Aside from the biscuits and gravy and shrimp salad croissant, I much enjoyed the omelette and waffle station. The omelette is made right under your nose and you have the choice of adding two kinds of cheese, mushrooms, olives, onions or cherry tomatoes. The waffles come in plain and pepper-bacon, and it’s also made right there in a giant waffle iron. If you’re lucky, you may even get waited on by a former roller girl, the Hell Marys’ very own Scarlet Harlot.

Though it does get crowded on Sundays, you’ll manage to find some place to sit, whether inside or on the large funky patio. This is a brunch worth stopping by.

These beauties above can be found at Walton’s Fancy & Staple on West Sixth. For those Us Weekly readers out there, Walton’s is best known for its owner, Sandra Bullock, who also owns Bess Bistro across the street, but Walton’s is worth a visit for more than just a potential celeb sighting. The tagline “Perishable, cherishable, fetishable” certainly doesn’t lie. Everything about the place is adorable, from the branding and the menu to the beautiful historic building its housed in to the names of the dishes.

No matter what your sweet tooth demands, you’ll find something to satisfy it. For carb-lovers, I’d recommend the Golden Egg, a nutmeg cake rolled in cinnamon and sugar that despite being the size of your palm, feels like it weighs as much as a bar of gold. It’s pure rich goodness. Chocoholics should try the flourless chocolate hearts, which are also unbelievably dense and unbelievably rich. The next best thing to comfort food is the Lone Star Whoopie Pie, a cream cheese filling sandwiched between two sweet potato cakes. YUM. And the cookies are huge and mouthwatering. The iced lemon sugar cookie I tried was soft and chewy and the perfect palate-cleanser to my awesome turkey sandwich, The Gobble.

On the weekday I stopped in, the line for lunch was out the door, and I heard soon they’ll also be serving wine and beer in the evenings. Or you could pick up a pastry and gourmet espresso drink during their reverse morning happy hour. If you stop by, fall in love with the food and also happen to hear wedding bells in your future, keep Walton’s in mind. This one-stop shop also offers custom cakes, catering and floral design. Sweet.

24 Diner takes comfort food and puts a sustainable spin on it, a philosophy that makes it a perfect fit for Austin. The farm-to-table approach is writ large across the menu with certified humane, cage-free eggs from Gonzales, all-natural Texas-raised chicken and organic fair-trade coffee. And unless you arrive in the no-man’s-land of the state-mandated dry hours between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., you can order from their globally diverse wine list, chill out with a Fireman’s #4 on tap or pick from the bottle selections that include unique offerings that run the gamut from Brooklyn Brewery Local 1 to Xingu Black Lager.

When I visited, it wasn’t anywhere near breakfast time, but I still couldn’t resist the pull of a waffle breakfast, especially when the waffles are made with butter, raw sugar and Madagascar bourbon vanilla. The waffle didn’t disappoint, but the real highlight for me was the the homemade veggie sausage, which is made in-house with beets, mushrooms, lentils, rice, pumpkin seeds and golden flaxseeds and struck that absolutely perfect balance of savory, spicy and sweet.

If I had one real complaint, I would say that the service wasn’t awesome. It’s probably because I’m part camel, but my water glass sat empty several times for much longer than I’d have liked. Also, unless you land a booth, the seating configuration tends to put you up close and personal with your noshing neighbors, which can be a little awkward (especially after I noticed that one of our adjacent tablemates was my dentist, who hopefully didn’t see the amount of sweet, sticky 100% Grade A amber maple syrup I poured on my waffle).

On most late nights, if I just want to relax and pig out on some greasy grub, I’d probably still head to Kerbey Lane, but 24 Diner is a great option to have. So I guess if Kerbey Lane is your favorite pair of jeans, 24 Diner is like the new pair that make you feel super hip but will probably never be quite as comfortable. But right now, all I can think about is going back to try the bacon gorgonzola burger (sub homemade veggie patty, of course) finished off with a piece of chocolate peanut butter cake. Yum.

24 Diner
512-472-5400
600 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78703