RFK Rankings · Austin
Best Restaurants for Brunch in Austin (2026)
Weekend brunch · Austin · 7 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published March 18, 2024 · Updated June 9, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Joann's fries blue-corn pancakes inside the Austin Motel on South Congress, and a mile east the Vazquez sisters thread migas into a thick corn tortilla. Austin brunch runs two ways: a long sit-down on a SoCo patio, or a breakfast taco eaten standing at a trailer. These seven, ranked, are where to spend a Saturday morning in the city when the table and the taco both matter.
1.Joann's Fine Foods
Larry McGuire's retro SoCo diner inside the Austin Motel; book the patio for blue-corn pancakes and a slow Saturday.
Larry McGuire and Tom Moorman opened Joann's Fine Foods in 2018 at 1224 South Congress Avenue, a polished Tex-Mex diner built into the landmark Austin Motel. The stone-ground blue-corn pancakes and the breakfast chicken-fried steak are the plates to order, with most running about $15 to $23.
Weekend brunch starts at 9 a.m. and the poolside patio fills first, so reserve rather than walk up. The Infatuation has called it the diner of your dreams. This is the definitive South Congress sit-down brunch.
2.Launderette
Rene Ortiz's converted-laundromat brunch is Austin's most ambitious weekend table; come for the pastries and the patio.
Chef Rene Ortiz, with pastry partner Laura Sawicki, opened Launderette in 2015 at 2115 Holly Street, a former service station and laundromat on the east side. The globally inflected brunch leans on Sawicki's pastry case, with plates roughly in the $16 to $24 range.
Weekend brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. The room is listed in the Michelin Guide for Texas, the patio is the seat to ask for, and the soft-serve closes the meal. Come for an unhurried late-morning brunch with a marquee chef behind it.
3.Veracruz All Natural
Austin's most decorated breakfast taco; come early to the trailer for a migas taco and skip the wait.
Sisters Reyna and Maritza Vazquez built Veracruz All Natural from a single East Cesar Chavez trailer at 1704 East Cesar Chavez Street into seven Austin locations. The migas taco, with scrambled egg, fried tortilla crunch, jack and avocado in a thick housemade corn tortilla, runs about $5 to $6.
The Austin Chronicle readers' poll named it Best Breakfast Taco in its 2025 Best of Austin awards. There is no table service and no reservation. Come early on a weekend morning to the original trailer before the line builds down the block.
4.June's All Day
A Parisian wine-bistro brunch on South Congress with a sommelier-led list; book it for a long late morning.
June's opened in 2016 at 1722 South Congress Avenue, an MML cafe shaped with Master Sommelier June Rodil. The European brunch of pastries and egg dishes runs Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with plates generally in the $14 to $22 range.
The draw is the wine-bar energy and Rodil's by-the-glass list, rare for a brunch room. The bar fills first on weekends. Come for a slow, wine-led Saturday brunch rather than a quick stack, and ask for a seat at the marble counter.
5.24 Diner
Chef Andrew Curren's all-hours diner near downtown; come any morning for chicken and waffles you can respect.
Executive chef Andrew Curren, a Culinary Institute of America valedictorian, runs 24 Diner at 600 North Lamar Boulevard on the Clarksville edge of downtown. The chicken and waffles, with a yeast-risen waffle and brown-sugar butter, is the signature; plates sit under about $20.
CultureMap reported the room returned to overnight 24-hour service Wednesday through Saturday in February 2025. This is chef-driven comfort food at any hour, not a weekend-only window. Come on a weekday morning to skip the brunch-rush wait and take a booth.
6.Bird Bird Biscuit
Austin's biscuit-sandwich standard, now a three-location local institution; order at the counter and take the patio.
Brian Batch and Ryan McElroy opened Bird Bird Biscuit in June 2018 at 2701 Manor Road in East Austin and added a South Lamar location in 2025. The buttermilk-biscuit sandwiches, led by the Sweet Sweet Spicy fried-chicken biscuit, run about $7 to $10.
Community Impact covered the South Austin expansion in June 2025. This is counter service, not a sit-down room, with biscuits and gravy and fried biscuit-donut bites on the board. Come for a fast, no-reservation breakfast and grab a seat on the Manor Road patio.
7.Bouldin Creek Cafe
Austin's definitive vegetarian brunch; come to South First for a tofu scramble and a long laptop-friendly morning.
Bouldin Creek Cafe has run its scratch vegetarian and vegan kitchen since 2000 at 1900 South First Street. The El Tipico tofu-scramble plate and the veggie migas anchor the menu, with most plates roughly $11 to $15.
The South First room has been featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It is the city's longest-running plant-based brunch, woman-owned and counter-ordered. Come for an unhurried weekend morning with strong coffee and no pressure to turn the table.
Not for everyone
Famous, but not actually brunch
Olamaie. The Michelin one-star Southern room on West Lynn is dinner-only and books a $175 prix fixe; its biscuit pop-up is occasional, not a standing weekend brunch.
Justine's Brasserie. The east-side French brasserie opens at 6 p.m. and runs late, closed Tuesdays. It is a fine dinner and a worse breakfast, because it serves none.
Magnolia Cafe. The South Congress 24-hour diner is a fine casual breakfast, but the Lake Austin location has closed and it sits below the picks above for a destination brunch.
How to brunch well in Austin
Austin's brunch map clusters in three pockets: South Congress around the Austin Motel, South First in Bouldin Creek, and the east side along Cesar Chavez and Manor Road. None is far from the others, so a slow morning can move from a taco trailer to a wine bistro without crossing the city.
Weekend tables fill fast at the sit-down rooms, so reserve rather than walk up at Joann's, June's and Launderette. For a fast, no-reservation start, the trailers at Veracruz and the counter at Bird Bird take the pressure off a late wake-up.
Frequently asked
Where is the best brunch in Austin?
Larry McGuire's Joann's Fine Foods on South Congress is the marquee sit-down pick, a retro diner inside the Austin Motel built around blue-corn pancakes. For the city's best breakfast taco, the original Veracruz All Natural trailer on East Cesar Chavez is the destination; for a wine-led morning, June's a few blocks from Joann's.
What is the best brunch taco in Austin?
The migas taco at Veracruz All Natural, run by sisters Reyna and Maritza Vazquez, won Best Breakfast Taco in the Austin Chronicle's 2025 Best of Austin readers' poll. It packs scrambled egg, fried tortilla crunch and avocado into a thick housemade corn tortilla for about $6. Come early to the East Cesar Chavez trailer before the line builds.
Do you need a reservation for brunch in Austin?
Yes at the sit-down rooms. Joann's Fine Foods, June's and Launderette all fill their weekend patios early, so reserve rather than walk up. For a no-reservation option, Veracruz All Natural and Bird Bird Biscuit run counter and trailer service, and a weekday morning is the easiest time to skip the line at either.
What is a good upscale brunch in Austin?
June's All Day on South Congress runs a French-bistro brunch with a sommelier-led wine list shaped by Master Sommelier June Rodil, an alternative to the taco-and-pancake rooms. For an ambitious chef-driven brunch, Rene Ortiz's Launderette in East Austin serves a globally inflected weekend menu in a converted laundromat.
Is Olamaie open for brunch in Austin?
No, not as a standing weekend brunch. Olamaie is a Michelin one-star Southern room that serves a dinner prix fixe and runs only occasional biscuit pop-ups. For a sit-down Austin brunch, Joann's Fine Foods and June's on South Congress are the destinations, and the Veracruz trailer covers the taco side.
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