Saratoga Travel Guide: The Best Brunch Spots

I have been working on this series for so long and I’m very excited to finally share it! Saratoga is one of Upstate New York’s little gems. Mid July to early September is track season here in Saratoga which bring lots of visitors to the area. I wanted to create this mini series for both the tourists and locals in the area that might discover their new favorite place.

Brunch is a weekend staple and Saratoga and the surrounding area has a bunch of great options. For most places on this list I recommend going early and putting your name in, then taking a walk to get some coffee from one of the great local coffee shops I’ll be talking about in an upcoming post.

Starting out in Ballston Spa is Iron Roost. Located on Front Street, Iron Roost is small but mighty. They have indoor and outdoor dine in seating options, or you can do carry out or delivery if you’re feeling like having your breakfast in bed. The highlights of their menu feature gourmet waffles and savory waffles sandwiches. My personal favorite is the lemon berry waffle, but they offer make your own option if you’re looking for something that’s not on the menu. I highly recommend pairing your breakfast with one of their specialty coffees.

Just a couple doors down from Iron Roost is the Whistling Kettle, which also has locations in Troy and Schenectady. If you’re more of a savory brunch kind of person the Whistling Kettle is perfect for you. They have have hundreds of different teas on their menu that you can get hot or iced, paninis, scones and crepes. The famous Afternoon Tea is a 3 tiered tower that comes with a sandwich or quiche, soup or salad, one of the Whistling Kettle’s scones or crepes. On Saturday and Sunday before noon they have Morning Tea option which is the same idea as the Afternoon Tea with more breakfast-y food. The towers make for a great insta post and you’ll never run out of new tea to try.

Keeping on the savory route is Farmer’s Hardware in downtown Saratoga on Maple Ave. They’re only open Friday-Sunday but it’s a perfect to start off your weekend. They’re locates in an old hardware store building and even kept the original sign! They have a ‘bucket of bubbles’ deal which is a bottle of prosecco and a orange juice so everyone at the table can make their perfect mimosa. They change up their menu to use fresh seasonal ingredients. Their sweet potato tots with the maple siracha are to die for.

A few blocks over from Farmer’s Hardware is Sweet Mimi’s on Phila Street. It’s another small restaurant but it is 100% worth the wait. They have the craziest, most delicious waffles and pancakes I’ve ever tasted. They have some great egg sandwiches too but my sweet tooth always gets the better of me when I go there. The always have great monthly specials but my tired-and-true from their core menu is the Pinkberry Swirl waffle because it comes topped with a scoop of gelato. Coming from someone who loves maple syrup on their waffles and pancakes you honestly won’t need it with the load of topping on their dishes but real maple syrup is available as a side. The adffogato coffee is the perfect pairing with your brunch. Whether you order it hot or iced, you can’t go wrong.

I’d love to know if you’ve tried any of these places, and if you have, what you thought of them! If you’re in the area and you go to any of them for the first time, take a pic of your meal and tag me in your story so I can see what you decided to try!