Bunches of Brunches

Who says the leisurely weekend meal is almost extinct? Bypass the drive-thru. Make way for the big buffet—or order straight from the menu.

During the workweek, the “most important meal of the day” wages a constant war against the clock. Mad-dash mornings seem to be the rule, leaving just enough time to grab a breakfast bar or a drive-thru cup of coffee. But never fear. When the weekend arrives, Wichita restaurants are here to help you reclaim breakfast, and even transform it into a rib-sticking meal that can last until dinnertime.

A weekend brunch is a satisfying, leisurely experience. It gives us time to sip our coffee instead of inhale it. And those sunny mimosas know exactly how to melt away all the stress that accumulates after driving bumper-to-bumper and trying to hit every green light all week long.

These Wichita brunch-time venues won’t put on the rush, and are just as comfortable in the early afternoon hours as at the crack of dawn. Wake up this weekend without the alarm, lie back on the sofa and read your way through the Sunday newspaper. Then amble down to one of these local eateries that knows how to put the “R” back in a relaxing weekend. (To help you find the perfect brunch, we’ve noted only the hours when brunch/breakfast is served, and whether the restaurants offer a buffet or a special brunchtime menu, or both.)

The Best of Both Worlds
Buffets and Menus that Satisfy

Cinnabar Café at the Wichita Marriott
How do you like your omelet? Personalize this breakfast favorite any way you wish at Cinnabar’s omelet station. Eggs not your thing? Then enjoy the pastries, waffles and biscuits and gravy. Cinnabar also presents a full breakfast menu of pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage. Finish with the fabulous flaming Bananas Foster. Sundays, buffet or brunch menu from 11 am to 2 pm, $14.95 adults, $8.95 children. 9100 E. Corporate Hills Dr., 651.0333, marriott.com

Fritz Co. Grille
This relatively new restaurant (open last November) presents a brunch menu in lieu of the traditional buffet. Among the highlights are a seafood omelet made with shrimp, crab, onions and provolone, and the Monté Cristo, a triple-decker sandwich of ham, turkey, Cheddar and Swiss, dipped in egg batter and grilled. These dishes and more are served in a casual atmosphere for $6-$8. Sundays, brunch menu from 10 am to 2 pm. 3241 N. Toben Rd., 636.9960, fritzcogrill.com

Granite City Food and Brewery
Enjoy twenty-seven feet of a gourmet buffet. Everything is made from scratch, from the fruit and muffins to the Parmigiano-Reggiano hash browns, to the thick slices of hickory-smoked bacon and juicy jumbo sausage links. Granite City devotes an entire station to personalized eggs Benedict, and serves three-dollar Bloody Marys and mimosas all day. Garlic mashed potatoes, a favorite any time of the day, finds its way over to the buffet from the regular menu. Sundays, buffet from 10 am to 2 pm, $13.99 adults, $5.99 children. 2244 N Webb, 636.5050; 2661 N. Maize Rd., 721.8500, gcfb.com

Legends at Hilton Wichita Airport
A tradition for eighteen years, Legends brings a high-class champagne brunch to a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. Fresh-cut fruit displays and ice sculptures make the elaborate buffet pleasing to the eye as well as the palate. Enjoy carved roast beef, six salads, chicken, ham or fish entrees and Legends’ famous bread pudding with homemade vanilla sauce. Sundays, buffet from 10:30 am to 2 pm, $14.95 adults, $11.95 seniors, $7.95 children. 2098 Airport Rd., 945.1966.

Olive Tree Bistro
Olive Tree takes a more delicate approach to brunch. The buffet includes a fruit and cheese platter, as well as pastries from sister restaurant Bagatelle Bakery. Soup is made fresh each Sunday, and different salad recipes are also sampled. But the piece de résistance is the house-smoked prime rib carving station. Sundays, buffet from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, $13.95 adults, $11.95 seniors, $7.95 children. 2949 N. Rock Rd., 636.1100, olivetree-bistro.com

Piccadilly Market Grill and Bakery
The variety is astounding. Piccadilly has all the basics covered but goes the extra mile with six different salads, fried chicken, salmon, pasta, four kinds of pizza and even a fajita station. If you have any room left, sample any of the many desserts, like apple cobbler and bread pudding with caramel sauce. Champagne, Bloody Marys and mimosas are on special for two dollars each.  Sundays, buffet from 10 am to 2:30 pm, $12.99 adults, $5.99 children. 7728 E. Central, 681.1100, piccadillyeast.com

Reba’s Restaurant and Bar
Reba’s buffet boasts several salads, two entrées and three-dollar mimosas, but the real star of the show is the salmon—a whole endless side of the smoked fish. Brunch favorites lay across eleven seats’ worth of space at the bar, where guests help themselves. Enjoy made-from-scratch food (including a house Bloody Mary mix) in the cozy environment of the historic Old Mill. Worth the drive. Sundays, buffet from 11 am to 2 pm, $11, all ages. 301 N. Main, Newton, 284.9800.

