New breakfast and brunch options to explore
Dinner menus usually get the bulk of attention when it comes to Houston culinary discourse. But let’s not forget about the morning glories. Brunch has long been a favored weekend tradition in H-town. And new breakfast players are popping up like mad. Here are some new options.
Taste Kitchen + Bar
The comfort-foods restaurant (relocated from Midtown to downtown) already is a weekend brunch destination known for its Southern fare. But Taste recently added breakfast, available 8-11 a.m. daily. The menu includes pancakes and waffles, avocado toast, biscuit waffles, omelets, steak and eggs, breakfast sandwiches and bread pudding French toast sticks. Pair those dishes with a full lineup of coffee beverages and breakfast cocktails, including mimosas. 420 Main
Citizens of Montrose
This Australianinspired café chose its first location outside of New York to launch its brand of all-day brekkie bowls, breakfast dishes and sandwiches, French toast and coffee drinks. There are lunch sandwiches, too, as well as wine, beer and cocktails, but breakfast shines at this newbie open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. 907 Westheimer
Coffee Fellows
The German coffee shop chain recently opened its first U.S.based outpost in Bellaire, jump-starting the day with a selection of coffees, teas and breakfast offerings, including bowls, pastries and bagel sandwiches. Three additional locations are set to open this year (River Oaks, Heights and Katy). Open 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. 4900 Bissonnet
Ojo de Agua
This popular Mexico City spot makes its first Texas home at River Oaks District, open daily at 8 a.m. with a colorful, health-minded breakfast menu of fruit bowls, chilaquiles, egg dishes, avocado toast and a variety of juices, smoothies and wellness shots. Billed as an allday café and juice bar with a Tulum-inspired décor, Ojo de Agua also serves lunch and dinner. There’s also a retail market stocked with fruits, vegetables, Mexican candies and grab-and-go options. 4444 Westheimer
Los Tios
Fans of this old-school Tex-Mex restaurant have a shiny new location in West University Place to start the day. Sunday breakfast, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is offered at the new outpost, as well as at the Beechnut and San Felipe locations, with a menu that includes huevos rancheros, migas, chilaquiles, breakfast enchiladas, omelets and pancakes. Saturday and Sunday brunch, too, at other Los Tios. 5192 Buffalo Speedway
Navy Blue
Aaron Bludorn’s Rice Village restaurant recently added weekend brunch to its menu (11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday). Dish options include cold smoked salmon with poached eggs, asparagus and bearnaise sauce; raclette omelet; crab Benedict; French toast with mandarin curd and blueberry compote; and sticky buns with vanilla glaze. 2445 Times Blvd.
Le Jardinier
If the weekend calls for some upscale brunch indulgence set within the city’s treasure trove of art, head to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston where the luxe Le Jardinier offers a $76 prix-fixe menu. Begin with first-course choices that include crawfish bisque, burrata with strawberry and rhubarb compote, garden salad, poached Gulf shrimp, or tartine with crawfish and deviled egg. Main course choices include smoked salmon rillette Benedict, beef tenderloin, taleggio and spinach omelet, salmon with smoked trout roe and spring onion risotto. Reservations recommended. 5500 Main
Numero28
Just in time for summer, the casual Highland Village Italian restaurant has introduced a new weekend brunch menu, offered 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Dishes include truffle and egg pizza; frittata with potatoes and sweet peas; spinach and cheese omelet; avocado toast; eggs Benedict and eggs Florentine; and $8 brunch cocktails, including mimosas, bellinis, sangria and Aperol spritz. 3974 Westheimer
Backstreet Café
Hugo Ortega’s River Oaks restaurant is already a weekend brunch favorite. But why wait for the weekend when you can have brunch on Friday? Ortega now kicks off the weekend with some of the restaurant’s most popular brunch dishes served 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday for lunch. The dishes include skirt steak and eggs; smoked chicken and potato hash; crab cakes and eggs; brisket migas; spaghetti carbonara; and Backstreet Benedict (cheddar chive biscuits with poached eggs, Virginia ham and hollandaise served with grits and asparagus). 1103 S. Shepherd
Red Lion Pub
This English-inspired neighborhood pub is a Houston fixture known for its chicken tikka masala, fish and chips, and proper shepherd’s pie. But the restaurant also offers a weekend bunch that includes eggs Benedict, crab cake Benedict, Scottish eggs Benedict and a full English breakfast of sunny-side-up eggs, bangers, Irish bacon, black pudding, baked beans and grilled tomatoes. The English breakfast is offered all day Saturday and Sunday (a traditional Sunday beef roast and Yorkshire pudding also is on the menu). 2316 S. Shepherd