The Best Breakfasts in Austin

The Best Breakfasts in Austin

From retro diners and beloved cafes to cinnamon roll hot spots and pancake houses, here are the top spots to enjoy the most important meal of the day.

Bird Bird Biscuit

Brian Batch dreamed of making biscuits while working his way from barista to general manager at Thunderbird Coffee. In 2018, he followed his passion and finally let Bird Bird take flight. Crafted with high-fat Plugrà European butter and special-patent King Arthur flour, his handmade biscuits have garnered a devoted following across town. Add a chicken breast brined for up to seven days that gets dredged in biscuit crumbs and then fried, and you’ll understand why there are often lines at both locations of this counter-service delight. birdbirdbiscuit.com

Épicerie

Bon appétit! A charming bistro and boulangerie in the Rosedale neighborhood, Épicerie beckons diners bright and early with its stellar croissants crafted by chef Sarah McIntosh. The ham and cheese is a fan favorite, featuring 22-month cured ham sourced from a small mountain town in Tennessee and Comté cheese aged 18 months from Eastern France. But feel free to go absolutely classic with the plain croissant, which includes 27 layers of dough laminated by hand. epicerieaustin.com

Josephine House

Brunch can be a spectacle, and long waits for Instagram-worthy flapjacks is part of the game. That’s what makes Josephine House’s decadent lemon ricotta pancakes all the sweeter: You can get them daily, including ultra-chill weekday mornings. Details make the cozy Clarksville restaurant shine, like the impressive rendition of Texas gulf shrimp and Barton Springs Mill grits or citrus-cured lox on hashbrowns. It’s these little touches—from ripe persimmons and bee pollen in a yogurt bowl to absurdly fresh dill dancing on a plate—that remind you why MML Hospitality has the Midas touch on splurge-worthy restaurants in Austin. josephineofaustin.com

Eldorado Café

While Eldorado Café has been around for less than a decade, the restaurant has the soul of a tried-and-true Austin establishment. Chef and owner Joel Fried honed his skills years ago at Tacodeli, and his menu goes back further with nods to local breakfast legends like the old Tamale House, which was the inspiration for his migas with eggs cooked to order. Looking for something vegetarian? Build your own breakfast taco with distinctive ingredients like green chile and onion rajas, nopales, and even vegan house-made chorizo. eldoradocafeatx.com

Eggman

Rich Tavetian, aka The Eggman, grew up on NYC bodega breakfast sandwiches, and he knew that’s exactly what Austin needed. You can’t go wrong with the food truck’s classic BEC, especially when the B stands for center-cut applewood smoked bacon. Slapped on a Kaiser roll (as is customary in the city that never sleeps), this breakfast sammie will add some pep in your step along with the strongly brewed java made with New York coffee grounds. Don’t be surprised if you catch yourself yelling “I Am the Walrus!” eggmanatx.com

Rockman Bakery

An East Side concept inspired by New York bakeshops and Parisian boulangeries, Amanda Rockman’s eponymous bakery has bagels and croissants that would impress anyone owning a MetroCard or Mbappé jersey. The chef-owner of Rockman Bakery utilized her 20 years working in pastry at Michelin-starred restaurants to pull off a duet of carb magic that melds both concepts: the Everything Bagel Croissant, which pairs cream cheese, green onion, and Herbs de Provence. “It’s a one-stop shop for flaky gooeyness,” she says. rockmanatx.com

The Omelettry

Take a time machine back to the golden era of Austin, when slackers ruled the city and social media hadn’t yet overtaken our lives. At this Airport Boulevard institution (est. 1978), the titular dish is the star, with more than 11 omelets including the spinach-and-bacon-stuffed Popeye’s Favorite. Opt for a short stack of gingerbread pancakes as your free side and enjoy endless pours of coffee before you pay at the counter. Sometimes, simplicity is bliss. theomelettry.com

Joe’s Bakery

One of the best places to experience a taste of Old Austin, this James Beard Award–winning Tex-Mex diner has been a community staple since 1962. Whether it’s the humble weekday customer who’s been coming for decades or the new loft dwellers who just landed their dream tech job downtown, the inviting spot will make a regular out of anyone who walks through the door. While you can’t go wrong with the affordable breakfast tacos, carne guisada is a go-to choice for those in the know. joesbakery.com

Paperboy

Originally a buzzworthy trailer, Paperboy has grown into a beloved East Side brick-and-mortar (with an anticipated second location coming soon). Chef Patrick Jackson’s menu teems with heavyweight brekkie options like biscuits and gravy with fried chicken and a sunny egg, or the popular Texas Hash, a decadent sweet potato hash topped with braised pork shoulder, a poached egg, and a pecan mole. Want something a little lighter? Order the Paperboy pancake, a perfectly sized stack of one. paperboyaustin.com

Ovenbird

With a Lithuanian meets Lone Star State influence, chef Sarah Koslosky’s “Tex-Baltic” menu is unlike anything in the capital city. Savor the most important meal of the day with the hoppel poppel, a hash made with smoked 44 Farms sirloin, or get adventurous with a morning-approved salad featuring massaged kale and roasted apple yogurt. Even breakfast tacos like the shakshuka, tvorog, and cilantro allow you to try something new. Want to learn the scratch-made techniques at home? Koslosky hosts regular cooking classes at the South Austin eatery. ovenbirdatx.com

