Your Guide to Philly’s Best Brunch Spots
For some of us, brunch is the most important meal of the week. Here's where to go for classic eggs Benedict, fluffy pancakes, boozy brunch beverages, and more.
Tost z awokado at Little Walter’s / Photograph by Gab Bonghi
Brunch in Philly has always been serious business.
It’s not just an extra service tacked onto the day or the weekend — not just some pancakes and eggs slopped out for the hungover masses with little concern for quality — but a measure of our character.
Brunch is a meal meant for lingering over. An excuse to gather with friends and family in places where we’ve been gathering for years or generations. An extra opportunity for joy in the form of waffles and bacon and egg sandwiches, or an excuse to drink before noon on a Sunday.
We wait in line for brunch. We plan in advance. Brunch menus in Philly can be works of art, filled with clever and creative international flavors. Or they can just be comforting soft landings after whatever it was we got up to on Saturday night. Whatever it is that you need out of a brunch, Philly has a place that’ll make it happen.
So let’s take a look at the best of them.
Little Walter’s, Kensington
The Polish restaurant that stole our hearts introduced brunch this spring with everything from avocado toast (tost z awokado) to babka, bialy, gołabki stuffed with brisket and brown rice, and of course, pierogi ruskie. 2049 East Hagert Street.
Bastia, Fishtown
Bastia came out of the gate strong late last summer, quickly securing the top spot on our 50 Best Restaurants list for its Corsican-inspired dinner menu. So it comes as no surprise that their brunch is equally exciting. Whether you’re in the mood for a sweet Nutella tartine with strawberry marmalade and pistachio or a spicy eggs in purgatory with guanciale, the brunch menu at Bastia never disappoints. 1401 East Susquehanna Avenue.
Lacroix, Rittenhouse Square
This ridiculously decadent brunch wonderland at the Rittenhouse Hotel is the kind of thing you’ve got to try at least once. Is it really expensive? Yes, it is. Should you do it anyway? Of fucking course. I could go on, but I’ll just quote last year’s Best of Philly: “In the dining room, there’s a cavalcade of canapés, a sprawling raw bar, and breakfast accompaniments galore, while in the kitchen, a six-item carving station awaits guests. There’s even an entire room dedicated just to desserts, where you can watch chefs make either s’mores, churros, or even liquid-nitrogen ice cream.” 210 West Rittenhouse Square.
Cafe Lift, Callowhill
Cafe Lift is a brunch specialist. It’s what they do, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., seven days a week. For more than 10 years now, they’ve been a worthy neighborhood favorite (and there’s a second location in Haddonfield, too). 1124 Spring Garden Street.
Parc, Rittenhouse Square
In warmer weather, the sidewalk seating at Parc is the prime viewing area. But no matter the weather (and no matter where you sit), it’s always been the classic French American brunch menu that has drawn the biggest crowds. Don’t overthink it: Start with the pastry basket. 227 South 18th Street.
Smoked Salmon Egg-in-the-Hole for brunch at Jaffa Bar / Photograph by Liz Wissmann
Jaffa Bar, Kensington
Israeli-inspired brunch dishes like as shrimp shakshuka, smoked-salmon egg-in-a-hole, and Persian crab omelets make this new addition to Philly’s brunch scene an essential. The brunch cocktails are also the best of the best (the Bloody has a shrimp garnish and plenty of spice), and the raw bar is a bonus that’s anything but an afterthought. Save room for dessert somehow, because their malawach doughnuts filled with Turkish coffee mascarpone are a must-try. 1625 North Howard Street.
Fiore, Kensington
Fiore has everything you need for a lovely brunch: excellent egg sandwiches on house-made focaccia and English muffins, plus an ever-changing and incredibly tempting selection of pastries. Don’t forget to finish it all off with a gelato. 2413 Frankford Avenue.
P.J. Clarke’s, Washington Square
If only for their impossibly fluffy Japanese pancakes. And add on some oysters from the raw bar for good measure. And a Bloody Mary carafe. (“Famous Since 1884,” they say!) 601 Walnut Street.
Cafe La Maude, Northern Liberties
Cafe La Maude is a brunch institution — offering it all day, every day, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Even better? They serve a French-Lebanese mix of foul moudamas, eggs Benedict, pain perdu, and shakshuka. 816 North 4th Street.
