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This all-day specialty coffee shop with mid-century modern-ish decor on the ground floor of the new Pod Philly Hotel is the latest concept from rising-star restaurant group Defined Hospitality, the culinary team behind Suraya and Pizzeria Beddia. Like the hotel’s signature rooms, the counter-service concept’s menu is small and highly curated. Signature items include Concha Vanilla, a traditional Mexican sweet bread; Conchas Rellena (apple, almond and tamarind; guava, coconut, cheese); breakfast tacos with egg, hoja santa (an aromatic Mexican herb), cheese and salsa served on house-made blue corn tortillas. Drinks include Stumptown coffee, Agua Frescas (hibiscus and cucumber-pineapple); Horchata (with Jasmine rice); Horchata Latte; and Atole de Chocolate (Mexican Hot Chocolate). Open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Veteran restaurateur Brian Ingram, best known for developing restaurant concepts like New Bohemia Wurst + BierHaus, Cargo Food Authority and Bus Stop in the twin cities, launched in late September this breakfast concept inside a 150-year-old fire station. Across the street from a children’s hospital and a Marriott hotel, the concept focuses on dishes that work all day long (think shrimp and grits, pork belly and biscuits) and dishing out hope and respite for hospital staffers, patients and the community. The 5,000-square-foot, two-story restaurant is open Sunday to Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. The menu features both savory and sweet breakfast foods, including best-selling items like Pork Belly Biscuits and Carrot Cake Pancakes (cake batter pancakes topped with cream cheese syrup and candied walnuts).
This elevated bakery in the West Village boasts quartzite countertops, midnight-blue accent walls, custom-smoked French mirrors, matte brass finishes and a pastry-centric menu that founder and chef Umber Ahmad says comes from a place of “travel history and memory.” Ahmad gives equal play to sweet and savory items, with specialties such as brioche doughnuts with vanilla pastry cream, cheesecake with fresh lemon zest, and savory hand pies filled with seasonal roasted vegetables and farm-fresh cheeses. The flagship store is open Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In January, a second location will open in Midtown East. Ahmad has also teamed up with Washington, D.C.-based Knead Hospitality to open locations in the D.C. area next year.
Fun, funky and open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Laid is a new breakfast spot in Miami’s Wynwood district aimed at locals and tourists alike. From Chef Michael Lewis and partner Steven Haigh of Miami’s Kyu, Laid serves up signature breakfast dishes such as The Laid Egg (soft boiled egg with crispy herb potato, bacon marmalade and hollandaise); and The Soft Scrambled (soft scrambled egg, brie, avocado on a potato brioche bun); as well as fried-to-order beignets and a selection of lunch-y items, such as a Crispy Chicken Sandwich and a Watermelon Mint Salad. Diners can wash it all down with everything from kombocha and fresh squeezed juice shots to an array of local draft beers and mugs of mimosa. Murals by local street artist duo 2Alas, diverse seating options and entertainment such as LEGOS and headphones hanging from the ceiling give Laid a laid-back vibe designed for lingering.
This spinoff of Rise and Shine Restaurant Group’s popular chain Breakfast Republic, North Park caters to on-the-go Millennials with a menu of singular creations such as Mashed Potato Waffles, Fried Rice Benedict and Banana Bread Pancakes. North Park beverages are pretty unique, too, and feature a line of specialty lattes that includes the Golden State Latte infused with maple, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and vanilla extract, and the Velvet Beet Latte prepared with fresh beet juice, ginger, cinnamon, honey and oat milk; and brunch cocktails that are veggie-based with the addition of an array of spirits. It’s all served up daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 2,125-square-foot space (including a second floor patio) with industrial-meets-farmhouse décor.
The brick-and-mortar version of Daniel Krause’s The Crack Truck, Cracked is a fast-casual, all-day breakfast spot that recently opened its second unit in Chicago. The original location in Champaign is aimed at satisfying the cravings of University of Illinois students who want unique breakfast, fast. The expanded, pun-filled menu is divided up into Small Bites, such as Parmesan Truffle Tots; Breakfast Sandwiches, such as the Vegasm, with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, hash browns, a fried egg, cheddar cheese, and either garlic basil pesto or spicy chipotle pesto; Grilled Cheese and Soups, including the Sweet Cheesus, with smoked gouda and apple cider jam; and Burritos Wraps and Bowls, including the Mother Clucker, a grilled chicken wrap with spinach, white cheddar and rosemary aioli.
