100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America: OpenTable Releases Its 2018 List
By Karla Alindahao, Forbes Magazine
May 2018
100 Best Brunch Restaurants | Forbes
In New York City, where I live, power lunches and breakfasts have always been a thing. But when the weekend comes, you can be sure that nearly every New Yorker (dressed in city chic attire) will convene for indulgent brunches—replete with glasses of rosé, mimosas, and Bloody Marys.
But let it be known that brunch is not just a New York ritual—it’s practically the holy grail of weekend pursuits everywhere. So you can appreciate how OpenTable’s annual “100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America” can be more than a little helpful—especially when it’s released a few days before Mother’s Day. (Fantastic news for the procrastinators among us who have been anguishing over reservations.)
But beyond that, it’s only one of the many 100-strong rosters that the company is known for publishing several times a year. “The 100 Best Restaurants in America,” “The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America,” “The 100 Most Scenic Restaurants in America,” and more are rolled out every few months or so—and they’re all highly anticipated. And that’s great for diners who truly enjoy a good meal. Why? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Because OpenTable’s lists are the most democratic. They’re not trying to be Michelin or The World’s 50 Best. These restaurants in this list do not have servers pointing out each element of a dish with a finely-manicured pinkie finger. They don’t cater to people who dine professionally and only do tasting menus that cost four figures. There are neither titles nor rankings. There are no special commendations and special awards.
Instead, each list is user-generated—culled from the reviews of verified OpenTable diners (not critics or so-called food influencers). Essentially, the rosters are for real people by real people. It’s easy to forget that the measure of what makes a good restaurant is simple yet relevant. All you need is great food, amiable service, and a good environment—plus a well-stocked bar and decent wine cellar. Stuffiness and pretentiousness are not requirements. (Personally, many of my favorite New York restaurants have never been on a list.)
As for the restaurants on this particular brunch-driven list, the data is sourced purely from more than 12 million OpenTable-verified diners that includes more than 45,000 restaurants in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. And as expected, the coastal states dominated. California came out on top this year (with 19 restaurants), closely followed by New York (with 15). Washington D.C., which has a growing and thriving food scene, is tied with Pennsylvania (the each have nine). Illinois claims eight—counting Little Goat, The Hampton Social, and The Publican among its honorees.
To view the full list on OpenTable, click here. And I wasn’t joking about brunch being a weekend pastime everywhere. If you happen to find yourself in Canada this year, OpenTable has a brunch list for our northern neighbor too.
OPENTABLE’S 100 BEST BRUNCH RESTAURANTS IN AMERICA
ABC Kitchen (New York, New York)
Atchafalaya Restaurant (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Bacon Social House (Denver, Colorado)
Balthazar (New York, New York)
Beachcomber Cafe, Crystal Cove (Newport Coast, California)
Beatrix, River North (Chicago, Illinois)
Beehive (Boston, Massachusetts)
Blend on the Water (Long Island City, New York)
Brennan’s (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Bud & Marilyn’s (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Cafe Luxembourg (New York, New York)
Cafe Monte (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Cafeteria 15L (Sacramento, California)
Catch L.A (West Hollywood, California)
Chez Zee (Austin, Texas)
The Clubhouse, Oak Brook (Oak Brook, Illinois)
Cookshop (New York, New York)
The Copper Hen (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
The Dandelion (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Dead Fish (Crockett, California)
Deerpark Restaurant, Biltmore Estate (Asheville, North Carolina)
Farmers & Distillers (Washington, D.C.)
Farmers Fishers Bakers (Washington, D.C.)
Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens (Corona Del Mar, California)
The Food Market (Baltimore, Maryland)
Gandy Dancer (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
Geoffrey’s Restaurant (Malibu, California)
Georgia Brown’s (Washington, D.C.)
Gertrude’s, Baltimore (Baltimore, Maryland)
Grace’s (Houston, Texas)
Gracias Madre (West Hollywood, California)
Grand Concourse (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Great Maple San Diego (San Diego, California)
Greens Restaurant (San Francisco, California)
Halls Chophouse (Charleston, South Carolina)
The Hamilton (Washington, D.C.)
The Hampton Social (Chicago, Illinois)
Hau Tree Lanai (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Hell’s Kitchen Minneapolis (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
High Cotton, Charleston (Charleston, South Carolina)
Ida Claire (Addison, Texas)
The Ivy (West Hollywood, California)
Jane (New York, New York)
Lafayette (New York, New York)
Lake Elmo Inn (Lake Elmo, Minnesota)
Las Brisas (Laguna Beach, California)
Le Coucou (New York, New York)
Le Diplomate (Washington, D.C.)
Lindey’s (Columbus, Ohio)
Little Goat (Chicago, Illinois)
LuLu’s (Richmond, Virginia)
The Majestic Yosemite Hotel (Yosemite Village, California)
Maggiano’s, South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa, California)
Magnolias (Charleston, South Carolina)
Mere Bulles (Brentwood, Tennessee)
Meson Sabika (Naperville, Illinois)
Mon Ami Gabi (Multiple Locations)
Old Ebbitt Grill (Washington, D.C.)
Oxford Exchange (Tampa, Florida)
Palisade (Seattle, Washington)
Parc (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Perch L.A (Los Angeles, California)
Pier W (Cleveland, Ohio)
Print Works Bistro (Greensboro, North Carolina)
The Publican (Chicago, Illinois)
Pump (West Hollywood, California)
Queen Mary Champagne Sunday Brunch (Long Beach, California)
Ray’s on the River (Sandy Springs, Georgia)
Red Rooster Harlem (New York, New York)
Relish (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Rusty Scupper, Baltimore (Baltimore, Maryland)
Sadelle’s (New York, New York)
Sarabeth’s (Multiple Locations)
Shaw’s Crab House, Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
SkyCity Restaurant at the Space Needle (Seattle, Washington)
Spencer’s Restaurant (Palm Springs, California)
Stephanie’s On Newbury (Boston, Massachusetts)
Summer House Santa Monica (Chicago, Illinois)
Sundy House (Delray Beach, Florida)
Tabard Inn (Washington, D.C.)
Talula’s Garden (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Tavern on the Green (New York, New York)
Terrain Garden Cafe (Glen Mills, Pennsylvania)
Tower Oaks Lodge (Rockville, Maryland)
Town (San Carlos, California)
The Tropicale (Palm Springs, California)
Tupelo Honey, Arlington (Arlington, Virginia)
Ulele (Tampa, Florida)
Upland (New York, New York)
Warmdaddy’s (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
White Dog Cafe, Wayne (Wayne, Pennsylvania)
Willa Jean (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Woodberry Kitchen (Baltimore, Maryland)
X2O Xaviars on the Hudson (Yonkers, New York)
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar (Multiple Locations)