

Spread the Love

I used to take my nieces to brunch in Seattle every Saturday after gymnastics. First, let me tell you this is an expensive habit. Second, at least it’s made me stay really on top of the brunch scene in Seattle.

While I’ve been to an obscene amount of places for brunch, there are a few I go back to again and again. Whether you prefer sweet items like pancakes and French toast or more savory dishes with eggs or meat, here are my favorite places to get brunch in Seattle and exactly what to order. Who knows, your next favorite brunch place might be below!

Last updated April 2020. Pin this so you can come back and see when new ones are added!



Best Brunch In North Seattle

Senor Moose

website | neighborhood: Ballard | 5242 Leary Ave NW | best for: casual, authentic Mexican breakfast

Senor Moose has one of my favorite brunches in town. That’s why I included them in my self-guided Seattle food tour of the Ballard neighborhood. They serve homemade Mexican dishes similar to what I’d imagine someone’s abuela making when they come visit after months away.

The decor is colorful and full of Mexican art and artifacts lining the walls. When you arrive, you might not be greeted, but you should put your name on the clip board on the counter. I’ve always had to wait if I roll in with more than 4 people, but around 1 pm or after tends to be when the crowds thin out. Or you can try going early when they open. They don’t take reservations.

In terms of what to order, I don’t even look at the menu because I always get the guacamole and homemade chips, chilaquiles with carne asada, egg and green sauce, and machaca con huevos (shredded beef with scrambled eggs). These dishes are all so flavorful. You can taste the chiles. You can taste the browning of the meat. You can taste the salt in the tortilla chips. Mexican flavors can taste muddled if the chef doesn’t know what they’re doing, but Senor Moose, well, they know.



Portage Bay Cafe

website | neighborhoods: Ballard, U-District, SLU | best for: typical brunch favorites with a twist

Portage Bay Cafe is a crowd pleaser because it has something for everyone. If you order any of the pancakes, waffles, or French toast, you’re entitled to take a trip up to the toppings bar that’s full of fruit, nuts, whipped cream, and more. Or, if you’re like me and prefer savory, there’s a ton of Benedict, hash, and egg dishes, too.

I always recommend getting the banana fosters French toast or the migas, which is a quesadilla-like dish with eggs. My favorite location to get this one at is in Ballard. Though it’s all the same company, I swear they make it best there.

Portage Bay always has a huge wait, so I recommend making a reservation. But don’t take the word “reservation” at face value. Basically this means you get to skip the line when you get there. You won’t have a table waiting for you when you get there.



Brunchbox Seattle

website | neighborhood: Phinney Ridge | 7410 Greenwood Ave N | best for: Hawaiian-inspired comfort food

This brunch place in Seattle is run by two people who work at Opus & Co. They run it as a popup inside Opus every Sunday where guests can find a more casual and affordable menu than what’s available at the restaurant typically. It’s small, but it features a list of creative spins on Hawaiian comfort food.

Take this scotch egg for example. It looks like your humble British fare, but it’s made with Portuguese sausage, the most irresistible pickled carrots, and a gravy that makes it reminiscent of the loco moco, which if read my 5-day Maui itinerary, you know I love.



RockCreek

website | neighborhood: Fremont | 4300 Fremont Ave N | best for: seafood forward, more refined dishes

Ahh, I remember the days when RockCreek first opened. You could consistently walk in to get a table with no wait. But fast forward to about one year in, and now you can’t get in without a reservation. But doing some planning ahead is worth it.

Definitely try their bacon and oyster Benedict. Surprisingly, there aren’t a ton of brunch places playing around with oysters at breakfast. RockCreek’s version is crispy goodness with a smooth homemade hollandaise sauce.

Another surprise stunner is the ricotta small plate with citrus. I believe ricotta is one of the best foods ever, but I don’t typically get it as a dish by itself. Well when I had a launch party with RockCreek for my self-guided Seattle food tour of Fremont, they served this dish. I was forever hooked because of its creaminess and brightness.

Also, on the last Sunday of every month they have a a hip hop brunch featuring a special pancake menu and some dope beats. I haven’t been to it, but anytime you throw a bit of old school beats or Jay-Z at me I’m going to like it.



Stoneburner

website | neighborhood: Ballard | 5214 Ballard Ave NW | best for: Italian dishes among inspiring decor

If you saw my post about the dishes you must eat in Seattle, you know Stoneburner has a special place in my heart. Lucky for you, my favorite dish is available for brunch.

Stoneburner has a lot of really great brunch dishes, but the one you must get is the carbonara. It’s so creamy and well balanced. The pancetta or lamb belly (they switch it up with the seasons) is fatty and salty, the Parmesan is packed with umami, the onions are sweet…gosh, I’m drooling just thinking about it!

This is one of the few places that you can still usually walk into without a reservation, but it may not last so always call ahead to be safe!



The Fat Hen

website | neighborhood: Ballard | 1418 NW 70th St | best for: a focused, farm-to-table style menu in a tiny space

The Fat Hen is a tiny little cafe that served baked goods and a focused farm-to-table-style menu. There is always an insane line, so don’t go here with large groups and prepare to wait. But it’s definitely worth it.

