20 Best Hotel Breakfasts In America (Slideshow)
Since 1910, guests have been staying in Nashville's The Hermitage Hotel for its casual and refined elegance. But the food at this place is also not-to-be-missed. Its on-site Capitol Grille dishes out omelettes, steak and eggs, vanilla bean Belgian waffles or pancakes, and pastries including the oh-so-Southern bourbon pecan roll. For a truly-in-Tennessee experience, try the Tennessee "Jack" egg sandwich. It's made with Jack Daniel's whiskey-infused toast, a pan-fried egg, jowl bacon, and tomato gravy.
19. The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver
Denver's luxurious and historic Brown Palace Hotel has hosted many famous guests (including the likes of The Beatles and Bill Clinton), but it also serves a noteworthy breakfast. Head to Ellyngton's, where you can people-watch from the dining room's expansive windows and feast on house-made yogurt and fruit smoothies, oatmeal raisin pancakes, and the Denver omelette, made with bell peppers, onions, ham, and Cheddar cheese. To top off your meal, consider ordering the hotel's Bloody Mary — a blend of its signature Bloody Mary mix and Grey Goose vodka.
18. Four Seasons Baltimore in Baltimore
Those who prefer a lighter start will be delighted with the Four Seasons Baltimore's menu, which includes steel-cut oatmeal, Greek yogurt parfaits, and Baltimore muesli. Guests also can enjoy traditional plates like buttermilk pancakes or bagels and lox. But the regional menu items are the true standouts at Wit & Wisdom, a Tavern by Michael Mina. For those who really want to have an only-in-Baltimore experience, try the classic eggs Benedict with hollandaise, Canadian bacon, and greens, and then add Maryland jumbo lump crabmeat and Chesapeake seasoning.
17. Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston
At the Boston Harbor Hotel's Rowes Wharf Sea Grille, guests can enjoy a variety of menu options and even dine alfresco when the weather's nice. Keep it traditional by choosing from smoothies, dry cereals, granola, fresh fruit, or a continental breakfast. Or, if you'd like to tantalize your taste buds, try its daring plates like maple house-smoked Atlantic salmon served with capers, red onions, and cream cheese, or the ricotta and lemon pancakes drizzled with Vermont maple syrup.
16. Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
Travelers can head to Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Las Vegas for an extensive menu with a major French influence. Keep it light with fruit plates and yogurt parfaits or enjoy one of its many egg dishes ranging from a turkey and egg-white omelette to smoked salmon eggs Benedict. Other standouts include crepes, naturally, in addition to made-from-scratch waffles like the chocolate-hazelnut waffle served with Nutella and fresh whipped cream.
15. The Fairmont in San Francisco
Located in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood, The Fairmont hotel has a menu that reflects the city's dynamic food scene. Vegetarians can enjoy the smoked tofu scramble made out of scrambled eggs, sweet bell peppers, cilantro, tomato, and fresh avocado. Seafood lovers can order the Fog City Frittata, a plate consisting of house-smoked king salmon, grilled asparagus, crème fraîche, chives, and a fruit cup. Those who want to experience the ethnic flare of the city's Mission neighborhood without leaving the table can ask for the Mission Tacos, a combination of house-spiced chorizo, scrambled eggs, white Cheddar, guacamole, and a soft flour tortilla.
14. The Hay-Adams in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.'s The Hay-Adams is perhaps best known as a meeting place for some of the city's top movers and shakers looking for a good meal and view. Its restaurant, The Lafayette, overlooks two of D.C.'s most popular sites, the White House and Lafayette Square. The eatery's menu, much like its décor, keeps it simple and refined. Diners can start their meals off with a light dish — cereal, pastries, and fruit — and continue with smoked salmon tartine, crepes, omelettes or even cornflake-crusted cranberry focaccia French toast.
13. Stonewall Jackson Inn, Harrisonburg, Va.
The Stonewall Jackson Inn, located in Harrisonburg, Va., offers a three-course breakfast that has been a staple at this bed-and-breakfast since it opened. Guests can enjoy a breakfast made out of fresh local and seasonal Virginia ingredients and eat it in their choice of setting — including in-room, in the inn's on-site Paradise Café, or on the patio. The menu rotates seasonally, and as of press time, the menu highlights include blueberry sausage breakfast cake — a combination of pork sausage, blueberries, and pecans that's complemented by scrambled eggs and bacon — and Wayne's Eggs Benedict, served with thinly sliced, local Virginia country ham, and the Inn's own Stonewall Jackson Hash.
12. La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe, N.M.
La Fonda's executive chef infuses Santa Fe's Southwestern history into the flavorful dishes he creates at restaurant La Plazuela, located in what was the hotel's original 1920s patio. True Southwest dishes include huevos rancheros, which is the hotel's most-ordered breakfast item. They're served with black beans, pork posole, a warm flour tortilla, and this being New Mexico, your choice of red or green (or both) chiles. The New Mexico burrito, another regional plate, is filled with scrambled eggs, chorizo sausage, and grilled breakfast potatoes, and topped with cheese, and — what else? — green or red chiles, and served with black beans.
11. Marriott Courtyard Portland City Center in Portland, Ore.
The Original, accessible via the Marriott Courtyard Portland City Center, takes its cues from supper clubs of the '50s and '60s, but puts a modern spin on the entire idea. Anticipate classic dishes updated with the restaurant's sophisticated spin, like its breakfast burrito, which is filled with hand-cut hash browns, slow-cooked pork chile verde, eggs, and Cheddar cheese, and then baked and served with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Another notable plate is the crème brûlée French toast, made with thick slices of local Grand Central brioche dipped in an egg custard, then griddled, topped with raw sugar that's brûléed, dusted with powdered sugar, and served with three types of syrup. The Original's menu is rounded out with a cocktail menu featuring screwdrivers, Bloody Marys, and three different flavored mimosas.
