork chop. Chefs braise it, sous vide it, or even cook it like a steak in a frying pan. Each one has its charms. Here, a highly unscientific breakdown of both bacon and belly.

Bacon

THE CHAMP
Lola’s Smoked Bacon

Tom Douglas’s third-eldest restaurant may be Mediterranean in nature, but executive chef Liam Spence says the kitchen still goes through 30 sides of bacon a week. That’s more than 250 pounds, purchased from nearby Bavarian Meats. The cut is still pork belly—it’s just smoked for an especially big flavor that stands out on its own or melded into a dish like Tom’s Big Breakfast (see page 56). The appeal isn’t exactly a mystery, says Spence. “Fat and salt are delicious.”

Battle Plan
It’s the same bacon used at other Tom Douglas restaurants, but in quarter-inch-thick slices “because it’s awesome that way.”

Fat Fight
Excess fat? That’s an oxymoron! This bacon is approximately 50 percent fat.

Ground Rules
Strips are baked, not fried, for a moist, more chewy texture. Fried by special request for guests who prefer extra crispy.

Where Else to Pig Out
Americana Baked bacon
Geraldine’s Counter Side of bacon
Skillet Diner Bacon jam

Pork Belly

THE CHALLENGER
Skillet Diner’s Maple-Braised Pork Belly and Cornmeal Waffle

Before Skillet Diner opened, Brian O’Connor attended the preview pop-up dinner put on by Skillet Street Food maestro Josh Henderson. O’Connor, now executive chef at the oft-mobbed Capitol Hill restaurant, ordered the pork belly and waffle at that dinner. “It’s one of the staples Josh said had to stay on the menu, and it’s been really easy since I love the dish.”

Battle Plan
Braised in a combination of maple syrup and chicken stock, which later gets reduced and drizzled across the top.

Fat Fight
Pressing the pork between two sheet trays after braising reduces fat.

Ground Rules
Seared for crispness, but still tender enough to cut with a fork.

Where Else to Pig Out
Bastille Honey-roasted pork belly with onion jam and arugula salad
Hunger Pork belly with French toast and soft-boiled egg
Ma’ono Saimin-smoked pork belly with six-minute egg

Liquid Brunch

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0800

CHARLES VEITCH, WHO PLIED the weekend masses with drinks as bar director at Bastille before decamping to New York in January, says there are two reasons to order a brunch cocktail. One is a simple matter of celebrating the occasion; the other involves erasing the misdeeds of the night before. Either way, palatable daytime drinks tend to be light, involving juice and sparkling wine or clear liquors.

Brown spirits are usually a little much for the morning, says Veitch. “When you’re sipping on something with bubbles and a little bit of booze, you can gauge yourself a little more accurately and not put yourself into the nap state.”

Casey Robison, bar director at Capitol Hill brunch hot spot Barrio, also likes beer-based drinks, like the michelada, for that very reason. “You don’t want to get the person drunk…again.”

So how to explain the salty, spicy, punch-packing Bloody Mary, perhaps the most preeminent boozy brunch companion? Robison theorizes that, much like a mimosa with orange juice, people associate Bloody Marys with tomato juice, thus thinking it’s somehow healthy. In reality, he says, that so-called juice is “more like diluted ketchup.”

If you prefer your breakfast with a libation or two, here are a few of the city’s classics.

Ramos Gin Fizz at Toulouse Petit
New Orleans’s classic breakfast cocktail puts your morning egg in a glass…along with some lemon juice, orange flower water, sugar, and gin.

Kir Royale at Cafe Campagne
A jolt of creme de cassis helps smarten up your typical breakfast bubbles.

Blood Orange Mimosa at Barrio
Blood orange juice rescues brunch’s signature drink from sweetness overload and gives it a memorable hue.

Michelada at Smith
A glass of easy-drinking Modelo beer gets doctored with house Bloody Mary mix, lemon, lime, salt, and four dashes of Tapatío hot sauce. The rest of the can of beer is served on the side, a handy chaser to quench the fire in your throat.

