1. Broken Yolk Café
Multiple locations; thebrokenyolkcafe.com
Located throughout Southern California, the Broken Yolk Café is a full-service breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant that offers an extensive menu. Dishes include healthy breakfasts like avocado toast and berry yogurt parfait, to classic favorites like egg dishes and omelets, skillet meals, six kinds of Benedicts, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, pancakes, French toast, crepes, and waffles.
If you’re not in the mood for a breakfast order, the menu also includes burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and soups, plus a variety of cocktails and specialty coffees.
Broken Yolk fan-favorite dishes include the Ranchero Skillet, Golden State Benedict, Chilaquiles Bowl, Mom Omelet, Pancakes, French Toast and the Classic Eggs Benedict. These top-selling dishes represent what Broken Yolk does best — providing fresh flavors and the comfort of breakfast classics done right. Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or just plain hungry, anyone can get their craving satisfied at the Broken Yolk. The Broken Yolk cracks its eggs fresh daily and makes its sauces from scratch to provide quality homemade dishes.
The Original Broken Yolk Café opened in 1979 in San Diego’s Pacific Beach. The restaurant became known for its signature eggs benedict dishes, mimosas, homemade sauces, soups and baked goods.
A 2009 feature on The Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food” program introduced the café to millions of viewers outside of Southern California, the business says. The Broken Yolk Café now has 37 locations nationwide, five of them in Orange County, with several more in development.
2. Stacks Pancake House
Multiple locations; facebook.com/StacksPancakeHouse
Stacks Pancake House is a Hawaiian-inspired restaurant that serves authentic Hawaiian dishes and seasonal island offerings to satisfy customer’s island cravings.
“We are excited and humble to be placed in the top three winners in the breakfast category,” said owner Nixon Tanuwidjaja. “The most important thing for me as a restaurateur is to constantly enjoy my passion to provide our guests with what they will enjoy, crave and perceive value.”
Popular dishes at Stacks include the Loco Moco, Spicy Chicken and Bacon Waffle, Kalua Pork Benedict & Island Chilaquiles, Guava Toffee French Toast, and their famous homemade coconut syrup.
Born and raised in Indonesia, Tanuwidjaja immigrated to the United States after graduating high school to attend college and to work. He worked for a Japanese restaurant chain for 17 years, then moved to Hawaii with his wife for a few years to experience Hawaii. The couple became hooked on island cuisine and opened their first Stacks Pancake House in Dana Point in 2010.
3. Snooze, an A.M. Eatery,
Laguna Niguel, Orange, Tustin; Snoozeeatery.com
Founded in 2006 in Denver by brothers Jon and Adam Schlegel, Snooze is a go-to breakfast place where sustainability and being Earth-friendly is important as well as the food. Now in more than 60 locations nationwide, Snooze remains dedicated to helping the planet. One percent of all sales is donated to communities and 90 percent of all waste is composted or recycled. Ingredients are “responsibly sourced,” among many other efforts.
“We are thrilled to receive this recognition,” said Regional Manager Ryan Hartman. “We truly strive to support this community however we can, supporting Orange Home Grown and The Ecology Center on our anniversary, for example. It’s exciting to see our efforts making a difference outside of our four walls. We love that we are able to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for our creative take on breakfast in Orange County,” he said.
The menu includes Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes and a Sweet Potato Bacon Smash Up.
