The Absolute Best Brunches in Seattle Right Now

From classic New American to unlimited cinnamon rolls, these are the best brunches in Seattle.

Cafe Flora
Courtesy of Cafe Flora

Mastering the art of brunch is all about timing. Arrive too early, and you’re simply eating breakfast. Arrive too late, and you’re hangry… or simply hungover. It’s a balancing act, and one that Seattle does particularly well. With a slew of Seattle restaurants old and new offering up an expansive brunch menu, we’re spoiled for choice. Think classic New American food like eggs and hashbrowns; enough Benedict variations to last until next weekend; bloody marys for the whole table; Italian foods in skillets; ricotta pancakes; seemingly unlimited cinnamon rolls. It’s a gold mine of in-between meals, perfectly situated between breakfast and lunch. All that’s left to do is dig in.

The Fat Hen

Ballard
$$$$

The Fat Hen is Ballard’s tiniest restaurant (it seats maybe a dozen people) and also one of its busiest—like, it’s so popular we wouldn’t even recommend stopping by without a reservation. When you do snag a table, the shakshuka skillet will likely be calling your name, or perhaps its Italian-inspired sibling, the Camicia skillet; otherwise, you could always go for the breakfast sandwich, eggs Benedict, or salmon toast, and be one happy customer.

Available for Reservations

Meet the Moon

Leschi
$$$$

Perched on Lake Washington and serving up New American classics, Meet the Moon is an ideal destination for brunch with a view. Indulge in any (or all) of the following, and then some: breakfast tacos, avocado toast, biscuits & gravy, and a pork carnitas hash; they've also got a rotating eggs Benedict, to-die-for cinnamon rolls, and a nostalgia-inducing root beer float.

Available for Reservations

After selling (and subsequently closing) in 2021, Volunteer Park Cafe & Pantry reopened under new ownership in August of last year, with ex-Canlis chefs Crystal Chiu and Melissa Johnson in charge. Unsurprisingly, this meant good things for the menu: unfussy egg & cheese sandwiches; avocado toast with za’atar on Sea Wolf bread; matzo ball soup; Israeli couscous salad. Meanwhile, the pantry portion of the cafe offers up a number of hand-picked staples, like canned tomatoes, vegan chocolate, preserved blueberries, and more—plus the latest issue of Cherry Bombe Magazine to boot. FYI, they don’t take reservations.

Communion

Central District
$$$$

Communion is the kind of restaurant with a line out the door, especially on Sundays, which is the only day this place does brunch. Hot tip: Order the shrimp and grits, which is made even more delicious than usual with the addition of the same homemade bloody mary mix used at the bar. Also on deck are Communion classics, like the PTL Wings, Fried Catfish Po’Mi, Better Than Yo Grandma’s Mac & Cheese, and an incredibly buttery cornbread.

Available for Reservations

Arthur's

West Seattle
$$$$

A West Seattle favorite since its original opening in 2017, Arthur’s is finally open to both indoor and outdoor seating after a long period of strict COVID restrictions and closures. Thankfully, that means Sunday brunch is back, too (as is the shuffleboard table), and staples like the house-cured bacon, smoked trout crostini, ricotta pancakes, avo smash, and chorizo egg bake are here to stay.

Fat's Chicken & Waffles

Central District
$$$$

Opened a few years ago by the guy behind Li’l Woody's (one of Seattle's best burger spots), Fat’s wasn't happy selling its eponymous chicken & waffles soley for lunch and dinner, so it quickly started serving them on Saturday and Sunday mornings, too, along with a can't miss biscuit sandwich with fried chicken breast, a fried egg, and bacon & gravy. They’ve also got a delicious egg Benedict with fried green tomato, a pimento cheese BLT, and so much more. FYI, they don’t take reservations.

NUE

Capitol Hill
$$$$

This not-so-nue destination for international street food isn't messing around when it comes to morning-appropriate plates from around the globe—we're talking thin yeast pancakes stuffed with Dutch pepper bacon from the Netherlands; Flemish-style French fries; and a linguica, roast beef, and ham sandwich from Portugal. Oh, and if you’re trying to switch things up in your own kitchen, you can always order one of their cocktail kits.