Seattle Breakfast Guide

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Image: Olivia Brent

Americana 219 Broadway E, Capitol Hill,  206-328-4604; americanaseattle.com  Brunch Tue–Sun

Anita’s Crepes 4350 Leary Way NW, Ballard, 206-838-9997; anitascrepes.com  Breakfast every day

Bang Bang Cafe 2460 Western Ave, Belltown, 206-448-2233 Breakfast every day

Barrio 1420 12th Ave, Capitol Hill, 206-588-8105; barriorestaurant.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Bastille 5307 Ballard Ave NW, Ballard,  206-453-5014; bastilleseattle.com Brunch Sun

Boat Street Kitchen 3131 Western Ave, Belltown, 206-216-4543; boatstreetkitchen.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Brave Horse Tavern 310 Terry Ave N, South Lake Union, 206-971-0717; bravehorsetavern.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Cafe Campagne 1600 Post Alley, Pike Place Market, 206-728-2233; campagnerestaurant.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Cafe Cesura 1015 108th Ave NE, Bellevue, 425-633-2362; cafecesura.com Breakfast every day

Cafe Flora 2901 E Madison St, Madison Valley, 206-325-9100; cafeflora.com Breakfast Mon–Fri, brunch Sat & Sun

Cafe Lago 2305 24th Ave E, Montlake,  206-329-8005; cafelago.com Brunch Sun

Cafe Nola 101 Winslow Way E, Bainbridge Island, 206-842-3822; cafenola.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Cafe Presse 1117 12th Ave, First Hill, 206-709-7674; cafepresseseattle.com Breakfast every day

Chinook’s 1900 W Nickerson St, Ste 103, Magnolia, 206-283-4665; anthonys.com Breakfast Sat & Sun

Coastal Kitchen 429 15th Ave E, Capitol Hill, 206-322-1145; seattle-eats.com/coastalkitchen/ Breakfast every day

The Coterie Room 2137 Second Ave, Belltown, 206-956-8000; thecoterieroom.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Dahlia Lounge 2001 Fourth Ave, Belltown, 206-682-4142; tomdouglas.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Dish Cafe 4358 Leary Way NW, Ballard,  206-782-9985 Breakfast Tue–Sun

Easy Street Records and Café 4559 California Ave SW, West Seattle, 206-938-3279; easystreetonline.com/cafe Breakfast every day

Eats Market Cafe 2600 SW Barton St, Ste E8, West Seattle, 206-933-1200; eatsmarketcafe.blogspot.com Brunch all day Tue–Sun

Emmer and Rye 1825 Queen Anne Ave N, Queen Anne, 206-282-0680; emmerandrye.com Brunch Sat & Sun

50 North 5001 25th Ave NE, Ste 100, University District, 206-397-3939; 50northrestaurant.com Breakfast Mon–Fri, brunch Sat & Sun

The 5 Point Cafe 415 Cedar St, Belltown,  206-448-9993; the5pointcafe.com Breakfast all day, every day

Five Spot Cafe 1502 Queen Anne Ave N, Queen Anne, 206-285-7768; chowfoods.com/five Breakfast every day

Fonté Cafe and Wine Bar 1321 First Ave, Downtown, 206-777-6193; fontecoffee.com Breakfast all day, every day

Geraldine’s Counter 4872 Rainier Ave S, Columbia City, 206-723-2080; geraldinescounter.com Breakfast all day Tue–Sun

Glo’s 1621 E Olive Way, Capitol Hill,  206-324-2577 Breakfast every day

Golden Beetle 1744 NW Market St, Ballard, 206-706-2977; golden-beetle.com  Brunch Sat & Sun

Grace Kitchen 2630 NE University Village St, Ste 7, University Village, 206-524-3071;   grace-kitchen.com Brunch every day

Grim’s 1512 11th Ave, Capitol Hill, 206-324-7467; grimseattle.com Brunch Sat & Sun

