If there’s one thing this country can agree on, it’s that French toast is one of the best meals to have ever graced the breakfast table. Every state has so many incredible places to satisfy a FT craving, but after hours and hours of perusing websites, menus, people’s reviews, and Instagram accounts, I think I’ve rounded up some of the best french toast in every state. Bon appétit!
Alabama: The Hound
Location: Auburn
To kick things off we’re starting in Auburn. The Hound is known for their “Granola French Toast,” topped with its namesake granola, bananas, fresh berries, and maple syrup. The Hound has a variety of specials too–pictured above is their beautiful Banana Bread French Toast with bananas, bourbon caramel, mint, and nasturtium blossoms
Alaska: Snow City Cafe
Location: Anchorage
Located in downtown Anchorage, this cute spot takes freshly made baguette and stuffs it with mandarin orange cream cheese and tops that with toasted walnuts, syrup, and raspberry butter. If that description doesn’t have you booking the next flight to Alaska, knowing that Obama visited here in 2016 just might.
Arizona: Pomegranate Cafe
Location: Phoenix
This spot is known for their fresh and organic dishes, all vibrant and beautifully plated. With fresh fruit and “coconut whip” on top of your toast, how could you go wrong?
Arkansas: At the Corner
Location: Little Rock
After watching the video above, the name of the “Pour Some Sugar on Me” French toast seems entirely fitting. “Tiramisu” French toast has also been a featured favorite. At the Corner serves their French toast creations primarily as specials, so grab these amazing editions while you can.
California: Blu Jam Cafe
Location: Los Angeles
Blu Jam’s signature dish is their brioche bread dipped in a “secret” batter and rolled in corn flakes. The toast is topped with berries, vanilla bean sauce, and powdered sugar. YUM. The cafe also offers French Toast Churros, which I can only imagine taste a little bit like heaven.
Colorado: Syrup
Location: Denver
If you have’t started drooling while reading this article yet…get ready. Syrup’s multiple Denver locations offer Nutella-stuffed, coconut-coated, crunchy, or “Elvis” (PB, bacon, and banana) French toasts. Talk about a tough decision.
Connecticut: The Corner Brunch
Location: Milford
This spot goes above and beyond with Peaches and Cream Stuffed, Pecan Crusted, Strawberry and Banana Stuffed, and Apple Stuffed French toasts. Feeling indecisive? Feel free to order a trio of flavors. You can pair your FT with a decadent hot chocolate for an even sweeter start to your day.
Delaware: Lucky’s Coffee
Location: Wilmington
Lucky’s Coffee keeps it simple while still keeping it super delicious. This no-frills, authentic version will provide you with a classic FT-eating experience. And, with it’s retro style, fluorescent sign, and catchy name, this spot will be sure to win your heart and your stomach.
Florida: The Front Porch Cafe
Location: Miami
Fresh-baked Challah bread, orange zest, cinnamon, powdered sugar, and a healthy portion of maple syrup unite. These ingredients come together to make this one of the greatest French toasts to grab while in the city of Miami.
Georgia: Mama’s Boy
Location: Athens
Mama’s Boy is one of the most popular brunch destinations in Athens, with incredibly long waits every weekend. Since Georgia is the “Peach State,” what more appropriate French toast topping than peach filling? The spot is known for other breakfast delights, including their unbelievable biscuits.
Hawaii: Koko Head Cafe
Location: Honolulu
This all-day brunch spot has a unique Asian influence and a creative use of ingredients. This FT features bacon, creamy black pepper maple syrup, and a scoop of frosted flake gelato. Looks like it may be time for me to pack my bags and say “Aloha” to Hawaii.
Idaho: 36th Street Garden Center and Bistro
Location: Boise
Brioche bread is dipped in a caramel batter, filled with caramel cream cheese and served with Nutella cream sauce or maple syrup. To make things approximately 100x better, this eatery is also a garden center with an outdoor flower market, so you can purchase some plants after chowing down on this incredible FT.
