In America, the simple pleasures of breakfast have been elevated to an art form. So banish any thoughts of soggy cereal and burnt toast. Instead, settle in for a feast that could include anything from eggs Benedict and pancakes to burritos, beignets and rice bowls. You could live off breakfast for the rest of your days and never be bored – but where can you get the best in the USA? From cosy diners to trendy cafés, we reveal the top breakfast spots in every US state, counting down to the greatest of them all.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the very best breakfast joints in every US state.
We've based our ranking on genuine user reviews, awards and accolades, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.
Looking for a big cowboy breakfast? Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, one of the oldest continuously operating joints in the state, opens its doors at 6am. There are omelettes, hot cakes, Texas toast and French toast, but the real star of the show here is the steak and eggs, which comes with hash browns and buttered toast or a biscuit. Choose your cut from T-bone, rib-eye, sirloin or fillet. Inexpensive and with generous portion sizes, this place is Oklahoma City’s best-kept secret.
With three bustling locations around Arizona, hip brunch spot Prep & Pastry has the weekday crowds hooked on its fancy coffees and pastries, while the weekenders pile in for cocktails and creative brunch dishes. Standouts include the Cast Iron Duck Confit, featuring braised duck, cherries, over-easy eggs, potatoes and goats’ cheese mousse, and the Monte Cristo: a ham, Swiss cheese and pineapple-jalapeño mascarpone French toast sandwich.
Loud and colourful, The Breakfast Club lends itself both to casual breakfast meetings and weekend brunches alike. Its busy menu is full of indulgent choices like a huge, juicy beef burger with ham, bacon, Gouda and a fried egg (called the Rise and Shine), loaded hash browns and bacon and egg tacos. Its cocktail menu is equally striking and features a drinks flight that includes a peach Bellini, watermelon Mimosa and Piña Colada.
The quaintest New England breakfast place you’ve ever seen, Up For Breakfast’s dining room is reached by heading up a set of stairs as if entering someone’s home. Inside, you’ll find a yellow-walled café that looks like it hasn’t been renovated since the 1990s. Long-time favourites include French toast, eggs Benedict and pancakes with a side of blueberry venison. Make sure you save room for the delectable strawberry rhubarb scones.
The omelettes at Hen House Eatery, a much-loved breakfast restaurant in Minneapolis, are something to behold. The namesake Hen House Omelette is filled with chicken, hash browns, caramelised onions, mushrooms and mozzarella, then it's topped with creamy béchamel – yet it still feels light and crunchy thanks to the odd-but-delicious inclusion of apples, almonds and spinach. Doesn’t take your fancy? You can also build your own.
Customers can’t stop talking about the quality of the breakfast at Miss Shirley’s Cafe. Its Coconut Cream Stuffed French Toast, made with challah and brûlée bananas, has even appeared on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Meanwhile, its Southern Slammer Sandwich with fried green tomato, smashed avocado, Cheddar and a fried egg on pumpernickel has been called the best in America multiple times. It has three locations in Baltimore and one in Annapolis.
Everyone knows the place to go when you’re in need of a strong coffee and hearty breakfast in Boise is the bustling Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro. The extensive menu includes frittatas, smoked salmon hash, pancake stacks and Andalusian eggs (poached eggs with hot marinara and peppers). Plus, you can customise almost anything with extra toppings. It’s totally worth the wait time.
A fan favourite, Sabrina’s Café is a cool and quirky brunch restaurant with a vintage feel – thanks to the wavy orange and brown wallpaper – and a bright and breezy outdoor patio. At the Art Museum outpost, the colossal cannoli French toast with challah, cannoli cream, wild berry sauce, whipped cream and crunchy cannoli crumbles is the top hitter.
Trendy brunch spot Milk & Honey is absolutely worth the hype. Customers rave about the friendly service, and if there’s a line for tables, there’s a digital waitlist that shows you how many tables are in front of you. The menu features pastries, shareable salads and fancy meat and cheese-topped sourdough toasts. A favourite is the Hot Mess, a bacon and egg biscuit with avocado, pickled red onion, hot pepper jam, chipotle cream and cheese. The fresh juices and coffee are also superb.
Open nice and early, Cheryl’s on 12th is a charming café owned by the incredibly passionate Cheryl and Ed Casey. Its signature and most-ordered dish is the Portuguese fried rice with linguica sausage (an Italian chilli and smoke-cured sausage), avocado and spring onions. Visually, it looks divine – and, taste-wise, it has just the right amount of spice.
