Anthony Bourdain may have slammed brunch in his tell-all "Kitchen Confidential," but the leisurely weekend meal is starting to hit a good stride in its evolution, according to OpenTable's chief dining officer Caroline Potter.
"It's appealing to diners because they don't have to dress to the nines if they don't feel like it. And it's an excuse to have a cocktail at noon on a Sunday," she told Business Insider.
In a newly released list of the best brunch spots in the U.S., OpenTable found restaurants that are taking the meal seriously. They offer a wide variety of specially prepared brunch entrees (not just the week's leftovers) that complement the standard eggs Benedict.
Potter was especially happy to see Washington D.C. crop up several times on the list of cool places to grab brunch. In a relatively small area, D.C. had eight entries, double its amount last year, and putting it on par with New York City.
OpenTable picked the best restaurants for brunch based on more than five million restaurant reviews submitted by the restaurant reservation site's diners for more than 15,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Here's the full list of the best places to brunch:
606 R&D – Brooklyn, New York
94th Aero Squadron – Miami, Florida
94th Aero Squadron – San Diego, California
Allgauer’s – Lisle, Illinois
Amelia’s Bistro – Jersey City, New Jersey
Archetype (fka French Blue) – St. Helena, California
Atchafalaya Restaurant – New Orleans, Louisiana
Beau Monde – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Belga Café – Washington, D.C.
Bella Vista at Four Seasons Resort-The Biltmore Santa Barbara – Santa Barbara, California
Big Jones – Chicago, Illinois
Biltmore Brunch – Coral Gables, Florida
Bixby’s – St. Louis, Missouri
Bonnie Ruth’s Café et Patisserie – Frisco, Texas
Broadway Cellars – Chicago, Illinois
Brockton Villa – La Jolla, California
The Café at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead – Atlanta, Georgia
Café Fleuri – Boston, Massachusetts
Café Modern – Fort Worth, Texas
Café Monte – Charlotte, North Carolina
Café Sebastienne – Kansas City, Missouri
Canyon Café at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort – Tucson, Arizona
Chez Zee – Austin, Texas
Chicken and the Egg – Marietta, Georgia
Circle Brunch-The Breakers – Palm Beach, Florida
The Classic Cup – Kansas City, Kansas
Cooperage Inn Restaurant – Baiting Hollow, New York
Corner Café – Atlanta, Georgia
Croc’s 19th Street Bistro – Virginia Beach, Virginia
The Crystal Room at Le Pavillon Hotel – New Orleans, Louisiana
Cupping Room Café – New York, New York
Datz – Tampa, Florida
Deerfield – Newark, Delaware
Deerpark Restaurant – Asheville, North Carolina
The Dining Room at Salish Lodge & Spa – Snoqualmie, Washington
East Bank Club-Maxwell’s at the Club – Chicago, Illinois
Ellyngton’s at the Brown Palace – Denver, Colorado
Envoy – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Founders Inn Swan Terrace Grill – Virginia Beach, Virginia
The Front Page – Washington, D.C.
Garden Court – San Francisco, California
Garden Terrace at The Inverness Hotel – Englewood, Colorado
Gertrude’s – Baltimore, Maryland
Grand Concourse – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Great Maple – San Diego, California
Greenhouse at the Jefferson Hotel – Washington, D.C.
The Hamilton Inn – Jersey City, New Jersey
Harding House – Nashville, Tennessee
Hilltop House Restaurant – Fayetteville, North Carolina
Hundred Acres – New York, New York
Jane – New York, New York
Kingsbury Street Café – Chicago, Illinois
Lake Elmo Inn – Lake Elmo, Minnesota
Lake Terrace-The Broadmoor – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Level One – Washington, D.C.
M ST. Café –St. Paul, Minnesota
Macondo – New York, New York
Magic Flute – San Francisco, California
Mama Kim Eats – Sacramento, California
Max’s Wine Dive – Dallas, Texas
Max’s Wine Dive – Houston, Texas
Mountain View Restaurant at Cheyenne Mountain Resort – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mrs. K’s Toll House – Silver Spring, Maryland
Naupaka Terrace-JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa – Kapolei, Hawaii
Nellie’s Sports Bar – Washington, D.C.
Normandie Farm – Potomac, Maryland
Norma’s at Le Parker Meridien – New York, New York
Oasis Café – Salt Lake City, Utah
Olivia – Austin, Texas
Oxford Exchange – Tampa, Florida
Parrot Cage-Washburne Culinary Institute – Chicago, Illinois
Peacock Garden Café – Coconut Grove, Florida
Petite Chou – Carmel, Indiana
Plumeria Beach House – Kahala, Hawaii
Pond House Café – West Hartford, Connecticut
Ports O Call – San Pedro, California
Queen Mary Champagne Sunday Brunch –Long Beach, California
Radish – San Francisco, California
Restaurant506 at The Sanford House – Arlington, Texas
Rosebud – Atlanta, Georgia
The Roycroft Inn – East Aurora, New York
Salty’s on Alki – Seattle, Washington
Santorini – Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Seasons Restaurant – Washington, D.C.
Soco – Brooklyn, New York
South End Buttery – Boston, Massachusetts
Station – Brooklyn, New York
Styer’s Garden Café – Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
Sundy House – Delray Beach, Florida
Tap Room-Hotel Bethlehem, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Ted’s Bulletin – Washington, D.C.
Ted’s Bulletin-14th Street – Washington, D.C.
Tilikum Place Café – Seattle, Washington
Timber Dining Room at Lied Lodge & Conference Center – Nebraska City, Nebraska
TJ’s at The Jefferson Hotel – Richmond, Virginia
Toast – Birmingham, Alabama
Top of the Mark – San Francisco, California
Valley Green Inn – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
V’s Italiano Ristorante – Independence, Missouri
Weathervane Restaurant – Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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