When I travel, if breakfast isn’t included at my lodgings, I usually skip it, grabbing a piece of fruit or a protein bar so that I can be on my way to start exploring. But, when I have time, I also enjoy sitting down to the most important meal of the day and easing my way in. Of course, embedded in their names, bed and breakfasts practically guarantee that your day’s first meal will be excellent, but there are plenty of local establishments that will positively delight you. Sadly, my favorite breakfast ever—fluffy pancakes with sliced peaches, grilled bananas, raspberry coulis, maple syrup, and Chantilly cream—at Alphabet Bistro in Parnell, New Zealand, a suburb of Auckland, is no longer available; the bistro has closed permanently. But, more happily, the best juices I ever had—cranberry-mint and blackcurrant-tarragon—are still available at Hotel Kämp in Helsinki, Finland. From the world’s best eggs benedict to its best waffles, I’ve indulged in some very memorable breakfasts. These are my favorites.

# 1 Coronet (Tucson, Arizona)

When asked for a breakfast recommendation from the staff at the Southern Arizona Heritage & Visitor Center, everyone raved about Coronet, located on the cusp of downtown Tucson, along the Turquoise Trail in the historic Barrio Viejo. Coronet occupies a one-story adobe building constructed in the 1860s as a house for a tailor and his wife, who, along with their daughter, helped develop the first synagogue in Arizona. A store was added to the house in the 1880s, and then it was all later converted to a country store, then a tailor’s business, and then, in 1972, a restaurant. Coronet has been its occupant since 2014.

If you’re here for dinner or a cocktail, you’ll be sitting in the hacienda-like dining areas with a fine bar, ceiling fans and beams, green shutters, and tile floor. But, for breakfast, simply step into a smaller ancillary building to place your order at the counter, then head outside and take a seat in the lovely and spacious patio with plenty of vegetation and glass-top tables with umbrellas before the Arizona sun becomes brutal.

Here, a staff member serves you the best breakfast you’re likely to have in all of Arizona. Along with your fresh orange juice, you simply must order the incomparable eggs benedict. Two poached eggs are served with dill hollandaise, spinach, caraway-crisped onions, and your choice of roasted mushrooms or slow-cooked brisket. Coronet puts a unique spin on this dish by swapping out the traditional English muffin for potato kugel. The flavorful side salad of spinach, cucumbers, shaved carrots, and sunflower seeds perfectly balances this beautiful breakfast bonanza.

#2 Giada (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Traveling on the Las Vegas Monorail, I noticed a sign in one of the stations advertising a Giada De Laurentiis restaurant in The Cromwell Hotel, which happened to be about a block from where I was staying, just off Las Vegas Boulevard.

I was already a fan of hers, since I first saw her on Giada’s Weekend Getaways, which debuted on Food Network in 2007. I like the foods she prepares, I like her cookbooks (I own three of them), I like the way she pronounces pancetta and pasta. So, naturally, I made a beeline to The Cromwell and headed up to Giada on the second floor. The restaurant occupies a large space at the curved corner of the building. There’s a wide variety of seating under the wood ceiling, and I scored a table at the window, where I watched the daily spectacle of The Strip unfold below me.

Your choice is simple: Order the best waffle you’ll ever have. It’s a round, perfectly grilled polenta waffle, served with two eggs sunnyside up, accompanied by mascarpone butter and maple-pancetta gastrique. Adjectives will fail you.

#3 Gibson Mansion Bed and Breakfast (Missoula, Montana)

Just under two miles from downtown Missoula, with its lively farmers market, extensive bike paths along the Clark Fork River, and the idyllic campus of the University of Montana, the Gibson Mansion Bed and Breakfast beckoned me from the second I saw it. Originally built as a private home for an immigrant Swedish pharmacist in 1903, over the course of its history the mansion became a sorority house, an apartment building, and a fraternity house. After too many keggers, it was a wreck and was slated for demolition in 1979. Saved by a private owner who moved it to its current location (a feat in and of itself, as the wide load slowly moved along the streets of Missoula), the mansion was purchased in 2001 by new innkeepers who lovingly and meticulously converted it into the grand B&B it is today.

Every morning, you’ll descend the oak staircase on your way to a delectable breakfast, the best I’ve ever had at a B&B. The owners hit it out of the park every time, whether it’s an orange omelet soufflé with chicken sausage and hot chocolate one morning, or seared peach and huckleberry pancakes with peppered bacon the next.

#4 Mendota Lake House (Madison, Wisconsin)

I arrived in Madison at night, with the dome of the magnificent Wisconsin State Capitol illuminated like a beacon before me. I checked into the Mendota Lake House B&B, crept up the stairs to my cozy and quiet room, and enjoyed a full night’s sleep.

The next morning, while I awaited breakfast, I absorbed the interior of the five-bedroom B&B. The Prairie School–style structure was built in 1911 on the shore of Lake Mendota for lumber executive William H. Collins by local architectural firm Claude & Starck, which constructed nearly 200 buildings in Madison during its 32-year run. Many of them, including this B&B, are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The lakeside sitting room boasts remarkable views of the lake, and an inviting fireplace anchors the large living room, filled with comfortable furniture ideal for lounging and socializing. Beams along the ceiling drew my eye toward the stenciling running above the abundant windows. Oak, maple, and mahogany lend additional warmth, and the Arts and Crafts details imbue all the common areas with a homey ambience.

I was soon served the first of a series of scrumptious breakfasts: freshly squeezed orange juice, a filling omelet with cheese and green peppers, Canadian bacon, a date and chocolate chip muffin, and honeydew, kiwi, and strawberries. The following mornings brought cornmeal pancakes, and then strawberry and cream cheese French toast, and then scrambled eggs with scallions and red peppers along with roasted potatoes with rosemary. Knowing that a tasty bounty would rouse me every morning, I rested easy each night with my choice of lodging during a week in Wisconsin‘s loveliest city.

#5 Eggspectation (Montreal, Québec)

The punny name says it all and instantly lured me in during my morning search for breakfast. Only a four-block walk from my hotel in downtown Montreal, breakfast here was so good that I returned a couple more times during my stay, attracted both by the quality food and the humorous names. In this expansive space, diners check out menus with such headings as “Great Eggspectations” and “Omelettes Eggcetera.” Dishes include “Yolk Around the Clock,” “Eggstraordinary,” and “Oy, Vegg!” The “Montreal Benny” is particularly delicious—an English muffin with Dijon mustard, Montreal smoked meat and Swiss cheese, topped with two perfectly poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, accompanied by Lyonnaise-style potatoes. The establishment’s original offering, “Eggspectation Omelette,” is still a terrific choice, too—three eggs mixed with mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, bacon, sausage, ham, and cheddar cheese. Founded in 1993 in Montreal, Eggspectation has now expanded to nearly 30 locations in Canada and the United States, so if you happen to be in a city lucky enough to host one of them, be sure to start your day here.

Five Runners-Up

• The Commoner (Hotel Monaco, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
• Stone Oven (Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand)
• Baer House (Vicksburg, Mississippi)
• Mount Royal Bed and Breakfast (Calgary, Alberta)
• L’Omelette (Québec City, Québec)

I’d Love to Hear From You!

Have you been here? Have I inspired you to go? Let me know!