The Best Brunch Cities in America: 2022 Data

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By Matt Brannon Updated March 29, 2023

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🥓 What's the best city for brunch? 🥓No one tops New Orleans when it comes to brunch. The Louisiana locale has 20 brunch restaurants for every 100,000 residents, the most of any U.S. city.
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Ranking 50 Cities | Top 15 Brunch Cities | Best Brunch Cocktail Cities | Rankings by Category | 10 Worst Brunch Cities | Methodology | FAQ

Whether you're celebrating springtime or recovering from a rowdy Saturday night, it's easy to make the case for brunch.

You can see syrup spill over pillowy pancakes. Hear crackles of bacon — clinks of cocktail glasses. Feel the steam rising off well-made omelets and the warmth of pleasant conversation.

A nourishing brunch can be a divine experience. Perhaps that's why 61% percent of Americans indulge in the marriage of breakfast and lunch.[1] But brunch isn't the same in every city. Some pull off the replenishing
weekend ceremony better than others.

To determine America's best brunch cities, we researched restaurant, menu, economic, and internet search data, culminating in a culinary ranking of 50 major U.S. cities, weighted by the following metrics:

  • 6x: Google search activity for 20 various brunch foods and drinks
  • 5x: The share of brunch restaurants per 100,000 residents
  • 4x: The combined grocery price of five popular breakfast food and drink items
  • 4x: Google search activity for the terms "brunch," "breakfast buffet," "brunch menu," "best brunch," and "bottomless brunch"
  • 1x: Affordability of the above breakfast items based on local incomes

Feast your eyes on our findings below.

Best Brunch Cities Statistics 🍳

  • The average metro in our 50-city sample has 7 brunch restaurants per 100,000 people and an average cost of $14.71 per meal. Jump to section👇
  • New Orleans is the best U.S. city for brunch, with 20 brunch spots per 100,000 people — the highest number in the nation. 👇
  • Indianapolis has the best brunch prices. Ingredients for a DIY brunch cost just $11.88 — 24% cheaper than the average city in our analysis.
    • The next cheapest cities for brunch are Cleveland, Cincinnati, Memphis, Tenn., and Houston.
  • San Francisco is the most affordable city for brunch. Thanks to high average incomes, one brunch per week would cost a resident just 0.69% of their annual income compared to our 50-city average of 1.24%.
    • Riverside, Calif., is the least affordable city, where a weekly brunch costs 1.69% of residents' annual income. 👇
  • Seattle is the most passionate brunch city. Residents here have the highest average Google search interest for 20 different brunch foods and beverages. 👇
    • Griddle game on point: Seattle ranks No. 1 in search interest for waffles and pancakes, but high prices keep it from making it to the top 15 brunch cities.
  • Milwaukee is the best city for brunch cocktails with the highest Google search activity for drinks such as mimosas, bloody marys, and other brunch beverages. 👇
  • East Coast eats: The top cities for bagel passion are all in the Northeast, including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Hartford, Conn., and Baltimore. 👇
  • West Coast cuisine: Salt Lake City ranks No. 1 for crepe interest, and San Diego ranks best for avocado toast. 👇
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Ranking the 50 Best Brunch Cities

🥇 The Best of the Brunch The West is blessed with some of the best brunch cities in the U.S. Seven of the top 10 cities for brunch sit west of the Mississippi River.
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What Are the 15 Best Cities for Brunch?

brunch plates

What makes a city a great place to brunch? Looking at the top 15 as a group showcases why the cities listed below are the whipped cream of the crop.

  • More Options: The top 15 cities have about 43% more brunch restaurants per capita than the average city in our study (10 per 100,000 people vs. 7 per 100,000).
  • Affordability: The top 15 brunch cities have an average brunch food cost of $14.59, slightly cheaper than the $14.71 average cost of all cities in our study.
    • Brunching once a week for a year costs the average resident in a top-15 city 1.16% of their annual income. That's better than the overall average of 1.24% in our study.
  • Passion for Brunch: The top 15 cities search the web for brunch foods more often. They have an average brunch passion score of 75 out of 100 compared to 65 for the average city in our study, a 15% advantage.

Want to know how much you really spend on brunch? Enter your information below to find out!

