7 Go-To Southern Eateries For Breakfast And Brunch

Edited by Ezvid Wiki Editorial on 23 February 2020

You've been good all week, and now it's time to reward yourself with a decadent brunch, and they don't do it anywhere quite like in the South. Each of these establishments offers a range of options so you can indulge in eggs, biscuits, crepes, or whatever your heart desires. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

7 Breakfast and Brunch Spots in the South

Name Location
Foster's Market Durham, NC
The French Market Knoxville, TN
Zynodoa Staunton, VA
Bluewater Waterfront Grill Wrightsville Beach, NC
Willa Jean New Orleans, LA
Tazza Kitchen Midlothian, Henrico, & Richmond, VA, Raleigh & Cary, NC, and Columbia, SC
Le Petit Marché Atlanta, GA

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In Depth

According to a well-worn cliche, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Luckily, it's also the most delicious, especially if you're enjoying it south of the Mason-Dixon line. This list, presented in no particular order, highlights seven Southern restaurants that serve irresistible breakfasts and brunches.

At #1, it's Foster's Market, a gourmet food shop and cafe in Durham, North Carolina. Founded in 1990 by married couple Sara Foster and Peter Sellers, it focuses on soups made from scratch, salads, casseroles, sandwiches, and more. It also carries specialty grocery items, locally roasted coffee, and select wines.

Foster's serves house-made, fresh breakfasts every weekday, and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Menu items include a sandwich with scrambled eggs served on an herb cheddar biscuit. The breakfast burrito features eggs, potatoes, black beans, cheddar, and salsa in a spinach wrap. The company also sells baked goods, among them cookies, pies, cakes, and breads.

Foster's serves house-made, fresh breakfasts every weekday, and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

#2 is The French Market, Knoxville's first and only authentic French crepe restaurant. It's got two locations in the city: one downtown, one in West Knoxville. The restaurant was opened in 2008 by Allen and Susan Tate, Francophiles who had lived in Paris on and off and longed for a bistro of their own with food, drinks, and coffee.

The restaurant serves both sweet and savory crepes. Its got other breakfast items as well, like omelettes, with options including smoked salmon, bacon and cheese, and spinach and tomato. The French Market also bakes its own croissants, serving them plain, as well as with egg and cheese or lox. There's also a wide selection of coffee and tea.

The #3 entry, Zynodoa, offers southern cuisine in a metropolitan setting, tucked into a historic building in downtown Staunton, Virginia. Sourcing ingredients from independent farmers local to the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont regions, it promises fresh, seasonal food. The restaurant has been covered in national outlets like Vogue and Forbes.

Sourcing ingredients from independent farmers local to the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont regions, it promises fresh, seasonal food.

Located next to the American Shakespeare Center, it is best-known for pre- and post-theater dining, but Zynodoa also serves a Sunday brunch. Menu items include eggs benedict, brioche french toast, and steak and eggs. The restaurant is famous for its bruleed cast iron cornbread, served with apple butter.

For #4, we've got Bluewater Waterfront Grill, located in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. With a dining room right on the ocean, it advertises panoramic views, fresh coastal cuisine, handcrafted cocktails, and a large wine selection. It also hosts a variety of events, including weddings, business functions, and fundraisers.

Bluewater has a weekend brunch menu. The Bananas Foster French Toast features thick-sliced brioche bread dipped in custard and griddled, topped with bananas and a brown sugar-rum sauce. The Southern Breakfast Burger is a 7-ounce patty topped with over-easy egg, lettuce, bacon, tomato, and a pimento cheese. They've also got brunch cocktails, like mimosas and sangria.

The Southern Breakfast Burger is a 7-ounce patty topped with over-easy egg, lettuce, bacon, tomato, and a pimento cheese.

#5: Willa Jean celebrates Southern sensibilities with fresh, local ingredients. The restaurant and bakery was opened in New Orleans in 2015 by chef partners Kelly Fields and Yolanda Torres. Lunch and dinner menus are sorted into categories like "snacks," "the biscuit situation," "sandwiches," "hot plates," and "desserts." For Mardi Gras, it makes its own signature king cake.

The restaurant's breakfast, served throughout the week, was called one of New Orleans' best by local publication Go Nola. The menu includes everything from light snacks, like cornbread and granola and yogurt, to heartier breakfast plates, such as shrimp and grits and a summer hash made with sweet potatoes, as well as a range of biscuit sandwiches and toasts. On weekends, Willa Jean offers an expanded brunch menu.

Coming in at #6, Tazza Kitchen features wood-fired cooking, seasonal menus, and craft beverages. Since opening in Richmond, Virginia in 2013, it has expanded into a small chain, with six locations spread across that state and the Carolinas. In crafting the menu, the restaurant's founders were inspired by the cuisines of Baja, Mexico and Italy's Amalfi Coast.

Since opening in Richmond, Virginia in 2013, it has expanded into a small chain, with six locations spread across that state and the Carolinas.

Every Tazza Kitchen location features a brunch menu. Dishes include french toast on house-made brioche, cashew praline butter, blueberry vincotto sauce, basil, and whipped mascarpone. The quiche is made with bacon, cheddar, and caramelized onion. The restaurant also serves breakfast versions of its signature pizzas, tacos, and burritos.

Wrapping things up at #7, Le Petit Marche is a gourmet market and cafe located in Atlanta's historic Kirkwood neighborhood. When it opened in 2008, owner Marchet Sparks focused primarily on the grocery angle but quickly switched the emphasis to prepared foods. Widely celebrated, it has been covered by an array of local and national media.

Famous for its lunchtime sandwich menu, the cafe also serves breakfast. Build-your-own egg sandwiches allow customers to choose their bread, meat, cheese, and additional filling options. Le Petit Marche's "Best-Ever Oatmeal" consists of slow-cooked oats, seasonal fruit, and almond pralines. The signature Grits Stack is topped with scrambled eggs, cheddar, marinated shrimp, and pork bacon.