27 Cincinnati Breakfast and Brunch Spots You Have to Try

Yuca

700 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
This Latin-American restaurant is open for breakfast, brunch and lunch, serving items like The Hangover: two sunny-side-up eggs laying on a bed of spicy chorizo and homemade potatoes with pico de gallo and avocado on top. We also suggest the Big Bad Wolf: a shredded pork waffle, crispy pork belly, spicy candied bacon, orange chipotle honey and powdered sugar. All of Yuca’s recipes will be made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients.

Libby's Southern Comfort

35 W. Eighth St., Covington,
This Covington eatery pays tribute to Southern classics like fried chicken and half-shell oysters served alongside a variety of bourbon drinks and other local favorites. The atmosphere is hip, with plenty of opportunities to share a dish with your sweetheart. Brunch is served on Sundays and offers up southern breakfast favorites like the chicken and waffle and their take on a Kentucky Brown. Order anything with a side of home fries and a mimosa.

Otto's

521 Main St., Covington, Ky.
Otto's does lunch and dinner, but it's definitely a happening brunch spot. For brunch, Otto's Benedict substitutes fried grit cake and smoked salmon for the English muffin and ham of a traditional eggs Benedict. It's delicious, a bit rich and a true indulgence. There are a half-dozen mimosa options, from Violette Royale to citrus vanilla spice, and bloody marys made with house-infused cucumber or jalapeno-garlic vodka. Otto's is known for its panko-crusted fried green tomatoes, so if you go during brunch, order the B.L.F.G.T. aka the bacon, lettuce, fried green tomato, egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant.

COPA Lounge

1133 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine
Copa Lounge is a nightclub and eatery located in Over-the-Rhine. On Sundays, they offer a brunch buffet with bottomless mimosas. The menu includes ala carte options like shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles plus steak and eggs. After brunch ends and 5 p.m. when the afterparty starts at the attached Treehouse bar.

Northside Yacht Club

4231 Spring Grove Ave., Northside
A loosely nautically themed Rock club from two local music veterans. The mixology is masterful, made with fresh juice, fruit, and herbal garnish. Tropical-themed drinks are served in Tiki glasses and the bar-food menu features satisfying items like house-smoked wings and vegan lentil chili fries. For brunch, try the Yacht Club Bloody, a bloody mary topped with a pulled pork slider, bacon and a jumbo chicken wing. And to eat, the Breakfast Poutine, fries topped with goetta gravy, Wisconsin cheese curds, scallions, fried egg.

Coppin's at Hotel Covington

638 Madison Ave., Covington
Coppin's Restaurant and Bar is located inside luxury Hotel Covington. Breakfast is served daily from 7-10 a.m. and brunch is offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-2p.m. the menu features classics like bagel and lox plus a breakfast sandwich on an Eglish muffin and buttermilk pancakes. If you have to wait for a table, head out to the patio to play lawn games and relax. Coppin's also has a unique cocktail menu, featuring imaginative and picture-worthy drinks for a beautiful morning-turned-afternoon.

Sacred Beast Diner

1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
This modern Over-the-Rhine diner opened with much hype in 2018 and has been a brunch staple in the trendy neighborhood ever since. "Simple food. Taken seriously" is the motto for Sacred Beast. The menu is a collection of chef Jeremy Lieb's favorite things which run the gamut from literally the best French-style omelet in town—fluffy, soft and full of goat cheese and piquillo peppers— to a "Diner Breakfast" with scrambled eggs, maple-glazed pork belly and lemon ricotta pancakes and a double burger with Dijonnaise, onions and pickles.

Press on Monmouth

421 Monmouth St., Newport
Newport's Press on Monmouth offers delectable rice/quinoa bowls and sandwiches suited for breakfast, lunch and everything in-between. Regardless of what you order, add a side of crispy waffle-ironed tater tots (which can also replace the grains as the base in their bowls). Of course, as any good brunch place, there's avocado toast with corn, tomatoes, peas, honey and miro cilantro.

Shires Rooftop

509 Vine St., Downtown
Shires Rooftop, located on top of Cincinnati's City Club Apartments, serves dinner with a menu that features a wide selection of smoked, grilled and wood-fired options. They open at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday for brunch, try the Rooftop Benedict, with poached eggs on an English muffin, topped with blister cherry tomatoes, roasted shallots, herb oil and chimi-hollandaise with a side of breakfast potatoes.

Soul Secrets

1434 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
Entrepreneur Candice Holloway is bringing a taste of her grandmother's cooking to Over-the-Rhine. Holloway officially opened Soul Secrets, a Southern-style comfort food eatery in April. The fast-casual restaurant focuses on soul food with a menu that includes family-recipe fried chicken, fried fish, cornbread, collard greens, hoppin' John and mac and cheese, plus a selection of meat-free dishes like vegan salisbury steak and vegan pot pie. Brunch launched this summer, served on Saturday mornings, with items including shrimp and grits and chicken and waffles.

