Ah, brunch, that beautiful weekend meal perfect for the late sleeper, the mildly hungover, or for any of us who want to fancy things up a bit while also eating off two different types of menus. For indeed, while brunch is partially about the time of day you eat it—which is in the mid to later morning—it’s also about combining the types of food you associate primarily with breakfast and the foods you think of as lunch fare.
And while many people associate brunch only with special occasions, like Mother’s Day, there are actually many restaurant chains that offer excellent brunches all year round. Brunch is booming for some restaurants, reports FSR Magazine. And for the record, we’re not talking about breakfast-centric chains like IHOP or Denny’s; today, we’re looking at restaurants you already associate with rather more elevated foods, from the steakhouse to the seafood restaurant. The weekend mid-day meal has become an important revenue stream for high-end restaurants like STK Steakhouse and Fogo de Chão.
The benefit of brunch at some of these higher-end restaurants is being able to taste some of the food without the higher dinner prices. The restaurants that do brunch right weave in what they’re known for into the brunch classics. A restaurant needs to stick to its strengths, says CEO of Fogo de Chão Barry McGowan, “Make sure you can execute against what your version of brunch is for your brand.” For Fogo de Chão that’s keeping the Brazilian flair and core items available while also offering brunch favorites. Here are seven chains to visit for the best brunch.
There are two dozen Chart House restaurants spread out all across America, and each location is prized for unique architecture and great views. What all Chart House restaurants have in common are excellent seafood and a great Sunday brunch. And in true bunch fashion, the menu spans from classic breakfast eats like omelets and bacon to perfect lunch foods like clam chowder and salad.
If you want to enjoy the seafood brunch eats from this seafood restaurant, consider the Crab Cake Sandwich or Shrimp & Grits. Just note that the latter costs $24, while the former will set you back $32—but if you’re comparing that to the dinner menu, you’re getting quite a deal. And where else can you get Prime Rib Hash and Eggs or Eggs Benedict with jumbo lump crab, asparagus, Boursin cheese, and fried green tomatoes?
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The brunch at Kona Grill is another true blending of a breakfast menu and a lunch menu. There are omelets and avocado toast—Spicy Lobster Avocado Toast, mind you—and there are cheeseburgers and fried chicken sandwiches. There are also some wild options like Kona Loco, which consists of seared Spam, jasmine rice, sautéed onions, shiitake mushrooms, furikake, eggs, and ‘loco’ sauce.
Kona Grill also has a rich beverage menu accompanying its brunch foods, with bottomless “Kona-Mosas” in six different flavors, 12 signature cocktails, five different types of margaritas, beer and wine, and more all available to those late-morning diners.
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If you want to experience a brunch that will outmatch even the most dedicated of eaters, then the Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chāo is the place to go. As with dining at this meat-centric restaurant during afternoon or evening hours, the weekend brunch menu is an all-you-can-eat affair for just $53.50 per person (at last check, and drinks are more).
That price gets you as much beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and certain sides as you want and sides including crispy polenta and mashed potatoes. The Market Table, which comes with your brunch offers exotic fruits, charcuterie, Belgian waffles, made-to-order omelets, and more. If you want other brunch entrées, like Pan-Seared Salmon or Cauliflower Steak, you can get those instead of the prix fixe experience.
If you find yourself in Florida—specifically in Miami Beach, Pembroke Pines, Aventura, or Kendall, Florida—head to Pubbelly Sushi for one very unique brunch meal. On the Pubbelly Sushi brunch menu are offerings like a Spicy Hamachi Tiradito, which is made with garlic, sesame seeds, jalapeño cream, Fresno chili, and yuzu truffle, and a Cuban Bao Bun, which consists of pork belly, onion, mojo passion fruit, Dijon mustard, pickles, and Swiss cheese. It’s a small menu, with just five food options in total, but each is worth a visit.
If you want one hearty bunch—dare we say a meaty brunch—then the upscale offerings at STK Steakhouse will serve you well. You can order truly unique dishes like Smoked Pork Belly Benedict, Hot Chicken and Waffle, Truffle Steak & Egg, and Cinnamon French Toast, to name a few of STK’s weekend brunch entrées.
Just note, of course, that when you get a white tablecloth steakhouse restaurant’s brunch, you pay upscale steakhouse rates. That French toast, for example? It costs $21 at STK’s Midtown Manhattan location. And the Truffle Steak & Egg? That’s a $44 meal. You can offset the costs by taking full advantage of the bottomless Mimosas or Bloody Marys, which cost $16 and $20, respectively.
This Italian restaurant has multiple locations in and around New York City and in Upstate New York along with a few in other states up and down the East Coast. (It also has a decent international presence spanning from South America to Asia.) And on the weekends, Serafina has some excellent brunch offerings.
These include breakfast fare like the American Omelet with ham and cheese, the Egg White Frittata, and Smoked Salmon Benedict, but there are also some unique options like the Gourmet Di Serafina white pizza and the Al Porcini pizza, which is topped with mushrooms and herbs.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday head to the steakhouse chain Ruth’s Chris for a brunch that will blow your mind. Try entrees like Petit Filet and Spicy Crab which is a six-ounce filet mignon topped with crabmeat and a spicy sriracha mayonnaise drizzle. Or, try the Cajun Tenderloin Eggs Benedict which features a blackened steal, creamed spinach, cheddar biscuit, poached eggs, and house-made hollandaise. You cannot go wrong with any of the high-end creations on the short brunch menu. The chain has about 147 locations worldwide, so you’re bound to be near one.
