We are big believers that brunch is not a specific type of food or a set hour, but rather a mental state. Any remotely breakfast-themed item can be deemed brunch if eaten before 2 p.m. at a leisurely pace and with more enjoyment than you typically have scarfing down a piece of toast on your way to work. Hence our roundup of offerings that may not meet the normal standard of what “brunch” is defined as, but we are defining it as an experience, not just a meal eaten instead of breakfast and lunch.
Whether you prefer your brunch served with a side of bottomless mimosas or a Fretboard latte, there are plenty of local restaurants to satisfy any pancake or eggs benedict craving. Not comfortable dining out? Order curbside or pick-up from any of the following restaurants to enjoy superb food in the comfort of your home — and you’ll already be set up for the food-induced coma sure to follow.
A little spice
Glenn’s Café
Glenn’s Café’s New Orleans-inspired dishes are no match for your spicy breakfast hankerings. Try the Eggs Nouvelle Orleans with shrimp, crab and crawfish cakes, sunny side up eggs and hollandaise sauce or the Chicken and Waffle with cayenne-maple bacon syrup. Breakfast cocktails include traditional Bloody Marys and mimosas, along with a white peach sangria and the Dirty Money, made with gin, freshly muddled avocado, cucumber and mint and topped with Sierra Mist.
Saturday – Sunday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Classic favorites
Room38
With menu items like lobster eggs benedict, candied bacon and coconut French toast, Room38’s brunch is the perfect spot if you like a combination of traditional breakfast items and out-of-the-box ideas. Try one of their specialty Bloody Mary cocktails, made with infused vodkas such as ghost pepper or pickled vodka or opt for the bottomless mimosas if you don’t have any Sunday plans. When the weather is warm enough, their outdoor seating and decorative “Cheers” backdrop make for the perfect photo op.
Sundays 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Allergy-friendly
Range Free
Do you or a friend or family member have food allergies but still want to enjoy brunch out? Range Free’s delicious but diet restriction-friendly menu items are the perfect choice. Try their Belgian-style waffles made without egg, dairy or yeast, or a quiche made with a gluten-free quinoa crust. Range Free has a few more traditional offerings, including biscuits and gravy made with Patchwork Family Farms sausage and a Biscuit Sammich, with your choice of two toppings on a buttermilk cheddar biscuit.
Wednesday – Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., serving breakfast all day, unless sold out
Upscale bites
Eleven11
Looking for a perfect place for a breakfast date for you and your significant other or a group of girlfriends? Eleven11 is the ideal photo-op spot. Try one of their takes on eggs benedict, such as the Oscar with asparagus and crab cakes or a crimini mushroom frittata with sauteed spinach and bacon. Or, sip on a latte and munch on a Nutella turnover if you’re looking for something a little sweeter.
Monday – Sunday 6 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Breakfast pizza
Tellers
If you haven’t tried Tellers’ breakfast pizza, you are definitely missing out. With a peppered gravy sauce, eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese, it’s just the right remedy to either a late night out or an early morning cheese craving. Tellers’ other brunch offerings include items such as chicken and waffles, French toast, blueberry pancakes and a hash scramble that rotates every Sunday. Enjoy your brunch window-side with a mimosa or bloody Mary, the way Tellers is meant to be enjoyed.
Sundays 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hipster hits
Café Berlin
You can’t go wrong ordering any of Café Berlin’s weekend brunch dishes, but we have a few favorites. Try the Walt, a waffle served with avocado, chipotle mayo, bacon, tomato, mixed greens and a fried egg or the Pulled Pork Hash, made with Patchwork Farms pulled pork, roasted potatoes, sautéed peppers and onion and topped with pickled red onion, jalapeno, chipotle aioli and a poached egg and served with Uprise Bakery rye. Looking for a weekday breakfast out? Café Berlin also offers a Monday through Friday breakfast menu with many of the same hits.
Carry out only Thurs-Mon 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hearty homestyle
Broadway Brewery
True to its pub-like feel, Broadway Brewery’s brunch offerings include hearty dishes sure to curb your appetite and leave you ready for a weekend nap. Try the croissant sandwich with scrambled eggs, Milton cheddar and ham or the corned beef hash with a side of creamed greens or home fries. For something a little lighter, sample the Smoked Salmon Bagel with cream cheese, pickled red onion, capers and arugula. The brewery offers Bloody Marys and mimosas, as well as the Michelada, a Flor Blanca Mexican lager and house-made Michelada mix to wash it down.