Available for Reservations

Cafe Flora

Madison Park
$$$$

Seattle's most famous meat-free restaurant serves everything from dinner (corn tortillas filled with cheesy mashed potatoes, a Portobello Wellington with madeira wine sauce, plus a selection of pizzas, sandwiches & salads) to brunch, for which you can down buttermilk banana pancakes, biscuits & gravy, and more. Keep in mind that while Cafe Flora’s dine-in service has returned, they’re still “prioritizing outdoor seating,” and all tables are first come, first served.

Helmed by a former vegetarian making up for 15 years of meat-free eating, this mostly breakfast/lunch spot offers a handful of AM appropriate burritos like The Thomas with scrambled eggs, pork belly, and Mama Lil's peppers; a slew of signature sandwiches (try the Apple Melt with two kinds of cheese, caramelized onion, and apple); pantry items like bagels and lox; and brunch items like the Dad's Breakfast, which is just two eggs any style, plus their excellent house bacon and potatoes. Whatever you order, it’ll have to be to-go; Rachel's Bagels & Burritos is only open for takeout and delivery right now.

Portage Bay Cafe

Multiple locations
$$$$

Boasting four locations across the city, these breakfast specialists have your brunch needs covered, starting with more than half a dozen Benedicts made with everything from smoked salmon to braised pork shoulder. Otherwise, a diverse range of other "favorites" are yours to choose from (good luck), including biscuits topped with a local, foraged mushroom gravy, and a dungeness crab grilled cheese with gouda & spinach pesto. The best option, however, is probably something from their breakfast bar, which is basically just a bunch of different kinds of pancakes, French toast, and waffles.

Available for Reservations

La Palmera

South Lake Union
$$$$

Also boasting locations in Everett and Mill Creek, this family-run Mexican mini-chain serves an impressive array of authentic South of the Border-style dishes made with ingredients—including hand-pressed tortillas—produced almost entirely in-house, like Huevos Rancheros smothered in red salsa & jack cheese, and chile poblano stuffed with scrambled eggs and cheese. La Palmera is the kind of place that is so welcoming, it will quickly become your home away from home—especially once you get acquainted with the all day, everyday happy hour—which will come in handy when trying to snag a table, since they don’t take reservations.

Honest Biscuits

Pike Place Market
$$$$

Launching as a weekend enterprise slinging biscuits at farmers markets, HB is now a fixture in Pike Place Market thanks to their flakey, buttery signature offerings which come in a variety of ways, including a fried chicken biscuit sandwich with mayo and pickles from Seattle Pickle Company, Southern-style biscuits & gravy, and breakfast biscuits topped with eggs, Beacher's Flagship Cheese, and the most important part of any brunch, bacon. Plan on taking your biscuit to-go (or getting it sent to you), as they’re currently only open for takeout and delivery.

Luna Park Cafe

West Seattle
$$$$

Admittedly half the fun of eating at this venerable diner by the West Seattle Bridge is the riotous '50s-inspired interior, but the menu is also pretty fun too, with highlights like the Elvis Waffle that comes with peanut butter, banana, and two slices of bacon, or the S.O.S., which is French bread topped with roast beef and then covered in sausage gravy. They also offer 15 or so omelet options, all of which can be had in a "Pile" which takes all the same ingredients and mixes 'em with hashbrowns, and FYI, they don’t take reservations.

Le Coin

Fremont
$$$$

Posted up in the former Roux, former Buckaroo Tavern space made famous by 10 Things I Hate About You, this casual French Bistro is offering an extensive brunch menu featuring bread pudding French toast with candied pecans and maple syrup, a pork belly breakfast sandwich, and Le Coin's World Famous Apple Fritters with pear butter. You can make reservations for dine-in here; indoor and outdoor tables (which are heated and covered) are both available.

Available for Reservations
Emma Banks is a contributor for Thrillist
Bradley Foster is a former Thrillist editor.

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