The Hangar Cafe 6261 13th Ave S, Georgetown, 206-762-0204; thehangarcafe.com Breakfast all day, every day

The Harvest Vine 2701 E Madison St, Madison Valley, 206-320-9771; harvestvine.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Hi-Spot Cafe 1410 34th Ave, Madrona, 206-325-7905; hispotcafe.com Breakfast every day

Hunger 4256 Fremont Ave N, Fremont, 206-402-4854; hungerseattle.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Linda’s Tavern 707 E Pine St, Capitol Hill, 206-325-1220; lindastavern.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Local 360 2234 First Ave, Belltown,  206-441-9360; local360.org Brunch Sat & Sun

Lola 2000 Fourth Ave, Belltown, 206-441-1430; tomdouglas.com Breakfast Mon–Fri, brunch Sat & Sun

Loretta’s Northwesterner 8617 14th Ave S, South Park, 206-327-9649; lorettasnorthwesterner.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Lottie’s Lounge 4900 Rainier Ave S, Columbia City, 206-725-0519; lottieslounge.com Brunch Sat & Sun

The Lucky Diner 2630 First Ave, Belltown, 206-805-0133; theluckydiner.com Breakfast every day

Macrina Bakery and Cafe 2408 First Ave, Belltown, 206-448-4032. 615 W McGraw St, Queen Anne, 206-283-5900. 1943 First Ave S, SoDo, 206-623-0919; macrinabakery.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Maltby Cafe 8809 Maltby Rd, Snohomish, 425-483-3123; maltbycafe.com Breakfast every day

Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky 4437 California Ave SW, West Seattle, 206-935-1075; maonoseattle.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Meander’s Kitchen 6032 California Ave SW, West Seattle, no phone Breakfast every day, brunch Sat & Sun

Mioposto 3601 S McClellan St, Mount Baker, 206-760-3400; miopostopizza.com Breakfast every day

MistralKitchen 2020 Westlake Ave, South Lake Union, 206-623-1922; mistral-kitchen.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Monsoon 615 19th Ave E, Capitol Hill, 206-325-2111. Monsoon East 10245 Main St, Bellevue, 425-635-1112; monsoonrestaurants.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Nook 4754 University Way NE, University District, 206-268-0154; nook206.com Breakfast Wed–Sun

Oddfellows Cafe and Bar 1525 10th Ave, Capitol Hill, 206-325-0807; oddfellowscafe.com Breakfast every day

Original Pancake House 8037 15th Ave NW, Ballard, 206-781-3344. 1904 201st Pl SE, Bothell, 425-419-4476. 130 Parkland Center, Kirkland, 425-827-7575; originalpancakehouse.com Breakfast every day

Peso’s Kitchen and Lounge 605 Queen Anne Ave N, Lower Queen Anne, 206-283-9353; pesoskitchen.com Breakfast every day

Pete’s Egg Nest 7717 Greenwood Ave N, Greenwood, 206-784-5348 Breakfast Tue–Sun

Portage Bay Cafe 2821 NW Market St, Ballard, 206-783-1547. 391 Terry Ave N, South Lake Union, 206-462-6400. 4130 Roosevelt Way NE, University District, 206-547-8230; portagebaycafe.com Brunch daily

The Publican 2253 N 56th St, Wallingford, 206-420-8943 Breakfast all day, every day

Revel 403 N 36th St, Fremont, 206-547-2040; revelseattle.com Brunch every day

The Ridgeback Café 500 NW 65th St, Phinney Ridge, 206-783-4073; theridgebackcafe.com Breakfast every day

St. Dames 4525 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, Rainier Valley, 206-725-8879; stdames.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Saley’s 1371 E Olive Way, Capitol Hill, 206-405-3444 Brunch Tue–Sun

Salish Lodge 6501 Railroad Ave SE, Snoqualmie, 425-888-2556; salishlodge.com Breakfast Mon–Fri, brunch Sat & Sun

