Maybe it’s because we grew up eating cereal, but one thing is for sure: Breakfast bowls are where it’s at. Whether it’s Greek yogurt, oats, chia pudding, rice or hash holding them down, the resulting creations tend to lean towards the healthy side. (Still waiting on the breakfast salad craze to hit Memphis!) We’ve been impressed by the selection of breakfast bowls at local restaurants and decided to round up the best of the best for our readers.
Brisket for breakfast? File this one under: Put an egg on it. This hearty macro bowl consists of cubed brisket, potatoes, roasted red peppers, spinach, maple barbecue sauce and a fried farm egg. “Macros” is short for macronutrients, which are proteins, carbs and fats. One of three macro bowls (there are buffalo chicken and smoked turkey macro bowls as well), the smoked brisket macro bowl offers 42 grams of protein, 32 grams of carbs, 13 grams of fat and 413 calories—if numbers are your thing.
Bryant’s is the earliest place to get a breakfast bowl fix. The dining room opens before the sun comes up, the line moves fast, and there’s outdoor seating. Our grit bowl – filled with eggs, cheese, sausage and yes, grits – was hearty and tasty. Mix it up with your choice of meat, or try the biscuits and gravy bowl.
Please don’t make us choose just one thing at City Silo. If you are looking for fresh and healthy, they are the obvious go-to. Let’s take a look at the acai bowls, which consist of a thick, blended base of acai berries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, cold-pressed green apple juice and organic coconut milk. There are several variations, but we are spotlighting the Green Yeti mixed with liquid chlorophyll and topped with granola, strawberries, fresh avocado, hemp seeds, roasted pepitas and agave or local honey. File under: things we can’t make at home.
Chef Cole Jeanes is always tinkering with the breakfast bowls at Comeback Coffee, and we are smitten with his latest creation. Both beautiful and bold, the Yogurt + Granola features poached pear, maple, butternut caramel, cherry, streusel, sage and chocolate bark. Grab a spoon because a lot of the magic is hiding underneath the perfect sphere of yogurt.
Thanks to Edge Alley, oatmeal is back on the sexy list. Their Overnight Oats—topped with berries, banana, housemade granola and almond butter—are filling, delicious and nutritious. Yes, that’s us batting our eyes. (The Overnight Oats are also available at the recently opened Midpointe by Edge Alley in Overton Square.)
The menu at Hustle & Dough is small, but every single item has a level of care and attention to detail that is mind-blowing. The Yogurt & Granola bowl—with its rye granola, mixed citrus marmalade and mint leaves—is no exception. Almost too pretty to eat, it’s a feast for the eyes that will power you through the day.
For just over a year, Inspire Community Café has been cranking out healthy offerings in their beautiful and welcoming space in Binghampton. They also offer very nice prices. For under $10 you can kickstart your day with a drip coffee and a small but hearty Chia Breakfast Pudding made with honey and green matcha, then blanketed with fresh berries and pecans. (They also have a cocoa banana nut version served with almond or peanut butter.)
The Sweet Potato Hash at the Liquor Store is a longtime favorite. The bowl is filled with sweet potatoes, caramelized onions and wilted spinach, and topped with sofrito, two eggs any style and your choice of Cuban pork, bacon, ham, pork sausage, chicken, veggie sausage or vegan chorizo. Thanks to the wide selection of breakfast meats and egg styles, it never gets old. Lately we’ve been into the Cuban pork with sunny eggs.
Starting at 6 a.m., you can have your pick of breakfast bowls at Sunrise Memphis. If, like us, you don’t always go for traditional breakfast foods, the Bi Bim Breakfast is for you. It’s so good, we ate it for lunch. The char siu pork, fried egg, kimchi, scallion, pickled daikon and sticky rice will bowl you over. Tofu is also available as a substitute for pork.
