13 power breakfasts

Chef Aaron May creates egg-white omelets with asparagus, waffles, French toast and heartier dishes like chicken-fried steak with country gravy and fried eggs and lox, eggs and onions at this breakfast eatery.

It's easier to get out of bed if you have a Crackers & Co. breakfast to look forward to. Start off your day with French toast, pancakes, waffles, blintzes or one of the signature skillets, such as the spicy Mexican made with eggs, chorizo, chile, cheese and potatoes.

This high-energy spot serves anything and everything for breakfast. Menu items include nutty Belgian waffles, cinnamon challah French toast, steak and eggs, huevos con masa with chipotle cornbread, yogurt and granola with fresh berries, jalapeño biscuits and gravy, and the Whole Hog omelet with bacon, ham, sausage, chorizo and pepper Jack cheese.

You owe it to yourself to slow down and smell the flapjacks. Butterfield's signature oven-baked pancakes include the German one, light and fluffy, and the heavy-duty caramelized-apple flapjack.

At the foot of South Mountain, near Maya's organic garden and under the pecan trees, one can choose from among homemade pecan granola, fresh-squeezed orange juice, homemade muffins and made-to-order omelets with Harvati cheese, tomato, basil and zucchini with oven-roasted red potatoes on the side.

This tiny, popular downtown eaterie may require a wait, but the menu delivers. The ingredients are fresh, usually organic and local. Choose among thick bacon, rosemary potatoes, farm-fresh eggs, flapjacks, waffles and standards like the Hog and Chick: two eggs and a choice of thick-cut bacon, country sausage or off-the-bone ham.

Nearly everything is made from scratch starting with the basket of mini-muffins, to the omelets, waffles, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, corned beef hash and pecan cinnamon rolls.

Stick with a freshly baked homemade muffin and coffee or splurge and try one of the 13 breakfast items that include honey-cured ham and brie frittata, stuffed French toast or lemon ricotta pancakes.

An institution in Glendale's historic downtown, this restaurant serves Mexican favorites like huevos rancheros and standards like two eggs over-easy with bacon, omelets, pancakes and waffles.

Enjoy French and Cajun inspired favorites such as eggs Benedict, crepes du jour, grilled andouille sausage and grits with eggs, or scrumptious beignets. Sip a cup of freshly brewed coffee, freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, or perhaps imbibe with a signature Hangover Cocktail to start the day.

Load up on the carbohydrates at this flapjack heaven. The house specialty, the apple pancake, is a marvel: homemade batter poured over sauteed apples, baked partway through and flipped over. Then the whole thing is glazed with cinnamon sugar and baked a bit more. Batter up!

Power up for the workday with a hearty breakfast. The French toast is as good as it gets, and omelets are well-crafted and creative, from Greek to pear flavored. Juice is squeezed fresh daily, and the helpings are generous.