The Absolute Best Brunch in Sandy Springs

The ‘20s are alive and well at this restaurant inspired by the Art Deco retro sophistication of Paris’ Le Select. It only takes a few steps inside to make you forget that contemporary landmarks like Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center and the city hall are right outside its doors. Chef Toya Witherspoon is back, rolling jumbo cinnamon buns, and yeasted Belgian liege waffles are another can’t-miss carb. For those who prefer savory, the menu has plenty of options. Their signature Benedict is on hash browns with crispy speck and avocado; the breakfast burger is on pain de mie and dressed with bacon jam; and the three-egg omelet calls out gruyere, but the king trumpet mushrooms and vidalia onions deserve equal billing. Don't miss the Birds of Paradise cocktail, with chamomile gin, passionfruit, mint, herbs, and lime in a gorgeous avian-shaped glass.

C&S does the Crescent City proud with gorgeous upscale iterations of classic flavors and quality ingredients. For example, their grits are sourced from Logan Turnpike Mill for that coarse, speckled grind; the bacon is Neuske’s; the sausage is boudin; and they’re calling Louisiana Fries by their more refined name, brabant potatoes. Beignets get upgraded with sweet praline caramel sauce, and you can have your meat candied, too, as praline bacon. Fried shrimp and corn waffles are a fun spin on ATL’s traditional chicken dish, and French toast is bananas Foster here, complete with fleur de sel vanilla ice cream, toasted pecans, and spiced rum sauce. The all-in Meaty Hugo’s Benedict piles on the protein with back bacon and boudin under a sous vide egg and melty cheese, all on French bread medallions. Wash it down with bottomless mimosas for just $20, or build your own Bloody Mary with up to four garnishes, as “filthy” as you like.

This Oaxacan restaurant's flavors provide a true sense of place. Chilaquiles and avocado toast are a given, but don’t settle for the familiar here. Enjoy handmade corn tortillas in the Huevos Ahogados al Josper with hoja santa, red salsa, and eggs; see how chicken tinga makes Enchiladas Suizas better; and rotate between three avocado entrees, co-starring a fried egg, tomatoes, arugula, and even fundido de queso with skirt steak, chicken, or quinoa. And don't overlook the extensive mezcal menu.

The General has landed in Sandy Springs, and people are excited. This James Beard semifinalist-helmed restaurant elevates New York delicatessen favorites with baked goods by pastry chef Chris Marconi, whose sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, and danishes are beloved eye-openers. All bagels are made from scratch, and go down easy with local Batdorf & Bronson coffee. For something heavier, the smoked hash, made with pastrami cured right in-house, red peppers, onion, cabbage, and sunny side-up eggs is a good choice, as is the scramble which features house-made corned beef. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with latkes for breakfast, which they’re calling Fish and Potatoes. It comes with nova, arugula, apples, and sour cream.

The extensive menu at this tapas bar and lounge puts a distinctly Iberian spin on brunch. Here Croque Madames feature Serrano ham, you can have patatas bravas as your home fries, the fried chicken sandwich is jazzed up with arugula and harissa aioli, and shrimp and grits is served as shakshuka. A plate called Americana Gordo is a loving promise, not a threat, and star merguez and garlic sausages, bone marrow, and fried eggs. If that’s a bit much, not to worry—that wood-fired bone marrow is available on its own with strawberry jam. If your brunch vibe is more lunchy, remember, it’s never too early for fresh pasta and meatballs.

This restaurant from the siblings behind Tin Can Fish House and Teela Taqueria is inspired by casual deli cafés. There’s a main dining room and an adjacent café for quick bites, but the from-scratch buttermilk biscuits headline in both. Five “bites” for $4 make them a must, but it’s hard to resist going for the country ham one, covering it in chicken sawmill gravy; sticking fried chicken with pimento cheese and house-made preserves in one; turning it into a spicy chicken Benedict (a favorite); or giving them the French toast treatment. There’s even an avocado toast version on whole wheat. But beyond that, there's chia pudding with their own granola, lots of sandwiches, frittatas, and chicken and Belgian waffles. Don’t skip the fries—they’re hand-cut and will work up your thirst for Illy coffee, $6 Bloodies, $5 Bellinis (or the whole bottle for just $18), and natural honey sodas.

Stylish, warm, and creative… and this isn’t just a description of their tasteful décor. This Latin-American restaurant puts an emphasis on quality ingredients and letting them shine in unexpected ways. Their flour and corn tortillas, tamales, and desserts are all made in house, and the pork, chicken, and brisket are smoked under their roof as well. Check out the open-faced frittata with chorizo, chihuahua cheese, and more, served with a biscuit to remind you where you are, and potato casserole, grits, or fruit. The seafood omelet is another packed pick, with shrimp, crab, bay scallops, and greens under chipotle cream, and while the meat pie feels a bit incongruous with its ground beef, puff pastry, and Coleman’s English mustard, it’s unique enough to give a try. Whatever you order, get it with a $7 mimosa at the very least, if you’re not going to splurge for the hibiscus flower Blooming Cava. Sangria’s available, too, in traditional red or “brilliante” with peach, bringing us back again to our local roots.

First off, Southern Bistro has a pet-friendly patio, which makes afternoon dining much more pleasant. They also have Gulf shrimp and grits with andouille and tomato pan gravy; Springer Mountain chicken tenders and half waffle with collards, maple, and white BBQ; and a Southern Benedict with ham, pimento cheese, green tomato chow-chow, and a soft-poached egg. Other distinguishing riffs include apple pancakes with sour cream, almonds, and maple syrup; Nashville hot chicken in omelet form, and a roasted chicken skillet with sweet potatoes, mushroom, kale, and apple with goat cheese and a runny egg. The breakfast biscuit is giant and fully loaded with fried chicken, bacon, egg, and cheese. The lunch choices are just as jam-packed—literally when it comes to the sweet pepper jelly-dressed fried green tomato and pimento cheese BLT, figuratively with a three-meat meatloaf and north Georgia rainbow trout.

