That portmanteau of “breakfast” and “lunch”—brunch—originated in England sometime in the 19th century. It caught on in the United States in the 1930s and remains a popular meal to enjoy on a leisurely weekend. Combining the best of the two meals, brunch can be an indulgent buffet or a menu-ordered selection. Either way, it’s a lovely amalgamation that I’ve partaken in around the world, in some positively unforgettable locales. These are my favorites.

#1 Pfister Hotel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

One of the best things to do in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is to have brunch at the opulent Pfister Hotel, the grandest of the city’s old-world luxury establishments, opened in 1893 and still a beacon of style and character, and one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. The brunch buffet is served in The Rouge, one of the hotel’s classic dining rooms, where you’ll find carving stations, a made-to-order pasta station, and a mimosa and Bloody Mary bar—just a few of the more than 40 items you can feast on. In the mood for breakfast? Epicures can enjoy a champagne and orange juice; a giant pepper, cheese, and mushroom omelet; blintzes; and crispy bacon and toast. Prefer lunch instead? Help yourself to some tilapia, chicken, penne with alfredo sauce, ravioli with Maine lobster, braised pork, and cranberry-scallion wild rice. Of course, you’ll want to finish with something sweet, which means a generous serving of fresh fruit and a large selection of decadent desserts, ranging from pumpkin pie with cinnamon whipped cream to key lime pie shooters to chocolate layer cake. After you’ve satisfied your edacious appetite, you can start to burn off all those calories with a walk around the hotel to admire the largest hotel collection of Victorian art in the world.

#2 Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (Cincinnati, Ohio)

One of the most beautiful buildings in Cincinnati, the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza serves a fantastic brunch in a spectacular setting. Now both a National Historic Landmark and one of the Historic Hotels of America, the Netherland Plaza was cited by critics as challenging “the splendor of King Solomon’s Temple” when it opened in 1931. How could it not, what with its two-story ceiling murals, rare Brazilian rosewood, German silver fixtures, and stylized Egyptian and floral motifs, all wrapped up in a resplendent French Art Deco style. You’ll revel in all that in the Orchids at Palm Court, one of the world’s most atmospheric restaurants, when you’re indulging in a fantastic brunch and listening to the pianist and flutist. I took a seat at the bar and chatted with the bartender, who, in another it’s-a-small-world phenomenon, lived exactly two blocks from my home in Brooklyn, New York, for two years. So, what’s to eat at the hotel’s brunch buffet? Among the abundant selections, I savored eggs benedict, bacon, halibut, salmon, lamb chops, risotto, lemon tarts, and chocolate bombes, all while relishing some wonderful Champagne in flutes filled to the brim and topped off with a raspberry.

#3 Hudson House River Inn (Cold Spring, New York)

Hudson House River Inn, located on the street running along the Hudson River in Cold Spring, opened in 1832 and is the second-oldest continuously operated inn in New York State. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, the inn began its life as the Pacific Hotel, and then the Hudson View Inn, before taking on its current moniker. Guests are drawn to the inn’s two guest suites, 11 rooms, and two dining rooms, where you can indulge in a fantastic brunch. It’s so fine, that I’ve been here twice, even though I live about 60 miles away from it. You can settle down inside or opt for seating on the long porch that looks out at the town’s gazebo, the river, and the gently rolling hills across the water. Order up a bellini or two and a popover while you try to decide on an appetizer (such as the homemade lobster bisque and the fresh burrata and beefsteak tomato with roasted peppers, basil, and baby arugula) and an entrée, like the breakfast offerings of blueberry buttermilk pancakes and the poached eggs with homemade crabcakes, hollandaise sauce, and hash browns, or the more lunch-like selections of, for instance, spinach ravioli vodka-style with mozzarella and almonds, and the New York strip steak with caramelized walnuts, roasted red peppers, and shaved parmesan cheese.

#4 Shaughnessy Restaurant (VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia)

VanDusen Botanical Garden, a former golf course, opened the doors to its 55 acres in 1975. It contains themed gardens, a hedge maze, lakes and ponds, carved totem poles, stone sculptures, a Japanese garden, ferns, maples, and so many other plants from around the world—and the lovely Shaughnessy Restaurant. I selected an outdoor table and sipped a mimosa as I perused the tempting brunch menu. Of the four eggs benedict offerings, I chose the classic, with Canadian bacon, hollandaise sauce, and hash browns, along with assorted pastries that included blueberry scones, croissants, and pain au chocolate, accompanied by homemade jam (although the California chicken focaccia sounded equally appealing). In this utterly delightful setting, your sense of smell will be challenged, as both the wonderful aromas of the meal in front of you and the scents of the flowers all around you compete for your attention. It’s a delightful tug-of-war: Let both sides win.

#5 Teahouse in Stanley Park (Vancouver, British Columbia)

The 1,000-acre Stanley Park on a peninsula abutting downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, is one of the world’s best urban parks. With extraordinary views all around, I could have easily spent several days in the stellar urban oasis, Vancouver’s largest and oldest park, dating back to 1888. The park’s most dramatic feature, the 5½-mile Seawall Promenade, runs around the perimeter of the entire park. Veering on and off this trail, I stopped at Vancouver Aquarium, one of the top five aquariums in the world as well as Canada’s largest, and checked out some of the park’s other highlights—Brockton Point Lighthouse, totem poles, Siwash Rock, the Rose Garden, and 17 miles of hiking trails that plunged me into a forest of meadows and fir, hemlock, maple, red cedar, and spruce trees. All this walking worked up an appetite, so I broke for brunch at Teahouse in Stanley Park, a sublimely peaceful spot for a wonderful meal, although that’s not how Teahouse started—it was originally a garrison during World War II for crews manning the large guns at adjacent Ferguson Point, a coastal defense fort. Things are more tranquil these days, where diners can take in beautiful views of Third Beach, with its log benches on the sand offering respite, and of the cargo ships plying the waters of English Bay and Burrard Inlet. Brunch here offers lots of appetizing breakfast choices, like the duck confit waffles and the Florentine mushroom tart, but by the time I took my table on the outdoor patio to appreciate the vistas, it was closer in the day to lunch, so I selected the pan-seared steelhead salmon with roasted fingerlings and a chimichurri sauce, a garlic baguette, and chocolate Milano cake with raspberry coulis and fresh berries.

Five Runners-Up

• The Smithville Inn (Smithville, New Jersey)
• Giada (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• Braddock’s (Medford, New Jersey)
• The Skinny Pancake (Burlington, Vermont)
• Post Stop Café (Westhampton Beach, New York)

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