Best Breakfast and Brunch in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach
If you're spending spring break – or any other time of year – on the Alabama gulf coast, here are the best spots to grab the most important meal of the day. Check out these six paces for breakfast and brunch in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
1. Sunliner Diner
100 E. 2nd Ave., Gulf Shores, AL 36542
If all-day breakfast in a vintage 1950s retro setting sounds like the way you want to start your day, then Sunliner Diner is a must-do. The menu has just about everything you could want for breakfast. If you've got a sweet tooth, check out their milkshakes and old-fashioned sodas and floats. They also serve cocktails!
There's booth and counter seating and one very special seat in a converted vintage Chevrolet. There's even an old-school jukebox if you want some tunes with your meal. Sunliner Diner also serves lunch.
2. Safari Club at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo
20499 Oak Rd E, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
If you're thinking an eatery at the zoo isn't going to be your top pick for brunch, think again. The Safari Club is different. As Alabama’s first certified “Green Restaurant”, the Safari Club has onsite composting and an onsite garden. What they can't grow, they source from local farmers. The vibe is reminiscent of something you'd expect to find at Disney's Animal Kingdom and has indoor and patio seating as well as a super cool banquet room for larger parties.
The brunch menu includes benedicts, omelets, steak, and eggs, bananas foster french toast, and other delights. They also serve lunch items, such as burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers.
3. The Ruby Slipper Cafe
4673 Wharf Parkway West, Orange Beach, AL 36561
The Ruby Slipper Cafe serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch with an Alabama meets New Orleans flair. The menu is so extensive it's almost overwhelming but the upside is that everyone will find something they love. If you're a sweet breakfast person, they've got multiple options for french toast and pancakes. They also have a selection of omelets, shrimp and grits, and even Tex-Mex migas.
And, if brunch isn't brunch without a mimosa, they've got 'em as well as a wide selection of other cocktails. The Ruby Slipper Cafe also serves lunch.
4. Tacky Jack's
1577 Highway 180, Gulf Shores, AL 36542*
Tacky Jack's offers fun, casual dining with waterfront views. The breakfast menu isn't published online but they have basic breakfast offerings as well as a Farmer's Omelet and a Shrimp Omelet. The colorful, lively atmosphere will make you want to come back later for dinner or a drink.
*Tacky Jacks has three locations in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach/Fort Morgan area.
5. Brick and Spoon
24705 Canal Rd, Orange Beach, AL 36561
Brick and Spoon has an urban vibe and delicious brunch dishes. Their brunch menu includes omeletes, a variety of creative benedicts, shrimp and grits, and sweet eats. I'll confess to not being a sweet breakfast person but their bananas foster french toast is sublime. Brick and Spoon also serves lunch.
And, if brunch in Gulf Shores isn't brunch without a Bloody Mary, this build your own Bloody Mary bar is not to be missed.
Note: Brick and Spoon is a franchise so what you see on their online menu may vary by location.
6. Brunch in gulf shores at Woodside Restaurant
20249 AL-135, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
Woodside Restaurant is located in Gulf State Park near the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trails, so if you feel the need to walk off your delicious breakfast, the opportunity is right there.
Woodside's small breakfast menu includes omeletes, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches. They also serve lunch.
More about Gulf Shores/Orange Beach:
Five-day customizable spring break itinerary
My lodging, meals, and activities were covered by Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism.
