To many, including myself, picking a breakfast restaurant is a serious matter. Making sure there is something for everyone on the menu is crucial but the restaurant being aesthetically pleasing is a big plus, too. Sometimes you want a cute spot with light bites and other times, you're craving a breakfast of champions. Luckily, theDaytona Beach area has all sorts of breakfast spots, including those offering a classic American breakfast as well asa not-so-typical morning dish. Below is a list of some of the best restaurants and diners in Volusia and Flagler counties for the most important meal of the day.
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Red Bud Cafe
317 Seabreeze Blvd., Daytona Beach; 386-310-8512,theredbud.cafe
Red Bud Cafe, located in the Seabreeze Historic District of Daytona Beach, has recently been the talk of the town after ranking No. 13 on the Yelp Top 100 Florida Restaurants list. To see if the food lives up to the Yelp reviews, I went for breakfast and ordered a crepe, along with the avocado toast.
At first, I was skeptical of the avocado toast just because I am never overly impressed with this dish; but Red Bud's avocado toastmade me rethink. The Italian bread was sliced thinly and grilled, making it crunchy, and was topped with finelycutavocados, tomatoes, and my favorite part, chimichurri, an uncooked sauce made of chopped herbs. The simple dish was full of bold flavors and freshness and was nowhere near a boring breakfast. As for the crepe, it was huge yet light and stuffed with turkey, scrambled eggs, cheese and sauteed onions and peppers. The delicate but packed crepe was a perfect dish for those looking for an alternative to a comfort-style breakfast.
The charming cafe is family-run and offers dishes fusing cuisines from their native Yugoslavia along with Italy, Australia and the U.S., with a variety of coffee selections, desserts and more. Red Bud Cafe is open every day but Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wake Up Cafe
749 E. Third Ave. and 306 N. Causeway, New Smyrna Beach; 386-410-4719,facebook.com/Wake-Up-Caf
Wake Up Cafe offers a pair ofhidden gem breakfast spots in New Smyrna Beach. With colorful mix and match decorations, one would have no idea thecozy spot I visitedin a strip mall on East Third Avenue would serve breakfast differently than anywhere else. To my surprise, though, this Argentine-inspired restaurant offers large breakfast dishes full of interesting flavors.
The menu has numerous non-traditional breakfast items, such as the chorizo skillet. The homestyle potato bowl is topped with crumbled chorizo shipped from Argentina. This pork sausage is seasoned well but is less spicy and has a stronger garlic flavor than classic chorizo. On top of the potatoes sit the manchego cheese, loads of rustic-cut
sauteed peppers and onions, and two eggs, your style. The chorizo skillet bowl is a perfect dish for those looking for a more lunch-like breakfast full of hardy veggies.
But, the spin on classic French toast is something everyone will enjoy. The sweet and salty French toast is simply delicious. The thick, Texas-style French toast isserved as a sandwich with ham and American cheese and finished with powdered sugar. In disbelief that those few items created an umami flavor, I asked the server if that really all that goes into this dish, and the answer was yes.
Among the sides, there are the butter grits, which I recommend gettingwith the pisto manchego. Also known as Spanish ratatouille, pisto manchego isa combination of cooked-down savory tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, squash, onions, garlic and manchego cheese that tastes so good I forgot to eat it with the grits. Other menu dishes include panko-breaded chicken andwaffles, and breakfast sandwiches, just to name a few. Wake Up Cafe is open every day from 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.
co*cky Rooster Cafe
1382 Howland Blvd., Deltona; 386-259-5729,co*ckyroostercafe.com
The co*cky Rooster Cafe in Deltona may have co*cky dishes but is welcoming with a restaurant diner decor displayed as if your grandma had a thing for rooster figures (was that just me?). The strip mall cafe serves breakfast and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and has classicdishes such as omelets, eggs Benedict and the traditional egg plate with meat and hash browns. The restaurantalso offerscreative dishes fusing lunch and breakfast like I've never seen before, co*cky if you ask me.
