Brunch is where the heart is, and that goes double for the most festive season. Yes, the holidays were made for the most indulgent spreads, especially ones filled with breakfast bites and flavors from some of your favorite local restaurants.
Sweet or savory, party grazing or morning lazing — you can’t go wrong with an overflowing brunch board. Dig in and get inspired with this dreamy, delicious fare that is so quintessentially Little Rock.
Signature Biscuits // Hillcrest Little Bakery
The magic: “Not only are they soft and fluffy, but they’re huge! I think the most unique part about them is how we’ve incorporated them into most of our menu,” manager Zara Schmidt says. “From using them for benedict meals in place of English muffins to piling eggs, cheese, gravy and our hot chicken onto a biscuit like the Hot Springs, to our biscuit French toast, we use the biscuits however we can.”
More menu favorites: “The Hot Chicken Benedict has become my favorite lately. It’s our hot chicken piled on top of an open-faced biscuit, topped with poached eggs and hollandaise and served with breakfast potatoes.”
Spiced Pecans // The Capital Hotel
The magic: “They’re a little spicy and a little sweet, tossed with sugar and cayenne pepper. That’s what gives them that great kick!” says Kyle Little, director of food and beverage at The Capital Hotel. “The pecans have developed a bit of a cult following here at the hotel, and we sell them and ship them by the half and full pound. You can even find them all season long in our holiday gift shop.”
More menu favorites: “Our pimento cheese is nearly as popular as our pecans, and no wonder — served with housemade soda crackers, this staple has helped us truly redefine ‘Southern comfortable.'”
Bananas Foster Pancakes // Raduno Brick Oven & Barroom
The magic: “Our pancakes are known for being fluffy and light ,while also bringing the perfect buttery flavor that you want. Much of that has to do with our chefs honing in on their pancake-perfecting skills that happen before the batter ever hits the grill. The buttermilk and butter are brought to perfect temperatures to ensure that, when mixed, we get the beautiful cakes we’re known for,” says Deanna Jones Barlogie, Raduno’s appointed “CEO of Nitty Gritty.” “How we set them up on the grill is important, too — there’s a mastered Raduno way of dropping them on the flat top. We can’t tell you all our secrets, but there’s a method to the pancake drop madness.”
More menu favorites: “My favorite brunch item is a tie between the croque madame and the biscuits and gravy. I’m a traditionalist at heart, so the biscuits and gravy combine my eternal love of eggs, gravy and any bread product into a solid comfort food staple.”
Cream Cheese Danishes & Sausage Rolls // Community Bakery
The magic: “The sausage rolls are the same recipe we have used for decades,” owner and CEO John Brandenberger says. “We bake the sausage, egg and cheddar, then roll it into our housemade dough. It looks similar to a cinnamon roll when we prepare it. The cream cheese danish is our most popular breakfast danish. Each is made from scratch.”
More menu favorites: “I love our made-fresh sandwiches and soups. My new favorite sandwich is our spicy pimento cheese melt: housemade pimento cheese with a little kick, served on our jalapeño cheddar bread. For breakfast, one of the top-selling items is our ciabatta sandwich with turkey sausage, goat cheese, pesto, tomato and spinach served on a toasted, housemade ciabatta bun.”
Croissants & Quiche // The Croissanterie
The magic: “Traditional three-day French croissants — light, flakey, buttery. Quiche in homemade pie crust filled with cheese, eggs, bacon and cream. It’s basically cheese pie,” owner and executive pastry chef Wendy Schay says.
“For the croissants, it’s the technique. Wendy makes them in a very traditional way. Our taste tester was French, we have a consultant that is French, many continental customers who greatly appreciate how we make them and compare them as such.
“The quiche is just delicious. Ours is less eggy than most, but it’s something I’ve made for my family for years at Christmas. It’s a great base to change out flavor and ingredient-wise.”
More menu favorites: “Breakfast, any part of it. Breakfast is for family and friends. It generally starts a day of celebration, togetherness, adventure or the general pursuit of happiness.”
Smoked Turkey Spread // Bray Gourmet
The magic: “The Bray Gourmet Smoked Turkey Dip/Spread is sweet/smoky/salty goodness,” owner and chef Chris Bray says. “Eight grams of protein per serving, whole white meat turkey, no artificial colors or flavors, dairy-free, gluten-free and keto-friendly. An easy snack or entree, all you need is some bread and spread for your new favorite turkey sandwich. It comes in three flavors: original, jalapeño and cajun (only offered at the restaurant).”
More menu favorites: “This is ever changing for me. Right now it’s our Tuesday Special: genoa salami, smoked capicola, ham, pepperoncini, mozzarella cheese, romaine, tomato, mayo, house Italian, oil and vinegar served on housemade focaccia bread.”
Assorted Bagels // The Bagel Shop
The magic: “Our bagels are little circles of love,” co-owner and executive chef Trevor Papsadora says. “Our bagels are special because we make them from scratch daily using King Arthur flour and time-honored techniques. All of our bagels are boiled in malted barley water and baked fresh daily.”
More menu favorites: “My favorite item that we serve is my tuna salad. I’m serious about tuna! We use premium albacore tuna and my secret dressing recipe with fresh herbs. It has a cult-like following of folks who buy it by the pint weekly.”
Cinnamon Rolls // Boulevard Bread Co.
The magic: “The cinnamon rolls are hand rolled and shaped and made with homemade cream cheese icing, of course,” owner Christina McGehee says.
More menu favorites: “My favorite breakfast brunch or pastry would be our plain croissants toasted with butter and jelly. I also love the salmon bialy with cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, capers and lemon. There are too many things to choose from!”
Mini Pastries // Blackberry Market
The magic: “We are daily creating and making an assortment of fresh pastries,” owner Peter Loibner says. “Our in-house baking team works together to make these treats with love and seasonal ingredients.”
More menu favorites: “On a cool morning, I think our biscuits and gravy (topped with a cheesy scrambled egg might be my fave) are out of this world, but I’m also always happy to have a seasonal muffin and coffee.”
Ceramics, serveware from EGGSHELLS KITCHEN CO.
Gold platter from TIPTON & HURST.