The Best Brunch Restaurants in Metro Detroit

Good morning! I hope you are all coming off of a great weekend.

The majority of my weekend highlights involve brunch. Scott was Up North for a men’s retreat, so I took the opportunity of being at home alone to catch up with friends over mimosas.

What can I say? I am a lover of anything having to do with breakfast at any time of the day. Going out to brunch on a sunny, beautiful day is truly my happy place. If that makes me basic, then hey, basic I will be!

Today I thought it would be fun to cover a list of restaurants Scott and I love to visit for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. I am often asked where to go out to eat and still be able to find (delicious) healthy options, and below are places we would be proud to take anyone visiting our area.

Birmingham is one of our favorite areas to frequent. There are always things to do, restaurants to check out, and seasonal festivals that bring us over to the main shopping strip. You really can’t go wrong with a meet up in B-ham, and a big part of this list is located right around the streets of Old Woodward Avenue and Maple Road.

Downtown Rochester is another popular spot for dining, and the rest of the list is located all over the suburb areas just outside of Detroit.

You can check out more restaurants we like to visit on the Detroit & Michigan page!

 

The Best Brunch Restaurants in Metro Detroit

 

• Toast (Birmingham)

Toast is a fantastic restaurant that specializes in gourmet breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a cozy environment. We like to visit the location in Birmingham, but there is another location in Ferndale.

There is usually a long wait during brunch hours, but there is always complimentary coffee in mugs (versus paper cups) ready for those who stick around. Most of the time, we scope out the bar and grab our own seats there in order to skip the wait altogether!

The menu is special and full of fresh ingredients. It’s really hard to choose just one meal to order, and I usually end up splitting two with a dining buddy! The omelets are creatively crafted, and we’ve never been disappointed with anything we’ve tried.

Appropriately named, the toast is made in house and there is always a toast of the day with a unique flavor. The pancakes are delicious, and you’d be silly not to order the crispy cheese grits. Everything is so, so good!

 

• Social Kitchen & Bar (Birmingham)

Social is a great breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot that features a modern loft dining area as well as outdoor seating for prime people-watching.

The atmosphere is relaxed and casual, and there is a covered patio for the winter months as well as open rooftop seating during warmer months. It’s filled with cool decorations, interesting light fixtures, and is known for their Bloody Mary bar (and excellent drinks) every Sunday!

The menu is fantastic and offers a create-your-own skillet for breakfast and create-your-own salad option for lunch.

There’s usually a wait to get in, but it’s worth it. Social is a spot you could easily go for brunch and spend all afternoon chatting with friends while enjoying the atmosphere!

 

• The Meeting House (Rochester)

Located right in the heart of Downtown Rochester, there’s plenty to do and places to walk on Main Street after you’re finished dining at The Meeting House.

The ambience of this restaurant is great, and the service is always very attentive. From the Shrimp & Grits to the Jump Lump Crab Omelet, the menu is one-of-a-kind with a fabulous specials menu that changes daily.

They feature a lot of local inspired favorites and make their own ice cream. The prices aren’t cheap, but the experience and presentation of the food is great. Everything we’ve tried is something we’d order again!

 

• The Breakfast Club (Madison Heights & Farmington Hills)

The Breakfast Club might be one of the best kept secrets in the Metro Detroit area. It’s a small home town family restaurant (with a larger location in Farmington Hills), but don’t let the size and random location fool you. It’s served us some of the best breakfast meals we’ve had here!

For as causal as it is, the menu is anything but ordinary. They always have daily gourmet specials and a specialty dish for every kind of breakfast lover. It’s always crowded, but the service doesn’t skip a beat. Water and coffee glasses and mugs are never empty.

You can’t beat the prices, and the check comes with a plate of chocolate covered strawberries!

 

• Mad Hatter Bistro Bar & Tea Room (Birmingham)

Mad Hatter Bistro is one of the most uniquely decorated places you’ll see around.

Based on the fairytale Alice In Wonderland, everything inside of the restaurant makes you feel like you are stepping right into the story! The menu engulfs you into Wonderland with poems and Alice inspired eats and drinks, and everything from the ceiling to the floor is decorated to the tee.

There is even a “rabbit hole” to follow downstairs that takes you to the garden tea room.

It’s set up like the tea party from the film and features specialty teas and a baked goods menu to order from. The food is wonderful, but the fun and imaginative decorations of this restaurant makes it one of our very favorites to take visitors from out of town!

 

• The Fly Trap (Ferndale)

The Fly Trap is a well-known restaurant in Ferndale. It’s a tiny space, but a very popular breakfast spot that is actually voted the #2 breakfast place of Detroit, according to the Detroit A-List.

Their waiting area is actually out the door to the outside, but it’s always worth the wait and line once you get inside. (And believe me, it can get cold when you’re standing and waiting in Michigan!)

They offer an eclectic “blunch” menu, as they like to call it with several vegetarian and vegan options. Menu items aren’t for those who like plain eating, however, and is mostly enjoyed by those looking for a different spin on brunch. The wait staff is extremely attentive, and it’s well worth the drive to Woodward.

 

• Commonwealth Café (Birmingham)

Commonwealth is uncommon in its atmosphere and mostly from scratch in-house made menu.

It’s not your typical brunch spot that houses booths to cozy up in to spend up to hours catching up with friends. It’s more of a café feel (hence the name) where you order from the front and get a number to sit down at a table.

The staff is friendly and service is quick. The salads are tasty with an excellent light olive oil and vinegar based dressing, and is a side that goes perfectly with any meal, from breakfast to dinner.

They only use fresh, organic ingredients, and offer a variety of specialty drinks including freshly squeezed orange juice. If you’re a coffee fan, make sure to stop in and try the C Latte!

 

• Rochester Brunch House (Rochester)

Rochester Brunch House is relatively new to the Rochester area. I absolutely love the light and airy, somewhat fancy setting you feel as soon as you walk up to the front doorstep.

It’s not necessarily a quite place to dine, but the large windows and open space makes it a pleasant space.

The breakfast and lunch menu is considerably long and includes treats like cinnamon roll and red velvet pancakes. The dining area isn’t very large, so there will most likely be a wait. Try the patio if the weather is nice out. It’s very quaint!

 

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If you ever find yourself in the suburbs outside of Detroit, I hope you give one of these restaurants a try. If you’re a fellow Michiganer, please feel free to comment below with more suggestions!

I’ll see you back here later this afternoon with Weekly Workouts. Happy Monday!

 

Questions of the Morning

• Could you eat breakfast or brunch at any time of the day?

• What is your favorite brunch order?