1. New Orleans, Louisiana

🍽️ A Brunch of Great Options With more restaurants serving brunch per capita than any other city, New Orleans takes the (pan)cake for the nation's best brunch city.
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Sweet, savory, and Southern: No matter what flavor of brunch you're in the mood for, New Orleans has it all. The Big Easy has 20 brunch restaurants per 100,000 people — almost triple the average city we analyzed (7 per 100,000).

Why not add a little Bourbon Street to your breakfast? New Orleans residents rank in the top five nationally for Google searches of brunch cocktails. For an early dessert, New Orleans ranks first in searches for beignets, a delectable delicacy at spots such as the famous Cafe du Monde.

From the Creole creations at Saint John to smothered shrimp at Beaucoup Eats, there's enough variety
to have a filling Sunday — or a Fat Tuesday.

2. Las Vegas, Nevada

🎲 A Safe Bet Finding delicious brunch in Las Vegas is no gamble. Sin City hosts 13 brunch restaurants per 100,000 people, 1.8x the average city we analyzed.
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Brunch enthusiasts in Las Vegas are treated to cheaper prices than the average city in our study — $14.33 per meal compared to $14.71. This makes it a great town for brunchers who like to stay on top of their money — no need to risk it for a biscuit.

Residents are also more passionate about brunch than those in the typical city based on how much they search the web for brunch foods and beverages. Sin City has the second-highest search interest overall for brunch cocktails.

Two of the most commonly searched brunch items in Las Vegas are crepes (second-highest search activity in the country) and bellini cocktails (third-highest).

You could try the red velvet pancakes of Freedom Beat or the all-you-can-drink special at Aces & Ales.
Though, unfortunately for visitors, the calories you consume won't stay in Vegas.

3. San Diego, California

☀️ Putting the Sun in Sunday BrunchThis beachside city boasts a strong affection for brunch, ranking No. 5 in our passion metric due to its volume of brunch-related web searches.
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San Diego residents spend a lot of time daydreaming about brunch, as evidenced by a passion score of 81 — about 25% higher than the average score on our list (65), according to Google Trends data.

This California city ranks No. 1 on our list for search interest in avocado toast, a trendy treat locals can find at eateries such as Common Stock.

San Diego also ranks in the top five on our list for brunch restaurants per capita, with 12 spots per 100,000 people. With a wealth of options — including the all-day champagne breakfast at Breakfast & Bubbles — it's never too late to get your brunch on.

4. Portland, Oregon

🥟 An Abundance of Brunches Portland is blazing a breakfast-themed trail with an impressive rate of 14 brunch spots per 100,000 people — second-most on our list.
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People looking to pig out in Portland have come to the right place. The Oregon city has twice as many restaurants serving brunch as the average metro in our study (14 per 100,000 people vs. 7 per 100,000).

Residents are often scouring the web for brunch-related foods: Portland ranks No. 2 in the U.S. for its brunch passion score of 96 — much higher than the average score on our list of 65, according to Google Trends data. The city also ranks No. 1 in the nation for search interest in bacon. (Did somebody say Porkland?)

Hungry hipsters might enjoy the pork-belly of Baon Kainan or the artful creations at Kimura Toast Bar. Be sure to
stop by brunch at Hey Love for slushees spiked with rosé while in the Rose City.

5. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

💰 Brewing up a Bargain In addition to great beer, Milwaukee has some of the best brunch prices in the country at $12.75.
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Milwaukee is one of the top cities for brunchers on a budget. Brunch here costs about $12.75, 15% cheaper than the average city in our study ($14.71).

Those savings add up over time. Someone eating brunch once a week in Milwaukee can expect to spend $663 a year — about $100 less than a resident of the average city in our study would spend ($765).

Google search data reveals the city ranks No. 1 overall for interest in brunch cocktails, scoring a perfect 100 in our brunch cocktail passion metric. Milwaukee also ranks best specifically for interest in bloody marys, suggesting residents might like to fight off hangovers with a little hair of the dog.

It's no surprise that one of the city's top brunch spots is also known for its bar, which was shipped over from a pub in England, the birthplace of brunch.[2]

6. Salt Lake City, Utah

⛪ Devout and Delicious Salt Lake City clearly has a passion for breaking bread. The Utah metro ranks No. 4 nationally in brunch-related web searches.
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Thanks to its Google search interest in brunch, Salt Lake City has a passion score of 82 — 26% higher than the average score of 65 in our study. The city ranks No. 1 in the nation for search interest in crepes, such as the ones you can find at Roots Cafe.

