From eggs and avocado toast to pancakes and doughnuts, eating a delicious breakfast is the best way to start your day.
So, where are hungry early birds getting the best breakfast?
To find out, Lawn Love ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Breakfast Lovers.
We looked at cities with plenty of access to breakfast spots like diners, cafes, and doughnut shops. We also considered quality and popularity by measuring consumer ratings, Google search interest, and the number of breakfast clubs, among 16 total metrics.
Dig in and celebrate National French Toast Day on Nov. 28 with the help of our rankings and in-depth analysis below.
In this article
City rankings
See how each city fared in our ranking:
The upshot
Breakfast empire
Take a bite into The Big Apple, because New York is the best city for breakfast lovers.
New Yorkers have a multitude of options for breakfast, from bodega sandwiches to bagels and fresh-baked pastries. Not only is breakfast easily accessible, but it is top Quality (No. 1). New York has many highly-rated breakfast vendors, a number of which are recognized in top breakfast lists.
Breakfast is also incredibly popular in NYC. The city is home to the most breakfast clubs and has the highest average monthly Google searches for breakfast-related keywords.
Local tips:
- For authentic New York bagels, head to Russ & Daughters. Here, you can get high-quality lox (among other smoked and cured fish) and various sweet or savory baked goods.
- Hit up your neighborhood’s favorite deli or bodega for a classic B.E.C. (bacon, egg, and cheese).
- Enjoy a pastry and reminisce on the era before the internet at Birch Coffee, one of New York’s top coffee shops where patrons are encouraged to take a break from their electronic devices.
Big city appetites
Large populations mean plenty of hungry folks, so it’s no surprise that big cities like San Francisco (No. 2), Chicago (No. 3), and Boston (No. 6) sizzled to the top.
San Francisco has the top Access to breakfast vendors, including the most cafes, bagel shops, and coffee shops per square mile. Boston isn’t far behind with a third-place rank in Access and the highest number of bakeries per square mile. There’s a smorgasbord of breakfast options in Chicago and Seattle (No. 8), too.
Chicago stands out thanks to Quality (No. 5) breakfast foods. Los Angeles (No. 10) is another big city with high Quality eats and a high number of well-rated breakfast vendors.
Meanwhile, less-populated cities, including Midland, Texas, and Fayetteville, North Carolina, fell to the bottom, alongside West Valley City, Utah, at No. 200. Fewer people means fewer options in these smaller cities and suburbs.
Local tips:
- San Francisco: Plow serves up farm-to-table fare, including lemon ricotta pancakes and custard French toast. Thorough Bread & Pastry is a beloved local bakery, selling French-style viennoiseries, bread, and pastries.
- Chicago: The Brown Bobby — a triangular doughnut — got its start in The Windy City, where doughnut lovers purchased a machine for making them at home in the early 1900s. Brown Bobby machines are rare these days, so most Chicagoans get their doughnut fix at Old Fashioned Donuts. This local shop has been filling hearts and stomachs for more than 50 years.
- Boston: Cozy up at Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant. This cash-only diner serves up filling classics like eggs benedict, French toast, and English breakfast. Mr. Crêpe is a crêperie and café located in Davis Square, offering both sweet and savory (and gluten-free) crepes, along with an array of pastries.
First-rate feasts
A tasty breakfast can be the best thing to get you rolling out of bed in the morning.
Bring out the beignets in New Orleans (No. 11), which has the largest share of highly-rated breakfast vendors. Charleston, South Carolina (No. 18) follows close behind, serving up mouthwatering Southern favorites in highly-rated cafes and gourmet eateries.
Portland, Oregon (No. 4), Denver (No. 17), and Nashville, Tennessee (No. 19) fared well in Quality, too, with Portland bringing home silver in that category. Breakfast culture is big in Portland, which has the second-most breakfast clubs out of the cities in our ranking.
Local tips:
- Portland: The Waffle Window specializes in Portland-style Liege waffles, with plenty of flavors and toppings ranging from blueberry cheesecake to bacon, brie, and basil. They offer vegan and gluten-free options, too.
- New Orleans: Whether you’re craving coffee and pastries or fried chicken and sausage gravy biscuits, Willa Jean has got you covered. A trip to NOLA is incomplete without biting into iconic beignets from Cafe du Monde.
- Charleston: Toast! All Day is a Charleston gem, vetted by TripAdvisor and The New York Times. They serve fresh, mouthwatering variations of Southern classics, such as biscuits, beignets, and chicken and waffles.
Expert take
Breakfast can become mundane, but you’re not stuck eating the same cereal or oatmeal every day.
We reached out to a panel of experts to see what other breakfast options are worth trying and whether breakfast is worth eating at all. Read below to learn what they had to say.
- Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Why or why not?
- What is the most energizing option for breakfast?
- What is one trendy breakfast item people should try?
Ask The Experts
Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Why or why not?
Breakfast has earned the adage of “the most important meal of the day” because eating in the morning breaks the overnight fast, which jump-starts the body, provides energy, and fuels the brain. All meals are important to help meet nutrition needs and maintain energy levels.
