Top 3 Best Local Brunch Spots in Seattle

Hipsters love brunch. It is a simple fact of life that the flannel-clad masses will line up around the block to spend $40 on eggs every weekend. Local bars and restaurants have responded in overwhelming numbers delivering high-quality menus composed of smoked salmon benedicts and fully loaded bloodies. If you, like me, enjoy nursing your hangover with a couple of cocktails surrounded by a group of twenty of your closest friends, brunch in Seattle needs to be a part of your next trip to the city.

Don’t worry, Seattle is no New York. We don’t expect you to be dressed to the nines, and showing up in sweatpants and a beanie is completely fine at all the places on this list. Judgement goes out the window when you are stuffing your face with greasy chicken and syrup smothered waffles. Those uptight New Yorker’s are doing it wrong, in my opinion.

The biggest drawback to the Seattle Brunch Culture is that the sheer number of options is overwhelming. It feels as though every restaurant in town has come out with a brunch offering to keep up with the Joneses. How then does one choose where to eat? Locals definitely have an advantage here because we can try out two new brunch spots every weekend. However, if you only have a couple of days in town and are looking to fill up on overpriced delicacies or drown your shame in mimosas, you need to be much more strategic with your choices. To assist with the decision-making process, I have curated a list of the best local brunch spots in Seattle.

Americana

Americana is listed at the top because it is the number one place I bring out-of-town guests. It is located in the center of everything, on Broadway in Capitol Hill. I want to preface this next statement by saying that I am not a sweet breakfast person. I don’t eat waffles, pancakes, french toast…ever. Unless I go to Americana. Their french toast is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I am a pretty harsh food critic and compliments like this are hard to come by. I kid you not, every single time I have been to this restaurant, I get a side of the french toast topped with whatever rotating fruit compote comes with it that day. Sometimes I dream about it. Joker Gaming It’s that good.

Smith

Smith was my first brunch love. When I moved to the city, I was on the prowl for a spot that I could call my own. Somewhere that I felt safe, at home, and where I could eat my feelings in peace. Smith quickly became that place for me. The staff are awesome, the food is consistently high quality with a rotating seasoning menu, and the atmosphere can’t be beat. It is located in a more residential part of Capitol Hill, away from the hustle and bustle of Broadway which makes the experience feel a bit more intimate. The decor throws people off sometimes, but I personally feel that it adds to the charm.

Capitol Cider

This is the most underrated brunch spot I have ever been to. In layman’s terms, that means NO LINES. This place is on Broadway too, and there are STILL NO LINES. Every time I have been here, I have had the same server, sat in the same booth and been one of only a handful of customers. I am slowly working my way through their menu, and there has not been one item I haven’t liked so far. My personal favorite is the goat cheese and mushroom scramble. I distinctly remember my eyes rolling into the back of my head after the first bite. Enjoy.

So you may be wondering, why are all the places I listed are on Capitol Hill. Where is the variety? Well, that is an excellent question. First of all, I don’t have a car so going to restaurants in other neighborhoods costs me an arm and a leg. Second, I figure that because the rent on Capitol Hill is insanely expensive, the restaurants that exist there have to be pretty damn good. That theory hasn’t been proven wrong yet. So if you are in or around the Hill on a Saturday or Sunday and you get a craving for Hollandaise sauce. I promise you won’t be disappointed.