Delicious Brunch Spots Across Austin, Texas
Brunch in Austin isn’t just a meal, it’s practically a weekend religion. From fluffy pancakes dripping with local honey to breakfast tacos that’ll make you question everything you thought you knew about morning food, this city serves up serious AM delights.
I’ve eaten my way through the capital’s most egg-cellent offerings to bring you the absolute best spots to cure your hangover or fuel your day.
1. Paperboy’s Heavenly Morning Feast
This outdoor brunch haven feels like stumbling into your coolest friend’s backyard party. Paperboy’s breakfast sandwiches aren’t just meals, they’re handheld masterpieces that’ll make you wonder why you ever settled for a basic bacon-egg-cheese.
Their Texas toast is toasted to golden perfection, then loaded with local ingredients that would make any farmer blush with pride. The patio seating under string lights creates a magical morning vibe that pairs perfectly with their cold brew.
2. Mother’s Ruin: Boozy Breakfast Paradise
Where else can you find a place that treats both cocktails and breakfast with equal religious devotion? Mother’s Ruin delivers hangover-healing plates alongside hair-of-the-dog concoctions that’ll have you feeling human again by noon.
Their chicken and waffles deserve a standing ovation, crispy, juicy, and drizzled with spicy honey that creates a flavor explosion. The industrial-chic space buzzes with energy even at 10am, filled with tattooed servers who somehow look fabulous despite probably closing the place down hours earlier.
3. Phoebe’s Diner: Retro Breakfast Bliss
Though I’m generally suspicious of any place trying too hard to be nostalgic, Phoebe’s Diner pulls off its retro vibe without a hint of pretension. The blue plate specials here transport you straight to a 1950s diner, if that diner had been blessed with modern culinary know-how.
Their biscuits and gravy feature scratch-made everything, with sausage gravy so rich it should come with its own tax bracket. Slide into a vinyl booth, order a bottomless coffee, and prepare for a meal that’ll have you planning your return visit before the check arrives.
4. Mattie’s at Green Pastures: Peacock-Approved Elegance
How many brunch spots come with their own peacocks? Mattie’s historic mansion setting makes every meal feel like you’ve crashed a fancy Southern garden party. The sprawling oak-shaded lawn and wrap-around porch create an atmosphere so charming it hurts.
When their buttermilk biscuits arrive, you’ll understand why they’ve been serving them since 1946. The milk punch cocktails pack a sneaky punch beneath their innocent appearance.
Don’t miss the chance to snap photos with the resident peacocks. They know their angles better than any influencer.
5. Bouldin Creek Café: Veggie Heaven That Converts Carnivores
Are you one of those people who thinks vegetarian breakfast means sad fruit plates and yogurt? Bouldin Creek will shatter those misconceptions faster than you can say “tofu scramble.” Their plant-based creations pack more flavor than most meat-laden joints in town.
The Renedict, their vegan take on eggs benedict, features a tofu English muffin situation that will make you question everything you thought you knew about breakfast.
The quirky interior, filled with local art and mismatched furniture, perfectly matches the South Austin vibe that keeps this place packed with tattooed locals.
6. Day Maker Half Day Café: Morning Magic In Mueller
Did someone finally create a brunch spot specifically engineered for Instagram? Day Maker’s impossibly photogenic interior makes even the most basic toast look like it deserves a magazine spread. But unlike other pretty places, the food actually lives up to the aesthetics.
Their avocado toast comes topped with watermelon radish slices and edible flowers that somehow taste as good as they look. The coffee program deserves its own fan club, featuring beans roasted just miles away.
The sunny corner spot fills quickly with Mueller residents pushing designer strollers and tapping away on MacBooks.
7. Mercado Sin Nombre: Taco Truck Treasure
When a place has no official name but still draws crowds at 8am, you know it’s serving something special. This unassuming taco truck parked on East Cesar Chavez slings the kind of breakfast tacos that haunt your dreams and ruin all other tacos forever.
The handmade flour tortillas have that perfect chew-to-fluff ratio that only abuelitas seem to master. Each taco comes stuffed with eggs so perfectly scrambled they must involve some kind of witchcraft.
Cash only, no website, and absolutely worth the wait in a line that starts forming before the sun rises.
8. Comadre Panadería: Pan Dulce Paradise
However you’ve been starting your mornings is wrong if it doesn’t involve Comadre’s conchas. This woman-owned panadería blends traditional Mexican baking techniques with local Texas ingredients to create pastries that will make you weep with joy.
The sweet bread selection changes daily, but if you spot the churro croissant, buy two, one for now and one for the inevitable craving that will hit an hour later. Their Mexican hot chocolate comes topped with a cinnamon-dusted cloud of whipped cream that should be legally classified as a controlled substance.
The tiny shop fills with the scent of butter and sugar by 7 am.
9. Citizen’s Café: Downtown’s Hidden Jewel
Are you tired of waiting two hours for eggs? Citizen’s remains mysteriously under-the-radar despite serving some of downtown’s most satisfying morning fare. The sunny corner spot somehow maintains a neighborhood vibe despite being surrounded by office towers.
Their breakfast sandwich, served on a house-made English muffin with a perfectly jammy egg, deserves its own fan club. The baristas remember regulars’ orders and actually seem happy to see you, a rarity in our increasingly automated world. Snag a window seat to people-watch as downtown wakes up around you.
10. Texas Honey Ham Company: Meat Lovers’ Morning Mecca
Though located in a strip mall that screams “nothing to see here,” Texas Honey Ham Company houses breakfast sandwich secrets that locals try to keep to themselves. The family-run spot smokes and glazes their ham in-house, creating meat candy that puts all other pork products to shame.
Their signature breakfast tacos come wrapped in buttery flour tortillas that somehow never get soggy despite their generous fillings. The no-frills interior features Texas memorabilia and communal tables where tech bros sit elbow-to-elbow with construction workers.
Everyone speaks the universal language of “holy cow, this ham is incredible.”