Breakfast gets seriously creative (and indulgent) at this much-loved spot in historic Willimantic. The main menu is enormous and packed with every kind of omelette, breakfast sandwich and Benedict you could imagine. Regulars also recommend keeping an eye on the constantly changing specials board, which features delights such as the hash brown Benedict, loaded Southwestern breakfast fries and peanut butter chocolate chip waffle.
A cute breakfast and lunch place with a menu that reflects a number of diverse cultural influences, Onefold has two locations – one in Uptown and one in Union Station. Its breakfast burrito is a hearty tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, Mexican cheese, duck fat-fried potatoes and chilli. The congee, a savoury rice porridge topped with duck confit, a poached egg, scallions, ginger and chilli oil, will keep you full until lunch.
At quirky café Jimmy’s Cafe, where the walls are covered in photographs of celebrities named Jimmy, the offering is exactly what you’d expect from a New Mexican establishment. There are huevos rancheros, breakfast enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos, and most items incorporate a delicious, creamy green chile with just the right amount of heat.
Customers love the tiny Ladybird Diner in student-centric Lawrence because even its most basic dishes, such as avocado toast, are made exciting with high-quality ingredients. Local sourdough is topped with mashed avocado, two eggs how you like them, marinated heirloom tomatoes, pickled onions, olives, orange zest and herbs. Need we say more?
Parisian-inspired bakery Ellie’s keeps itself well stocked with what are probably the best croissants in Rhode Island, as well as what’s definitely some of the best monkey bread in the whole of the USA. Plus, Ellie’s signature egg and cheese breakfast sandwich is set off by the most flavourful tomato jam. If you have a big appetite, add smashed avocado, a second egg or greens for an extra cost.
According to locals who’ve been frequenting this quaint café for years, the best breakfast in Oxford can be found at Big Bad Breakfast. Popular with everyone, from students to retirees, the spot is known for its Big Bad Breakfast skillet with three scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, onions, hash browns, Cheddar and toast or a buttery biscuit on the side. The service is very attentive, too.
Trendy breakfast spot Banter was made for the Instagram era with pleasing pink walls, green foliage and food served on eclectic ceramic plates. Savoury sorts should check out the Golden Folded Eggs: delicious scrambled eggs with mushrooms, top-quality crispy bacon, salad and avocado on sourdough. Dessert lovers might like to try the Nutella Stuffed French Toast, complete with berries and maple syrup.
Old-fashioned establishment Bayside American Cafe is as much known for its outstanding service as its carefully crafted breakfast plates. Think eggs Benedict with smoked sausage, house-made corn cakes, poached eggs and spicy hollandaise, and giant cinnamon bun pancakes. Brunch runs from 7am until 2pm, which is early enough to fit in a bite before work.
Guests of the charming, red-bricked Fat Hen are fanatical about it. The eggs Benedict, with a choice of crab, smoked salmon, pancetta, Black Forest ham or avocado, comes with a side of crispy smashed fingerling potatoes and the yolk is served perfectly soft. Meanwhile, the Sweet Toast with ricotta, marmalade and crushed pink peppercorns on sourdough is a perfect light snack.
It’s hard to separate the genuinely good restaurants from the tourist traps in New Orleans but, once you’ve visited Ruby Slipper, you'll be glad you persevered. Its specialities include shrimp and grits (shrimp is sautéed with meat, peppers and onions in a buttery beer sauce and served over creamy grits) and the best biscuits and gravy customers claim to have ever tasted. It’s so popular that you have to add your name to a waiting list even during the week – though there are now seven locations to choose from.
A smart breakfast and lunch spot that's been open since 1989, Cafe Patachou is buzzing every day of the week. Looking for a light bite? Check out the thick, buttery wholewheat toast sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. In the mood for something heavier? Go with the Cuban Breakfast, a fresh dish featuring a fried egg, Cheddar, avocado, sour cream and spinach-jalapeño pesto over rice and beans. Over the years it has grown into a mini chain, with seven locations around the city.
Alaskan breakfast spot Snow City Cafe has been feeding happy customers in downtown Anchorage since 1998. It's known for its house versions of classic dishes, such as 'Oscar Style' eggs Benedict with poached eggs, tomato, snow crab and Béarnaise sauce, and stuffed French toast made with baguette, berry cream cheese, toasted walnuts, berry butter and syrup.
The home of delicious Millionaire’s Bacon – the thickest, chewiest pork rashers you’ve ever tasted, slow cooked in sugar and spicy peppers – Sweet Maple is a stylish neighbourhood hangout. Recent menu additions include Korean fried rice topped with a fried egg and bacon, and SM Omurice, a dish of scrambled eggs served with rib-eye, spinach, potato, jasmine rice and pan sauce, inspired by a Japanese omelette and rice dish.
One for the early risers, Helen’s Sausage House opens shop at 4am to begin slinging its iconic sandwiches, which are up there with the best in America. Helen's famous breakfast dogs feature two exceptionally good sausage links, plus a fried egg and melted cheese, in a bun. What’s more, this quirky roadside restaurant's interior has a strong Elvis Presley theme.
Located on the aptly named Sugar Hill, Polly’s Pancake Parlor is a rustic diner (known for its lovely light pancakes) that has been delighting customers since 1938. Choose a batter from options such as cornmeal, buckwheat and oatmeal, plus add-ins like chocolate chips and blueberries or order a sampler. The real fun starts when the 'Maple Tray' arrives loaded with real maple syrup, a maple sugar shaker and maple frosting in a squeezy bottle, at no extra charge.
Never had a breakfast banh mi or a shiitake Benny? These are just two of the unusual, but extremely popular, breakfast choices at the community-focused Root Cafe. The former is modelled on the Vietnamese sandwich and features scrambled eggs (or tofu), carrot and radish pickles, jalapeños, coriander, garlic mayo, hoisin and sriracha in a baguette. The latter is a spin on eggs Benedict with grilled shiitake mushrooms, greens and feta thrown in. Customers insist it’s a place worth shouting about.
The resounding winner of the cutest tearoom in Virginia is The Bee & The Biscuit. The menu is bursting with breakfast favourites including sirloin steak and eggs, crab Benedict and mascarpone-stuffed orange and challah French toast. Plus, it has interesting lattes such as the Honey Lavender and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and mimosa flights for those looking to celebrate.
The giant fried chicken biscuit with pimento cheese and pepper jam from clean, bright, American-style brunch restaurant Millers All Day is something to behold. Firstly, it’s huge – the size of a regular sandwich rather than a biscuit – and secondly, the chicken is breaded by hand and well seasoned for an intense flavour. Everyone who orders it says it’s amazing.
Modern Maplewood Kitchen and Bar is a brightly lit, ultra-casual restaurant where you order at the counter and seat yourself. It’s open all day, but it's particularly good for breakfast. The lemon ricotta pancakes with seasonal fruit, berry compote, maple syrup and grass-fed butter are highly recommended, and the avocado Benedict, which has sliced avocado in place of salmon, is another popular punt.
For finger-licking French toast and a plate-sized pancake sandwich, visit The Park Café, a neighbourhood breakfast spot located in Liberty Park. Besides its unbeatable, no-frills breakfast plates, the location is idyllic and was just made for an early morning or weekend stroll.
When you want fast, friendly service and to eat alone at the bar, stopping for breakfast at the cool-without-trying-too-hard Dime Store is a no-brainer. The 'Bennys' (the restaurant's name for eggs Benedict) range from cheesesteak to spinach, tomato, avocado and mushroom and include a huge portion of breakfast potatoes, while the light and fluffy omelettes are great orders too. Past customers say the place is a must-try.
Inspiring rave reviews, hearty American breakfasts are what Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe is about. At its four outposts throughout the state, the top choices are the classic eggs Benedict, which comes with thick slices of real ham, house-made hollandaise and a side of hash browns, and the Mexicana skillet, an overloaded pan of hash browns, cheese, jalapeños, avocado and eggs your way.
Really decent coffee is a big draw at Twenty Below Coffee Co, an industrial-chic café that ethically sources beans and roasts them in-house. Customers also love the various breakfast plates, including toasts loaded with mozzarella, prosciutto, herbs, poached eggs and other accoutrements, as well as the fresh cakes and pastries.
If you’re craving a good old-fashioned Southern-style diner breakfast, Salem's is the place to go. Open from the crack of dawn, the cosy joint – and its hefty breakfast plates – has a legion of loyal followers. Choose from options such as the sausage, egg and cheese wrap with cheesy grits, smoked sausage and egg biscuit sandwich or Philly cheesesteak omelette. Reviewers praise the generous portions, affordable prices and very warm welcome.
Pizza isn't usually our first thought in the morning, but Josiah’s Breakfast Flatbread, from the laid-back, farmhouse-style Josiah’s Coffeehouse and Cafe, is essentially just that. Similar to Turkish pide, an oval-shaped flatbread is loaded with gravy, scrambled eggs, shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar, roasted red pepper and spring onion, and customers love it. The coffee is also said to be great.
At Good Friends Cafe, a tiny local diner in West Dennis, everything is memorable, from the house-made bread to the hollandaise sauce. The shaved steak omelette (with three eggs, onion, pepper, mushroom and American cheese) and the eggs Benedict dishes are winning orders. The service also goes above and beyond – customers are offered free mugs of coffee as they wait. Please note, it’s cash only.
The Butter Milk Ranch in Nashville has something for every occasion. If you're in a rush, you can buy a house-made pastry from its small-batch bakery. If you want something to grab and go, there's a food counter for that. And if you want a more leisurely breakfast or brunch, there's a dine-in option, too. But whatever you're in the mood for, you'll want to try one of the joint's cube croissants. Most people go for a Cube Benny, which comes with poached eggs and your choice of sauce.
Thai and Vietnamese fusion dishes are the order of the day at Mr. East Kitchen in San Francisco. The Thai Tea French Toast features thick Texan bread marinated in Thai tea, milk and coffee then toasted and served with Thai tea sauce and seasonal fruit. If that's not enough, you can make it a combo and add meat and an egg cooked how you like.
Glamorous Persephone Bakery is the place to go for a good breakfast in Wyoming. A James Beard Foundation Award semi-finalist, the café serves an indulgent croissant breakfast sandwich with two eggs, melty Gruyère, an extra of your choice, plus Dijon aioli, which regularly receives the highest of praise. It also has a good variety of espresso drinks and cocktails.
Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club secured the number three spot on Yelp’s Top 100 Brunch Spots 2024, with reviewers praising its ‘adorable, cosy’ setting and ‘huge portions’. But considering the joint is called a ‘breakfast club’, it's the early morning offerings that are most popular. Chef-owner Manny Mejia brings Mexican-inspired dishes to the menu, including a breakfast burrito with all the works and loaded chilaquiles two ways.
The ultimate breakfast joint, Mad Rooster Cafe has got something for everyone. From frittatas and omelettes to waffles, pancakes, skillets and scrambles, you name it, it’s on the menu. Looking to try something different? Check out the customer favourite: chilaquiles. A traditional Mexican breakfast food, it features fresh corn tortilla chips topped with salsa, Jack cheese, Cheddar, eggs your way and skirt steak.
Thinking of visiting the Canadian-owned Maple Leaf Diner? Make sure you have an appetite. Its chicken and waffles, which have appeared in the press many times, arrive at the table stacked into a tower with crisp bacon, strawberries, whipped cream and cream puffs. Alternatively, order a few dishes and share.
The food at Southern-style breakfast and lunch spot Atlanta Breakfast Club is described by customers as phenomenal. Dishes such as well-seasoned, crispy fried chicken with Belgian waffles and syrup and the huge peach cobbler French toast, along with the party atmosphere (think DJs and mimosas), add up to long (but worth it), wait times. Visit in the week or early in the day – it might be a little less busy.
Fans of sweet pastries will be in heaven at Leonard’s Bakery, which dates all the way back to the 1950s. Its speciality is malasadas: Portuguese fried doughnuts with a golden, crispy exterior and soft, fluffy centre. Customers love that they’re served hot and fresh, coated in cinnamon sugar and filled with fruit-flavoured cream. Great for the early risers, it’s open from 5.30am onwards. The bakery also has a fleet of food trucks that stop at various locations around Honolulu.
At classy Midwestern breakfast spot Good Lookin’, you’ll find one of the most attractive (and delicious) breakfast burritos you’ve ever eaten. A flour tortilla is stuffed with scrambled eggs, Cheddar, Mexican cheese, tater tots, aioli and salsa, toasted on the outside, then garnished with more cheese, sliced green chillies and pink pickles. Equally stunning, the chicken-fried steak is flooded in spicy gravy and served alongside two over-easy eggs. Satisfied patrons say they’ve never had a better breakfast in their life.
Family-owned breakfast and lunch restaurant Echo Lake Cafe, near Glacier National Park, has been around since the 1960s. The secret to its success? Nearly everything that comes out of its kitchen, from the bread to the breakfast, is made in-house from scratch. The eggs Benedict with house-made hollandaise and the huevos rancheros (fried corn tortillas topped with beans, fried eggs, tomatoey ranchero sauce and avocado) are firm favourites. Even the coffee cake is a must-try.
Get your phone ready after you've placed an order at Breezy, because you're going to want to take a picture when the stunning food arrives. This breakfast and brunch joint takes its food inspiration from the Pacific islands, the Philippines and Hawaii, and many of its most popular meals are decorated with purple ube cream. The Insta-worthy ube French toast, for instance, has caramelised bananas, toasted coconut flakes, coconut crema and mixed berries all balanced with its signature ube cream.
There are no reservations at Over Easy, so be prepared to queue if you arrive during peak hours. But the café serves the kind of food worth waiting for – particularly if you've come to the island to taste authentic Hawaiian cuisine. You can't go wrong with ordering Over Easy's bestseller, the Kalua Pig Hash, featuring juicy pork, local sweet potatoes, green goddess dressing and a fried egg. Other popular dishes include buttery pancakes and fluffy French toast filled with custard.
Away from the strip, Mr. Mamas Breakfast and Lunch is the place locals go to eat breakfast. Think huge chicken-fried steaks in gravy, breakfast burritos with fresh green salsa and sugar-dusted pancake stacks. The prices are good, the portions are huge and some of the waitstaff have worked here since day one. It’s no wonder it inspires repeat custom.
Social enterprise Community Matters Cafe is a light and spacious restaurant that employs graduates from Charlotte's local addiction recovery program. There are some real stand-out items on the menu, including a dish called Pulled Pork Johnnycakes: cornmeal pancakes made with jalapeños, peppers and corn are topped with sweet, braised pulled pork, a fried egg, spring onions and honey ginger glaze. The ingredients complement each other perfectly.
Since opening in 2017, Marlene’s Original Breakfast Sandwich, a food truck with outdoor seating and a selection of seriously good egg-based sammies, has caused quite a buzz. Customers can’t get enough of The Special, featuring kielbasa, Gouda, a fried egg, herbs and spicy mayo in a Cuban baguette. However, everything on the menu gets good reviews, so you can't go wrong.
No ordinary fast casual restaurant, DV8 Kitchen is an enterprise that offers second-chance employment to people in the early stages of substance abuse recovery – and the quality of the food and service is second to none. It’s known for its cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and its orange marmalade chicken breakfast sandwich, made with fried chicken tenders doused in honey butter and orange marmalade. There are two branches in Lexington, both of which get excellent reviews.
Located in a charming wooden house just up the hill from Main Street, Fayetteville favourite Wood Iron Eatery is known for its bohemian vibes and brilliant breakfasts. On the menu you'll find mouth-watering dishes such as burritos, sandwiches, chilaquiles and an incredible creation called Loaded Napoleon D Tots: tater tots piled high with avocado, spring onions, aioli, and sour cream. Customers say it's a transcendental experience.
If you’ve never considered breakfast lasagne a thing, then you’ve clearly never been to Immigrant Son Caffe in Ventura. The unusual Italian-inspired dish features prosciutto cotto, bacon, spinach, marinara sauce, frittata and mozzarella, all topped off with a fried egg. It’s so good that customers come back for it again and again. And don't worry – there's plenty more to explore elsewhere on the menu.
If complicated coffee orders are your thing, Griot Cafe, a tranquil all-day café with Afro-Caribbean influences, is for you – your friendly barista will remember exactly how you like it. The Gri-Oat Latte (a double espresso shot, oat milk, honey and coconut) is one of its specialities. The food is also worth visiting for, namely the pillowy Kenyan beignets filled with chocolate and the savoury chicken, fish, beef and vegetable turnovers.
A restaurant with hot drinks as good as its food, Songbird knows what it’s doing when it comes to coffee. Meanwhile, The Combo breakfast sandwich – featuring aged Cheddar, smoked bacon, a poached egg and honey inside toasted sourdough – has something of a cult following. The breakfast tamale with Mexican cheese, black beans, shishito peppers, cilantro, sour cream, blistered cherry tomatoes and a fried egg is also layer upon layer of flavour.
All profit from Comfort Cafe goes towards the non-profit organisation SerenityStar Recovery, helping people overcome addiction. That’s why the dishes come with a pay-what-you-can price tag, although the suggested donation is around $15 (£11) a meal. In return, customers get huge portions of breakfast classics such as stuffed French toast and sweet cream pancakes – alongside warm feelings in their bellies for doing good for the community.