Best Breakfast in Seattle: 11 Local Favorites

Is there anything better than a lazy, weekend breakfast? There’s something special about spending a carefree morning enjoying food with friends, your significant other, or family. Getting breakfast and brunch in Seattle is a particular treat because there are so many mouthwatering options to choose from! We’re always on board for a good bakery run or doughnut fix, but check out our guides to the Best Bakeries in Seattle and Best Donuts in Seattle to see our favorite spots for those.

This guide to the Best Breakfast in Seattle is our highlight reel of the very best breakfast and brunch menus that keep us coming back for more. We get excited about going out for breakfast and want to eat food that is significantly better than the pedestrian scrambled eggs and toast you can make at home. For that very reason, we adore this collection of Seattle restaurants.

11. The Fat Hen

The Fat Hen is a small, cozy cafe with only a few tables. You’re here to experience their flavorful and vibrant shakshuka. Poached eggs are nestled into a tangy, housemade tomato sauce and served alongside a crispy baguette. This isn’t your typical American breakfast, but you’ll be fully converted after tasting this dish! We love the Alla Boscaiola version, which includes mozzarella, braised pork shoulder, and mushrooms. So grab your closest friend and spend a morning trying something new at one of the best spots for brunch in Seattle.

10. Toulouse Petit Kitchen & Lounge

Toulouse Petit Kitchen & Lounge is a Creole-inspired restaurant with comfort food that will make you want to crawl back into bed after your weekend brunch. It is filled with rustic, wooden booths and natural light that flows in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. This is a great spot for a group, as they take reservations and have larger tables available. Their menu is massive, but we recommend you focus on their selection of hashes and scrambles. Specifically, the Acadiana Scramble with Dungeness crab, shrimp, andouille, tomato confit, asparagus garlic confit, and creole hollandaise.

SEE ALSO: 15 BEST SEATTLE RESTAURANTS

9. Morsel

Located in the University District, Morsel serves some of the best biscuits you can get your hands on. This is an ideal choice if you’re looking for a tasty grab-and-go breakfast in Seattle. Their biscuit options are classic buttermilk, cheddar-chive, or occasional special flavor. Order any of their breakfast sammies with your choice of biscuit. Our favorite is the Fast Break with bacon, scrambled egg, cheddar, and roasted tomato jam.

8. Skillet

If you crave breakfast any time of the day, then Skillet is your dream come true. Also featured on our guide to the 13 Best Capitol Hill Restaurants, this charming, diner-style restaurant is one of our favorite choices for breakfast in Seattle (or breakfast for dinner). Come for the fried chicken and stay for the upbeat atmosphere. This is a restaurant you can bring the whole family to, and the food never disappoints.

7. Geraldine’s Counter

Geraldine’s Counter is a casual and inviting choice for your weekend brunch in Seattle. Located slightly off the beaten path in Columbia City, this diner-style restaurant serves the best french toast in the city. Topped with seasonally fresh fruit, their french toast has an impossibly crispy exterior while remaining wonderfully soft on the inside. They don’t take reservations, so consider visiting on a weekday to avoid long, weekend waits for a coveted spot at Geraldine’s Counter.

6. Glo’s

Glo’s is a down-to-earth dinner full of local vibes. You’re here for classic breakfast and brunch items like eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy, and buttermilk pancakes. The standout menu item here is the smoked salmon eggs benedict, made with delicious smoked nova lox, grilled tomato, and two poached eggs. Glo’s is a popular weekend spot for brunch in Seattle, so we recommend showing up either right at opening or trying them on a weekday for smaller crowds.

5. Portage Bay Cafe

Portage Bay Cafe is a great crowd-pleaser option for breakfast in Seattle because of its large selection of both sweet and savory menu items. They are most well-known for the breakfast bar, which is a truly magical display of various fruit, granola, nuts, and an enormous bowl of freshly whipped cream. Order any of their sweet menu items (french toast, pancakes, etc. ) and you’ll get to load up on these toppings! There are several eggs benedict options on the menu, but you’re here for the Seattle Benedict. The key ingredient is local Dungeness crab, but it is also topped with organic arugula, sliced avocado, fresh dill, and the classic poached egg and hollandaise combo. We love Portage Bay Cafe for a group dining option, and there are a few locations to choose from depending on where is most convenient.

4. Cafe Campagne

Cafe Campagne is the ideal place for a brunch in Seattle with your grandparents, where they can enjoy a view of Post Alley away from all the hustle and bustle. Sit on the outdoor dining terrace and enjoy the incredible service. You won’t be able to resist a housemade french pastry, and we recommend the brioche rosemary raisin toast. It’s served with French-style butter that you can slather on perfectly toasted and buttery bread, with subtle hints of rosemary and sweet pockets of raisin. If you want to try the best quiche in the city, you are in the right place. The Dungeness crab, sweet onion & Comtè cheese quiche is truly what brunch dreams are made of. The filling is beyond creamy and the flavor of the crab is impeccable.

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3. Biscuit Bitch

Join the line out the door at Biscuit Bitch and be prepared to hear this curse word thrown around more than you’ve ever heard before. The high-energy staff yells every single order, all of which have the word “bitch” in the name, over the sound of upbeat oldies music and crowds of hungry tourists. Biscuit Bitch is all about homemade, southern comfort, and it’s the only place for breakfast in Seattle that’s self-described as trailer park to table. The biscuits here are simply addicting– moist and fluffy, and substantial enough to stand out under a pile of sausage gravy. Step up to the counter and order yourself the Gritty Scrambled Cheesy Bitch, their top seller of all time made with the perfect amount of sausage gravy, cheddar, scrambled eggs, and garlic grits; or the Buttered-Up Bitch, a simple biscuit with butter and your choice of spread on the side, so you can experience the stand-alone perfection we’re raving about.

2. Bacco Cafe

Start your day at one of the best restaurants for breakfast in Seattle. Their prime location just a block up the street from Pike Place is convenient for anyone planning to spend time exploring downtown. They don’t take reservations, but the line moves quickly and there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Bacco Cafe knows exactly what they’re doing when it comes to their classic eggs benedict. A multigrain English muffin soaks up every last bite of their beautifully balanced hollandaise sauce, and the medium poached eggs are nestled on top of thinly shaved slices of kurobuta ham. This order comes with a side of irresistible roasted potatoes which have a crisp, salty bite and fluffy interior. We also love the quiche lorraine, which is a great choice if you’re looking for a dish that can be shared with everyone at the table.

1. Tilikum Place Cafe

A reservation at Tilikum Place Cafe is definitely needed if you plan to experience one of our most-loved choices for breakfast in Seattle. Their famous dutch babies are in high demand, and you’ll know why when you take that first bite. Their sweet and savory options change seasonally, and we recommend ordering one of each to share with a fellow foodie friend. These are made to order, so plan on a bit of a wait and enjoy people watching through the beautiful, large glass windows.