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Corned beef hash
Leunig’s Bistro/Facebook

10 Brilliant Brunches in Burlington, Vermont

From maple biscuits to brisket hash and beyond

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Corned beef hash
| Leunig’s Bistro/Facebook

Despite its relatively small-town status, Burlington, Vermont has a rich nightlife with plenty of dining, theatre, live music, bars and brew pubs. And anyplace with that much to do in the evening needs some morning-after options too. Whether its hair-of-the dog craft cocktails, hangover-curing eggs Benedict or a tall stack of pancakes to soak up all of that local maple syrup, here are the brunches of note in the Green Mountain State’s biggest city.

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August First

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August First is open for (booze-free) breakfast all day on Sundays. Enjoy avocado toast, tofu scrambles, yogurt smoothies, breakfast sandwiches and a long list of daily house-made pastries such as flakey biscuits glazed with Vermont maple syrup.

Maple biscuit
August First/Facebook

Monarch and the Milkweed

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Head to self-proclaimed “fine diner” Monarch and the Milkweed for former Hen of the Wood pastry chef Andrew LeStourgeon’s pastries. But stay for the bacon cheddar Gruyere quiche, waffles with house-churned butter, blueberry pancakes, cocktails, and cannabis confections.

Leunig's Bistro

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For an elegant France-meets-Vermont brunch, there’s Leunig’s. This beloved bistro offers an impressive Sunday morning spread of everything from duck confit poutine to classic French fare, plus local cheese and charcuterie. A waffled Croque Madame comes with Vermont’s North Country Smoke House ham, Gruyere on a Belgian waffle with béchamel and a sunny egg. Here, “steak and eggs” means filet mignon with béarnaise and asparagus. Located on the Church Street Marketplace, diners can clink champagne flutes of mimosas while slurping oysters and enjoying the charming view.

El Cortijo

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Eggy tacos and burritos come with a variety of accoutrements at this tequila bar and taqueria. It’s a tough choice between mole with sweet potato or carnitas with avocado crema, but whichever you choose, wash it down with fresh-squeezed mimosas, micheladas or “Bloody Marias” made with blanco tequila and house Bloody Mary mix.

Mirabelles Cafe

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Since 1990, Mirabelle’s has provided downtown Burlington with elegant pastries and desserts. Dine in their café for an equally sophisticated (albeit alcohol-free) breakfast. Popovers with scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, crème fraîche and hash browns are the stand-out.

Penny Cluse Cafe

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Breakfast and lunch are served all day, every day at this twenty-year-old crowd-pleaser. The extensive menu includes everything from nutty house-baked granola with maple syrup to gingerbread pancakes, biscuits and gravy, huevos rancheros, omelettes and beyond. Wash it all down with local beers and Bloody Marys.

Butch + Babe's

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Head to the hip Old North End of Burlington for comfort food like local Misty Knoll Farm chicken tender sandwiches, grits, and buttermilk pancakes. Butch and Babe’s also offers a rotating selection of local brews and ciders on tap.

Mac and cheese pancakes
Butch + Babe’s/Facebook

Misery Loves Company

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The mimosas are five dollars on Saturdays at Winooski’s famed Misery Loves Company. Creative snacks like cheddar beignets with honey butter, small plates like tater tots with smoked fish, trout roe and crème fraîche, or 18-hour smoked brisket hash with fried eggs and salsa verde make it a brunch stand-out.

Chicken and waffles
Misery Loves Company/Facebook

Sneakers Bistro

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The long wait for a table is a good clue that there’s something tasty ahead at Sneakers, the 35-year-old Winooski breakfast joint. Locals flock here for French toast dipped in Kahlua batter, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, omelettes, and cocktails.

Oatmeal brûlée
Sneakers Bistro/Facebook

Waterworks

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Spend Sunday morning in Winooski’s historic Champlain Mill at Waterworks. Choose from a long list of brunch cocktails and classic breakfast items, and enjoy them while watching the rapids of the Winooski River flow by. In winter, they’ll be frozen: an equally magnificent sight.

August First

August First is open for (booze-free) breakfast all day on Sundays. Enjoy avocado toast, tofu scrambles, yogurt smoothies, breakfast sandwiches and a long list of daily house-made pastries such as flakey biscuits glazed with Vermont maple syrup.

Maple biscuit
August First/Facebook

Monarch and the Milkweed

Head to self-proclaimed “fine diner” Monarch and the Milkweed for former Hen of the Wood pastry chef Andrew LeStourgeon’s pastries. But stay for the bacon cheddar Gruyere quiche, waffles with house-churned butter, blueberry pancakes, cocktails, and cannabis confections.

Leunig's Bistro

For an elegant France-meets-Vermont brunch, there’s Leunig’s. This beloved bistro offers an impressive Sunday morning spread of everything from duck confit poutine to classic French fare, plus local cheese and charcuterie. A waffled Croque Madame comes with Vermont’s North Country Smoke House ham, Gruyere on a Belgian waffle with béchamel and a sunny egg. Here, “steak and eggs” means filet mignon with béarnaise and asparagus. Located on the Church Street Marketplace, diners can clink champagne flutes of mimosas while slurping oysters and enjoying the charming view.

El Cortijo

Eggy tacos and burritos come with a variety of accoutrements at this tequila bar and taqueria. It’s a tough choice between mole with sweet potato or carnitas with avocado crema, but whichever you choose, wash it down with fresh-squeezed mimosas, micheladas or “Bloody Marias” made with blanco tequila and house Bloody Mary mix.

Mirabelles Cafe

Since 1990, Mirabelle’s has provided downtown Burlington with elegant pastries and desserts. Dine in their café for an equally sophisticated (albeit alcohol-free) breakfast. Popovers with scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, crème fraîche and hash browns are the stand-out.

Penny Cluse Cafe

Breakfast and lunch are served all day, every day at this twenty-year-old crowd-pleaser. The extensive menu includes everything from nutty house-baked granola with maple syrup to gingerbread pancakes, biscuits and gravy, huevos rancheros, omelettes and beyond. Wash it all down with local beers and Bloody Marys.

Butch + Babe's

Head to the hip Old North End of Burlington for comfort food like local Misty Knoll Farm chicken tender sandwiches, grits, and buttermilk pancakes. Butch and Babe’s also offers a rotating selection of local brews and ciders on tap.

Mac and cheese pancakes
Butch + Babe’s/Facebook

Misery Loves Company

The mimosas are five dollars on Saturdays at Winooski’s famed Misery Loves Company. Creative snacks like cheddar beignets with honey butter, small plates like tater tots with smoked fish, trout roe and crème fraîche, or 18-hour smoked brisket hash with fried eggs and salsa verde make it a brunch stand-out.

Chicken and waffles
Misery Loves Company/Facebook

Sneakers Bistro

The long wait for a table is a good clue that there’s something tasty ahead at Sneakers, the 35-year-old Winooski breakfast joint. Locals flock here for French toast dipped in Kahlua batter, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, omelettes, and cocktails.

Oatmeal brûlée
Sneakers Bistro/Facebook

Waterworks

Spend Sunday morning in Winooski’s historic Champlain Mill at Waterworks. Choose from a long list of brunch cocktails and classic breakfast items, and enjoy them while watching the rapids of the Winooski River flow by. In winter, they’ll be frozen: an equally magnificent sight.