If you do not feel like eating a big breakfast, eating something small such as a banana or drinking something like a yogurt drink is a good start, as you ease into a bigger meal later.
What is the most energizing option for breakfast?
Energizing breakfasts need two components: healthy carbohydrates and protein. This combination is key to getting the day off to a great start, so look for breakfasts that have both of those macronutrients. The body does not care if something is considered “breakfast food,” so think outside of the box.
Good options for traditional breakfasts include eggs and a piece of whole grain toast, yogurt with berries and granola, or peanut butter and jelly on a bagel. Less traditional choices, but also good, are a tortilla wrap with meat and cheese, leftovers from dinner, or an English Muffin breakfast pizza. The most important thing to do is to eat something within 1-2 hours of getting up and starting your day.
What is one trendy breakfast item people should try?
A trend I would like to see people try is avocado toast with an egg. The whole-grain bread, smashed avocado and egg make for an excellent combination of fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Give it a try!
Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Why or why not?
Breakfast is a very important meal of the day, even if it is not the most important. When we sleep, we use up all the readily available energy in our bodies. Eating breakfast replenishes these stores, which is important for children to be able to learn in school and for adults to accomplish tasks at work.
Research also shows that people who eat breakfast have better-quality diets. This may be because breakfast foods are high in nutrients we need, like the fiber in cereals, or the vitamin C in orange juice. It might also be because people who eat breakfast have healthier lifestyles overall and are more likely to choose healthy foods at other times of the day, as well.
What is the most energizing option for breakfast?
Good options for breakfast include carbohydrates, including the complex carbohydrate, fiber. Most people do not get enough fiber in their diet and it is so important for health. Fiber can also help keep you full for longer.
You should also get some protein in your breakfast. It is also important to help keep you full and for keeping your bones and muscles strong. Great choices to get both fiber and protein in your diet include high-fiber cereals, such as bran flakes or oatmeal with milk. If you top them with fruit you add even more nutrition and great taste. Plain Greek yogurt topped with high-fiber cereal and nuts, whole grain toast with peanut butter, and eggs all provide a healthy start to the day.
What is one trendy breakfast item people should try?
Overnight oatmeal has become quite popular. There are lots of recipes online, but they all involve putting the oatmeal with some type of milk and perhaps yogurt in a closed jar in the refrigerator overnight. It saves the time of cooking the oatmeal in the morning.
The best benefit is you can change the other ingredients based on what you have on hand or what you like. Fruits like bananas or berries, nuts, granola, and chia seeds are all great additions. You can add a small amount of other ingredients for flavor, like a bit of vanilla extract, coconut, jam, or maple syrup.
Behind the ranking
For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we gathered publicly available data on the factors listed in the table below.
We then grouped those factors into three categories: Access, Quality, and Popularity.
Next, we calculated weighted scores for each city in each category.
Finally, we averaged the scores for each city across all categories.
The city that earned the highest average score was ranked “Best” (No. 1), while the city with the lowest was ranked “Worst” (No. 200).
Notes:
- The “Worst” among individual factors may not be 200 due to ties among cities.
- Top Breakfast-Related Keywords include:
- Breakfast near me
- Breakfast places near me
- Best breakfast near me
- Breakfast restaurants near me
Sources
Culture Trip, Food & Wine, Expedia, Google, Mashed, Meetup, TripAdvisor, and Yelp
Final thoughts: Breakfast bucket list
Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreation” said it best: “There has never been a sadness that can’t be cured by breakfast food.” Whether you’re feeling scrambled or sunny-side up, breakfast is a great way to start (or end) your day.
Add to your breakfast bucket list with inspiration from some more of the country’s top diners and breakfast joints below.
Atlanta
The Peach State is known for being home to the original Waffle House, but that’s just the beginning when it comes to delicious Southern-style comfort foods. Home Grown GA is an award-winning spot in The Big Peach, serving up affordable breakfast and brunch options. They even source some ingredients from their on-site garden.
Denver
The Denver omelet may not have begun in the Mile High City, but it is still an American diner classic. Sam’s No. 3 is Denver’s favorite bustling diner, cooking up approximately 22,000 eggs every week. Sam’s has been in business since 1927 and has been praised by locals, national news outlets, and celebrities like Jack Black.
Los Angeles
From doughnuts to breakfast burritos, LA has the variety to appease all appetites. Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles is a soul food staple, loved by celebrities including Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, and Shaquille O’Neil.
Philadelphia
Federal Donuts serves up fried chicken, breakfast sandwiches, and (you guessed it) doughnuts. Grab breakfast before heading to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens at nearby Sam’s Morning Glory Diner. This is a cash-only spot with homemade breakfast and brunch specials.
San Antonio
Head to The Original Donut Shop, which sells scrumptious doughnuts, but is better known for serving the best breakfast tacos in Alamo City. Kick your kolache cravings at Bexar Kolache Company, or head to Magnolia Pancake Haus for world-famous buttermilk pancakes and other classic breakfast fare.
Main photo credit: iStock