Dan’s Hamburgers

The true test of a real-deal local: Have you been to Dan’s Hamburgers… for breakfast? The old-school burger spot with a loyal following works magic on breakfast sandwiches, tacos, omelets, and even biscuits and gravy. Just make sure you set an alarm: Breakfast is cut off at 10:30 a.m. daily except Sunday (a glorious extra hour until 11:30 a.m.) And yes, if you come back for lunch the same day, you’ll have reached peak Austinite status. dans-hamburgers.com

Toasty Badger

Evoking the spirit of a ’70s diner, Toasty Badger burst onto the South Congress scene last year as a groovy spot to enjoy breakfast well into the afternoon hours. Chow down on comfort food like oversized griddle cakes or biscuits with smoky guajillo sausage gravy and tomato jam. Kids and the young at heart will love the French toast sticks plus fresh-squeezed orange or pineapple juice. For an optimal experience, snag a seat at the counter and sip coffee out of a retro mug. Come on, get happy! loboshospitality.com/venues/toastybadgeratx

Veracruz All Natural

More than 15 years after launching a taco trailer on East Cesar Chavez Street, sisters Reyna and Maritza Vazquez have grown Veracruz All Natural into an Austin classic with seven locations. In a city replete with takes on migas tacos, no version tops Veracruz’s migas poblanas. “Roasting the poblana and giving it that smoky flavor is what sets the taco apart,” Reyna says. Complete with crispy homemade chips and a freshly made corn tortilla, it’s one of the capital city’s most essential breakfast items. veracruzallnatural.com

Phoebe’s Diner

Back in 2017, while awaiting the arrival of his daughter, chef Camden Stuerzenberger yearned for a way to spend more time with family and less time running dinner shifts six or more nights a week. So, he hatched the concept of Phoebe’s Diner, giving the restaurant the name of his firstborn. The expansive menu ranges from the crispy crab cake benedict to a smoked brisket burrito, along with dishes inspired by the chef’s loved ones—baked eggs with tomato and parmesan thanks to his wife’s affinity for shakshuka, decadent bananas foster French toast nodding to his son’s favorite fruit, and fluffy pancakes adored by Phoebe herself. phoebesdiner.com

Habanero Café

The East Side isn’t the only neighborhood with legacy Tex-Mex for breakfast. The Ibarra family has been slinging machacado and eggs in South Austin since 1998. The most important meal of the day is served all day, and it’s a bargain too: Breakfast tacos for $2.50? Feels like it’s still the ’90s. Regulars, who run the gamut from old-school musicians hooked on the chips and salsa to the City Hall suits, often opt for the migas, menudo, or the Patron plate, which pairs huevos rancheros with fajitas grilled over mesquite. habanerocafe.com

Swedish Hill

With everything from a Nutella morning bun to a ham-and-gruyere croissant, the pastries are always a draw at this hot spot, which recently opened in Westlake and will expand to South Austin this spring. But here, there’s one morning dish you simply must order: the breakfast sandwich. Stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, herb salad, and salsa verde, the sandwich is best enjoyed on Swedish’s stellar sourdough. Noticeably less tangy than the famous San Francisco version, this bread has the perfect kick of salt. swedishhillaustin.com

Casper Fermentables

Kombucha and bagels might sound like an unlikely pairing, but the combination works at this Sunset Valley spot. Depart from the ordinary with an order of the sourdough cinnamon roll and yaupon kombucha, or shake up your morning routine with a Montreal-inspired bagel topped with whitefish. Word to the wise: Go on weekdays, as this South Austin gem tends to have a wait on weekends. (One bite, and you’ll understand why.) casperfermentables.com

Bouldin Creek Café

Nestled in one of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods, this funky South Austin spot has been serving up all-vegetarian breakfast staples since 2000. Choose from a sprawling menu of tacos, omelets, and breakfast plates, or go super healthy with a local cold-pressed juice and a bowl of house-made crunchy granola with yogurt. From its cozy dining room to the breezy patio, few places evoke the feel-good free-spiritedness of
Old Austin like here. bouldincreekcafe.com

Café No Sé

Although the name playfully translates to “I don’t know,” this South Austin delight is more than sure of itself. The property designed by Michael Hsu dazzles with cozy blue-and-white-interiors, a bakery boasting apple almond muffins and kouign-amann pastries, and a cafe with an elevated daily breakfast menu.Here, you can nosh on avocado toast with crème fraiche or kimchi hash with sunny-side-up eggs and pork belly before you kick off your workday. Dropping by on a Saturday? Grab a spot on the patio along bustling South Congress and order the weekend-only seasonal French toast. cafenoseaustin.com

Sawyer & Co.

Who says you can’t brunch during the workweek? This East Side “finer diner” features biscuits and gravy, chilaquiles, and four kinds of benedicts served daily until 3 p.m. Owner Stephen Shallcross bet wisely that Austin needed Cajun Creole just as much as Tex-Mex for breakfast, which is why you’ll find New Orleans–style French toast and shrimp and grits with mushroom Creole sauce. We love the Googie diner architecture almost as much as the smoked barbacoa benedict. sawyerand.co

Breakfast House

It’s no secret that North Austin has been a hub for a dynamic Asian food scene, but this newcomer slips into a novel category: weekday Chinese breakfast fix. This isn’t just Dim Sum, either. In lieu of soup dumplings, you’ll find other classics like turnip cake and steamed rice noodle stuffed with beef or pork. The giant bowl of congee is a no brainer, but bring a friend because it can easily feed two—and you don’t want to skip the Chinese donut. (It’s literally the size of a small baguette.) 13450 Research Blvd., Ste. 118

This article originally appeared in Austin Monthly. To read the full article, click here.