I highly recommend the prosciutto Benedict or one of the egg bakes. And make sure to sit by the window to get good lighting for the grams. 😉



Preserve and Gather

website | neighborhood: Greenwood | 358 NW 85th St | best for: a coffee shop with good food

If your crew loves good coffee and prefers to grab brunch quickly, head to Preserve and Gather. This coffee, slash cafe, slash wine bar serves a small, but super focused menu. My absolute favorites are the ricotta radish toast and the salted chocolate chip cookie. You might want to take a few of the latter for the road!



Best Brunch In Downtown Seattle

Harbor City

website | neighborhood: International District | 707 S King St | best for: low brow, fast-paced dim sum

No visit (heck, life) in Seattle is complete without dim sum. There are quite a few options, with Dough Zone or Din Tai Fung stealing most of the spotlight. However, my tried and true favorite is on of my favorite casual restaurants in Seattle: Harbor City.

Like all the best dim sum places, this place is a hole in the wall and one of the best cheap eats in Seattle. It’s always crowded on the weekends, so I recommend calling ahead to make a reservation. You’ll be dubious if your name really ever made it on a list, but when you get there they’ll push you up to the front of the line. Doing this has made it so I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes.

You often feel rushed as the staff rolls around quickly with carts of different dishes and steamer baskets. The ambiance is quintessential dim sum, so embrace it and get ready to order things left and right like it’s your last supper.

There are a ton of really solid choices here, but the dish I’m always looking out for is the shrimp and chive dumplings. They look kind of like the jiu cai bau shown here, so let’s say that’s what they’re called. Keep your eye out for dumplings that look like this and have sesame embedded into the crust from pan frying. This might be the best dim sum dish I’ve ever had, so if you see it, jump on it. And if you don’t, ask about it.



Lola

website | neighborhood: Downtown | 2000 4th Ave | best for: Mediterranean-forward dishes from a big-name chef

Lola’s is a Tom Douglas restaurant and, in my opinion, is the best one and a must-visit if you only have 24 hours in downtown Seattle. It consistently makes well-executed Mediterranean dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But one of my favorite meals there is brunch.

Make a reservation and don’t miss their homemade doughnuts. They bring it to your table in a paper bag, shake it up table side, and then pour them out on the table. They’re literally still warm and go so beautifully with the jam and mascarpone they serve.

Another winner is the house-cured gravlax plate. It brings back another wave of nostalgia from me, as it’s a dish you often find at Jewish delis or diners in Jersey and New York.



Bounty Kitchen

website | neighborhoods: Denny Triangle or Queen Anne | best for: farm-to-table style dishes you order from the counter

If you’re looking for a casual, order-at-the-counter breakfast spot that you likely won’t need to wait at but still has good food, go to Bounty Kitchen. It’s an airy cafe with yummy healthy-ish dishes.

My favorite is the good morning sweetheart sandwich, which has ham, egg, cheddar, arugula, and this seriously addictive sun-dried tomato paste. I also love that they serve water with fruits and veggies in it for a fresh take on flavored water.



Best Brunch In South Seattle

Ma’ono

website | 4626 26th Ave NE | neighborhood: West Seattle | | nest for: belly bomb Hawaiian dishes

Ma’ono is a gem of a place on California Ave in West Seattle. I remember first going there when it was called Spring Hill, where the menu was more refined and their famous fried chicken was only a nod at their more casual roots. But then they realized who they were and let it all out. They rebranded to Ma’ono, focused on their Hawaiian comfort food roots, and kept their fried chicken the backbone of the menu.

They’ve since grown to include a counter in U-Village, but they only serve fried chicken sandwiches there. For the good stuff, head to the West Seattle location.

When you go, make sure to get their fried chicken in one way or another. If you’re rolling deep, call at least a day ahead to reserve the whole bird for a fried chicken feast. Or, do what I usually do and get the French toast with chicken nuggets. It’s a simplified version of chicken and waffles, focusing on all meat and breading, no bone.

My other go-to is their fatty saimin ramen. I think it’s my favorite ramen in the city. It has a super deep, flavorful broth and melt-in-your-mouth pork belly.



Best Brunch In Capitol Hill

Glo’s

website | neighborhood: Capitol Hill | 1621 E Olive Way | best for: greasy spoon diner classics

I used to work by Glo’s, so when I was having a bad day I’d order brunch food for lunch and eat my feelings. What made it specifically comforting for me is the fact that Glo’s is the closest I’ve found to an east coast diner in Seattle, nostalgia I crave when things are chaotic.

East coast diners are known for greasy spoon fare. Think omelets, hash browns, and toast in obscene portions. And my favorite part of Glo’s menu is that they serve crispy shredded hash browns (which are far superior than just potato chunks) and cinnamon swirl toast.

Cinnamon swirl or raisin toast is an option at all good Jersey diners. Glo’s is the only place that I know of that offers this as a toast option. While I’d favor any egg dish that includes these two essential sides, Glo’s is also known for their egg Benedicts.

You can expect a big wait here and they don’t take reservations. But lucky for you, it’s in Capitol Hill, which is known for late nights and mornings. So get there when they open to try and beat the crowds.



Other Seattle Restaurants to Try

All in all, brunch is a big deal in Seattle, but there are a ton of other restaurants worth trying for other meals.





Other Articles You Might Like