The city has a booming brunch scene, with 11 brunch spots per 100,000 people — 1.5x the average city on our list. And a typical brunch costs about $13.30, cheaper than the $14.71 you'd pay in the average city we analyzed.

With low local search interest in brunch cocktails, you might have to look harder to find a place where you can catch a buzz at brunch, such as the "highball hideout" of Blue Gene's.

7. Austin, Texas

🤠 Brunch Is Bigger in Texas The capital of Texas is also the capital of the state's brunch scene with 10 restaurants serving brunch per 100,000 residents, 1.4x the average city on our top 50 list.
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In addition to ranking in the top 10 in brunch restaurants per capita, Austin is also one of the best cities for brunch cocktails. It ranks No. 6 in that category thanks to a brunch cocktail passion score of 68 — 31% higher than the average city we analyzed (score of 52), according to Google Trends data.

The scrumptious brunch menu at Josephine House has a slew of creative cocktails, and you can always stick around a little longer for happy hour.

The data shows screwdrivers might be Austin's favorite cocktail. The city ranks No. 2 on our list for online search interest in the vodka-orange juice alliance, behind only San Antonio.

8. San Jose, California

🖥️ Value in Silicon ValleyHigh average incomes make this Silicon Valley city the second-most affordable for brunch. Doing brunch once a week for a year costs 0.79% of the typical resident's income — much better than the 1.24% mark for the average city on our list.
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Brunch in this Golden State city is a steal. San Jose ranks No. 2 on our list for affordability when accounting for residents' annual incomes, behind only San Francisco. However, individual brunch prices tend to be better in San Jose, where locals spend about $14.81 per meal compared to $18.41 in San Francisco.

Based on Google Trends data, San Jose residents scored a 78 on our brunch passion metric, higher than the typical score of 65 among the cities we analyzed. The Silicon Valley city scored No. 1 for interest in dim sum, which you can find all day, every day at Ocean Delight Seafood Restaurant.

When it comes to brunch cocktails, San Jose ranks No. 1 on our list for interest in Irish coffee, which one can find at spots such as Rosie McCann's Irish Pub & Restaurant.

9. Denver, Colorado

⛰️ A Mountain of OptionsDenver ranks No. 5 on our list in brunch restaurants per capita, with 11 spots per 100,000 people — 57% more than the average city we analyzed (7 per 100,000).
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From the classic eats at Jelly Cafe to the dim sum of Star Kitchen, the list of brunch choices in Denver
is a mile high.

Denver residents are clearly passionate about their rocking brunch scene. Their volume of brunch-related web searches earns them a passion score of 81, which is 25% higher than the average city in our study (score of 65). That puts Denver at No. 6 nationwide for love of the breakfast-lunch combo.

And remember: If your alarm wakes you up in the morning after a long hike or a late night on the town, don't forget to hit Snooze!

10. Chicago, Illinois

💵 Chicago, Deal-linois Chicago is one of the most affordable cities for brunch when taking residents' average income into account. One weekly brunch per year costs 1.05% of the typical salary — a better deal than the 1.24% average of all cities on our list.
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Rounding out the top 10, the Windy City enjoys a winning brunch scene. In addition to ranking fifth on our list for affordability, the city also has a population that knows how to appreciate brunch. Chicago earned a brunch passion score of 71 thanks to a high number of brunch-related web searches, better than the average city's score of 65.

Chicago residents are happy to go traditional or eat outside the box. The city ranks third on our list for pancake passion (such as the pistachio pancakes of Ocaso Kitchen & Bar) and supports unique spots such as Bloom Plant Based Kitchen and swanky Segnatore.

Unlike a lot of big cities, Chicago ranks No. 15 on our list for best prices for brunch. The typical brunch here costs $13.61, more than a dollar less than the average city on our list ($14.71).

11. Minneapolis, Minnesota

😊 Blushing for BrunchThat face isn't red from the cold; it's flushed from a love of brunch. With a high rate of locals searching the web for brunch, Minneapolis earns a brunch passion score of 89 — 37% higher than the average city's score in our study (65).
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Substantial searches for brunch-related terms make Minneapolis No. 3 in our rankings for brunch passion, behind only Seattle and Portland.