French Crust Cafe

1801 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
This charming French cafe from chef Jean-Robert de Cavel specializes in Parisian bistro classics, from quiche and croissants to omelets. The made-from-scratch creamy chicken soup is a favorite. Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays, the eggs benedict is a favorite on the menu. To drink, grab a latte and/or mimosa and finish it all off with a French patisserie like a lemon tart or chocolate mousse.

Goose & Elder

1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Goose & Elder is local chef and restaurateur Jose Salazar's comfort food eatery. The restaurant is described as "mid-century grandma" sourcing colors and patterns that evoke a sense of the 1970s and '80s. The restaurant offers a menu of American comfort food ranging from traditional dishes to new takes on classics. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday with delicious options like the Speckled Goosecakes — chocolate chip pancakes topped with bananas and peanut butter — plus savory sandwiches like the Cubano and veggie burger.

Sleepy Bee Cafe

Multiple locations, including 3098 Madison Road, Oakley and 8 E. Fourth St., Downtown
Serving locally sourced food for breakfast, brunch and lunch, Sleepy Bee Cafe offers both dine-in and carry-out options. Popular items include the Queen City Bee, which is a breakfast sandwich with goetta, apple, arugula, broken yolk egg and “nectar” sauce on a milk bun, and The Worker Bee, which is two eggs of any style, your choice of bacon, sausage and goetta or vegan goetta. Other items include different salads, sandwiches and soups. If you plan on stopping here for weekend brunch, plan on a wait.

Hang Over Easy

13 W. Charlton St., Corryville
HangOverEasy is in a perpetual state of brunch, offering breakfast and lunch options alongside a full bar every day of the week. It plays host to many young University of Cincinnati students experiencing their first ever hangover (they grow up so fast!). The menu doesn’t take any radical risks, plating up dependable diner fare found on most American breakfast and lunch tables. Bloody marys and mimosas are nothing fancy here, but are priced to fit collegiate budgets and expectations.

Sugar n’ Spice

4381 Reading Road, Paddock Hills; 1203 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine; 10275 Summit Parkway, Blue Ash
Open since 1941, Sugar n' Spice's original pink Paddock Hills diner is known for its fun atmosphere and being a comfortable and family-friendly place to eat (ask for a free rubber duck with your meal). Favorite menu items include "wispy thin" pancakes and giant omelets. Lines at the petite original can be long, but there is also a second, larger location in Over-the-Rhine.

Cackleberry (CLOSED FOR SEASON)

Mobile pop-up
Squeezed into a bite-sized vintage trailer, husband-and-wife duo Nate and China Kautz serve eggy breakfast sandwiches as Cincinnati-based pop-up Cackleberry (a term for a hen’s egg). The petite menu blends Queen City staples with Filipino-fusion ingredients to offer options like the Lolo, with longanisa sausage and atchara pickled slaw, and a goetta sandwich called the Porter with muenster cheese and mustard aioli. The food truck parks in various locations on weekends and operates until all sandwiches are sold out.

Northstar Cafe

7610 Sloan Way, Liberty Township
This Columbus-based chain is focused on fresh, locally sourced ingredients for all of their food. They say they are always focused on being as sustainable as possible with their business. For brunch, try the mushroom frittata, made with organic eggs, roasted mushrooms, sweet onions and gruyere cheese with a side of sweet potatoes and arugula.

Nation Kitchen & Bar

Multiple locations, including 1200 Broadway St., Pendleton; 3435 Epworth Ave., Westwood
Nation Kitchen & Bar, offering two Cincinnati locations, takes its name from axe-wielding Temperance warrior Carrie Nation and is known for its excellent burgers and bottomless weekend brunches. Stop by and ask for an order of breakfast tater tots: tots loaded up with cheddar, sausage gravy and topped with a sunny-side-up egg. They also have an extensive selection of cocktails and craft beers. Try the Brunch Wrap Supreme: a pressed-tortilla dish is filled with smoked sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, pepper jack cheese, queso, tater tots and jalapeño relish.

Cedar

701 Main St., Covington
Cedar serves high-quality and locally sourced comfort food for breakfast, brunch and lunch in a relaxing and welcoming environment. The popular Hangover features housemade breakfast potatoes, chorizo, avocado, sunny-side-up eggs, crema, cilantro, jalapeño and house pico.

Grassroots & Vine

1011 S. Ft. Thomas Ave., Fort Thomas
This Fort Thomas restaurant serves delicious lunches and dinners all week, but of course, they have to host a Sunday morning brunch. With a focus on fresh farm-to-table ingredients, there's not much you can go wrong with. For something sweet on a Sunday, try the French Toast, made with brioche, vanilla mascarpone, caramel sauce, seasonal fruit and maple syrup. And what's brunch without a little booze? Enjoy one of their seasonal mimosas or specialty cocktails.