The center of Sacramento’s art, music, and cultural scene, Midtown, is one of the city’s most diverse communities and home to numerous boutiques, bars, clubs, upscale, and casual dining. Its brunch options include everything from hipster cafés to old school diners to trendy bar brunches. No matter what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find something you’ll love among our picks for the best breakfasts and brunches in Midtown Sacramento.
A boutique coffee roaster and baker, Old Soul Co. is dedicated to the artisanal aspects of its chosen trades, preferring good old fashioned craftsmanship and letting the products do the talking over gimmicky marketing and celebrity chefs. Originally a wholesale only business, the company eventually began selling to the public in late 2006 as a sort of ‘speakeasy’ with no set business hours and a pewter jar that served as the cash register. Today, Old Soul has turned into a popular café and event space, making everything from scratch seven days a week. Popular breakfast items include the chocolate and the almond croissants, the quiches, and the English muffin with farm fresh egg, cheese, and grilled veggies. The lattes with beautiful foam art are also well loved by the café’s patrons. With both indoor and outdoor tables, comfy couches, an open kitchen, rotating art work, and friendly staff who get everyone’s morning off to a great start with smiles and warm greetings, Old Soul is the perfect place for people to relax, study, or hang out with friends.
Janel Inouye and Ed Rohr began Magpie as a catering company in 2005, and since then, it has grown into a popular spot for delicious food and cocktails that incorporate seasonal and local ingredients. Patrons love the chicken and waffles with fruit and honey and the biscuits and gravy topped with bacon and eggs for breakfast, as well as the smoked trout omelette and the two egg plate with bacon that includes organic eggs, yummy potatoes, and fresh vegetables. The large interior with contemporary decor and the spacious outdoor patio that opens up directly to the street corner are both perfect for accommodating the the crowds of people who love to dine at the café, and the excellent service makes every experience a great one. People also rave about the carrot cake cookies, the summer skillet, and the French toast with fresh fig, strawberry, and peach. They even serve amazing coffee from the local Chocolate Fish Coffee roaster.
The Golden Bear is Sacramento’s friendly midtown bar, serving up great cocktails and draught beers as well as one of the best Happy Hour menus in town, in addition to weekly lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. A great place to go on weekend mornings if you’re in the mood for bottomless mimosas or a tasty Bloody Mary, The Golden Bear is a nice casual spot with a comfortable outdoor patio and quick, attentive, and entertaining service. Patrons are fans of the unique breakfast items like chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, a Juicy Lucy burger, Greek strata, and breakfast pizza. Lemon and berry french toast, comprised of perfectly battered bread with a hint of lemon zest and served with fresh berries and whipped cream, and braised chicken hash served with an over easy egg are other favorite choices, and they even make great breakfast burritos and an eggs and bacon plate. Everything comes beautifully presented and with all of the best ingredients, making The Golden Bear easily stand out from many of the other brunch places in town.
Since its establishment in 2012, The Porch Restaurant and Bar has paid homage to the South Carolina coast by creating an ambience that captures the essence of Southern charm and elegance as well as a menu that reflects the artful comfort and distinctive flavor of Low country cuisine. Located in the heart of Sacramento, The Porch offers a California approach to authentic Southern dishes with a menu that changes daily featuring the finest local, seasonal, and organic ingredients. All of the food is made from scratch and inspired by Low country, Cajun, Creole, and other Southern regional classics. Because they care about sustainability and protecting the environment, the restaurant uses bio-degradable and eco-friendly products, fruits, vegetables, and grains provided by local farmers, as well as heritage breeds of pork, grass-fed beef, organic farmed seafood, and free range chicken. Customers love ordering the brunch items like Brisket and Biscuit Eggs Benedict, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, crab cake Benedict, vegan pumpkin waffles, and beignets.
A family owned restaurant established in 1990, Crepeville got its starts in San Francisco under a different name, and when several other Bay Area locations opened to great success, the family moved to Sacramento, opening Crepeville restaurants in Davis, Sacramento Midtown, and Sacramento Curtis Park. The Crepeville family of restaurants is committed to providing a unique menu of fresh, delicious, and healthy alternatives to fast food at reasonable prices, with friendly and professional service and a relaxed atmosphere. Midtown residents have loved the restaurant for years, thanks to its vast selection of crepes, omelettes, bagels, salads, sandwiches, soups, pastas, and burgers, all at affordable prices. An inviting interior complete with chalkboard menus, several tables that wrap around to the side and rear of the building, and a spacious outdoor seating area perfect for enjoying nice weather give the restaurant an ideal atmosphere for friend and family gatherings. Menu highlights include the Canadian Benedict, the strawberry and Nutella crepe, the fried egg sandwich, and the Hawaiian crepe with cheese, ham, pineapple, and brown sugar.