Serengeti Grill: A Safari Bistro
Take a walk on the wild side at Serengeti’s huge, U-shaped buffet. Sample brunch favorites like Belgian waffles, a three-meat carving station (turkey, ham and prime rib) and all the sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs you could ask for. Signature favorites from the regular menu include Irio mashed potatoes (with peas, spinach and hominy) and double-layered Black Forest cake. Bloody Marys are on special for two dollars each. Sundays, buffet from 10:30 am to 3 pm, $12.99 adults, $9.99 seniors, $5.99 children. 3731 N Rock Rd., 636.4477, serengetigrill.com


Spear’s Restaurant and Pie Shop
The pie kings dabble into the brunch market on Sundays with a carving station and buffet of comfort favorites like fried chicken and mashed potatoes, eggs and bacon, as well as a salad bar with pasta, fruit and green salads. Whatever you do, save room for pie. Most of the twenty-five varieties are available by the slice. Sundays, buffet from 10:30 am to 2 pm, $9.25 adults; children, half-price. 4323 W Maple St., 943.2783; 1930 N. Woodlawn, 683.5511.

Spartan Café at the Wichita Art Museum
One would expect creativity from a restaurant found among some of the area’s finest art, and the Spartan delivers. The weekend brunch menu includes inventive dishes like the Shrimp Diablo—a pound of shrimp cooked in Bloody Mary sauce, served over hash browns with two eggs. All of the pancakes are made with whole-wheat flour, including the brie-almond cranberry ones. Even the Huevos Rancheros have an innovative twist: they’re Belize-style, made with black beans and coconut. Saturdays and Sundays, brunch menu from 11 am to 2 pm, $6-$12. 1400 Museum Blvd., 268.4921, wichitaartmuseum.org

Sweet Basil
This intimate, cozy atmosphere is mellowed by classical music during Sunday brunch. Here, you’ll find a waffle station, other breakfast specialties, and dinner favorites like seafood fettuccine, curry crab cakes, chicken teriyaki and lasagna. Try a Spumante mimosa for $3.50. Sundays, buffet from 11 am to 2:30 pm, $8.95 adults, $4.50 children. 2424 N. Woodlawn, 651.0123.

Yia Yia’s
Brunch kicks it up a notch with French-cut green beans, lasagna, shrimp cocktail and assorted cold pasta salads joining the traditional breakfast lineup. For dessert, try mini-crème brulée, homemade brownies or bread pudding. Not only is there an omelet station, but a pancake and French toast one, too. Yia Yia’s fans will enjoy the In Fuego, a Spanish paella dish with seafood and rice.  Sundays, buffet from 10:30 am to 2 pm, $15.95 adults, $6.95 children. 8115 E. 21st St., 634.1000, yiayias.com


Take Your Time
Who wants to eat before noon, anyway?

Beacon Restaurant
The Beacon has served early risers and late sleepers alike for more than twenty years. Signature dishes include French toast and fluffy omelets. Enjoy a bottomless cup of coffee and a relaxed atmosphere. Saturdays, menu from 6 am to 3 pm; Sundays, menu from 7 am to 3 pm. 909 E. Douglas, 263.3397.

Cameron’s
There’s the Cameron’s Traditional, a spin on eggs Benedict with an English muffin, two eggs cooked to order, bacon or ham and cheese, served with potatoes. Or try the famous Nantucket Island, a scoop of chicken salad with fresh fruit, a muffin and chips. Breakfast menu served all day; lunch starts at 11 am. Saturdays and Sundays, menu from 7 am to 3 pm. 335 S Armour, 682.0013; 1014 N. West, 942.7400.

Copper Oven Café & Bakery
The Copper Oven has only gotten bigger and better since opening in May 2003. Enjoy the breakfast menu with omelets, Huevos Rancheros, skillets and bottomless coffee until 4 pm. This family-owned establishment is bright, cheerful and comfortable. Saturdays, menu from 7:30 am to 4 pm. 2409 W. 13th, 945.7549.