Ants Pants Cafe, Graduate Hospital
What’s that? You’re looking for an Australian brunch place opened in a former psychic’s shop? Cool, because that’s exactly what Ants Pants is. It has one of the strangest names of any restaurant in the city and a solid selection of brunch options. 2212 South Street.
Suraya, Fishtown
A grown-up, upscale Middle Eastern-style brunch perfect for celebrations or special occasions, or just regular ol’ get-togethers around plates of Turkish eggs, Lebanese omelettes and some of the city’s best pastries. 1528 Frankford Avenue.
Dizengoff, Rittenhouse Square
Oh my, chocolate pita French toast. When Michael Solomonov’s hummus-and-pita joint expanded last year, it was already an instant upgrade. But then they added brunch. Yes, you can still get pita and hummus. But also shakshuka, sandwiches, and a flaky jachnun you won’t find anywhere else. 1625 Sansom Street.
Photograph courtesy of Sabrina’s Cafe
Sabrina’s Cafe
Whether you’re in Wynnewood, Collingswood, South Street, near the Art Museum or in University City, there’s a place for you to grab an omelette, pancakes, tofu scramble, or some signature stuffed French toast. Just look for the line. Leaving town? Swing by Terminal G for their newest location before you board. Multiple locations.
The Breakfast Den, Graduate Hospital
The Breakfast Den is a good reminder that Vietnam has some of the best breakfast foods in the world. Their menu includes banh mi breakfast sandwiches, lots of porridge, plus banana pancakes, French toast sticks and vegetarian bowls. 1500 South Street.
The Dutch, East Passyunk
Brunch doesn’t have to be a weekend-only affair. The Dutch offers their full brunch menu on weekdays, making this a great place to go if your brunch days are not Saturday and Sunday. Plus, they do regional delicacies (ring bologna, Dutch babies, Lebanon bologna) that don’t get much play on other menus around town. 1537 South 11th Street.
Royal Boucherie, Old City
This neighborhood French spot serves a delightfully French brunch with crème brûlée French toast, a classic breakfast, and a Benedict for the hungriest member of the brunch bunch. Plus, some excellent brunch cocktails, from your classic mimosa to a Doritos-infused Bloody Mary. Really. 52 South 2nd Street.
Dutch Eating Place, Market East
The Pennsylvania Dutch know more about brunch than perhaps any other culture, and all of it is on display at this ridiculously busy stand inside Reading Terminal Market. 51 North 12th Street.
Winkel, Midtown Village
Winkel’s Dutch-inspired menu is remarkably comprehensive, with fresh, grilled bread with homemade seasonal jam, three-cheese omelettes, savory pancakes with smoked sausage, apples and mustard butter or waffles topped with vinegar-braised beef and vegetables. Or, you know, just some bacon and eggs. 1119 Locust Street.
Bar Hygge, Fairmount
“Hygge” is a Danish word that basically means taking pleasure in making the ordinary special. The buttermilk beignets, gravlax, and biscuits and gravy served during their weekend brunch is basically that concept, translated into edible form. 1720 Fairmount Avenue
Middle Child Clubhouse’s Olivia Pancake with a smiley face slab of chef Edwin De La Rosa’s signature citrus honey butter. / Photograph by Matthew Cahn
Middle Child Clubhouse, Fishtown
Edwin De La Rosa, the executive chef at Middle Child Clubhouse, has turned this restaurant into one of the city’s best breakfast and lunch destinations. Yes, they still do the beloved breakfast sandwich, but he’s also added a Deli Burrito (stuffed with pastrami for an extra five bucks), a blueberry-chai yogurt bowl, and what might just be the single best pancake in Philadelphia. (And you can’t order that pancake for pick-up or delivery, so you’ve gotta eat it there!) 1232 North Front Street.
Trattoria Carina, Rittenhouse Square
You gotta trust any place that has a roast pork sandwich on their brunch menu. Seriously, sharp broccoli rabe and provolone, all on a crispy baguette? That’s perfect. Plus, there’s a classic BEC, and cocktails at the bar. But really, it’s the roast pork sandwich that sells it. 2201 Spruce Street.
The Tasty, East Passyunk
It looks like a classic American diner, all blue Formica and chrome. But the menu is very much of the moment — completely vegan, but done in the style of simple American comfort food. 1401 South 12th Street.