Illinois: Over Easy Cafe
Location: Chicago
The Windy City is jam-packed with amazing French toast options, but Over Easy Cafe catches my eye with its “Banana Spiked” FT with vanilla pastry cream, bananas, caramel rum sauce, and candied pecans, as well as its “Candy Apple” FT with cinnamon pastry cream, granny smith apple, salted caramel, candied cashews, and whipped cream.
Indiana: Good Morning Mama’s Cafe
Location: Indianapolis
This cheery, colorful cafe serves up some of the yummiest breakfast in Indianapolis, especially its “Java French Toast” (FT + coffee = genius!). There’s no better way to start off your morning.
Iowa: Dixie Quick’s
Location: Council Bluffs
The spot was featured on season four of Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” as well as in the book “More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” Pictured above is the “Sexual Chocolate” FT with bananas, walnuts, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, and a swirl of whipped cream. As if this place couldn’t get any more appealing, Dixie Quick’s doubles as an art gallery too.
Kansas: Doo-Dah Diner
Location: Wichita
The gluten-free banana bread French toast topped with pecans, apples, and apple butter is a popular menu item at this diner. If banana bread isn’t your thing, the restaurant also offers regular French toast served with their signature vanilla molasses syrup.
Kentucky: Verbena Cafe
Location: Prospect
This cafe is known for their Cinnamon Roll French Toast, dipped in a cinnamon roll batter and topped with caramelized pecans and powdered sugar. Simply delicious.
Louisiana: Cafe Fleur De Lis
Location: New Oreans
This lively city has a plethora of great brunch spots, but one thing makes the French toast from this cafe, located in the heart of the French Quarter, really stand out. During Mardi Gras season they serve King Cake French Toast. Slices of king cake are dipped in French toast batter and pan-fried with butter. Cue a choir of angels singing.
Maine: The Good Table
Location: Cape Elizabeth
This spot serves up dreamy Crème Brûlée French toast (imagine warm. caramely, brûléed sugar melting in your mouth right now), topped with fresh fruit. Talk about the perfect way to warm up after experiencing chilly Maine weather.
Maryland: Miss Shirley’s
Location: Baltimore
Coconut Cream Stuffed French Toast is one of the menu’s most popular items and was featured on season 24 of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” It’s stuffed with coconut cream and coconut flakes and topped with brûléed bananas. Miss Shirley’s also has a “French Toast of the Month.” This October, the special is a Pumpkin Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast that’s coated in graham cracker crumbs and garnished with raspberry puree, house-made whipped cream, and a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Massachusetts: Miss Worcester Diner
Location: Worcester
Sticky Bun, Birthday Cake, Ice Cream Sundae, Caramel Apple, and Nutella-Strawberry are just a few of the fun flavors of French toast at this popular MA establishment. I can’t even pick just one that gets me the most excited because they all sound so delicious.
Michigan: Breakfast Club
Location: Farmington
Breakfast Club is most famous for its “Oven Baked French Toast,” which consists of a spectacular quantity of French toast with streusel, berries, and raspberry sauce. Other flavors of FT include Triple Berry, Salted Caramel and Banana, Banana Coconut Creme, Cinnamon, and Crème Brûlée.
Minnesota: Hazel’s Northeast
Location: Minneapolis
Hazel’s tagline is “Real Good Food,” and when it comes to French toast, it definitely applies. Their Drunken Banana French Toast consists of cinnamon-swirl French toast with warm bananas, pecans, rum-soaked raisins, and homemade caramel sauce.
Mississippi: The Manship
Location: Jackson
This epic fried French toast, topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries and dusted with powdered sugar, can be found in Mississippi’s capital city. If you’ve read this article all the way through and have yet to drool, I am in awe of your restraint.
Missouri: The Mud House
Location: St. Louis
With breakfast and lunch served all day, everyday, as well as beautiful lattes, this is one of the best coffeeshops St. Louis has to offer. The French toast usually comes with either bananas and walnuts or strawberries and lemon mascarpone– both look fabulous.
