Seven Monday brunch spots open on Labor Day

Lowbrauchickenwaffles
Photo courtesy of LowBrau
LowBrau's chicken and waffles plate

The only thing better than Sunday brunch is Monday brunch on a three-day weekend. Here are seven places serving up everything from custard French toast to watermelon margaritas this Labor Day to make your end-of-summer hurrah that much sweeter. Read on to find out what’s on the menu while you’re off the clock.

Cafeteria 15L

Cafeteria 15L will be serving up its nostalgic lineup of all-American fare this Labor Day, like mac and cheese, truffle tater tots, chicken-fried steak and wild berry pancakes. Standouts include the chocolate banana waffle with salted caramel sauce and maple cream, and the Mexican breakfast skillet with chicken chorizo, jalapeños and guacamole. Wash those down with a Hot Southern Mary, a Bloody Mary made with bourbon, Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper, barbecue sauce and baby corn, or the Morning Glory cocktail with champagne and pomegranate juice. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 1116 15th St. 492-1960. cafeteria15l.com

Bloody Marys at Cafeteria 15L (Photo courtesy of restaurant)

Ink Eats and Drinks

At this midtown hangout, where the walls are covered in oversized tattoo designs, you can sip brunchtime libations like mint Irish coffee and peach-berry sangria while chowing down on a shrimp omelet or the Fork & Knife Sandwich with country-fried steak, two eggs, a slice of American cheese and gravy served between two jalapeño-spiked biscuits. If you’re craving something sweeter, order up a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, homemade granola with fresh berries, or French toast made with sweet King’s Hawaiian bread. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. 2730 N St. 456-2800. inkeats.com

LowBrau

This popular beer and brat hotspot in midtown’s MARRS building—which local artist Maren Conrad splashed with a colorful mural during the recent Wide Open Walls festival—is serving up a boozy brunch menu with the likes of its “Megamosa,” a pint of champagne with a splash of OJ, and the “Brunch Punch” with Pürgeist Bavarian whiskey and lemon. Pair a glass with LowBrau’s gut-busting fare, like its house-made biscuits and sausage or its chicken and waffles with buttermilk-fried chicken thighs, apricot preserves and maple syrup. 10 a.m-2 p.m. 1050 20th St. 706-2636. lowbrausacramento.com

Magpie

Midtown’s Magpie, normally closed on Mondays, will open its doors this Labor Day, offering everything from savory bread pudding with bacon to French toast with almond butter. From the umbrella-lined patio along 16th Street, you can people-watch as you sip one of the bar’s creative brunch cocktails, like the Irish coffee with Tullamore Dew Whiskey and Chocolate Fish Coffee, or the Sacramento Summer with pilsner, mint and lemonade sweetened with Lienert’s Honey. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 1601 16th St. 452-7594. magpiecafe.com

Magpie's summer breakfast skillet (Photo courtesy of restaurant)

Putah Creek Cafe

This downtown Winters institution, once featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, is known for its hearty fare, like fried chicken and bacon-stuffed waffles with pecan butter and maple syrup, and huevos rancheros with carnitas, black beans and eggs over three corn tostadas. Day-off day drinkers can look forward to Putah Creek Cafe’s specialty libations, like pomegranate-kiwi mimosas, blackberry-currant sangria and local beer from the likes of Berryessa Brewing Co. 6 a.m.-3 p.m. 1 Main St. Winters. 530-795-2682. putahcreekcafe.com

The Porch Restaurant and Bar

Sit back and soak in Southern comfort this Labor Day at The Porch, where your day off can begin with powder sugar-dusted beignets, alongside other classic Dixieland dishes like shrimp and grits, the Biscuit & Brisket, Cajun-fried beets and Tuscaloosa-style fried green tomatoes. Brunch wouldn’t be complete without a Southern Mary, made with bacon-infused bourbon and a house-made Bloody Mary mix, or The Porch’s Ramos Gin Fizz, a classic New Orleans cocktail with orange flower water, sugar, cream and egg whites. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 1815 K St. 444-2423. theporchrestaurantandbar.com

Tower Cafe

Settle under the shade of palm trees and dense foliage at this Land Park mainstay, where international cuisine from Greece to Mexico takes center stage. We love the pozole, a Mexican hominy stew made with pork and chili broth garnished with radishes and salsa. Save room for breakfast staples like Tower Cafe’s custard French toast—which made our list of 30 Things Every Sacramentan Must Eat—soaked overnight in sweet vanilla custard. Like any good brunch, Tower Cafe has mimosas and Bloody Marys at the ready, but they also have agua frescas in flavors like papaya raspberry and a sweet almond-chata—a twist on horchata made with rum and almond milk. 8 a.m.-3p.m. 1518 Broadway. 441-0222. towercafe.com

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