The Best Breakfast Spots in Boston

Christina Ng/Thrillist
Christina Ng/Thrillist

Let’s face it, brunch is the charmer that gets all the attention, but breakfast is the one working for you day in and day out. Also, if your mother/WebMD is to be believed, it's the most important meal of the day. So whether you’re looking for a bagel with cream cheese, a sausage-and-egg sandwich, or an all-out continental buffet, these are the 12 best breakfast joints in Boston.

Henrietta's Table

Harvard Square
What you’re getting: Malted waffle and red flannel hash
 
Henrietta’s Table is your classic farmhouse kitchen nestled inside Harvard Square's Charles Hotel -- but don't let the fact that it's in a hotel deter you. Known for its hearty, New England farm-to-table fare and local ingredients, HT serves up burly breakfast plates like cream chipped beef on buttermilk biscuits and sirloin with eggs, not to mention its popular red flannel hash with poached eggs and malted waffle with homemade apple butter.

Blunch

South End
What you’re getting: Sausage eggwich and a chocolate chip cookie
 
Sometimes you just want a sandwich for breakfast and for those times, you go to Blunch. Think thick, fluffy frittata-style eggwiches and warm toasty bagels filled with melted mozzarella, smoked turkey, and spicy aioli.
 

Dave Baldwin/Thrillist

Bay Village
What you’re getting: Breakfast torta and The Fancy sandwich
 
Mike and Patty’s may be a small sandwich shop with a small kitchen in a small Boston neighborhood, but its breakfasts pack a big punch. Actually, everything it whips up is delicious. So when you show up and realize there's nowhere to sit inside, don't walk away. Grab your breakfast torta and go find a park bench.

Christina Ng/Thrillist

Fort Point, Cambridge, Back Bay, South End
What you’re getting: Breakfast egg sandwich and pecan sticky bun
 
First, it was the famous pecan sticky buns, and now it’s an over-the-top, butter- and sugar-infused croissant called a kouign-amann. Flour has been Boston's breakfast bakery of choice since it opened in 2000, and thankfully now boasts four locations about town.

Courtesy of Zaftig's

Brookline
What you’re getting: Banana stuffed French toast, potato pancakes, and corned beef hash and eggs
 
The only complaint about breakfast at this Jewish deli is that weekend lines can be OUTRAGEOUS. Luckily, Zaftigs serves breakfast all day, every day. Enjoy fan favorites like the challah French toast and the corned beef hash and eggs.

The Friendly Toast

Kendall Square
What you’re getting: Friendly Toast Benny, breakfast burrito, and Green Eggs and Ham
 
When your best-known dishes include “Green Eggs and Ham” and the “Sklarmageddon” (which the restaurant describes as “chaos personified in an omelette"), the place better be something special. Friendly Toast doesn't disappoint. A spinoff of the popular Portsmouth, NH, spot of the same name, this funky, retro breakfast joint (with a full bar) has been a Kendall Square/MIT favorite since 2009 and serves your favorite morning fare until 10pm.

Johnny's Luncheonette

Newton
What you’re getting: Crunchy French toast and Madeline Omelette
 
This throwback, '50s-style diner has been Newton’s go-to breakfast spot for over 20 years. Expect perfectly crunchy French toast, fluffy omelets, and flapjacks stacked nice and high -- unless you order the short stack.

Ames Street Deli

Kendall Square
What you’re getting: Bacon and egg donut and the honey butter corn muffin
 
Ames Street Deli is somewhat of a hidden gem for breakfast because it’s mainly known for its cocktails and artisanal sandwiches like the smoked char rillette or beef jibarito. But when the sun rises, the brains behind ASD (and Journeyman and Study) also whip up insane breakfast eats like scrambled egg donuts, honey butter corn muffins, and a bacon and piquillo cheese breakfast sandwich.

Christina Ng/Thrillist

South End
What you’re getting: Buttery breakfast sandwich and an almond croissant
 
After munching on this popular South End bakery's famed breakfast burrito or buttermilk sandwich, be sure to grab a pastry for the road to satisfy your afternoon sweet tooth. The banana walnut muffin or a doggie cupcake (inspired by the owner’s three dogs Madison, Harriet, and Dexter) is definitely your move.

Christina Ng/Thrillist

Davis Square
What you’re getting: Halloumi sandwich, spinach pie, and lavender biscuit
 
This cozy cafe tucked away just off Davis Square draws in locals with its espresso, homemade pastries, and breakfast faves like lox on toast, egg and feta sandwich, and the best spinach pie this side of the Charles River.

Sound Bites

Ball Square
What you’re getting: Challah French toast, 2^3 Royale
 
Weirdly, there’s a competitor with a similar menu that sells breakfast food right next door. And the owners have actually engaged in fisticuffs. But locals know that if there's a table available, you go into Sound Bites first. Around for almost two decades and known for the large portions, it truly is Somerville's breakfast gem.

Christina Ng/Thrillist

Allston/Brighton
What you’re getting: BU/BC Sampler and cheesy French toast

More than even the chocolate chip pancakes or banana caramel pecan French toast, In House Cafe is known for its eclectic cafe space and mish-mash of chairs, sofas, and tables. The breakfast/brunch menu is 14 pages (!!) and includes everything from fennel crepes and a Mediterranean omelette, to apple cinnamon pancakes and fruit-filled French toast.

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Christina Ng is a Boston-based food and recipes writer. She's one of those annoying girls who has to take a picture of everything she eats. Follow her @EastMeetsKitchn or see what she's cooking in the kitchen at EastMeetsKitchen.com.