Egg Cetera
Eggs are at their finest with specialties like the Greek Omelet (artichokes, olives, feta cheese and spinach), or the Southwest Omelet with sausage, green chiles and pepper jack cheese. Most of the breakfast dishes are served with Egg Cetera’s famous house potatoes—roasted spuds flavored with garlic, thyme and onion. Saturdays and Sundays, menu from 8 am to 2 pm. 242 N. Mosley, 558.5700.

The Good Egg
Try one of the four crepe-egg combinations, such as the Crabby, made with spinach, crabmeat, onions, mushrooms and cream cheese omelet, wrapped in a crepe. For a lunch-sized appetite, there’s the Triple-Decker BLT Supreme or the Good Egg Grilled, with egg salad, avocado and bacon. Daily, menu from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm. 2141 N. Bradley Fair, 315.0110.

Il Primo Espresso Café
Make the most of a sandwich with a breakfast bagel or croissant sandwich, or a ham and Swiss or turkey for lunch. Or pick up some homemade cinnamon rolls, scones or cookies. Enjoy a full menu of specialty coffee drinks. Saturdays, menu from 7 am to 2 pm; Sundays, menu from 8 am to 1 pm. 6422 E. Central, 682.4884.

Jeanne’s Café
Come home to this comfort-food haven. Omelets, bacon and eggs are served all day, along with homemade pies and cinnamon rolls. Beginning at 11 am, you can order mashed potatoes and homemade lunch fare.  Saturdays and Sundays, menu from 7 am to 2 pm. 4733 E Douglas, 681.3335.

Jimmie’s Diner
It’s the epitome of “tradition.” The nostalgic diner, a time capsule to the 1950s, has been serving Wichitans for more than twenty years. Order eggs, bacon, sausage and coffee all day and all night. Waffles are made the same way Jimmie King made them decades ago at his Kings-X restaurants, the inspiration for Jimmie’s Diner. Fridays and Saturdays, menu from 6 am to midnight; Sundays, menu from 6 am to 10 pm. 3111 N. Rock Rd., 636.1818.

Old Mill Tasty Shop
Old Mill treats customers to breakfast just once a week. The famed lunch hotspot serves traditional breakfast eggs/bacon/sausage combination plates, as well as omelets, Huevos Rancheros, New Mexico green chili and eggs Benedict. Mary’s biscuits and gravy are to rave for. Lunch menu available until 3 pm. Saturdays, menu from 8 am to noon. 604 E. Douglas, 264.6500.

White Rock Café at the Hyatt Regency
Enjoy the breakfast menu until early afternoon. White Rock goes to all heights to please your palate—the amazing sticky bun French toast, a five-inch-tall masterpiece, will convince you of it. Or try the innovative Poached Eggs in a Pot with asparagus, spinach, ham and stewed tomatoes. All meals come with a complimentary fruit smoothie. Saturdays, menu from 6:30 am to 11 am; Sundays, menu from 6:30 am to 2 pm. 400 W. Waterman, 293.1929.

Easy Does It
A la carte brunch for here or to go

Bagatelle
A renowned bakery, Bagatelle has quiche ready every morning at 10. If flaky quiche isn’t your thing, try a pastry. Don’t miss the cinnamon rolls, made fresh each morning. Saturdays, 8 am to 7 pm; Sundays, 8 am to 2 pm. 6801 E. Harry, 684.5662.

Java Nation
Perfect for on-the-go or a light and casual morning meal. Sample the bagels, cream cheese and muffins. Sandwiches are available from 11 am to 2 pm and after 5 pm. Saturdays, 9:30 am to 3 am. 804 E. Douglas, 558.5180.

Java Villa
Prefer to read the newspaper online? Plug in at this Wi-Fi hotspot. Enjoy muffins, quiche, pie, scones and bagels while you catch up on all the latest. Pair them with a specialty coffee drink, from a cappuccino to a latte to a good old-fashioned cup o’ Joe. Saturdays, 7 am to 5:30 pm; call for new Sunday hours this fall. 7812 E. Harry, 683.5282.

La Galette French Bakery & Restaurant
It’s a home-baked haven. Each of La Galette’s cakes, quiches, croissants and pastries are made in-house, with love. Sandwiches and soups are served from 11 am to closing. Saturdays, 8:30 am to 3 pm. 1017 W. Douglas, 267.8541.

Riverside Perk
Brownies, cookies, pies and quiche are baked in this tiny kitchen, along with a variety of sandwiches. Try the chicken salad or the Queen Elizabeth, a veggie sandwich. The Perk also has Italian sodas and a variety of coffee drinks. Saturdays, 7 am to midnight; Sundays, 10 am to 11 pm. 1144 N. Bitting, 264.6464.