No city tops Minneapolis in affection for hash browns, as the city claims the highest search numbers for that term. Minneapolis also ranks No. 2 for search interest in bacon, according to Google Trends data. Hungry visitors can try both of these local favorites at the homey haunt known as Our Kitchen.

Residents are also open to a boozy brunch. That's clear based on their No. 2 ranking in searches for bloody marys, which one can find at The Lynhall. If you have too many, Minneapolis is conveniently one of our top-ranked cities for public transportation.

12. Baltimore, Maryland

💥 More Bang for Your BrunchBrunch is more affordable in Baltimore than it is in most cities on our list. A weekly brunch costs the average resident 1.15% of their annual income, better than the average of 1.24% spent in the 50 metros we analyzed.
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Despite being a large metro, Baltimore doesn't pay big-city prices for brunch. The average brunch price comes out to $14.76, just five cents more than the average of $14.71 in the 50 cities we studied.

Baltimore ranks in the top five in online search interest for two particular brunch foods. The first is bagels, varieties of which are a-bun-dant at Bottoms Up Bagels.

The second is omelets, which, of course, plenty of brunch restaurants are happy to whip up. It's worth specifically mentioning the Rusty Scupper Restaurant & Bar, which has multiple omelet stations, making it easy to get eggs-actly what you're looking for.

13. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

❤️ City of Bruncherly LovePhiladelphians must feel delighted with good brunch food prices. At $14.53 per meal, locals are paying less here compared to the average city on our list ($14.71).
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Paying for one brunch each week in Philadelphia comes out to about $756 a year. Using the city's average income, a typical resident would spend about 1.08% of their salary on a weekly brunch — 15% cheaper than the average of the 50 cities we analyzed (1.24%).

Google Trends data shows Philadelphia residents are particularly passionate about French toast. The city has higher search numbers for that breakfast treat than any other city we studied.

Adventurous brunchers might like the cheesecake French toast of Booker's Restaurant and Bar or the Honey Cristo sandwich made with ham and challah French toast at Honey's Sit 'n Eat.

14. Washington, D.C.

🇺🇸 Conserving Capital by the CapitolWashington stands out for its affordability of brunch. With high average incomes, buying brunch once a week for a year costs the typical resident 1.12% of their income — 11% cheaper than the average among the cities we analyzed (1.24%).
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It's a good thing the typical Washington resident has some money to spare, as brunch prices tend to be higher in the nation's capital. At $16.60, the district averages the seventh-highest brunch prices on our list, as the average city in our study saw a cost of $14.71.

Then again, locals here get what they pay for, as evidenced by the impressive entrees such as the truffle omelets of Le Diplomate and the soufflés at The Lafayette inside The Hay-Adams hotel.

15. Kansas City, Missouri

🤑 Show Me the SavingsKansas City residents have access to some of the nation's best brunch prices. The average cost of $12.95 is 14% cheaper than the typical city on our list ($14.71).
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This city on the border of the Show Me State has an admirable appreciation for brunch. Kansas City ranks No. 16 in our brunch passion metric based on the amount of web searches they conduct for brunch foods and drinks.

The numbers show Kansas City residents in particular love some sweetness in their brunch. The city has a higher search volume for cinnamon rolls than any other locale on our list. (Then again, how could we expect another town to compete with the jumbo rolls of The Brass Onion?)

That affection carries over to brunch cocktails. Kansas City ranks No. 20 for brunch cocktail passion, according to Google Trends data.

10 Best Cities for Brunch Cocktails

Many brunch enthusiasts enjoy a drink while they dine. So we ranked the 10 best cities for brunch cocktails based on Google Trends interest for six popular brunch beverages: mimosas, bloody marys, bellinis, Irish coffee, screwdrivers, and sangria.

Here are the cities that scored the highest and have us buzzing:

  1. Milwaukee, Wisconsin (100)
  2. Las Vegas, Nevada (78)
  3. Providence, Rhode Island (75)
  4. New Orleans, Louisiana (72)
  5. Norfolk, Virginia (69)
  6. Austin, Texas (68)
  7. San Francisco, California (68)
  8. San Jose, California (68)
  9. Buffalo, New York (66)
  10. Tampa, Florida (63)

Taken as a group, these 10 cities have a combined brunch cocktail passion score of 73 — 40% higher than the average score of 52 for all cities we analyzed. The top cocktail city is Milwaukee, which has a brunch cocktail passion score of 100 — nearly double the average of 52.