Salty’s 1936 Harbor Ave SW, West Seattle, 206-937-1600; saltys.com/seattle Brunch Sat & Sun, resumes April 8

Señor Moose Cafe 5242 Leary Ave NW, Ballard, 206-784-5568; senormoose.com Breakfast every day

Serafina 2043 Eastlake Ave E, Eastlake, 206-323-0807; serafinaseattle.com Brunch Sun

Serious Biscuit 401 Westlake Ave N, South Lake Union, 206-436-0050; dahliaworkshop.com Breakfast every day

Sitka and Spruce 1531 Melrose Ave, Capitol Hill, 206-324-0662; sitkaandspruce.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Skillet Diner 1400 E Union St, Capitol Hill, 206-420-7297; skilletstreetfood.com/diner.php Breakfast all day, every day

Smith 332 15th Ave E, Capitol Hill, 206-709-1900; smithseattle.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Stopsky’s Delicatessen 3016 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, 206-236-4564; stopskysdelicatessen.com Breakfast Mon–Fri, brunch Sat & Sun

Sun Break Café 22 A St SW, Auburn, 253-939-5225 Breakfast Tue–Sun

Terra Plata 1501 Melrose Ave, Capitol Hill, 206-325-1501; terraplata.com Brunch Sat & Sun

35th Street Bistro 709 N 35th St, Fremont, 206-547-9850; 35bistro.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Tilikum Place Cafe 407 Cedar St, Belltown, 206-282-4830; tilikumplacecafe.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Tilth 1411 N 45th St, Wallingford, 206-633-0801; tilthrestaurant.com Brunch Sat & Sun

Toulouse Petit Kitchen and Lounge 601 Queen Anne Ave N, Lower Queen Anne, 206-432-9069; toulousepetit.com Breakfast every day

Volunteer Park Cafe and Marketplace 1501 17th Ave E, Capitol Hill, 206-328-3155; alwaysfreshgoodness.com Breakfast Tue–Sun

Bakeries

Bakery Nouveau 4737 California Ave SW, West Seattle, 206-923-0534; bakerynouveau.com

Belle Epicurean 1206 Fourth Ave, Downtown, 206-262-9404. 3109 E Madison St, Madison Park, 206-466-1320; belleepicurean.com

Cafe Besalu 5909 24th Ave NW, Ballard, 206-789-1463; cafebesalu.com

Fuji Bakery 1502 145th Pl SE, Bellevue, 425-641-4050. 526 S King St, International District, 206-623-4050; fujibakeryinc.com

Hitchcock Delicatessen and Charcuterie 129 Winslow Way E, Bainbridge Island, 206-451-4609; hitchcockdeli.com

Honoré Artisan Bakery 1413 NW 70th St, Ballard, 206-706-4035; honorebakery.com

Le Fournil 3230 Eastlake Ave E, Eastlake, 206-328-6523; le-fournil.com

Le Rêve Bakery and Cafe 1805 Queen Anne Ave N, Queen Anne, 206-623-7383; lerevebakery.com. 3109 E Madison St, Madison Park, 206-466-1320;

The New Seattle Breakfast

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0800

Image: Olivia Brent

WE STILL LOVE WAFFLES, OMELETS, AND PANCAKES. But just look at what’s joining the classic canon. Dinner used to be a restaurant’s main event, the meal that best reflected a chef’s vision and creativity. Breakfast and brunch were reserved for basic ingredients, familiar preparations, and servers bleary-eyed from dinner service the night before. Not anymore. Thanks in part to the economy, a host of dinnertime destinations now open their doors in the a.m. and the morning meal is taking on a whole new look.

The Breakfast Sandwich

Cafe Cesura

Image: Olivia Brent

Proof positive that Bellevue is now an urban center, Cafe Cesura, of the soaring ceilings and minimalist embellishments and aubergine walls, looks plucked whole out of Pike/Pine. The menu is short but trenchant, focusing on the item we’ll go so far as to call the Breakfast Trend of the Decade: the breakfast sandwich. One comes with caramelized onions and Mt. Townsend Creamery New Moon cheese and rosemary; another, even better, features sweet apple-smoked bacon and plenty of good cheddar scrambled into egg on a Macrina potato roll. When eating a breakfast sandwich, the insides sometimes squirt out; Cesura makes a fine place to contemplate that nonproblem, over a cup of Stumptown and a moist housemade muffin.

