Brunch & Hollandaise at Eastside Cafe

A first-timer to 20 plus year old Eastside Cafe, a handful of friends suggested I make this locally owned, garden fresh haunt my first stop. Easy to find without the use of google maps - Eastside Cafe is located at 2113 Manor Road just east of I-35 and the University of Texas. As first times go, I usually drive right by a new place, but no such thing with their visible and erect sign. Entering the main house at 10:35 a.m., I was greeted by a friendly hostessing staff who quickly directed me out a backyard path to the separate, yet charming, "Garden House". Meeting up with my friend, gluten-free-girl & blogger, Sarah (or GFG for my purposes here), she'd arrived and selected a quaint two top in the back of the house near the window.

After our half-giddy/half-we're eating & blogging together greeting, we ordered drinks and scoured the menu's. GFG's? Purely gluten-free. Mine? Not so much. Nice to have options! GFG opted for a delicious Migas spread with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cheddar cheese & corn tortillas. Standard sides of black beans and home fries finished the plating. Seemingly affordable at $8.95 and making gluten-free look appealing to the masses.

On the other end of the menu, I was obligated to feast on Eastside Cafe's Classic Eggs Benedict with two perfectly poached eggs, generous cuts of tasty ham and a glutenous English muffin, topped with a flavorful and creamy hollandaise sauce. Added was a side of hand cut home fries

which were especially satisfactory. Mini corn bread muffins were provided in place of the preferred blueberry as a warm up. An expected price of $11.95. Was I disappointed in one of my favorite dishes? No - the sauce was great! But I left hoping there had been more hollandaise atop my benedict gem.

I would definitely recommend swinging by the Eastside Cafe for brunch. Should the desire kick in, Eastside Cafe serves on Saturday and Sunday, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. They're also happy to take your reservation by phoning them at (512) 476-5858. The food is fresh, flavorful and the service reflective of Austin's laid back dining style. Where else can you wander the grounds and peek into an established garden or see baby chicks in a coop?

For any overflow caused by a long wait or should you have any shopping needs, the Cafe's ownership opened a neighboring store called Pitchforks & Tablespoons. There is definitely something for everyone (coffee, books, gifts, plants), plus a 22 year old lounging cat who looks like he's had more than 9 lives. Really.

Looking forward to coming back! Thank you Eastside Cafe for a fine morning experience.

Included are links to Eastside Cafe's brunch and gluten free menus plus their website address:

Brunch ~http://www.eastsidecafeaustin.com/menus/brunch.html

Gluten Free ~http://www.eastsidecafeaustin.com/menus/glutenfree.html

Eastside Cafe's Website ~ http://www.eastsidecafeaustin.com/index.html

Also, if you're interested in Gluten-Free eating tips and where to find the best GF restaurants in Austin, check out my GFG-friend's blog ~ http://glutengirlinaustin.blogspot.com/

Pros: The hollandaise sauce, atmosphere, garden, no wait

Cons: 100 degrees outside - 85 degrees in the Garden Room and I was too hot, also never caught our servers name

Suggestions: More hollandaise on your benedict, please

Eastside Cafe ~ 2113 Manor Rd., Austin, TX 78722 ~ (512) 476-5858