Nothing says Easter Sunday like brunch. Check out these local restaurants and order a mimosa. After all, brunch is — kind of — the most important meal of the day.
East End Eatery
1202 NE Eighth Ave.
Rachel Bouchillon, a 22-year-old UF interdisciplinary ecology graduate student, said East End Eatery is one of her favorite brunch places.
“I really like the tempeh scramble there, and sometimes I’ll get one of their Eggs Benedict, too,” she said.
She said she likes going there with a small group of friends because it’s quaint.
“It has a more Gainesville-resident feel to it,” she said.
Sandra Carlisi, owner of East End Eatery, said the restaurant has specials for brunch every week and tries to cater to different themes.
Its upcoming focus is Easter.
“We’re doing a Black Forest ham with roasted potatoes, and peas and carrots,” Carlisi said. “One of the other Easter kind of foods is asparagus and a champagne omelette.”
The Top
30 N. Main St.
Ana Fajardo, a 21-year-old UF women’s studies junior, said she likes eating brunch at The Top because of its vegan options.
Fajardo recommends getting there early because it gets busy fast.
David Gordon, manager at The Top, said he won’t add any special Easter-themed brunch items.
He said The Top generally has an omelette or French toast special.
“We’re a pretty eclectic restaurant. We have different kinds of Benedicts, also chicken and biscuits, traditional comfort foods,” he said. “You can get anything you want, really.”
Brunch at The Top is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but Gordon said it usually runs out of food quickly.
“We have church-goers and nihilists alike. We have all sorts of people that come to the brunch, so we try to cater to that broad stroke,” he said.
The Flying Biscuit Cafe
4150 NW 16th Blvd.
Amanda Di Lella, a 21-year-old UF telecommunication junior, said she and her boyfriend go almost every Sunday to have brunch.
“It’s really good food, and it’s not too expensive. There’s a lot of people that go there on Sundays,” she said.
But she said if you plan on going, call ahead.
“Me and my boyfriend always get the grits, biscuits, and the French toast is awesome,” Di Lella said.
The Flying Biscuit Cafe will have its normal breakfast menu all day during their Sunday hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
101 Downtown
201 Southeast 2nd Avenue
“We are doing a very special brunch on Easter as a whole because we actually started a brand new brunch menu,” Phillip Hampton, assistant general manager, said.
A few items on the new brunch menu include fried chicken and waffles, a veggie burger and a grilled watermelon salad.
Hampton said 101 Downtown will have brunch on Saturdays as well as Sundays. Brunch on Sunday will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 4/17/2014 under the headline "Brunch with the best in Gainesville on Easter Sunday"]
Ivey’s Grill, located at 3303 W University Ave., is another Easter Sunday brunch option. Ivey’s offers a tofu veggie sautée, pictured above, though it’s better known for potato pancakes.