And don’t miss…

Oddfellows Cafe and Bar Eggs, bacon, tomato, and provolone
Revel Kalbi burger with bacon, shallot pickle, and egg
Serafina Prosciutto, basted egg, basil, and arugula with fonduta sauce

The Crepe

Anita’s Crepes

Pancakes? So yesterday. In the last half decade Seattle’s seen a crepe revolution that’s brought the crisped-at-the-edges golden folds to nearly every sector of town. Did it begin when pastry chef Anita Ross first fired up her griddle at a farmer’s market, or when she found a cozy little space in Frelard? All we know is that her exquisite creations have both ignited a trend and exploded a genre: most of the (organic) goodies on the ham and cheese crepe—the sauteed potatoes and onions and peppers and tomatoes drizzled with creme fraiche—come lavished on top. Even better are her sweet crepes enclosing delights like butter and cinnamon sugar and topped with chantilly cream.

And don’t miss…

The Hangar Cafe Egg, Black Forest ham, swiss, cheddar, red onion, Roma tomato, and baby spinach crepe, topped with poblano-basil vinaigrette and creme fraiche
The Ridgeback Café Sausage, caramelized onion, avocado, sauteed mushroom, cheddar, spinach, and egg crepe, topped with creme fraiche and poblano sauce
Saley’s Dulce de leche crepe with cinnamon and whipped cream

Image: Olivia Brent

The New Benedict

Stopsky’s Delicatessen

Latkes aren’t traditionally a breakfast food. And yet their hash brown–pancake hybrid status makes them a natural to work the breakfast shift. At this Mercer Island delicatessen’s weekend brunch, compact cakes of shredded potato form the base of a most memorable Benedict. Diners have several choices for the meat (or greens), but really it’s no choice at all: Get the pastrami. Stopsky’s is just one of countless Seattle breakfast spots that have modernized the hollandaise-drenched tradition by upgrading the protein, the traditional English muffin base, or both.

And don’t miss…

Boat Street Kitchen Chevre-artichoke Benedict
Hunger Short rib Benedict with truffled hollandaise
Monsoon Shrimp and pork sausage Benedict with potato pancakes and curried hollandaise
Tilikum Place Cafe Sweet potato and Dungeness crab Benedict with caramelized vegetables and herbed hollandaise

Image: Olivia Brent

The Breakfast Pizza

Cafe Lago

The unexpected feats the pros at this Montlake Italian classic pull off in a wood oven simply beggar description: featherweight cream scones and succulent cinnamon rolls draped in vanilla cream; sunny eggs in spicy tomato sauce; and—the stunner—wood-fired breakfast pizzas topped with savories like bacon and rosemary and eggs, or (our fave) sausage, arugula, fontina, onions, and garlic, with a yolk-rich sauce. Crusts are golden and bubbled and smokily redolent of their trip through the fire, and ever-so-fine with Caffé Vita coffee. Plus the familiar ristorante with the white wainscoting and the checkerboard floor feels bright and new (and as yet undiscovered) by daylight.

And don’t miss…

Golden Beetle Oyster mushroom, fried egg, and mozzarella wood-fired breakfast pizza
Mioposto Bacon and egg breakfast pizza with Tutto Calabria chili puree, pancetta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and two sunny-side up eggs
MistralKitchen Wood-fired pizza topped with salumi, mozzarella, tomato, and a soft egg

The Duck Egg

The Coterie Room

Duck eggs, currently everywhere on Seattle’s dinner menus, are the star of the brunch menu at this decadent restaurant, sibling to gastropubs Spur and Tavern Law. Denser and more fatty than their chicken counterpart, the eggs appear here on composed discs of hash and buried beneath ribbons of baby carrots. And on a precisely plated Benedict, where the perfect orb, cooked sous vide, mingles with meticulously chopped particles of black olive. We’re still crazy for a good farm-fresh chicken egg, but it’s no longer the only bird that can deliver indulgence in the form of a runny yolk.