Montana: Jam!
Location: Bozeman
Jam’s FT is house-made Challah bread stuffed with jam-infused mascarpone cream cheese and topped with toasted almonds, royal vanilla icing, honey butter, and powdered sugar. Brb, booking a flight to Montana–anyone and everyone is welcome to join me.
Nebraska: Lisa’s Radial Cafe
Location: Omaha
Located in Midtown Omaha, this old-school diner serves up tasty comfort food. The French toast is simple…and simply delicious. No one ever said French toast had to be fancy to be good.
Nevada: Two Chicks
Location: Reno
This spot offers Apple Cinnamon French toast made using locally baked apple-cinnamon bread. Two Chicks also offers super unique weekly specials such as Strawberry Cream Cheese, S’mores, Bacon-stuffed (see photo above), and Clove and Cranberry.
New Hampshire: The Red Arrow Diner
Location: Manchester
This diner was featured on the very first season of Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and has been visited by a variety of famous people, ranging from Adam Sandler to Barack Obama. Besides their amazing French toast sticks and stuffed French toast (the flavor changes weekly), the diner is also known for their homemade Twinkies.
New Jersey: Meemom’s
Location: Middletown
There are over twenty varieties of French toast at this New Jersey favorite. Craving some cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch, “Snap Krackle Pop,” and Cap’n Crunch flavors should do the trick. Want dessert for breakfast? Check out Banana Creme Pie, “Cookie Doughn’t You Want Some,” Bourbon Pecan Pie, Churro, Apple Crisp, or Snickerdoodle. No matter what you pick, you can’t go wrong.
New Mexico: Cornerstone Bakery Cafe
Location: Ruidoso
Named after a New Mexican mountain range, the Sierra Blanca French toast is made with freshly baked baguette to golden brown perfection and served with butter, syrup, and bacon. I guess you could say you’re peaking when you eat the Sierra Blanca FT (get it? peaks? and it’s named after a mountain range?).
New York: Kopitiam
Location: New York city
In the city that never sleeps, there is a lot of French toast to pick from (again I emphasize, a lot), so picking just one place was more than difficult. I’m choosing to spotlight this Malaysian eatery because I found it to be so unique. The bread is coated in egg and condensed milk and then covered in Milo, an Australian chocolate malt powder that is also popular in Malaysia. It’s then spread with butter, fried, and topped with a drizzle of condensed milk. All I can say is, wow.
North Carolina: Midnight Diner
Location: Charlotte
Four words: Coconut. Crunch. French. Toast. The menu says that thick, fresh Challah bread is used and the French toast is covered in their “Mackinaw City mixture of a tasty crunchy sensation,” a phrase that leaves me utterly intrigued and dying to try this.
North Dakota: Peacock Alley
Location: Bismarck
Sure, you’ve heard of a cinnamon roll, but have you ever heard of a caramel roll? This North Dakota joint goes above and beyond when it comes to French toast, serving up this wonder that turns a caramel roll into decadent FT. If you want to make your brunch a little boozy, add a blueberry, mango, peach, or lychee mimosa to your meal.
Ohio: Jack Flaps
Location: Cleveland
Referred to on the menu as “Eggy Bread,” this Ohio joint serves a decadent French toast with peanut butter whip, banana, and toffee. Specials are fun flavors such as “Sweet Punkin”, “Fig Newton”, and “Bananas Foster” with bourbon-brown sugar sauce.
Oklahoma: Cheever’s Cafe
Location: Oklahoma City
If you’re in Oklahoma City and in the mood to feel fancy by eating ingredients such as “maple crème anglaise” and “macerated berries,” then Cheever’s French toast bread pudding is the meal for you.
Oregon: The French Toast Connection
Location: Portland
This little, yellow shack sells exclusively French toast related products. “The Decadent” features Challah bread dipped in “Ice Cream” batter and topped with whipped cream and fresh berries. “The Snooze Button” is a French toast sandwich with peanut butter, banana, and maple-glazed bacon. You could say I definitely connect with the French Toast Connection.
