April is National Brunch Month! This annual celebration of the popular Sunday dining tradition is relatively new, having been founded in 2021 by the National Day Calendar and the Texas-based restaurant Ebb & Flow. But brunch has been popular and trendy for years, offering a cozy opportunity to share a meal with family and a fun chance to connect with friends.
If you’re looking to get your brunch fix, check out these MoCo restaurants serving up unique, delicious brunch menus on weekend mornings.
Barking Mad
239 Spectrum Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Brunch available Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Barking Mad serves a cafe breakfast menu during the week, but it pulls out all the stops for brunch on the weekend with a special brunch menu. In addition to classic brunch staples like pancakes and breakfast sandwiches, the Gaithersburg cafe, restaurant and bar cooks up Southern-style dishes that are uncommon in Maryland, like its house special Beignets and Mad Chicken + Waffles. It also puts a Maryland twist on certain classic dishes, like with its Crab Cake Eggs Benedict, which swaps Canadian bacon for homemade crab cakes. And if you want pizza for breakfast, they have that, too.
Melina
905 Rose Ave., North Bethesda, MD 20852
Brunch available Sat. and Sun., 10:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
If you’re looking for a brunch experience that’s a bit more adventurous than standard American breakfast food, try Melina, which offers a Greek and Mediterranean take on it. Its menu has the standard Avocado Toast, but it also offers several different tartines (open-face sandwiches), including the Open Face Lamb Pita With Fried Egg. Even its more typical brunch dishes add Greek flair — the Melina Pancakes are topped with phyllo dough (used in Greek pastries like baklava), and Manouri cheese makes an appearance in several menu items from the French Toast to the Lamb Burger.
Zinnia
9201 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Brunch available Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Built on the grounds of the historic Mrs. K’s Tollhouse, Zinnia offers a particularly gorgeous backdrop for an outdoor brunch during the spring and summer. Its menu is no slouch, either, offering unique takes on brunch staples. Zinnia Benedicts are an off-beat version of normal eggs Benedict, where guests can choose to have their eggs sitting atop a slice of maple bacon, smoked salmon pastrami, duck confit, or mushrooms and kale. Even the most fervent avocado toast aficionados will want to try the Avocado Croast, which uses a toasted croissant instead of bread. There are also several salads and sandwiches on the menu, including the Lobster Roll, which uses market-price lobster.
Ema Rossi
5556 Norbeck Road, Rockville, MD 20853
Brunch available Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Ever wanted pizza for breakfast? You can fulfill that craving at Ema Rossi anytime, but the Neapolitan-style pizzeria also offers a dedicated brunch menu on weekends. If you’re dining with a group, the menu has several variations on crostini that are meant as shareable dishes that the whole party can enjoy. These include Smoked Salmon, Goat Cheese and Chives; Brie, Walnuts and Fig Jam; and Avocado, Bacon and Eggs. For main courses, there are breakfast staples with Italian twists, like the Frittata alla Pizzaiola with tomato sauce and marinara cheese and the Salsiccia Scramble with Italian sausage and broccolini.
MoCo’s Founding Farmers
12505 Park Potomac Ave., Potomac, MD 20854
Brunch available Sat. and Sun., 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; most weekday holidays, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Potomac is home to Maryland’s only Founding Farmers location — the DMV-based chain also has locations in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Pennsylvania. If there’s one thing that sets Founding Farmers’ brunch offerings apart from the crowd, it’s the variety. The restaurant has a very large brunch menu, with multiple variations available for items like pancakes, waffles and pan-scrambled egg dishes. There are also many options to choose from for drinks, ranging from breakfast cocktails to coffee and tea and even mocktails for anyone preferring a dry brunch. Try the Breakfast Chicken & Waffles or the Breakfast Street Tacos!
