Weekends are made for relaxing and what better way than to savor a delicious brunch and toast to the long week with a glass of champagne or perhaps a Bloody Mary?  I’m all in for that kind of weekend fun.

We have gathered a list of 9 great weekend brunch spots–from romantic finds, to restaurants with that perfect water view and even a couple of options that are perfect for the entire family.  (Please note all pricing mentioned does not include tax and gratuity.) There are sit-down brunches, buffets, and even one brunch that offers live music. Cheers to your weekend!

Brunches With a Melody

Bayside Restaurant is one of the few restaurants in Newport that showcases live piano music and songs during their brunch on Sundays. The Sunday Brunch is served from 11:00am to 3:30pm. It is a fantastic brunch if you like to sit down and be wined and dined. The restaurant has an elegant dining room, bar seating, and an inviting wrap around patio with peek-a-boo views of the water.  Executive Chef Paul Gstrein outdoes himself with a great menu selection for their two-course Brunch. Guests can select from six starters. Their soup is house-made and always delicious, as is the roasted ruby beet salad, or the Bayside Garden Salad.  For main entrees there are 13 choices, such as: Grilled Chicken Breast Salad, Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna or my favorite, the Tiger Prawns with Sugar Snap Peas Risotto. ($29.95) And there are six premium entrée options for $36.50, including: Grilled Lamb Chops with garlic mashed potatoes and seasoned veggies, Wild Mushroom Crusted Salmon or Lobster Sandwich, just to name a few. Desserts can be purchased for $5.50 and I recommend the Chocolate Souffle Cake with Hazelnut Gelato. The prix fixe includes unlimited mimosas and champagne. This is also a great spot for celebrations and private parties on the patio!

Brunch Buffet

Perched above the Marina and launch area of the Back Bay is found a restaurant tucked away within the Newport Dunes Resort. Meet the Back Bay Bistro! This restaurant enjoys spectacular views in every direction of the Back Bay, and has a retractable roof for that indoor/outdoor vibe. Their Sunday Champagne Brunch is legendary and is perfect for a family affair. It is served from 9:00am to 2:00pm.
The Bistro earned the “diners Choice Award” by Open Table for Top 10 Brunch Location in Orange County and Top 50 in the U.S.

Let’s start with the unlimited, flowing Champagne. Check. The action food stations will have your head spinning at all the delicious selections and more Chef manned stations than any other restaurant in the OC. There is light fare to start the weekend right, offering salads, soup du jour, and assorted pastries and waffles. The Seafood Station is always popular, especially their chilled Crab Legs. On a bed of ice we find Smoked Salmon with all the accompaniments, Gulf Shrimp and hand-shucked Oysters. There are Crepe specials, pancakes and omelets to order, a Pasta Station, Poke and Cali Roll Station, a Carving Station and even a Seafood Taco Station. For the sweet side of brunch, there are endless desserts and the famous Chocolate Fountain. ($48 for adults and children under ten are $16)
This includes endless Champagne and Mimosas and full bar for additional purchases of Bloody Mary’s and the like.

On Saturdays from 9:00am to 2:00pm they offer a Brunch Buffet (however this does not include flowing champagne). A very nice selection of various food stations is available with salads, soups, a pancake station, Chef’s carved to order, street tacos, Chef’s specials, vegetables and of course their famous Chocolate Fountain. Children just cannot get enough of that flowing chocolate to dip goodies into.  ($28 for adults and children ten and under $13. A carafe of Bloody Mary is available for $10.)

Sit-Down Boastful Brunches

At the Cannery Seafood of the Pacific this is a charming spot perched above the Rhine Channel with a public boat dock just steps away for an easy dock and dine solution. The Brunch is served Sunday from 10:30am to 3:30pm–and that is basically all day long! They have an elegant dining room, and a covered patio overlooking the water for romantic brunching or for a large private party. Bottomless champagne is offered for $15 with the purchase of an entrée and a full bar is also available. There is a wide range of offerings for brunch with something for everyone—from sweets like the Crème Brulee French Toast, to their savory Crystal Maple Fried Chicken and Duck Mole Chilaquiles. Seafood lovers are in for a treat, as this spot is well-known for its ocean stewardship– the kitchen uses only wild, line-caught fish. Brunch seafood items include: Oysters, Crab Cakes, Ahi Poke, jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Chilean Sea Bass, Scottish Salmon, a Seafood Salad and so forth. (Entrée prices range from $14-45.)