Here, baked goods like sweet potato biscuits with honey butter, gluten-free banana nut muffins, and cinnamon rolls are doubly tempting, knowing that Rob Kapusta, who has worked under Alon Balshan of Dunwoody’s pride, Alon’s Bakery, is at the helm. The other half of Cupanion's duo is Patricia Quinata, whose win as Best Teen Chef in America 2003 was only just the start of a storied career. Look to their menu for a challah French toast casserole with bruleed banana and berries; quiche in gluten-free crust; an avocado toast that adds charred corn, queso fresco, and radish to the mix; vegan and egg-laden shakshuka, and a Cowboy Eggs Benedict with braised beef, Guajillo hollandaise, and cornbread. If you’re looking for something healthier, greens are the omelet default side, and they offer fun drinks like an immunity booster with lemon, ginger, turmeric, mint, and honey alongside treats like honey lavender lattes.

Who says brunch has to be heavy and uber-formal? Casual, Euro-chic Café Vendome serves up French bistro vibes as well as authentic, artisanal French baked goods. Order at least one croissant (ham with bechamel?) and save room for dessert. But one cannot subsist on pastry alone, so include some hot quiches filled with chicken chorizo or goat cheese and zucchini; Croque Madames on pain de mie; hot tartines like chicken curry or honeyed goat cheese; and local egg omelets with overseas flavors, such as salmon or vegetables with black olives and tomatoes. There’s no booze here, but fresh hand-squeezed orange juice and Intelligentsia coffee offer plenty of liquid lift.

These biscuits have flown quite some distance now since they first opened in 1993 in Atlanta’s own Candler Park, but they’re still Georgia-grown and proud. They’re known for their “creamy, dreamy grits” and their namesake biscuits, served all day in a retro “groovy, baby” kind of boho setting. Check out the Georgia Peaches and Cream waffles, which come topped with warm compote and honey crème anglaise with a side of chicken sausage. Try the cornmeal-coated fried green tomatoes, done differently with cashew-jalapeno relish and goat cheese. And while you won’t find poached eggs on the menu, you will see a lot of vegetarian-friendly options, including Beyond sausage, Morningstar Farms soysage, Love Cakes of black bean and cornmeal, and vegan scrambled tofu.

They call this location North Buckhead, but let’s be real—this is Sandy Springs and ought to be proud of it! This is technically part of a chain of 36 nationwide but only two exist here in Atlanta. They divert nearly 90% of waste from landfills and source responsibly and transparently, from small makers like Slopeside for real Vermont maple syrup to a house recipe Bloody Mary mix from The Real Dill and Tender Belly pork products. For those with FOMO, the pancake flights are great since you get three full-sized ones in any flavor, including the specials and their Pancake of the Week, revealed on Instagram weekly. Another way to have it all? The Spuds Deluxe is essentially a tower of custom-loaded hash browns. There’s plenty for those going more plant-based, too—tofu scrambles, sweet potato veggie smash-ups, soyrizo, faux meat, and so on.

This restaurant is only in three states, and we Atlantans are lucky Georgia’s one of them. In fact, we even get our own menu, and this family-owned, all-day breakfast brand sources locally for its locations. Nothing on their menu contains high-fructose corn syrup—they’re even launching their own proprietary maple-flavored syrup, a companion to their house-made berry jam. There's also a whole gluten-free menu of gluten-free that includes shakshuka, pancakes, skillets, omelettes, and scramblers. On the regular menu, notables include savory crepes like Cassie’s, which is filled with avocado, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, and cheese with house-made poppy seed dressing; quinoa breakfast bowls; and signature wheat pancakes, as well as variations like lemon poppy with lemon icing, cinnamon swirl with cinnamon cooked right in, and a Swedish version with lingonberry butter and lingonberries. As for signature drinks, they’re not serving their fresh-squeezed orange juice with champs, but many like it just fine laced with strawberry.

This quirky, informal concept may not be the only one in the world, but it is the only one in Georgia, owned and operated by a 20-year resident of Sandy Springs. Its “food truck-style menu” centers around waffling everything, from the Womelette—a whole breakfast in waffle form, with eggs, sausage, cheese, veggies, and tots—to biscuit sandwiches to hash browns, cinnamon rolls, and even avocado toast on waffled sourdough. Then there’s the stuffed waffles, and the more traditional ones that you can personalize with fruit, cereal, sweets, and ice cream. You’ll definitely need coffee to go with that, and they use a light roast small-batch roasted in a suburb of nearby Nashville. Enjoy it inside or on the dog-friendly patio. And bonus: Ordering at the counter takes all the stress out of splitting a bill.

This NC-based regional brand is led by four-time James Beard Award semifinalist Eric Gabrynowicz, whose prodigious skill is apparent in seasonal specials and elevated comfort food. Among these: cast iron pork in duck fat with sriracha honey; peppery 18-hour fried chicken laced with “bee dust;” spongy but crisp-edged sweet potato pancakes; and tangy cathead Biscuits for a Cause, proceeds of which benefit employees in need. Ask for extra house-made garlic ranch and pickles on the signature Asheville Hot Fried Chicken with the mac-and-cheese-embedded waffle. Wash it down with dry-hopped sweet tea, lots of Bloody Mary variations, and Mega mimosas in flavors like blueberry lavender and peach nectar.