Editor's Picks
Houston's 8 Best Brand-New Brunches
Need a new spot to get your brunch 'n' booze on? We have a few suggestions.
These hot spots boast fun new menus for everyone’s favorite meal—plus a few lovely patios, perfect for the long-awaited autumn weather.
Alice Blue
Claire Smith’s newly remodeled Heights bistro is a hit during dinner, which skews healthy, garden-focused and seasonal. But weekend brunches are built for indulgence, boasting honeycomb crumbled atop buttery coffee cake; potato pancakes laden with smoked fish, scrambled eggs and “everything cream cheese”; and challah french toast piled with peaches, blackberry jam and whipped cream. Served 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Bosscat Kitchen & Libations
This lovably libertine River Oaks hangout recently revamped its lunch and dinner menus to include lighter offerings such as avocado toast and power-greens salads, but brunch remains suitably decadent. Breakfast tacos stuffed with pork belly; Elvis-inspired pancakes covered with peanut butter, bacon and banana cream pudding; and chilaquiles crowned with short ribs and a duck-fat-fried egg are just a few favorites. Toast the day’s decadence with a Breakfast in Bed shot: Jim Beam, OJ and bacon. Served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
Bosta Kitchen
Is it really brunch if it’s served every day of the week, and late into the evening? We say yes, and revel in the availability of buttermilk pancakes topped with Cloud 10 vanilla-bean ice cream, and biscuits and gravy with luscious lamb sausage and a fried egg. Adding to the allure: the selection of loose-leaf teas and coffee drinks ranging from Japanese pour-overs to traditional Vietnamese café sua da. Served daily.
Cane Rosso
Fans of the clever Tex-Mex-inflected brunch dishes created for El Big Bad by chef Jonathan Jones will likely find much to love in his newest project at the Montrose location of this Dallas pizza import. You’ll find the full pizza menu on Sundays, but more tempting are Jones’s Italian-inspired brunch plates of Breakfast Pasta (with sausage, pecorino cheese, an egg and ghost pepper-dosed guanciale) and jalapeño-cheese hoecakes drenched in sorghum butter. Served 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Eloise Nichols
Weekday breakfast at this charming neighborhood café brings simple staples like steel-cut oats and breakfast tacos. But the boozy brunch encourages guests to linger in the chic, sunny dining room over pitchers of pineapple mimosas, stacks of chicken and waffles, and icy platters of plump Gulf oysters. Served 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Fusion Taco
The Heights location of this local chain expands upon the original’s offerings with a weekend brunch menu. The small patio fills up fast with folks enjoying pitchers of sangria and bellinis; tables fill up quickly, too, as it’s tough to resist ordering one of each of the six breakfast tacos on offer. We love the eye-opening shakshuka with spicy tomato sauce and salty feta cheese and the hollandaise-slathered eggs Benedict with pork belly. Served 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Hungry’s Upstairs
Head upstairs at the newly expanded restaurant for a brunch experience that hits all the Houstonian buttons: a live oak–shaded patio with a view, cocktails made with fresh-squeezed juices, and the availability of huevos rancheros alongside fruit-topped croissant French toast. Just remember, Upstairs has a strict over-21 policy. Served 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
State of Grace
Want a brunch worth dressing up for? This stately River Oaks dining room encourages lavish displays of both beautiful frocks and giddy gluttony. You simply must start with beignets, then dig into a Gulf shrimp omelet with artichokes and asparagus, followed by a hearth-baked, berry-topped Dutch baby—essentially the biggest, fluffiest, fanciest pancake to ever emerge from a skillet. Served 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
