Brunch in Brunswick: Here are 7 restaurants to try from Leland to Calabash
With Easter here and Mother’s Day on the way, it’s definitely brunch season in Southeastern North Carolina. And whether you insist on a mimosa, or are more flexible with your breakfast/lunch selections, there are several restaurants to check out in the Brunswick County area. Here are a few of your favorites.
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Of course, we could have missed your go-to spot for eggs and all the rest. If so, let us know. Email aballard@gannett.com.
Amelia’s Grille, Ocean Isle Beach
Most breakfast and brunch places have a selection of waffles and pancakes on the menu. But the choices at this restaurant at 1564 Market Place Blvd. stand out from the rest. The “real” Belgian waffles are studded with pearl sugar, the pancakes can come gluten-free, and the French Toast is Texas-sized. Fans also love the cheesy grits, the daily quiche selection, the Bloody Marys, and a dessert option of beignets with a scoop of Calabash Creamery ice cream.
Toasted, Calabash
At 10008 Beach Drive, this restaurant offers a creative take on brunch. In the cooler weather, there’s a fireplace to warm you up and there are always mimosas if you need to cool off. In addition to the type of breakfast fare you might expect, biscuit bottoms are one of the signature items on the menu. (Think Apple Butter Biscuit Bottoms and Awakened Bacon Biscuit Bottoms with eggs, sausage, cheese and onion bacon marmalade.) According to fans, you also want to try the chili if you’re there – as a sloppy joe, on a hot dog, or as an appetizer with the Buffalo Chili Dip.
The Saucy Southerner, Southport
Owner Matt Thorne reached back to his breakfast roots before he opened this breakfast/brunch spot at 501 N Howe St. He calls it Southern with a twist. Fan favorites include Da Goat, with goat cheese, tomatoes and red pepper that can come has a crepe, wrap or with eggs before it’s topped with green onions and sour cream. Or try the crepe filled with Nutella or the Honey Goat Cheese Biscuit, which is grilled, stuffed with warm cheese and drizzled with honey. Add some fried chicken or green tomato if you’d like.
Drift Coffee & Kitchen, Ocean Isle Beach
This locally based chain is growing, with a new location popping up in Wrightsville Beach. Each site is a little different. At 20 E Second St., just a short distance from the ocean, you can get a side of salt air with your avocado toast or veggie breakfast burrito (with avocado, scrambled eggs, black beans, pico de gallo, goat cheese and aji Amarillo sauce).
Ports of Call, Southport
According to this restaurant, the fame of their classic Sunday brunch service is only growing. The specials usually involve the global influences the restaurant is known for, and usually include a Benedict, a blueberry crepe dish, a puff-pastry quiche and more. Some recent examples? A French Toast with a vanilla orange custard and raspberries and bacon and the Bourbon St. Benedict, with a salmon cake and a Cajun-spiced hollandaise.
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Farmhouse Kitchen, Leland
In the northern part of the county, fans find this spot at 1120 E Cutlar St. in the Villages at Brunswick Forest. The menu leans to classic breakfast and brunch items. But the club sandwich and omelets (especially the Western, with cheddar cheese, onions, peppers, ham) get raves.
Macie & Ethel’s, Holden Beach
Fried chicken was one of the signature items on the menu with this restaurant at 3219 Holden Beach Road S.W. opened almost a year ago. People love the Southern favorite and it’s available at lunch and dinner. But on the breakfast (and brunch) menu it comes as the ever popular chicken and waffles. Another brunch winner is the shrimp and grits dish,
Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Seven breakfast and brunch restaurants to try in Brunswick County
