Best Breakfast and Brunch in East Austin
April 24, 2025
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Our favorite breakfast and brunch ideas in East Austin, handpicked by the expert concierge team at the Heywood Hotel.
East Austin is kinda famous for its breakfast tacos, but we have much more to offer in the morning-meal department!
From pancakes to pupusas to poutine — we’ve got it all. With so many great options right here in our neighborhood, you’re bound to find the perfect place to start your day off right.
Granny’s Tacos
Granny’s Tacos has grown from a food truck to full cafe and cantina in East Austin. Chef Armando Vasquez and his wife Maria Rios are earning a lot of talk around town and in the taco trades.
Granny’s recently earned the number-seven spot on Yelp’s list of the top 100 brunch spots in the country! Austin Monthly named the “chilaquiles con mole” as one of the greatest tacos in Austin. The crew at the Heywood also love the “abuela” specialty taco with marinated shredded pork, adobo, pico and avocado, and of course the migas.
Granny’s is located at 1401 East 7th St. The cantina is open Sun-Tues from 8am-3pm, Wed-Thurs from 8am-10pm, and Fri-Sat from 8am-2am.
Counter Cafe
Counter Cafe is a great little diner-style café on East 6th St. serving Southern-style breakfast and brunch items prepared with quality ingredients from local urban farms. Menu items include a crab cakes benedict, shrimp and grits, and biscuits and gravy. Lighter options include granola with locally made fruit, and a quinoa porridge featuring fresh berries, pears and pecans. Beer, wine and mimosas served daily, 7am to 3pm.
Paperboy
This nationally recognized restaurant with food trailer origins now has a brick and mortar on East 11th St. At Paperboy, get your morning going with a breakfast sandwich, steak and eggs, granola bowl and more. Add an almond croissant or a guava danish to your order for something sweet! Open at 8am daily.
Veracruz All Natural
Veracruz All Natural is a Zagat-rated food trailer offering some of the best tacos in the city, complete with scratch-made tortillas. The Heywood Hotel recommends the migas taco on corn with a watermelon agua fresca—awesome! Veracruz’s famous taco bus is located on Webberville Rd. Breakfast and lunch are served daily from 7am until 3pm.
Hillside Farmacy
Located in a restored former pharmacy from the 1920s, Hillside Farmacy is a farm-to-table restaurant with historical significance based in the heart of East Austin. Hillside Farmacy’s fresh, seasonal approach to its menu is spotlighted in breakfast dishes like brulee grapefruit, buttermilk pancakes made with Mexican vanilla, and etouffee shrimp and grits.
Breakfast is available until 3pm on weekdays. There’s also a full brunch menu available from 9am until 3pm on weekends.
Sawyer & Co.
Sawyer & Co. is an updated mid-century modern café with a Cajun bent, located about a mile and half east of the Heywood Hotel on East Cesar Chavez St. Menu favorites include omelets, scrambles, pancakes and a New-Orleans style French toast called Lost Bread. Breakfast is served daily until 5pm. Pair your meal with a mimosa, bloody Mary or hurricane!
Juan in a Million
For more than 40 years, Juan Meza and his family have been serving up original, homemade Mexican specialties to the Austin community. Juan in a Million is known worldwide for three things: Juan’s hearty handshake; the restaurant’s appearance on Man vs. Food; and the singular Don Juan taco — an enormous, heaping pile of eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheese atop a soft flour tortilla.
Upon ordering, the server will ask, “How many?” referring to how many extra tortillas you want to order, because this plate of melty goodness easily makes three or four tacos. The Don Juan along with additional Mexican breakfast items are served daily, 7am to 3pm from its East Cesar Chavez St. location.
Snooze
Frittatas, French toasts, inventive pancakes, and so many egg benedict options! Snooze is a brunch-centric diner that’s open early in the morning and has a charming retro vibe. The menu is sustainably focused and sensitive to many food allergies or diets. Added bonus? Full cocktail menu. Snooze is open daily from 6:30am to 2:30pm, and until 4pm on weekends. It’s located six blocks from the Heywood Hotel in the Plaza Saltillo area.
Suerte
Suerte serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays in a cute, contemporary setting. This popular spot was named one of “Eater’s 18 best new restaurants in America” in 2018 for its inventive Interior Mexican specialties. Sample brunch selections include a smoked salmon tostada with allium-spiced goat cheese, caper-serrano relish and fried herbs. Or try the pupusa with confit brisket, smoked tomato, black bean refrito, poblano crema, y cotija! Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-3pm. Reservations recommended.
Launderette
Launderette is a favorite among Heywood Hotel guests. Serving, hip, stylish and innovative takes on American dishes, the weekend brunch is not to be missed. Buttermilk pancakes are served with blueberry maple compote and crème fraiche.
The Rainbow Bowl features beet hummus, quinoa, roasted carrots, sprouts, sesame and soft egg. And you can’t go wrong with their classic plancha burger with American cheese, special sauce and pickles on challah.
Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays 11am-2:15pm, with a full bar for cocktails. Reservations recommended.
The Cavalier
Cavalier is a family-owned bar and Southern-style kitchen is located close to the Heywood Hotel and is a great East Austin brunch spot — in fact, their weekend brunch was voted “Best of ATX 2021” by Austin Monthly readers AND their bloody Mary was voted “Best in Austin” at the 2019 Austin Bloody Mary Festival. You can’t go wrong with the shrimp and grits, southern poutine or chicken and waffles. Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-3pm at their location on Webberville Rd.
Gabrielas
If you’re looking for a lively brunch to kick off your weekend in Austin, visit Gabrielas’ downtown location. The Mexican restaurant offers a fun brunch with live DJ sets, strong drinks, and energetic vibes. The cocktail menu is extensive and includes signature drinks like mangonadas, palomas, and margaritas in playful souvenir cups. Food wise, Gabrielas offers classic brunch dishes like chilaquiles, french toast, and a breakfast burrito. They also serve birria tacos and birria ramen during their weekend brunch. Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 3pm.
Industry
Industry is a casual scratch kitchen that’s a great place to catch live music, watch sports, or enjoy a weekend brunch. The restaurant serves an extensive brunch menu with dishes that include breakfast bowls, sandwiches, sides, and classic breakfast plates. Brunch drinks include the signature Industry Bloody Mary, Oax Mex — a spiced chocolate oaxacan drink with mezcal — and bottomless mimosas on Sundays. Industry is located in the Plaza Saltillo area on E. 5th St., which is about a half mile from the Heywood Hotel.