3 Tips For Staying On Track When Ordering Brunch

Brunch is probably one of my favorite weekend activities for several reasons. Mainly because it involves food (duh 😆) but also because it’s nice to try new places around San Diego since there are sooo many and also when I’m traveling to different cities. Another reason is that I tend to skip breakfast foods during the week (minus hard-boiled eggs) because I’m either fasting in the morning or eating pre-prepped meals.

When I go out to brunch though, it’s a rare occasion that I’ll ever order something exactly how it’s recommended on the menu (this pretty much goes for any meal that I order at restaurants though 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Here are a few modifications and questions I typically ask when ordering brunch ⬇️

1️⃣ Omelettes & Scrambles --> I always make sure to ask if they add anything extra to the eggs. Some places (cough IHOP cough) add pancake batter or extra milk to their eggs to make them fluffier and/or add bulk to cut costs.

2️⃣ Cooking Oils/Fats --> Most restaurants use processed/highly-inflammatory oils to cook their food in, especially eggs, veggies, and other common brunch items. Ask if they can instead use butter or bacon fat to cook with and if you’re watching your calorie intake, always ask them to go light on the cooking fat or leave it out all the together. When I’m being very strict with my intake, I always order poached eggs or a ‘dry’ omelette.

3️⃣ Sub the Sides --> Most brunch items are served with fried potatoes and toast, or some form of other starchy carbs. Ask if you can sub these for an extra protein like ham or bacon, side salad, some other vegetable such as sliced tomatoes or steamed veggies, or fruit.

This particular brunch meal was from a cute restaurant that I went to last weekend while on vacation in Seattle. The original menu item was a Seasonal Vegetable Hash with carrots, celery root, zucchini, squash, and potatoes topped with fried eggs, lemon ricotta, and served with toast. I made the following modifications ⬇️

Instead of potatoes in the hash, I asked for extra zucchini. I subbed the fried egg for a poached egg, ordered an extra side of ham, and ditched the toast. It was delicious!!

Don't ever feel intimidated to make modifications or ask for substitutions when eating at restaurants! Just be extra polite and express gratitude to the server for helping you and they should be more than happy to accommodate! If not, go eat somewhere else 😆