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar is undergoing a renovation yet they are open and it will be completed in the fall. They are creating a more open and bright environment with a revamped main dining room, exhibition kitchen and a significant expansion of their patio. Fleming’s is offers a number of options for Sunday Brunch which is served from 11:00am to 3:00pm. For Children 12 and under, there is a prix fixe menu with lots of their favorites, starting with sliced apples and a caramel sauce and entrees to select from, such as: Buttermilk Pancakes, Steak and Fries or Mac & Cheese. Milk or juice is provided for $14.95 and dessert can be added for $1.00. For the grown-ups in the room they can select from two three-course prix fix menus,  or order off the menu which includes: Salads, Sandwiches, Entrees and many side dishes too. The most popular entrees include: Filet Mignon Benedict, Sonoma County Pancakes, Crispy Chicken & Waffles, Custom Omelet and Prime Rib Hash. ($14.50-$22.95). A full bar is also available for libations.

Tucked away in Eastbluff Village Center can be found a secret garden and Napa inspired restaurant called Provenance. Here Chef Cathy Pavlos and her amazing team present a sit down garden Sunday Brunch from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Guests can dine inside or on the covered patio amidst their working garden. They showcase an innovative take on classic brunch favorites and the menu has so many choices! Don’t miss her delicious biscuits made in-house daily and did I mention the honey butter—quite delicious. The most recent menu addition is the Breakfast Tacos with Green Chile Roasted Pork Carnitas with Scrambled Cage Free Local Eggs, Ricotta Salata Cheese, Flour Tortillas, Breakfast Potatoes, Pepitas, and Radishes. With ingredients picked fresh from her garden everything is incredibly flavorful! The restaurant also features a full bar with lots of craft cocktails to entice you. The Watermelon Cucumber Margarita is a refreshing way to start your Sunday…just sayin’.

Juliette Kitchen + Bar in Newport Beach serves Weekend Brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 2:30pm. Executive Daniel Hyatt’s menu draws inspiration from locally sourced ingredients, so guests can look forward to selecting from a broad seasonal brunch menu with a modern American twist. Restaurant co-owner Juliette Chung lends her own touch to the menu, adding her own house-made granola and fresh biscuits to the menu, which also features house-made juices and brunch-time cocktails, such as the Mimosa Lisa and Top of the Morning Irish Coffee.

The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar Sunday Brunch transports guests to a relaxing Napa getaway, with the added bonus of one of the most incredible views of our beloved Newport Marina. Every Sunday from 11:00am to 2:00pm with a sit down menu, Executive Chef Yvon Goetz presents an ever changing seasonal menu consisting of dishes such as: Zinfandel Braised Beef Shortrib Hash & Fried Eggs with duck fat-roasted fingerling potatoes and roasted cauliflower ($19.95), and Almond Croissant Crème Brulee French Toast with fresh berries, Applewood smoked bacon and a berry-zinfandel syrup ($14.95) and fresh line-caught locally and flown in daily from Hawaii. Chef Yvon also relies on their expansive wine list with numerous wine-infused ingredients. A full bar and fanciful wine list is also available for the asking.

Sit- Down Breakfast Fare With A Water View

Photo Credit: Bob Hodson

Lighthouse Bayview Café is located at Marina Park on the Balboa Peninsula. It is a treasure of a spot with docks available for boaters too. The Saturday and Sunday Brunch is a sit-down fare beginning at 7:00am and goes ‘til 4:00pm.  Their famous Buddy’s Bloody take two hands to hold this oversized Mason jar that is bigger than life. My suggestion is not to miss their incredible Beignets sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and a cream cheese icing ($5.95). The menu is one of the most diverse I have seen. There are Chorizo & Egg Tacos, Benedicts served four different ways, Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes, Blackened Chicken Cobb Salad and even a Burger! (Entrees range in price from $8.95 to $17.95.) With three soups, a fresh fruit bowl and granola, there is something for everyone right here and all day long!

Located at Crystal Cove is The Beachcomber Café which sits right on the sand and has a long history here in Newport. They even have coastal cottages that are available for overnight rentals. This is an idyllic spot to bring loved ones and especially out of town guests who might not have experienced a treasure such as this. They offer a sit-down Breakfast from 7:00am to 11:15am daily. And with a full bar, Saturdays and Sundays may never be the same again! They offer some sweet treats and eggs done any way you can dream of.  The Eggs Benedict are prepared three different ways ($15.95 to $18.95) and entrees including: Huevos Rancheros, Brioche French Toast, Coconut Macadamia Pancakes, Steak Chilaquiles and the list goes on and on—ranging in price from $11.95 to $15.95.
You can be sure that no one will go thirsty with sixteen different crafty cocktails, five varieties of margaritas and eight local craft beers. With toes in the sand, what’s not to love here? (Guests can only make reservations through Open Table. For walk-ins they receive a buzzer and can walk on the beach while awaiting their table. The parking lot is on the east side of Coast Highway and a shuttle delivers guests down to Crystal Cove, or active guests can walk along a pathway.)

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