These plates include the "chicken and the egg" with Parmesan-crusted chicken topped with white gravy, fried eggs and potatoes or grits. Another fun dish has panko-fried eggplant with sausage gravy and eggs sunny side up. However, our server recommended an off-the-menu item called the "B street sandwich." This breakfast sandwich was the classic bacon, egg and cheese but had a garlic aioli andpressedsoft buttery bread that had the slightest crunch to it. A sandwich so traditional, but when done right can top any fancy breakfast option.
For those that rather have a sweet first meal of the day, the banana foster French toast, hands down, is the best sugary treat you can get. co*cky Rooster takes a cinnamon bun, transforms it into French toast, and fills it with custard and bananas that are drizzled in pecan crumble maple syrup and topped with lots of whipped cream. Curing any sweet tooth, this so-called breakfast plate is what I now expect anytime I want French toast, and no, it is not too rich:I finished my whole plate. It doesn't seem like you can order wrong at the co*cky Rooster Cafe, and I guess that's how they earned their co*cky title.
Funky Pelican
215 Highway A1A, Flagler Beach; 386-439-0011,funkypelican.com
Funky Pelican in Flagler Beach has the ideal beach brunch aesthetic we all know and love. Something about eating a light breakfast with a view of the ocean makes you feel at peace but ready to have fun. Located at the base of theFlagler Beach Fishing Pier, the restaurant servesbreakfast from 9 to 11 a.m.
The restaurant offers a smaller breakfast menu but still has all the favorites such as pancakes, French toast, Benedicts and omelets. Funkier options include the breakfast flatbread with sausage gravy, cheese, scrambled eggs and your choice of meat with drizzles of sriracha and hollandaise. Thiswas an addicting flatbread, and perfect for those who wanted pizza but ended up at brunch.
If you're craving tacos, you're also in luck. The breakfast tacos come in twos or threes with the classic bacon, egg and cheese; or vegetarian style with scrambled eggs, cheese, sauteed mushrooms, onions, spinach and peppers. Both tacos are topped with pico de gallo and sriracha, but I would've preferred mine covered with a nice layer ofsalsa.
For those wanting to get funky at breakfast, they have mimosas, poinsettias (cranberry champagne co*cktails) andbloody Marys; and for those wishing to get extra funky, there's theFunky Pelican co*cktail containing a potent-sounding mix of coconut rum, dark rum, banana liquor, orange and pineapple juice. Funky Pelicanis an idealplace to take the girls for drinks and breakfast, especially before visiting all those cute shops and boutiques lining A1A.
The Baker's Table
4154 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach; 386-423-6656,thebakerstablensb.com
The Baker's Table, a cozy Americanized French bistro, offers a small breakfast menu with big flavors during brunch Friday through Sunday until 2:30 p.m.The restaurant is tucked into the corner of a strip mall right by the beach for those wanting a bite before a day of sun and sand.
Baker's Table has options such as a warm goat cheese tart with caramelized onions, walnuts, truffle honey and apple relish. This decadent dish is sweet and savory, making it a perfect breakfast appetizer. The restaurant offered an eggs Benedict dish but I went with the smoked salmon latkes. These Jewish potato pancakes were paired with scallion cream cheese, capers, spring mix, finely chopped red onions and smoked salmon so fresh the subtle smoky flavor dances on your tongue seconds after swallowing. This light dish is perfect for those not wanting to overeat before heading to the beach.
Being from New Orleans, I had to try the shrimp and grits. Baker's Table puts a spin on the classic Big Easy dish by chopping the shrimp and adding chorizo. Overall good efforts for a dish that is surprisingly hard to master. Not until after I left did I notice I didn't have a single egg with my breakfast. Sometimes, a non-traditional breakfast is what we need when feeling tiredof the classic scrambled eggs and bacon duo.
Caroline Hebert, The Daytona Beach News-Journal's restaurant and dining writer, can be contacted at chebert@news-jrnl.com.Support local journalism bysubscribing.