And don’t miss…

Stopsky’s Delicatessen Farm duck egg and lentils with charmoula sauce and seasonal greens
Tilth Corned beef sandwich with mornay, choucroute, and duck egg

The Small Plates

Ma’ono Fried Chicken and Whisky

It’s a shame the former Spring Hill’s brunch menu of small plates is only served at the restaurant’s bar. Because mixing and matching the diminutive dishes is a playful solution to the “sweet or savory” dilemma that often plagues breakfasters. Consider it the latest iteration of dim sum (still a Seattle brunch classic), but with corn dog–like sausage beignets or a cascading popover to smear with Nutella. The main brunch menu is still home to chef Mark Fuller’s more showy dishes, but the brunch bar’s small plate of whole milk curds with fennel pollen, honey-comb, and smoky toast is at once perfectly simple and unlike anything else you’ve ever eaten.

And don’t miss…

The Harvest Vine Basque tapas brunch
Monsoon Dim sum brunch

Image: Olivia Brent

The Biscuit

Nook

Few are the seats and mighty is the reputation of this tiny biscuit shop, so come on a weekday or get here early on weekends and prepare for a line. The reason: crusty buttermilk biscuits that are terrific simply smeared with jam and sublime when bookending a sandwich of fried egg and goat cheese. Seattle has certainly rediscovered these dense, buttery carb bombs of late. Most breakfast menus have one, but Nook is essentially a temple of biscuit worship, adorning them with artful toppings like spiced apple butter, Nutella and bananas, or an insanely sausageful gravy.

And don’t miss…

Eats Market Cafe Buttermilk biscuit sliders with scrambled eggs, cheddar, and Zoe’s applewood-smoked bacon
Serious Biscuit Homemade ham, egg, Beecher’s cheddar, and apple mustard

The Hearty Veggie Plate

St.Dames

Image: Olivia Brent

Veggiephiles and vegans rejoice! This unassuming Rainier Valley kitchen produces hearty plant-celebratory breakfasts that staunch meat lovers find sublime. The gravy adorning breakfast biscuits is seasoned with the same paprika and chilies used to flavor chorizo; the results have more heft than most meaty versions. Braised kale retaining a whisper of crispness helps atone for the richness of the biscuits and confirms that, in a just world, this green would be a breakfast staple. Even the maple walnut bread pudding feels slightly more virtuous here. Chefs across the city are finding increasingly delicious ways to go meatless (and eggless) in the morning, coaxing stellar amounts of flavor from herbivore standbys like tempeh, greens, and fruit.

And don’t miss…

Bang Bang Cafe Veggie “sausage” burrito with red and green Hatch chili sauce
Cafe Flora Hoppin’ John fritters with cayenne aioli, roasted red peppers, corn–lima bean succotash, smoky collard greens, and cheesy grits
50 North Scrambled cage-free eggs, roasted veggies, tofu, cheddar cheese, and a parsley-oil drizzle with potatoes
Fonté Cafe and Wine Bar Vegan tofu hash with potatoes, yams, herbs, and pepitas

The Unusual Grain

Sitka and Spruce

Besotted as he is by all things Middle Eastern, sunny Sitka and Spruce’s marquee chef and owner Matt Dillon makes generous use of that region’s ancient grains—buckwheat groats, emmer, rye berries. By morning you might see a dish of lush housemade yogurt on toasted quinoa, topped with pomegranate molasses and fresh oranges and warmed dates, and served with a crunchy complement of sunflower, fennel, and poppy seeds. Other houses might mix the grains into pancakes or waffles or even fries (then top them with sauce—right Emmer and Rye?), but Dillon’s approach at Sitka mystically transcends, as ever, the sum of its parts.