10. The Dunhill Hotel in Charlotte, N.C.
The Dunhill Hotel's Harvest Moon Grille is where visitors go to get organic and ambitious cuisine. Rest assured that you are truly getting a local experience when you dine here — all of the food is from farms that are within a 100-mile radius of Charlotte. For a spicier start to your day, try the Southwest Omelette, three eggs filled with fresh pico de gallo, Ashe County Cheddar, and topped with cilantro lime sour cream. If you'd prefer a more daring plate, order the bacon Cheddar pancakes with butter and maple syrup, complemented by two eggs served any style. If you'd like to keep it simple and Southern, request the biscuit and gravy.
9. The Modern Honolulu in Honolulu
The Modern Honolulu offers 24-hour in-room dining service complete with an extensive breakfast menu. Visitors who are more health-conscious can choose from fresh fruit smoothies, homemade granola parfaits, organic yogurt in a variety of flavors, Bob's Red Mill organic steel-cut oatmeal, and an egg-white scramble. Local highlights here include Molokai sweet bread French toast, and the hotel's signature banana-macadamia nut waffle topped with caramelized bananas and Chantilly cream. Guests can complement their meals with a cup of joe from the Honolulu Coffee Company.
8. Washington School House Hotel in Park City, Utah
Situated in downtown Park City, Utah, the boutique and historic Washington School House Hotel serves a hearty, complimentary mountain breakfast prepared by the property's private chef. Sample breakfast items include cranberry-peach waffles and a classic rendition of Florentine-style lump crab eggs Benedict.
7. The Peninsula in Chicago
At this Chicago hotel's The Lobby restaurant, guests can order a healthy spa breakfast, a continental breakfast, or The Peninsula's signature breakfast that comes with juice, yogurt, granola, two eggs any style, choice of bacon, ham, or chicken sausages, a pastry, and coffee or tea. But the real highlights here are the restaurant's signature Chinese-inspired dishes. Enjoy a Chinese breakfast of jasmine rice porridge, a Chinese omelette, and the fish of the day if you really want to shake things up. Other standouts include the pastrami (you are in Chicago, after all) and corned beef hash in addition to the organic creamy white Cheddar grits.
6. Four Seasons St. Louis in St. Louis
For a view of the St. Louis skyline and a taste of innovative breakfast cuisine, head to the Four Seasons St. Louis' Cielo. For a sweet start to the day, order the Belgian waffle with cappuccino mascarpone cream and pralines, or the crème brûlée French toast with blueberry compote. If you want to experience the eatery's Italian influences, pick the egg-white frittata accompanied by mozzarella, basil, and tomato sauce, or try the plain or chocolate bomboloni (Italian filled donuts) with crema.
5. The Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix, Ariz.
The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix's Bistro 24 is known as a popular breakfast spot for business professionals. Guests can start their days off with breakfast options tinged with regional flare, like blue corn pancakes or huevos rancheros.
"A breakfast in Bistro 24 means you are getting the complete Ritz-Carlton experience — legendary service, and only the freshest, seasonal ingredients in a quality meal," says the hotel's chef Matthew Ludwig. "From huevos rancheros and Scottish smoked salmon to a Bistro 24 fruit and soy smoothie, guests are given an array of options when they dine with us. In true Ritz-Carlton fashion, if there's something that a guest is craving that isn't on the menu, we can make it."
4. The Standard in New York City
The Standard, one of the New York City's hippest hotels, situated above the one of the city's hottest attractions, the High Line, serves an equally cool breakfast. On the menu at the on-site The Standard Grill you'll find strip steak and eggs served with black olive salsa verde and herb-roasted potatoes in addition to a traditional smoked salmon plate. The restaurant's griddle portion of the menu boasts tasty and rich dishes. Diners can order brioche French toast, buttermilk pancakes, or raised Belgian waffles, and for an extra $2, can have one of those plates topped with their choice of Nutella, fresh bananas, or even a scoop of maple ice cream.
3. Little River Inn in Little River, Calif.
Boutique resort the Little River Inn, located on the lush Mendocino Coast in California, has a breakfast that visitors have even flown in via private plane to enjoy. As diners look out at the Pacific Ocean, they can feast on Ole's Swedish hotcakes — a light and scrumptious hybrid of pancakes and crepes that has been on the menu since the Inn opened almost 75 years ago. Or they can dig into crabcake Benedict served with hash browns and finish off their meal with the fruit-filled Cora's Ollalieberry cobbler.
2. The Pearl's Havana Beach Bar & Grill in Rosemary Beach, Fla.
The Pearl hotel's beachfront eatery, the Havana Beach Bar & Grill, primarily serves cuisine that will remind you of Florida's Emerald Coast that's laid out in front of you. Hearty breakfast standouts include bananas Foster French toast made with Texas toast, caramelized bananas, brown sugar, and black rum, as well as a soft-shell crab Benedict with country-fried soft-shell crab, soft poached egg, fried green tomatoes, and hollandaise on an English muffin served with country-fried potatoes.
1. The W Austin in Austin, Texas
At the W Austin's on-site restaurant TRACE, visitors can expect bagels, pancakes, omelettes, and corned beef hash with local twists. For a taste of the South, order shrimp and stone-ground grits with chorizo butter, seared shrimp, and grated cojita cheese. Other highlights here include "drunken donuts" — warm, brioche donut holes that come with a trio of dynamic dipping sauces including vodka whipped cream, tequila chile cocoa, and bourbon dulce de leche — and the golden malted waffle, served with apple cinnamon preserve, Texas pecans, and crème fraîche. The waffle garnered some local acclaim and appeared on the cover of Austin Monthly magazine's "Best Breakfasts" issue in February.