For over 60 years, Lucky Café has served up delicious home cooked meals prepared to order in a genuine diner setting from the counter to the booths. Locals know it as the place to go for a typical greasy spoon experience with an old timey nostalgic feel and great prices on tasty breakfast classics. Fluffy pancakes with a hint of sweetness drowning in butter, a spinach and cheese omelette with crisp savory hash browns, tasty chorizo and eggs, biscuits and gravy, chicken fried chicken, corned beef hash, and yummy sausages are all consistently excellent and always cooked fast. People love coming to Lucky again and again because they know that they will always have a great experience, great food, and great service at the best prices. With many fantastic combo options, Lucky is the perfect place to go when you’re looking for a simple classic breakfast and don’t want to spend a lot of money, but also don’t want to sacrifice quality by visiting the typical chain restaurants.
Midtown’s cultured American bistro, INK Eats & Drinks, was created in 2003 by Chef Chris Nestor, bringing a hip, funky atmosphere and late night hours to Sacramento. It quickly became a hit with the locals thanks to its approachable yet inspired menu, great prices, and down-to-earth attentive service. They were the first to bring sliders to the city, adding to a menu of American classic food with a contemporary spin. Weekend brunch includes an amazing build-your-own Bloody Mary bar as well as endless champagne for bottomless mimosas. Gorgeous painted murals on the outside walls advertise the hipster vibe you’ll find on the inside of this tattoo-themed restaurant. People love coming to INK to dine on an early meal with friends, hang out on the quaint outdoor patio perfect for people watching, and enjoy helpful attentive service. Popular menu items include the hearty country burrito, fresh and brightly flavored turkey omelette, delicious Fork and Knife breakfast sandwich, tasty brunch pita pizza, and satisfying house made chicken fried steak.
Serving up fun and great food since 1947, The Original Mels has locations all throughout Northern California and Nevada, known as the place to go for a bygone era that offers simple pleasures and a friendly atmosphere. Folks might recognize the diner from the 1973 release of the classic ‘American Graffiti,’ which was set at The Original Mels, and people can still experience the fun and excitement of the movie while there, all while listening to the hits of the fifties. The 24 hour diner serves up great deals on delicious breakfasts all day long, including large omelettes with hash browns, the California Benedict that comes with fruit and potatoes, a great breakfast sandwich, and yummy biscuits with sausage gravy, in addition to endless coffee refills and fantastic milkshakes. Another popular item is the juicy and tender New York steak with eggs, only served from midnight to 11am on weekdays. Patrons love sitting at the tables with personal jukeboxes, the cute fifties decor is complete with old photos and neon lights, and the prompt and friendly service is perhaps the one aspect of the restaurant heralded the most.
Featuring 60 beers on tap and a large, American-inspired creative menu, Firestone Public House has made a name for itself as one of the best places to go to enjoy happy hour, game day entertainment, and get-togethers. With 22 flat screens, an unrivaled sound system, and two outdoor patios, the restaurant is an ideal sports and entertainment venue. Bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys at brunch are always a favorite, and popular entrees include blueberry pancakes, avocado egg rolls, breakfast pizza, chicken apple sausage scramble, breakfast nachos, and chipotle pulled pork Eggs Benedict. They have an outdoor patio that is the perfect place to sit on days with nice weather, and the service is always top notch. The place can get extremely packed on weekend mornings, especially if there is a game on, so it’s usually best to get there early if you don’t want to wait long.
Inspired by the European tradition of café dining, Café Bernardo is a comfortable place to go anytime for fresh, high quality food at a reasonable price. It’s the kind of place where you walk up to the counter, place your order, grab a seat, and then they bring your food to you. With everything from eggs, pancakes, and waffles, to sandwiches, salads, little pizzas, and vegetarian options, Café Bernardo can satisfy anyone’s appetite. Patrons love the perfectly cooked fried egg sandwiches, the carrot cake, biscuits and gravy, egg scrambles with smoky mozzarella, squash frittatas, bread and jam, Amaretto French Toast, and Eggs Benedict on amazing rosemary bread, just to name a few. The café also offers free refills on its excellent coffee, and people watchers love the tables near the windows in addition to the great outdoor patio. The atmosphere is cute, friendly, and hip, and the servers are very nice, often chatting with the customers, making the café a popular hangout spot among locals.
