Whether you are looking for a simple yet delicious snack on-the-go or a sit-down meal, Carmel has something for everyone breakfast-wise. The Patisseri Boissiere, Jeffery’s Grill and Catering, and Pastries and Petals are three of the best places in Carmel to start off your day.
Located in the Carmel Plaza, you’ll find the best omelet at the Patisseri Boissiere, a cottage converted into a quaint and welcoming restaurant built like a European chateau, serving genuine French meals, like their ham and cheese sandwich served between a flaky croissant with cheese in and covering the sandwich.
The Patisseri’s omelet is jammed with so much ham and cheese that every bite is oozing cheese, but make sure to come in on a Saturday or Sunday because weekends are the only time you’ll be able to get this to-die-for omelet.
While the filling is the definition of savory goodness, it is the egg of the omelet that makes it stand out, for unlike most omelets it is light, airy and simple. In most cases, unseasoned eggs are a turn-off, but at the Patisserie Boissiere, the minimalistic taste of the egg enhances the savory flavor of the ham and cheese.
Served on the side of the omelet is a brioche toast as thick as three slices of pre-sliced white bread, but it’s surprisingly delicate. The brioche is delicious, but what makes it stand out is the accompanying homemade wild berry jam with a unique texture, which isn’t runny like the jams you get at the grocery store, but isn’t chunky like a compote.
If you are in the mood for a more classic American breakfast, then go to the Mid Valley Center and dine at Jeffery’s Grill and Catering. While the restaurant is busy and loud like a diner, it has a homey feel with its welcoming wait staff.
Besides the atmosphere of Jeffery’s feeling diner-like, a majority of the food is diner. For simple and reliable food, like their two egg meals served with basic yet unbelievable ham or crisp, savory bacon.
While Jeffery’s breakfasts are reliable, simple recipes, there are unique dishes that make the mouth water, like their Bananas Foster-topped pancakes and their green eggs and ham omelet.
What makes Jeffery’s one of the best places in Carmel is how they are able to make delicious food with little seasoning. For instance, the potatoes they serve on the side of their eggs are cubed with a little bit of pepper, and they taste phenomenal without expensive, fancy seasonings.
A must-have at Jeffery’s, and the primary reason why it is one of the best breakfast places in Carmel, is their pancakes. Any one of their pancake plates, whether the berry pancakes or buttermilk pancakes, are by far the best pancakes in Carmel, for they taste homemade, but unlike most pancakes, they are not heavy.
If you don’t have time for a sit-down breakfast, you’ll easily find a coffee shop or bakery in downtown Carmel to serve you a quick breakfast to-go, but the bakery that serves the best breakfasts to-go is Pastries and Petals.
Upon walking into the small bakery you can’t help but feel happy, instantly being overwhelmed by flowers and pink. Being in such a positive setting is a great way to start your day.
If you get to the bakery early enough, you’ll be able to pick up a cinnamon pull-apart, which is practically a gooey cinnamon bun on steroids. Even if you don’t like sweets, Pastries and Petals offers savory pull-aparts, varying in flavors from cheesy to spicy.
The best pastry in Carmel is Pastries and Petals’ addicting pumpkin doughnut, which is more of a pumpkin dough ball rolled in sugar. If fall had a flavor, it would be the pumpkin doughnut.
Carmel is home to countless restaurants and bakeries, but these three places are definite destinations for anyone wanting to start off their day with good meal.
-Caitlin Chappell