Sundays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Switching it up
Beet Box
Beet Box is like a box full of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be delicious. With a fixed-price three-course offering, the possibilities are endless. Their Sunday brunch rotates every week, but past dishes have included chorizo hash with Stanton Brothers eggs, apple pancakes, candied walnuts and a Waves apple cider maple syrup and Huaraches with charred poblanos, radishes, queso fresco and frilly mustard greens.
Sundays 10 a.m. until sold out
Missouri-themed menus
Meriwether Café & Bike Shop
With dish names such as the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis & Clark, Meriwether Café’s breakfast is sure to please any Missourian. The Louisiana Purchase comes with two buttermilk pancakes, sausage or bacon, eggs and home fries. For beverages, try their Bloody Meri, a mimosa or a Fretboard coffee.
Monday – Tuesday; Thursday – Sunday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.
Meal with a view
Les Bourgeois Bistro
For an Instagram-worthy brunch, head to the Les Bourgeois Bistro. Their food offerings range from bacon pancakes with feta, chives and maple syrup to chicken and waffles with bleu cheese cream sauce, fruit and whipped cream. And while you’re at a winery, you might as well try a cocktail or two. Order the Bistro Mary, served with a charcuterie skewer, or the Paloma made with Jose Cuervo, lime juice, club soda and grapefruit juice.
Thursday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.;
Sunday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Vegetarian & vegan cuisine
Main Squeeze
Whether you choose to be vegetarian or vegan for health or ethical reasons, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice taste. Main Squeeze’s breakfast offering are the perfect solution to what can be drab vegetarian cuisine elsewhere. Try the Vegan Egg Sandwich with Dave’s 21 Whole Grain Bread, Violife vegan cheddar, tomato, onion, spinach, avocado and chipotle mayo or the Egg Benedict Bomb with blackberry jalapeno jam, eggs, spinach, onion, tomato, tofu bacon, hollandaise sauce.
Monday – Sunday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Sweet treats
Sophia’s
Sophia’s takes on French toast will leave even the sweetest tooth satisfied. Try the tiramisu French toast with coffee-infused maple syrup, cocoa and powdered sugar or the Frangelico monkey bread with house-made dough baked with cinnamon, sugar and butter and topped with Frangelico cream cheese icing. Sophia’s also offers savory takes including a Lobster and white truffle quiche, basil asiago breakfast steak and truffled benedict mornay. Drink offerings are broad, and include brunch go-tos such as Mimosas and Bloody Marys, as well as a host of other options.
Sundays 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Waffles
Günter Hans
Although, if you don’t like waffles, there is either something wrong with you or you’ve never had a truly amazing waffle. Günter Hans’ liege waffles made with Belgian pearl sugar, which creates a caramelized glaze are sure to convert you. For a sweet take on a classic indulgence, try The
Monte, with ham, cheese and European jam nestled between liege waffles.
Saturdays 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Farm-to-table
Barred Owl Butcher & Table
Columbia’s newest brunch offering just launched in January, but it’s already a local favorite. From unique takes on eggs benedict, such as the Trout Cake Benedict with a hominy and cornmeal cake, poached locally raised trout meat and poached eggs, hollandaise and home fries to Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp & Grits, Barred Owl’s offerings live up to their unique farm-to-table dishes they’ve become so popular for. With more than 10 breakfast cocktails (and a few more non-alcoholic options), it’s the perfect spot for brunch with girlfriends or just because. Sip on the Birdogey, made with lemon vodka, Rieger’s Caffe Amaro, Montenegro Amaro, lemon juice, honey, club soda and double strength Fretboard coffee, Principal Bartender Andrew Ruth’s take on the lemon-coffee flavor combination trending right now.
Saturday – Sunday 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Pub grub
44Stone
Six satisfying pub-inspired brunch dishes make 44Stone stand out. Try the bread pudding with Irish cream liqueur and whiskey custard, maple syrup, vanilla Chantilly cream, soft fried eggs and house-made bacon or the Smoked Salmon Hash with brown sugar dill cured smoked salmon, crisp seasoned potatoes, onion, baby arugula, poached eggs and lemon hollandaise sauce. Their rotating Sunday roast offering is always a hit as well. Drink offerings include a Bacon Bloody Mary, Sunrise Mimosa and traditional Bloody Mary. Along with, of course, all their awesome ales and brews.
Sundays 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
