With no more than a dozen tables inside, this Heights restaurant is a local go-to, serving up a variety of tacos, loaded sopes, chilaquiles divorciados — served with both tomatillo and guajillo sauces, and deep-fried gorditas — all with a down-home feel. Try the signature cinnamon coffee, served in a colorful clay mug, and take in the colorful decor and pop culture

Breakfast is a filling favorite at this kid- and dog-friendly neighborhood haunt, which cooks up items like chicken-fried steak and eggs, falafel scramble with hummus, and ground buffalo scramble with mushrooms and egg. The red velvet pancakes with cream cheese icing and French toast breakfast sandwich with ham and Swiss cheese is a true treat — best enjoyed on the outdoor patio.

A farm-to-table breakfast and lunch spot with multiple locations, Dish Society brings local flavor to classic breakfast dishes, with fluffy pancakes, Nutella French toast, brisket and eggs, house beignets, and more. Wake up with a coffee or hot tea, or turn breakfast into brunch with a fruity mimosa flight.

Tucked away in a little house in Montrose, this busy Mexican cafe is a perfect stop if riding solo or with a friend. Here, sweet cajeta toast served with bacon bits and eggs, breakfast sandwiches made with Mexican concha bread, and plenty of aguas frescas with the option to add a chamoy rim await. Stop by on the weekends for menudo, but be sure to carpool or opt to travel through a ride-sharing service. Parking is tight.

This family-owned restaurant boasts fresh-squeezed juices, spiced coffees, artfully made almond croissants, and Mexican breakfast essentials, like migas and tortas filled with eggs, chorizo, potatoes, beans, onions, and peppers. The machaca nortena — a shredded dried beef platter served with scrambled eggs, sauteed veggies, and beans — and the vampire juice, a blend of orange, carrot, and beet are a perfect pairing. Order a slice of tres leches cake for later.

Start the morning at this essential Houston taqueria, where tortillas are loaded up with egg, sausage, potatoes, and more into giant breakfast tacos priced at less than $2 each. Be warned — the line gets long but it typically moves pretty quickly.

Vietnamese steak and eggs with house paté, chilaquiles with black beans and queso fresco, and croissants with creme fraiche are just the tipping point at this coffee shop. In addition to its plethora of teas, kombucha, and agua fresca, Blacksmith pours gourmet coffees, with beans most recently imported from regions in Guatemala and Colombia.

Despite being a Colorado import, Snooze has a special place in Houston thanks to its pillowy pancakes with decadent toppings, a rotation of seasonal items, and drinks like bloody marys mimosas, and cocktails that keep breakfast buzzing. The breakfast pot pie — a comforting flaky puff pastry smothered in rosemary-sage gravy — can be stuffed and topped with your choice of more than two dozen ingredients.

This gas station turned cozy cafe serves up hearty breakfast staples, like buildable omelets, breakfast tacos, sticky buns, and Italian-inspired frittatas. Round out the most important meal of the day with mozzarella-smothered potatoes and a prickly pear margarita.   

For a true Southern-style breakfast, come here for chicken and waffles, catfish and grits, and (no, really) green eggs and ham, made with chives, spinach, and bell peppers. The Breakfast Klub also sells its own pancake mixes, so true believers can recreate their dishes at home.

They say everything is bigger in the Lone Star State, and when it comes to breakfast, this Texas chain indeed does it big. There are churro-style doughnuts, breakfast burritos bursting at the seams, various versions of eggs benedicts rebranded as “The Arnolds,” plus coffees, mimosas, and sangrias to make your A.M. festive. Go for the Cowboy Scramble, which is comprised of two split buttermilk biscuits topped with bacon, sausage, ham, onions, and three scrambled eggs, and smothered with a healthy heap of country sausage gravy.

This no-frills city diner promises large portions of all the breakfast basics and beyond at affordable prices. Try the catfish fillet, country-fried steak, or two center-cut pork chops with eggs, a side of grits or hashbrowns, and toast or biscuits for $9. Spring for a Belgian waffle with creamery butter for $6.

Find bagels, of course, but also dishes like corned beef hash, sweet and savory cream cheeses, challah french toast, cheese blintzes, and potato pancakes with sour cream and apple sauce. The weekday breakfast special, which includes two eggs, a bagel or toast, plus your choice of home fries, grits, sliced tomatoes, or fruit, is a steal for $7.

League City residents swear by this local spot — often leading to a packed house and lines out the door. But the breakfast paninis, pancakes, and “kitchen sink quesadillas,” stuffed with veggies, cheese, and your choice of meats with a side of salsa and hashbrowns or grits are well worth the wait.