< Back to Table of Contents
Dawn Patrol:
America’s Regional Breakfasts
Follow the sun from Florida’s citrus groves to Colorado’s chile fields and eat like a local before 10 a.m.
By Amity Moore Joyce
Breakfast—said to be the most important meal of the day—is one to savor while on vacation. It’s when you can take your time, choose sweet or savory, and dine alone or squeeze into a booth with your entire extended family. It’s also when regional ingredients and traditions shine. For example, you aren’t likely to see Appalachian livermush on a dinner plate, but you will see it on a breakfast menu. Same goes for hearty farm skillets, seafood Benedicts and pancakes. Go ahead, rise with the sun from Florida to Colorado and wake up to dishes that reflect what locals eat, giving a peek into farm roots, immigrant influence and regional lifestyle.
A Taste of Cuba
Freshly squeezed orange juice in Florida hits just the right blend of sweet and tang and is a breakfast must. Pair it with a Cuban breakfast in Miami at any of the Cortadito Coffee House locations. Enjoy scrambled eggs, ham croquetas (fried rolls of finely chopped cured ham mixed with a rich bechamel sauce), choice of sausage or bacon, and toasted Cuban bread. Complete the spread with Cafecito, or Cuban coffee. Have it traditionally as a shot with sweet foam, or crema, on top. Or, order a cortadito (half milk, half Cuban espresso) or cafe con leche (milk with a shot of espresso). Enjoy similar dishes and drinks in Little Havana at La Carreta and Versailles Restaurant.
Sop You Up Like a Biscuit
Head north, where dawn dining could split depending on whether you’re bound for the Atlantic coasts of Georgia and South Carolina or the bustle of Atlanta. The one constant of these states, plus North Carolina and Tennessee, is biscuits. Light and fluffy, big and buttery. Have one, even if you indulge in other fare like the Lowcountry Benedict at Acme Lowcountry Kitchen or Blue Crab Benedict at The Palmetto Cafe, both in Charleston, South Carolina. Wright Square Bistro in Savannah, Georgia, delights with its small, but varied, brunch menu. In Atlanta, go for cheesy grits at Buttermilk Kitchen; the pimento cheese there adds perfect Southern flair.
Carolina (Breakfast) On My Mind
North Carolina loves to serve its biscuits with country ham—a saltier, drier version of its honeyed ham cousin—in the heartland and eastern parts of the state. Try it at Big Ed’s Restaurant in Raleigh, where the salty ham earns rave reviews. In the foothills and the mountains, however, livermush reigns. Abele’s Family Restaurant in Morganton, North Carolina, serves its pork liver-and-cornmeal meat the way it should be: crispy.
Sweet Meets Savory
Tracking the sun west across the Appalachians, Tennessee rises with breakfast menus peddling chicken and waffles. The dish is so beloved that it’s also not just for breakfast anymore. Nashville’s Pinewood Social has plenty of competition because fried chicken overlapping a thick waffle drizzled with maple syrup is available most anywhere, but it’s the only eatery where bowling is a part of the morning routine.
A Matter of Gravy
Indiana may identify as Midwestern, but it’s got a little bit of Southern soul, thanks to its border with Kentucky. Belly up to a diner counter here and get a forkful of biscuits and gravy. While red-eye gravy (for which coffee is used to deglaze a pan just used to fry salted ham) is popular in North Carolina and Tennessee, peppery sausage gravy is preferred in Indiana. Order a Boomer’s half order at Good Morning Mama’s Cafe in Indianapolis to sample how folks do the Southern classic in Indy.
Farm Fresh and Hearty
Throughout much of the rest of the Midwest—Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota—the residents often rise before the sun. That’s because many of them are farmers and need as much daylight as possible to work the land. Their morning meal reflects not only their need for a big breakfast, but also simple. The no-frills dishes reflect farm culture, with eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, sausage and a side of pancakes each taking a spot on the plate. To find the best restaurant, choose ones with parking lots filled with pick-up trucks. Oh, and in dairy-rich Wisconsin, when the server asks if you want any cheese curds, say “yes, please.”
With Cherries On Top
Michigan is not excluded from those farm-friendly breakfasts, but locals love their cherries, particularly in Traverse City. And those cherries appear at breakfast. The Cottage serves them plump atop TC Black Cherry Pancakes, and the Flap Jack Shack stuffs them into French toast.
Rocky Mountain Wake-Up
Two hours after dawn breaks on the East Coast, it spreads across the agricultural plains of eastern Colorado before climbing the state’s famous fourteeners. Like the Midwest, this is a state of early risers. Burritos stuffed with eggs, bacon or chorizo sausage, potatoes and green chile are the breakfast of choice. They reflect Colorado’s Mexican influence and are preferred as a handheld by skiers and hikers or as a smothered plateful for those with time to linger over coffee and conversation. Santiagos (with multiple locations) wraps them in foil to go, while places like Savina’s Mexican Kitchen in Castle Rock or The Pantry Restaurant in Pueblo serve them plated and smothered.
Visit AAA.com/TripCanvas, AAA’s online travel planning tool, to plan and book travel—and then enjoy a regional breakfast the next time you vacation.
If you’d like to share this article with someone, click the SHARE icon at the top right of the page.
Check out these other stories!
Family Getaway: Sandestin, Florida
AAA Savings for Tickets, Shopping & More!
Colorado Turns 150
Add Movie Magic to Your Next Drive
