Best Brunch in Birmingham (2026)

If you ask around town where to brunch, The Essential comes up fast, and the menu backs up the hype. Pancakes, a smoked salmon Benedict and a mimosa flight make it an easy pick for a group that can't agree on sweet or savory. It's on 1st Avenue North now, and you can book a table on Resy.

Known for: Honey butter pancakes; Essential Hash with breakfast sausage, pickled peppers and salsa verde

Zaza gives brunch an Italian accent, and nobody else in town is putting hash browns on pizza. Order the breakfast pasta, add a slice of breakfast 'za for the table, and finish with the challah French toast. It's a fun, low-key downtown pick that never feels stuffy.

Known for: Breakfast pasta with sausage, garlic cream and a fried egg; Breakfast 'za slice topped with bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns and a fried egg

Chef Adam Evans won the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: South, and his weekend brunch is the easiest way to get a seat at one of the city's best restaurants. Start with donut holes for the table, then lean into the seafood the place is named for. It's the brunch for an occasion, so reserve on Resy.

Known for: Donut holes; French toast

El Barrio's Mexican brunch is the cure for a long Friday night: chilaquiles, an A.M. burrito covered in hatch chile gravy, and a cold brew cocktail called The Upper Downer. Downtown serves brunch on Saturdays and the newer Homewood location on Oxmoor Road serves it on Sundays, so you can go both days. Neither location takes reservations, so get there early.

Known for: Chilaquiles with poblano crema; The Cuban Madam with smoked ham, roasted pork and fried eggs

Rojo has been a Highland Park hangout since 2002, and its weekend brunch is as relaxed as the neighborhood. Grab a patio table overlooking Rushton Park, order a breakfast burrito, and settle in. It's the cheap, easy brunch for when you don't feel like dressing up.

Known for: Breakfast burrito; Chorizo con huevos

Demetri's has been a Homewood institution since 1961, and its Sunday brunch is a local secret. The char-grilled shrimp and grits and the Bananas Foster French toast are the moves, and the loaded Magic Brunch Potatoes get you through a lazy afternoon. It's a family-friendly barbecue joint, not a scene, and that's what makes it great.

Known for: Char-grilled shrimp and grits; Bananas Foster French toast

Farrelly's is Hoover's best answer to a sit-down Southern brunch, with no drive over the mountain required. Get the brioche French toast with praline sauce or the blackened catfish and grits, and order a carafe of mimosas for the table. The patio and roomy dining room also make it a good choice for bigger groups.

Known for: Brioche French toast with praline sauce; Shrimp and grits with tomato gravy

For when brunch cravings hit on a Tuesday: Frothy Monkey serves its brunch menu all day, every day, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Edgewood cafe has a covered patio and takes weekend brunch reservations. A second location on 2nd Avenue North serves the downtown crowd.

Known for: Vanilla-cinnamon French toast with maple mascarpone; Brunch tacos with maple-braised bacon