Milwaukee also ranks No. 1 in the nation for search interest in bloody marys.

Out of all 50 cities, sangria has the highest average search volume among the six cocktails we measured.

Data Details: Top 5 Rankings by Category

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The 10 Worst Brunch Cities

Unfortunately, the data shows some towns' brunch scenes are more gristle than griddle. As much as we'd like to sugarcoat the bad news, we also don't want to walk on eggshells around these cities, which make up the bottom 10 of our rankings:

  1. Riverside, California
  2. Birmingham, Alabama
  3. Memphis, Tennessee
  4. Sacramento, California
  5. Louisville, Kentucky
  6. Jacksonville, Florida
  7. Dallas, Texas
  8. Tampa, Florida
  9. Hartford, Connecticut
  10. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Why do these places lag behind? Taken as a group, the bottom 10 cities have about 6 brunch spots per 100,000 residents, lower than the 50-city average of 7 per 100,000. Based on Google Trends data, these cities also spend less time searching the web for brunch with an average passion score of 54, lower than the overall average of 65 in our study.

Brunch takes a bigger bite out of one's budget in the bottom 10 cities. The average cost of $15.14 for brunch in these 10 metros is pricier than the average of $14.71 among all cities we analyzed. And affording a weekly brunch would cost a resident 1.39% of their annual income, more than the 1.24% average of the 50 cities we looked at.

Riverside ended up as the worst city for brunch, according to the data. This otherwise enjoyable California town sank in our rankings because:

  • It has the lowest number of brunch restaurants per capita of any city in our study (2 per 100,000 people vs. the average of 7 per 100,000).
  • A weekly brunch takes up 27% more of residents' yearly budgets in Riverside than in the average city we examined. It would cost 1.69% of a local's average annual income to have brunch once per week for a year, the highest percentage of any city
    on our list.
  • Residents don't spend much time searching for brunch foods on the web. Riverside has a brunch passion score of 43 compared to the typical score in our study of 65, according to Google Trends data.

While those stats might leave a bad taste in your mouth, mornings in Riverside can still be friendly to consumers — the city is blessed with some of the best coffee prices in the country.

Methodology

Clever Real Estate compared the 50 most populous U.S. metro areas across 36 metrics, listed below. Each metric was normalized and graded on a 100-point scale. The combined weighted average of each score determined the overall "brunch city" score upon which the final ranking was based.

In cases where data sets included only cities, the city data was combined and weighted by population within the overall metro in which the city belonged. In cases where data sets included only counties, county data was crosswalked with metropolitan data.
In cases where data sets included only states, the state where the largest portion of the metro is located was used.

The metrics used are as follows:

  • Google Trends popularity of 20 different brunch foods and drinks in each metro (30% of total, 1.5% each)
  • Number of brunch restaurants per 100K residents in that metro (25% of total)
  • Average price of an assortment of popular brunch foods in each metro (20% of total; 4% each)
  • Google Trends popularity of 5 different descriptive terms for brunch in each metro (20% total; 4% each)
  • Affordability of brunch foods: The average price divided by the average annual income in that metro (5% of total; 1% each)

Article Sources

[1] Ask Your Target Market – "Brunch Survey: Meal Popular on Sundays, Special Occasions". Updated Jan. 27, 2017. Accessed March 14, 2022.
[2] brunch dc – "The Brunch Historian: A History of Brunch". Accessed March 14, 2022.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Brunch Cities

What's the best brunch city?

New Orleans is the best city for brunch in the U.S. The Louisiana city has 20 brunch restaurants per 100,000 people — more than double the average city. Learn more.

What is brunch?

Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch often taking place in the late morning or early afternoon. Dating back to 1800s England, brunch was pitched as a way to recover from Saturday nights, allowing eaters to sleep in later than normal. Which U.S. cities do brunch the best?

What are some brunch food ideas?

Popular brunch foods include waffles, pancakes, French toast, eggs, bacon, oranges, bananas, and many others, though the qualities — and quantities — of brunch vary from city to city. Learn more.

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