Pennsylvania: Sabrina’s Cafe
Location: Philadelphia
As delicious as it is photogenic, the stuffed Challah French toast from Sabrina’s is filled with cream cheese, banana, and honey and topped with slices of banana, vanilla bean syrup, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Unsatisfied? You can pay to add additional toppings including toasted coconut, M&M’s, mango, and mini marshmallows…talk about brotherly love.
Rhode Island: Modern Diner
Location: Pawtucket
If the diner’s railcar exterior wasn’t enough to charm you into visiting, then the French toast should do the trick. A very hearty portion of FT is covered in fresh fruit (heart eyes emoji for that kiwi), butter, and powdered sugar. Just look at that beauty.
South Carolina: Toast! of Charleston
Location: Charleston
The “Deluxe French Toast” has been recommended by the New York Times, so you know it must be something special. Hand-cut currant bread is stuffed with cinnamon apples or peaches and then topped with apple or peach-cider syrup.
South Dakota: Tally’s Silver Spoon
Location: Rapid City
Looking for a boujee FT? The “Really French Toast” includes foie gras, berries, granola, and maple cream. Even just reading those words I feel about ten times fancier. Ooh la la.
Tennessee: Biscuit Love
Location: Nashville
This French toast takes Southern cooking to the next level by using a biscuit instead of bread. The “Lily” is topped with lemon mascarpone, blueberry compote, and syrup. This is some next-level innovation right here.
Texas: South Congress Cafe
Location: Austin
Calling all carrot cake lovers. This French toast is made out of carrot cake which is dipped in cinnamon vanilla egg batter and topped with a cream cheese-pecan syrup and served with fresh fruit. Cake for breakfast? Yes, you heard me correctly.
Utah: Tulie Bakery
Location: Salt Lake City
Homemade brioche bread, whipped crème fraîche, and fresh fruit make up this beautiful French toast. If the treat-yo-self vibes are real, snag a delicious baked good while you’re at it too.
Vermont: Sneakers Bistro
Location: Winooski
If you’ve ever wished that drinking Kahlúa during breakfast time was socially acceptable, then you’ve come to the right place. The bistro’s FT features Challah dipped in Kahlúa batter and coated in crunchy flakes. This is pure genius if I’ve ever seen it.
Virginia: MarieBette Café
Location: Charlottesville
Take a second to look at the photo above. There is Nutella butter on top of that French toast. Did you even know that such a heavenly substance existed? As if things couldn’t get any dreamier, the French toast is stuffed with banana cream cheese.
Washington: Geraldine’s Counter
Location: Seattle
Geraldine’s Texas toast is soaked overnight (such dedication) and then pan fried to crisp French toast perfection. It’s a little bit of sunshine on a rainy Seattle day.
West Virginia: The Greenbriar Resort
Location: Sulphur Springs
This highly-rated hotel has a great breakfast selection. The Tiramisu French toast consists of coffee-soaked bread, mascarpone, chocolate shavings, and maple syrup. The Very Berry French toast (pictured above) includes fresh berries and blueberry syrup. It’s safe to say your hotel stay just got a major upgrade.
Wisconsin: The White Gull Inn
Location: Fishcreek
This French toast was the winner of the “Good Morning America Best Breakfast” challenge (aka, a piece of bread is more accomplished than I will ever be in my entire life) and contains Wisconsin cream cheese and local Door County cherries. We thank you, Wisconsin, for this heavenly creation.
Wyoming: Nora’s Fish Creek Inn
Location: Wilson
The last stop on our epic French toast tour and another spot to have been featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” Nora’s is best known for its Banana Bread French Toast. When combined with the beautiful nature of Wyoming that surrounds the Inn, this is a truly lovely breakfast experience.
Anyone want to go get some pancakes now? Just kidding. You’re now equipped with an arsenal of knowledge on where to go in all 50 states when those immense French toast cravings (come on…we’ve all had them) hit real hard.