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Chez Zee's creme brulee French toast

Indulge Sweet Tooths With Sugary Brunch Dishes in Austin

Pancakes aplenty, French toast for miles, and one outstanding doughnut

by Elizabeth Leader Smith Oct 29, 2016, 9:00am CDT

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Chez Zee's creme brulee French toast

| Chez Zee

by Elizabeth Leader Smith Oct 29, 2016, 9:00am CDT

When it comes to dining, it's fair to stick to the "everything in moderation" camp —e but when it comes to to offering sweet dishes on brunch and breakfast menus, all bets are off. Luckily there are plenty of sweet-tooth solutions around town on any given morning from indulgent riffs on everyday favorites to novelty sugar bombs. From the syrup-drenched pancakes at Kerby Lane and light-as-air waffles at Trace to the overindulgent French toast at Jacoby's to the slightly-messy-but-worth-it beignets at Épicerie, this guide highlights the town’s best spots for getting your morning sugar buzz.

Not convinced sweet is the way to go when the sun comes up? Those who have a bias toward sugar in the morning will tell you that breakfast accoutrements such as bacon and eggs can balance the meal so you have the full bodied savory-sweet experience perfect to jump start any day. So dig in, and live a little — or a lot. And make it a really good morning.

This bakeries, cafes, and restaurants are not ranked in order. If your favorite spot is missing from the list, let us know on the tipline, in the comments below, or start a post over on the Eater Austin forum.

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Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile

Jacoby’s decadent red velvet cake French toast is deep fried for crunch, while the inside gets warm and gooey. And don’t get us started on the house-made cold-brew maple syrup (reduced Stumptown cold brew mixed into maple syrup.) Treat yo’ self toast indeed.

3235 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702

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Also featured in:

Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill

Be sure to save room at the Sunday all-you-care-to-eat brunch for the bread pudding with white chocolate, raisins, pecans, and vanilla bean ice cream, topped with a boozy bourbon cream sauce.

303 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701

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Also featured in:

June's

Not too shortly after June’s opened, June’s crème fraîche cake donut was already selling out. What else do you need to know?

1722 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

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Also featured in:

Upper Crust Bakery

This Rosedale morning fixture has a strong contender in the city’s cinnamon roll game. Its sizeable, less sticky, more cinnamon and sugar version is ideal for sharing — if you can bear to let go of even a bite.

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4508 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

Visit Website

Trace

Rich, sweet, and tangy, the Golden Malted Waffles with candied Texas pecans and silky vanilla mousseline are perfectly composed.

Open in Google Maps

200 Lavaca St, Austin, TX 78701

Visit Website

Paperboy

The breakfast and brunch-centric East Side trailer has a rotating sweet toast option on its menu that’s not to be missed. Depending on what’s in season, it could feature nectarines, figs, Texas peaches, strawberries, or another bumper crop.

1203 E 11th St, Austin, TX

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Also featured in:

Eastside Cafe

Brunch regulars at this cozy bungalow point to the blueberry blintzes as one of the must-try dishes. The crepe-like pancakes are filled with sweetened ricotta and cream cheese and topped with blueberry sauce and sour cream. It's served with crispy bacon (or garlic cheese grits), which helps to cut the sweetness.

2113 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722

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Also featured in:

Baguette et Chocolat

A boon to Francophiles, this Bee Cave authentic French bakery offers a pain au chocolat with a crispy exterior that shatters and flakes and an inside that delivers on its alluring promise of rich indulgent chocolate. France would be proud.

Open in Google Maps

12101 Bee Cave Pkwy Bldg 6, Bee Cave, TX 78738

Visit Website

Josephine House

Appropriately this charmingly elegant Clarksville cottage serves up its fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, rich maple syrup, and housemade cultured butter exactly the way you think it would—seemingly simple, but nearly impossible to replicate.

1601 Waterston Ave, Austin, TX 78703

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Chez Zee

The neighborhood restaurant has long become synonymous with sweets, so perhaps it should be no surprise that it’s crème brulee French toast now come in four sizes — as individual slices, an appetizer portion, an entree, or family-size (that’s a three-pound vacuum-packed loaf). You can go the full nine yards and top it with a drizzle of warm Meyer’s Rum sauce, if desired.

Open in Google Maps

5406 Balcones Dr, Austin, TX 78731

Visit Website

The Hightower

Marked by its intrepid approach to New American cuisine, this East 7th Street spot’s less conventional approach to brunch favorites includes a Dutch baby pancake featuring carnitas, spiced butternut, pure cane syrup, and powdered sugar.

1209 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Elizabeth St. Café

The pretty-as-a-picture South Lamar French-Vietnamese cafe and bakery is a go-to for classic French pastries, but the Nutella- and banana-stuffed crêpes with candied hazelnuts are also a treat. Either way, it all couples nicely with Vietnamese coffee. Lucky you.

1501 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Epicerie

The Mad Dog pancakes at Rosedale’s French Louisiana-style cafe and grocery store are buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup...and yet they are so much more. Don’t miss the traditional New Orleans-style beignets either.

