Whether you wake up early to go for a morning jog or you sleep in, you can always make time for a satisfying egg scramble before diving into your day. Take a chance to enjoy the sunny side up and enjoy a lovely brunch at Santa Barbara’s best breakfast eateries. And, with Mother’s Day right around the corner, you can forgo yet another crayon tracing of your hand and treat her to a nice meal instead.
Big Dogs
Max’s Restaurant
3514 State St.
(805) 898-9121
Price: $7-10
A short cruise down Highway 101 will lead you to Max’s Restaurant, which is located at 3514 State St. Named after a beloved dog, Max’s has been a local favorite for over 20 years, and the restaurant is open daily from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. for breakfast and lunch.
“We have the best breakfast in town. Our pancakes, omelets and scrambles are wonderful,” said Nancy Graves, an employee of the eatery who has also been a loyal customer for years. “Some locals come in once a week because everyone always comes back once they have tried our delicious food.”
For a mere $8.50, you can enjoy a filling Guatemalan Omelet, which combines avocado, tomato, onions, green chilies and cheddar cheese, and is topped with Spanish sauce and sour cream.
Or, if you have a sweet tooth, Max’s serves up a delightful stack of Orange Pecan Pancakes for $6.95 – a small price to pay for their rich flavor. Since everything is fresh, homemade and reasonably priced at this eatery, you won’t have to worry about impressing your mom at the expense of your wallet this mother’s day.
“Here at Max’s, we have excellent chefs that serve only the finest food, and our menu is full of reasonably priced items from around $7 to $10,” Graves said. “The staff is very friendly and we truly enjoy our relationships with our customers.”
Since breakfast is the hot topic at Max’s, this homey joint is sure to please. You can choose a healthy breakfast of nine-grain hot cereal with raisins, walnuts and brown sugar or go all out with the scrumptious homemade hollandaise sauce on the eggs benedict. Either way, you might just want to eat breakfast all day long, or order a fresh-baked treat for the ride home.
“We are known for our homemade, light and delicious angel biscuits, and customers often come in just to order our blueberry coffee cake,” Graves said. “We make all of our baked goods on the premises,”
This Mother’s Day, Max’s Restaurant is adding to its weekend specials menu, including a dish of Oscar’s Benedict with crabmeat. Show your mom how much she means to you – and prove you weren’t raised by wolves -nd treat her to a nice meal.
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning
Garrett’s Restaurant
2001 State St.
(805) 569-0400
Price: Under $10
On the corner of Mission and State Streets downtown, you’ll find Garrett’s Old Fashioned Restaurant, open from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Its quaint interior and booth seating make this diner a great place to enjoy a hearty meal in a lively, friendly atmosphere.
“Everything is good here. We have a mix of locals and tourists that come in, so it’s always pretty busy on the weekends, but there is never a long wait because we have such great service,” Marianne Bowes, a Garrett’s employee, said.
The menu at Garrett’s features many traditional breakfast options such as eggs, omelets, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos. If you’re yearning for the breakfast of champions, you should order Garrett’s Full Meal Deal, which includes two eggs, two sausages, two pieces of bacon, a ham steak, potatoes and toast for only $7.79.
And, with a price range of $4.50 to $9 per meal, customers always return for the restaurant’s specials, Bowes said.
The eatery also serves up amazing blueberry pancakes and includes them on their specials. You can enjoy two fresh pancakes for $4.99 or you can add sausage or eggs for about $1.50 more.
So this Sunday morning, go local and trade in your usual brunch trip to a chain restaurant for a new kind of flapjack at Garrett’s.
Sittin’ in the Mornin’ Sun
Breakwater Restaurant
107 Harbor Way
(805) 965-1557
Price: $10-20
Santa Barbara locals and tourists alike can enjoy all three meals of the day at Breakwater Restaurant, located right on the coast at 107 Harbor Way. Open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, this restaurant emphasizes the importance of the first meal of the day.
Since there’s nothing more picturesque than sitting outside on a shaded patio or indoors snuggled in a booth while savoring a breakfast, Breakwater attracts many hungry diners to its prime beachside location every morning.
“We are best known for our breakfast and lunch, and our omelets are well talked about,” manager Larry Griggs said. “You can enjoy a nicely sized entrŽe from about $5.95 to $8.95.”
The eatery’s breakfast specialties include huevos rancheros, eggs benedict, tri-tip, a crab and shrimp omelet and French toast. If you are looking for a protein-packed breakfast, try eight ounces of top sirloin, two eggs, home fries and toast for $11.95. Another Breakwater classic is the California Omelet, which is packed with avocado, tomato and cheese for just $7.95.
Breakfast is served here until 1 p.m., so rise to the occasion this weekend and bring your mom to Breakwater for Sunday’s holiday.
Bagel Bites
Bagel Cafe
6551 Trigo Rd.
(805) 685-7114
Price: Under $10
Located in Isla Vista, Bagel Cafe is the prime spot to satisfy your morning carbohydrate cravings. Its convenient location and hours – open from 6:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday -make Bagel Cafe an essential stop for students on the way to class or the beach.
Since the eatery’s extensive menu of delicious breakfast options makes it difficult to decide what to order, the cafe’s friendly staff is always happy to help patrons decide what to order.
“A customer favorite is the Super Deluxe Melt, which has sun-dried tomato cream cheese, avocado, tomato, onion, cheddar or Swiss cheese and lemon pepper on the top,” employee Austen Everett said.
Everett also suggests the Super Emma, which has pesto parmesan cream cheese, avocado, cheddar and lemon pepper.
You won’t have to worry about spreading yourself too thin financially at Bagel Cafe. The menu’s reasonable prices are the icing on the cake – or cream cheese on the bagel.
“We have great prices,” Everett said. “You can get a bagel without cream cheese for 75 cents, so we are really affordable.”
Bagel Cafe’s menu of bagel sandwiches, bagels and spreads offers nothing but the best to its hungry college student clientele. And, if you want to take more of its goodness home, you can do so for a reduced price by purchasing a bag of the restaurant’s day-old bagels.
So if you’re looking for some close by to go for breakfast on Mother’s Day – or any day – stop by Bagel Cafe and unlox the key to your mom’s heart.
This Mother’s Day, forget the sappy Hallmark card and show your mommy how much you love her by treating her to a Sunday brunch at one of these outstanding restaurants. And while you’re at it, impress her by eating all your vegetables – she’ll appreciate the sentiment, and also be pleased that you’re finally doing as you’re told.
