We had doughnuts. Then the all-too popular cronuts. Then all-waffle cafés.
With the rise in popularity of the infamous Sunday brunch, hip breakfast food trends are as real as the long lines for Voodoo doughnuts in Portland and Austin, chicken and waffles in Chicago and elusive it-pastries found only in Manhattan. Regardless of the fact that I live in Indiana eight months out of the year, the news of what’s in (and what’s out) in the world of breakfast foods still somehow inundates the news I read. That’s how big the hybrid meal has become.
According to New York Magazine’s food blog, Grub Street, the Big Apple is getting an all-breakfast sandwich restaurant to transform everyone’s favorite grab-and-go breakfast staple into a bourgeois brunch destination. Depending on whether you fall on the love or hate side of the brunch debate, your feelings about being hundreds of miles away from the hottest new brunch trends are sure to differ. Still, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and there’s plenty more than bacon and eggs being served right here in South Bend. Instead of worrying about what’s hot and what’s not in the brunch world, skip the lines (and the dining halls) and check out these great local businesses in our own backyard.
Fiddler’s Hearth’s Irish buffet
127 N Main St. in South Bend
Sleep in this weekend and head to Fiddler’s Hearth at 11 a.m. for a hearty Irish brunch. With options for both breakfast and brunch buffets, you won’t go hungry or run out of options. Best of all, you can sit back with your heaping plate and hot coffee as local performers help you kick off the day.
Chicory Café’s excellent eggs Benedict
105 E Jefferson Blvd. #103 in South Bend
The newly expanded and always delicious Chicory Café has plenty of coffee, beignets and local music all week long, but if you’re looking for a hearty weekend meal, check out Chicory for an impressive eggs Benedict menu on Sundays. The New Orleans-inspired restaurant serves such a delicious Cajun spin on the dish that you’ll wish they served every day of the week.
Evil Czech Brewery’s Sunday small plates
3703 N Main St. in Mishawaka
Though Evil Czech technically isn’t South Bend breakfast, the brewery’s brunch offerings are well worth the trip to Mishawaka. Called the Sunday Hangover Brunch, small plate buffet opens at 11 a.m. on Sundays and can nurse any ailments the brought on by the weekend.
The Skillet’s life-changing pancakes
2212 McKinley Ave. in South Bend
Six months ago, I thought I hated pancakes. They were always too sweet, too dry and too filling. I couldn’t fathom ordering a stack of hotcakes with a meal. This was until I found The Skillet, a small family restaurant with an even smaller breakfast menu. When a friend offered me a bite of pancakes, my world flipped upside down. I don’t know how The Skillet does it, but I don’t care — I’ve returned again and again for a stack of my own.
Chico’s tasty breakfast tacos
2418 W Western Ave. in South Bend
If you’re looking to change up your breakfast routine from dining hall waffles and omelets, you can’t get much better than breakfast tacos. Fortunately, you don’t to travel far to get great Mexican food at excellent prices.