And don’t miss…

Brave Horse Tavern Quinoa hot cereal with brown sugar, cinnamon, dried fruit, and pistachios
Emmer and Rye Farro fries with poached eggs, wild mushrooms, and hollandaise
50 North Buckwheat-quinoa-polenta pancakes with maple syrup

The Grits Plate

Toulouse Petit

Image: Olivia Brent

Till Toulouse bestowed its N’awlins brand of mosaic-and-wrought-iron loveliness upon Seattle, we hadn’t yet woken up to the perfection of shrimp and grits in the morning. And perfection is not too strong a descriptor for the dish called Creole crawfish, shrimp, and andouille with eggs. Yep, grits are there, creamy and Parmesan-rich, along with shrimp and crawdads and andouille sausage in a miraculous complexity of Creole fire (thank you, Crystal Cayenne Sauce), all gilded with egg yolk in a cast-iron skillet. Damn, it’s good. (Come on a weekday for breakfast happy hour and it’s also half price.)

And don’t miss…

Brave Horse Tavern Creamy cheddar grits with poached eggs and bacon crispies
Terra Plata Pencil Cob grits with sauteed winter greens, cheese, and a poached egg

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Image: Olivia Brent

The Runny Yolk

The Harvest Vine

Just as it does for dreams of lazy Spanish evenings, Harvest Vine fulfills Seattle’s longing for a ray of Basque sunshine at daybreak. Consider the pato confitado: a layered dish of sliced potato and onion, generously topped with musky shreds of duck confit dripping thickly with the rich yolk of a perfectly poached egg. (Ask any chef: The hardest job in the restaurant biz is poaching an egg.) There’s nothing outlandish or nouveau about such a creation; dripping egg yolks are as timeless as health-department-mandated warnings against them. They are, however, everywhere; now gilding every great breakfast advance from wood-fired pizzas to biscuit sandwiches.

And don’t miss…

MistralKitchen Sixty-four-degree egg with mushroom confit and carrot puree
Sitka and Spruce Ful medames with fried peppers, harissa, and egg

The Hash

Brave Horse Tavern

Image: Olivia Brent

It’s Tom Douglas’s most “everyman” property—a dark, brick-lined upstairs tav with a pool hall vibe and the game on TV. Don’t let the all-Sunday-happy-hour aesthetic fool you, however; the weekend brunches please foodies and footballers alike. Take the hash: a dish that’s typical of the New Breakfast genre, but which here is achieved with big moist chunks of smoky brisket all griddled up with peppers and onions and satisfying potatoes, along with plenty of the crispy bits a smoked brisket will shed when cooked with suitable patience, and a royal crown of eggs sunny-side up. Oh, this is good eatin’.

And don’t miss…

Emmer and Rye House-cured corned beef hash with new potatoes, sweet onions, and hollandaise
Hunger Housemade corned beef hash with poached eggs and red wine demi-glace
The Publican Brussels sprouts, parsnip, and rutabaga hash topped with horseradish creme fraiche
Terra Plata Winter hash with fried herbs and poached egg

The Sea Creature

Lola

From brandade to oysters to gravlax, fish and shellfish are showing up with increasing frequency across morning menus. But no one puts the sea in Seattle breakfast quite like Lola, Tom Douglas’s downtown homage to the cuisines of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. Exhibit A: Tom’s Big Breakfast, a hash of rotating seasonal ingredients that might include white beans and caramelly cauliflower and chewy bacon over chive yogurt and crowned with a sunny egg—but which always stars grilled Pacific octopus, in bite-size bits, charry yet tender, and extraordinarily flavorful. Where to bring the out-of-towners.

