It's National French Toast Day

Our 14 favorite French toast dishes in Austin

As luck would have it, National French Toast Day perfectly follows Thanksgiving on Friday, November 28. So go ahead, put on some stretchy pants, because you won't be able to say no to our favorite French toast dishes in town. From traditional plates to inspirational twists, you'll find all sorts of tantalizing options at these Austin eateries.

South Congress Cafe
$4-$12; Available for brunch daily
Take a stroll down SoCo and treat yourself to decadent carrot cake French toast with cream cheese pecan syrup — and one of South Congress Cafe's famous Bloody Marys while you're at it.

Chez Zee American Bistro
$1.95-$19.95; Available for brunch on Saturday and Sunday
Craving something extra sweet? Try Chez Zee's crème brûlée French toast made from soaked challah bread with an optional drizzle of Meyer's Rum sauce. You can buy a slice, get the platter or take home an entire loaf.

Russell's Bistro
$9; Available for brunch on Saturday and Sunday
Russell's Bistro also serves a crème brûlée French toast, but this dish uses croissant and a splash of Brandy instead.

Kerbey Lane Cafe
$12.95; Available daily
Part of Kerbey Lane's seasonal pumpkin menu includes a classic breakfast plate with pumpkin French toast. The indulgent Paris Texas Platter meshes French toast with local favorite migas.

Perla's Seafood & Oyster Bar
$16; Available for brunch on Saturday and Sunday
Despite being known for seafood, Perla's hosts a weekend brunch that includes an interesting take on French toast that features coconut sorbet and toasted coconut on top.

Max's Wine Dive
$11; Available for brunch on Saturday and Sunday
Who says you can't have dessert for breakfast? Enjoy apple pie French toast with custard, topped with salted caramel at Max's Wine Dive.

The Carillon
$12; Available for breakfast daily
You can find another fruity twist on this traditional plate at The Carillon, which serves a decadent blueberry pecan French toast.

Snack Bar
$10; Available daily until 4 pm
Check out the customizable French toast at Snack Bar, where you can opt for vegan brown rice butter and a variety of different breads, including banana bread.

Yellow Jacket Social Club
$7; Available daily during brunch
Take your French toast to the next level at Yellow Jacket Social Club with a date bread pudding iteration that includes cognac custard.

1886 Cafe and Bakery
$13; Available daily for breakfast and for weekend brunch
The 1886 Cafe offers a bread pudding version of French toast as well. This dish comes with Texas toast, pecan caramel and rum raisins.

Sugar Mama's Bakeshop
$3; Available on Sundays only
Sink your teeth into a French toast cupcake from Sugar Mama's. This sweet treat has maple and cinnamon flavors, cream cheese icing and — wait for it — bacon.

Bacon
$7.95; Available daily
If you like your bacon with a side of French toast, then head to Bacon for thick, vanilla-battered slices.

Eastside Cafe
$10.95; Available for brunch on Saturday and Sunday
For traditional French toast lovers out there, Eastside Cafe has a classic French toast option with a dash of cinnamon. You can also add savory garlic cheese grits on the side.

TRIO
$15; Available as a daily breakfast plate
Splurge on TRIO's French toast stuffed with ricotta and topped with cranberries and hazelnuts on their daily breakfast menu.

These are some of the best takes on French toast in Austin, but there are more local faves to check out, too. Other weekend brunches that offer French toast include Olivia, