Dallas best brunch

[dailybread8383]

Voice your opinions to help me decide, please.

[snatex]

Whiskey Cake -

Very impressed. Interesting menu. Locally sourced food. Awesome decor and vibe. Brunch has been the best I've had in DFW.

Here are the Brunch items I've tried so far -

Pulled Pork Benedict - Open-faced biscuit, sunny side up egg, smoked chile hollandaise w/ micro-greens salad

Stuffed French Toast- Coated with Cap'n Crunch Thick Brioche French toast stuffed with mascarpone, mixed berries, dusted with Cap-n-Crunch

Chicken & Waffles

Biscuits & Gravy

Fried Green Tomato and Egg B.L.T. - Toasted challah bread, fried egg, remoulade w/ chips

I would highly recommend all of them.

[loveandjoy]

Cool, will have to try that. I really liked it for dinner the one time we went. That whiskey cake is DELISH. Gonna try Company Cafe soon. Friend said it was really good. Went back to Crossroads and still not impressed at all. Will not go back....

[CocoaNut]

Has anyone been to Oddfellows lately to comment if they've improved on service and menu goodness?

[loveandjoy]

YES, I have been to Oddfellows twice. The first time I went, I loved it -- best blueberry pancakes ever. Only thing I hated was the 30 minute wait .... Second time I went (30 minute wait again), I got the fried green tomato sandwich and very good (but no side comes with it so not very filling if you are hungry). BUT, our pancakes were awful -- tasted like cornmeal. We asked them if they changed anything and they said that they were getting so busy that they had to start baking instead of frying them. NO, NO, NO... Not a good move. I have heard the beignets were really good. Service was perfectly fine -- just wish the wait was not so bad....

[dfwtexex]

Smoke is a great recommendation. Oddfellows has good food, but is inconsistent and still working out service. If they figure things out, it'll be on the list for sure.

I would add Parigi. It's where we go when we want a bit of dignified brunch. Everything is excellent and the service is perfect.

-----
Parigi Restaurant
3311 Oak Lawn Ave, Dallas, TX 75219

[loveandjoy]

I am admittedly a brunch snob. I grew up in Chicago and there are tons of amazing brunch places there, so my expectations are very high for brunch. Here are some of my favs:

1. As mentioned, La Duni (the De La Rosa Egg Torta on Pan De Yema bread is yummmmm)
2. The Grape (hard to get into, so use opentable. The Haystack is delish, as well as the cinnamon pull aparts).
3. Ziziki's (but the one on Travis is the best -- I have tried them all)
4. Cindy's New York Deli (good, solid breakfast food, best hash browns in Dallas, bar none)
5. Dream Cafe (but somewhat hit or miss. If I am craving french toast, this is the place).

I have been to Crossroads and was somewhat unimpressed. The sticky rolls did look good (we did not get them), but my omelet was average and the hash browns were just not good. Whoever referred to that place is "amazing" had a way different experience than we did. Great creme brulee though! I was bummed because the atmosphere is really cute, but the wait was awful and we went on a snow day. May try it again and just choose differently. Gonna try Smoke one of these next few weekends. If you are just hungry and really want a buffet type, Blue Mesa is the most obvious choice. Some good options and certainly plenty of them....

-----
La Duni Cafe
4620 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75205

Ziziki's
4514 Travis Street, Dallas, TX 75205

[pepper131]

Yesterday, I went to Crossroads DIner for breakfast. It was GREAT!! Nice selection - something for everyone without trying too hard (looking at you Smoke).
Normally I don't go out for weekend brunch because quality usually sinks with mass-production, but I'd definately consider Crossroads on a weekend.

[sass]

Their sticky buns are ridiculously good. Word of warning, though: I wouldn't go with a large group. We've been twice with 10 people and while I'm totally willing to forgive a slight slowdown, it took us three hours to get in and out, including one hour just to order. Otherwise, I think they have potential.

[twinwillow]

Happy to report we had brunch at Crossroads Diner today.
Amazing food. Everything was delicious! My lady had the spinach quiche and I had the much discussed, corned beef hash with 2 poached eggs and some amazing multi grain toast.
Their delicious coffee is Illy (brand) and you cannot drink better coffee anywhere.
I'm looking forward to returning, soon.

[flomogal]

Was there a super long wait? What time did you go?

[sass]

That place is huge. I don't think there's ever a big wait.

[twinwillow]

We got there about 1:00 and waited about 25 minutes for our table. It took about the same time to get our food and then a long wait for coffee re-fills. But, I'll go back, anytime

[twinwillow]

Toulouse Cafe and Bar on Knox Street does a really good brunch as well.
http://www.toulousecafeandbar.com

[sass]

Ok, aside from Smoke...these are some of my favorites. Though, they lean more towards casual since we typically hit brunch after a Saturday morning run.

Garden Cafe (BYOB! and great backyard patio seating in nice weather)
Buzzbrews
La Duni
Dream Cafe
Central Market just introduced a new menu that is actually pretty solid. The lox and brie on challah is fantastic.

-----
La Duni Cafe
4620 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75205

Buzzbrews
4154 N Central Expy, Dallas, TX 75204

[CocoaNut]

Thanks for posting about CM. I think I'll head over there this morning. I'm a sucker for homemade hollandaise, but the florentine is calling my name this morning.

[el_matarife]

I know a lot of people like Breadwinners' brunch. I've only had it once and though it was okay. I wasn't quite as impressed by the heart attack omelet as I thought I would be, I guess.

I also know a lot of people like Buzz Brews for breakfast but I've never eaten there.

What exactly are you hoping to eat for brunch? If you narrow it down to something like eggs Benedict or pancakes I'm thinking it would be a lot easier to figure out.

[sike101]

If you're looking to blow a couple of bills, the Mansion is a nice place to do it at brunch.

I'd second Smoke (the brisket hash and the blueberry pancakes are solid).

Mattito's puts out a decent buffet spread with mexican and american food.

[DallasDude]

Ava in Rockwall. Their quiche, cinnamon roll French toast, and the Benedict are great. Also the biscuits and gravy. Everything is made from scratch including their wonderous bacon.

[twinwillow]

For one, La Duni for sure. But there are also so many other really good places that hounders will suggest.

-----
La Duni Cafe
4620 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75205

[dailybread8383]

The menu looks wonderful, what are your thoughts on SMOKE?

[twinwillow]

I've only had lunch and dinner at Smoke but if lunch and dinner are any indication, brunch should be very good.

[sass]

I adore the brisket cornbread hash at Smoke.

[gavlist]

I liked Smoke more for brunch than for lunch or dinner.

You should also consider Oddfellows in Bishop Arts - incredible buttermilk pancakes. I don't normally care about pancakes - when they come with a breakfast, I typically have one or two bites and leave the rest... they just don't do much for me. But the pancakes at Oddfellows are light and fluffy and somehow have a ring of caramelization around the edges, giving just a hint of crispiness and flavor that I love. I've only had the buttermilk versions, so I don't know if the others are as good. The rest of the food is ok... nothing special, to be honest. Good coffee too - either the single-origin beans brewed in a Chemex, or a cappuccino.