And don’t miss…

Bastille Pacific cod brandade with fried egg and arugula salad
Cafe Nola Smoked salmon latkes with lemon creme fraiche, poached eggs, black pepper truffle oil, and caviar
Ma’ono Crispy fried Pacific oyster, bacon, roasted pepper, and egg

The Chicken and Waffle

The Publican

Geographically, few places in the mainland United States are farther removed from Southern food than Seattle. But wow, do we appreciate a good hunk of well-fried chicken. Set that chicken on a waffle, add maple syrup, and it’s socially acceptable to eat this rich combination for breakfast. Purists might object to the fact that the Publican, Tangletown’s new sibling to Brouwer’s Cafe, uses boneless chicken. But finally—an easier way to get that crisply fried meat and soft, bacon-studded waffle on the fork at the same time. We’re guessing those same purists won’t have an issue with the generous pour of gravy that finishes off the plate.

And don’t miss…

Local 360 Fried chicken and waffle with maple syrup
Skillet Diner Fried chicken thigh with cornmeal waffle and eggs

The Brioche French Toast

Volunteer Park Cafe and Marketplace

Image: Olivia Brent

The Seattle area has its impossibly crisp French toast (Geraldine’s Counter soaks the bread overnight), its challah bread French toast (Cafe Nola’s caramel pecan version, thrust to fame on the Food Network)—and now, in versions aplenty, its brioche French toast, a breakfast sensation so wickedly rich it needs an offshore bank account. We’re pretty sure we’d love the sunny community breakfast nook that is Volunteer Park Cafe even without its caramelized-banana brioche French toast—two thick slices, stuffed with vanilla bean–ricotta custard, topped with caramelized bananas crisp with cinnamon sugar, and dusted with toasted pecans. We just wouldn’t love it quite so loudly.

And don’t miss…

Cafe Campagne Brioche French toast fried in bourbon egg batter with maple syrup
Cafe Nola Caramel pecan French toast with maple syrup, orange bourbon butter, and bacon
Geraldine’s Counter Brioche French toast with blueberry compote and creme fraiche
Macrina Bakery and Cafe Thick-cut brioche French toast with blueberry–Earl Grey compote, vanilla-sugar whipped cream, and toasted pecans
35th Street Bistro Brioche French toast with mascarpone cream, housemade jam, and maple syrup

The Porridge

Revel

No Dickensian gruel, this, but the city’s most ethereal version of congee—the rice porridge popular across Asia and Seattle’s International District. Where but Revel would top the bowl of warmth with such revelry? Productions vary by season but typically include a savory—think mushroom, bacon, kale, and red curry—and a sweet—a squash of some sort perhaps, with brown sugar and rummy raisins. Another sweet variant, enjoyed of a recent wintry morning-after, was a pumpkin porridge topped with streusel of sweetened pine nuts and papery slices of that candy of vegetables, delicata squash. In this clattering house of culinary artistry every flavorful nuance is intentional and harmonious, rendering hangovers but one of the conditions cured.

And don’t miss…

Dahlia Lounge Coconut congee with jasmine rice, grilled prawns, poached egg, Chinese doughnut, and pickles
Monsoon Dungeness crab congee with egg yolk, cilantro, and crispy garlic

The Gravy Pour

Meander’s Kitchen

Biscuits and gravy are having a moment on breakfast menus, but why confine good gravy to just one dish? This year-old West Seattle diner, with its ramshackle interior and killer comfort food, ladles perfectly peppery gravy over hash browns and tops it with eggs in a dish aptly named “The Hangover.” Slabs of country ham come covered in red-eye gravy, while vegetarians won’t stop raving about the meatless version. But really, the basic gravy is some of the best in the city. Let that information be your guide when perusing Meander’s enormous menu. And bring cash.

And don’t miss…

Grace Kitchen Montreal-style poutine with mozzarella cheese curds and sausage gravy
MistralKitchen Polenta with soft egg and sage gravy
Nook For $1.50, top any sandwich at this joint with a slathering of sausage or vegetarian butternut squash gravy
Terra Plata Manchego biscuits with chorizo gravy and chicharrónes

*If a dish isn’t on the menu during your visit, not to worry. It’s likely on rotation with some other delectable innovation.