2307 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX 78756

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Toaster

Aimed at elevating home cooking, this East Side trailer’s brunch menu includes some distinct offerings such as the peanut butter and jelly sandwich French toast topped with bananas fosters. The Saturday and Sunday brunch menu is subject to change — check the trailer's social media pages.

Open in Google Maps

1910 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702

Visit Website

Kerbey Lane Café

This iconic Austin institution has been flipping its iconic large gingerbread pancakes long enough to sell a dry pancake mix around town, or any of the other flavors.

Open in Google Maps

3704 Kerbey Ln, Austin, TX 78731

Visit Website

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Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile

3235 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702

Jacoby’s decadent red velvet cake French toast is deep fried for crunch, while the inside gets warm and gooey. And don’t get us started on the house-made cold-brew maple syrup (reduced Stumptown cold brew mixed into maple syrup.) Treat yo’ self toast indeed.

3235 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702

Visit Website

Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill

303 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701

Be sure to save room at the Sunday all-you-care-to-eat brunch for the bread pudding with white chocolate, raisins, pecans, and vanilla bean ice cream, topped with a boozy bourbon cream sauce.

303 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701

Visit Website

June's

1722 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

Not too shortly after June’s opened, June’s crème fraîche cake donut was already selling out. What else do you need to know?

1722 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

Visit Website

Upper Crust Bakery

4508 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

This Rosedale morning fixture has a strong contender in the city’s cinnamon roll game. Its sizeable, less sticky, more cinnamon and sugar version is ideal for sharing — if you can bear to let go of even a bite.

Open in Google Maps

4508 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

Visit Website

Trace

200 Lavaca St, Austin, TX 78701

Rich, sweet, and tangy, the Golden Malted Waffles with candied Texas pecans and silky vanilla mousseline are perfectly composed.

Open in Google Maps

200 Lavaca St, Austin, TX 78701

Visit Website

Paperboy

1203 E 11th St, Austin, TX

The breakfast and brunch-centric East Side trailer has a rotating sweet toast option on its menu that’s not to be missed. Depending on what’s in season, it could feature nectarines, figs, Texas peaches, strawberries, or another bumper crop.

1203 E 11th St, Austin, TX

Visit Website

Eastside Cafe

2113 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722

Brunch regulars at this cozy bungalow point to the blueberry blintzes as one of the must-try dishes. The crepe-like pancakes are filled with sweetened ricotta and cream cheese and topped with blueberry sauce and sour cream. It's served with crispy bacon (or garlic cheese grits), which helps to cut the sweetness.

2113 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722

Visit Website

Baguette et Chocolat

12101 Bee Cave Pkwy Bldg 6, Bee Cave, TX 78738

A boon to Francophiles, this Bee Cave authentic French bakery offers a pain au chocolat with a crispy exterior that shatters and flakes and an inside that delivers on its alluring promise of rich indulgent chocolate. France would be proud.

Open in Google Maps

12101 Bee Cave Pkwy Bldg 6, Bee Cave, TX 78738

Visit Website

Josephine House

1601 Waterston Ave, Austin, TX 78703

Appropriately this charmingly elegant Clarksville cottage serves up its fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, rich maple syrup, and housemade cultured butter exactly the way you think it would—seemingly simple, but nearly impossible to replicate.

1601 Waterston Ave, Austin, TX 78703

Visit Website

Chez Zee

5406 Balcones Dr, Austin, TX 78731

The neighborhood restaurant has long become synonymous with sweets, so perhaps it should be no surprise that it’s crème brulee French toast now come in four sizes — as individual slices, an appetizer portion, an entree, or family-size (that’s a three-pound vacuum-packed loaf). You can go the full nine yards and top it with a drizzle of warm Meyer’s Rum sauce, if desired.

Open in Google Maps

5406 Balcones Dr, Austin, TX 78731

Visit Website

The Hightower

1209 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78702

Marked by its intrepid approach to New American cuisine, this East 7th Street spot’s less conventional approach to brunch favorites includes a Dutch baby pancake featuring carnitas, spiced butternut, pure cane syrup, and powdered sugar.

1209 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visit Website

Elizabeth St. Café

1501 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

The pretty-as-a-picture South Lamar French-Vietnamese cafe and bakery is a go-to for classic French pastries, but the Nutella- and banana-stuffed crêpes with candied hazelnuts are also a treat. Either way, it all couples nicely with Vietnamese coffee. Lucky you.

1501 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Visit Website

Epicerie

2307 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX 78756

The Mad Dog pancakes at Rosedale’s French Louisiana-style cafe and grocery store are buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup...and yet they are so much more. Don’t miss the traditional New Orleans-style beignets either.

2307 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX 78756

Visit Website

Toaster

1910 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702

Aimed at elevating home cooking, this East Side trailer’s brunch menu includes some distinct offerings such as the peanut butter and jelly sandwich French toast topped with bananas fosters. The Saturday and Sunday brunch menu is subject to change — check the trailer's social media pages.

Open in Google Maps

1910 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702

Visit Website

Kerbey Lane Café

3704 Kerbey Ln, Austin, TX 78731

This iconic Austin institution has been flipping its iconic large gingerbread pancakes long enough to sell a dry pancake mix around town, or any of the other flavors.

Open in Google Maps

3704 Kerbey Ln, Austin, TX 78731

Visit Website

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