Eggs Benedict traces its origins to the request of a Wall Street broker at New York City’s famous Waldorf Astoria hotel in the late 19th century. A lot has changed for this traditional brunch staple, and these seven restaurants offer their take on a classic.
By Jacob Threadgill with photos provided and Gazette / file
Cheever’s Cafe
2409 N. Hudson Ave.
cheeverscafe.com | 405-525-7007
In a city full of fantastic chicken-fried steaks, Cheever’s has one of the best, and it comes topped with a fried egg, red chile hollandaise and avocado on the Cowgirl Benedict. You can also get a different kind of Benedict with a masa vallo con huevos, which puts shrimp risotto on crispy masa cakes, poached eggs, pico de gallo, salsa verde and ancho chile cream.
Pizzeria Gusto
2415 N. Walker Ave.
pizzeria-gusto.com | 405-437-4992
Sit out in Gusto’s nice patio area and enjoy its Benedict, which substitutes the classic English muffin for a vibrant focaccia. Choose between smoked salmon, crispy pork belly, fried chicken or roasted mushrooms with spinach, hollandaise and poached eggs and a side of rosemary potatoes.
Rococo Restaurant & Bar
2824 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
loverococo.com | 405-528-2824
Rococo offers offer a brunch buffet at its Northpark location, but you’ll get a much more intimate affair at the original location on Pennsylvania Avenue, which offers traditional Benedict, a version with its famous crab cake and another that serves house-cured salmon in a brine of molasses, salt, pepper and basil before it’s cold-smoked and put on an English muffin.
Hefner Grill
9201 Lake Hefner Parkway
hefnergrill.com | 405-748-6113
With a nice view of Lake Hefner and a mimosa in hand, there are few better brunch settings than Hefner Grill. They offer traditional eggs Benedict on housemade biscuits, but the Southern Benedict tops corn cakes with fried green tomatoes, smoked ham, hollandaise and guacamole.
Hatch Early Mood Food
1101 N. Broadway Ave.
hatchearlymoodfood.com | 405-609-8936
Benedicts occupy an entire section on Hatch’s menu with six options from which to choose. The Tuscan Anne features prosciutto, cream cheese hollandaise and balsamic glaze. The Southwest Royale tops sourdough with ham, chorizo, peppers, onions, smoked cheddar hollandaise and pepper jelly. The Benedict Jonny uses a crispy griddle cake as a base for braised pork, chipotle hollandaise and chorizo.
Sunnyside Diner
916 NW Sixth St.
eatatsunnyside.com | 405-778-8861
Sunnyside offers three versions of Benedict, including a green chili and chorizo version over a biscuit that will wake you up in the morning, but if you’re looking for something a little less spicy but just as flavorful, go with the California variety that puts roasted turkey, spinach and tomatoes on a biscuit.
Golf Club Diner
4491 S. Lake Hefner Drive
405-843-1565
The only traditional Benedict on the list is also one of the city’s best deals where you can get a full breakfast for $9, and on Wednesdays, it is served with a side and a drink for $5.95. Even with such a good deal, the hollandaise is made from scratch with the perfect blend of white wine and lemon juice. The diner offers other variations on the Benedict, but it’s hard to beat the original.