Rex at the Royal, Graduate Hospital
Rex is where you go when you’re looking to experience brunch the Southern way — with oysters, shrimp and grits, buttermilk biscuits, crab cake Benedict, and cocktails from the bar. 1516 South Street.
The Love, Rittenhouse Square
There may be no more lovely or comforting brunch menu anywhere in the city. Everything — from the shrimp & grits to the Meyer lemon risotto — is better than you’d expect it to be and prepared with as much care as their fanciest dinner plates. 130 South 18th Street.
Veda, Rittenhouse Square
You know what’s rare in Center City? Brunch buffets. Know what’s even rarer? Indian brunch buffets. But that’s exactly what Veda is offering on Saturdays and Sundays for just $26 per person. 1920 Chestnut Street.
The French toast at Ember & Ash / Photograph by Mike Prince
Ember & Ash, East Passyunk
It took a little bit of time for Ember & Ash to find its place on East Passyunk, but its recent gastropub glow-up and the reintroduction of brunch are a hit with the neighborhood. Stop by on Sunday mornings for upscale takes on brunch classics like grilled French toast and a breakfast sandwich piled high with house-cured ham and a perfectly runny egg on a cheddar biscuit. 1520 East Passyunk Avenue.
High Street, Washington Square West
In its new-ish location at 9th and Chestnut, High Street has toasts, sandwiches, and elevated takes on brunch classics, like the strawberry-rhubarb Dutch baby served with whipped saffron labneh. 101 South 9th Street.
Comfort & Floyd, East Passyunk
This cozy spot is a dedicated brunch joint offering eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, kielbasa omelets, and kale salads in a bright, welcoming space. 1301 South 11th Street.
Talula’s Garden, Washington Square
Sit in the garden courtyard for seasonal dishes like the farmer’s frittata, French toast sticks with lavender whipped cream, and freshly baked pastries. 210 Washington Square West.
Eggcelent Cafe, Old City
This everyday brunch spot gets bonus points for the Brekkie Banh Mi: an over easy egg, maple pork sausage, pickled carrot and daikon, jalapeños, cilantro and a spicy aioli cheese on a toasted bagel. For those of you looking for something more on the lunch-y side of brunch, the Eggsplosion burger is pretty good, too. Listen, you’re gonna have to be okay with a lot of egg-based puns to dine here. 113 Chestnut Street.
Honey’s Sit ‘N Eat, Northern Liberties
Honey’s proves to everyone that slow-cooked brisket on a latke, challah French toast, and lox Benedict are the final word when it comes to Jewish-Southern fusion. 800 North 4th Street.
Sulimay’s, Fishtown
If some classic diner food is what you’re after, then Sulimay’s is perfect. Omelettes, pancakes, a whole menu of Benedicts — they’ve got all the basics and serve them every day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 632 East Girard Avenue.
The corned beef sandwich at Famous 4th Street / Photograph by Theresa Regan
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen, Queen Village
This corner deli has been in operation for almost 100 years. Seriously, it’s been knocking out corned beef and pastrami since 1923. It’s as much of an institution in Philly as almost any other place you can name and offers a true deli brunch experience. 700 South 4th Street.
Sam’s Morning Glory Diner, Bella Vista
Sam’s Morning Glory has been up and running in Bella Vista since 1997. That’s a lot of time to practice making frittata and get in good with their regulars, and it shows. 735 South 10th Street.
Bloomsday, Headhouse Square
There’s a lot to like about brunch at Bloomsday, but one of the best things is that they lavish as much attention on their brunch sweets as they do their savory offerings. That means you can order a banana-topped croiffle (that’s a waffle made of croissant dough) along with your breakfast sandwich. 414 South 2nd Street.
Booker’s Restaurant and Bar, West Philly
Booker’s is a many-mimosas, chicken-and-waffles, breakfast burrito, steak-and-eggs kind of place for brunch, which they serve Monday through Sunday. 5021 Baltimore Avenue.
Malvern Buttery, Malvern
This place has a cult following that’s kinda scary. We know people who go there every weekend, and we know others who’ve been once and just can’t stop talking about it. The food is uncomplicated. The menu is short. There are egg bowls, croissant tarts, scratch-made pastries, and a toast bar with homemade jams and butters. And while the toast bar in particular would fuel our obsession, everyone seems to fall in love with with their own little corner of this place. 233 East King Street.
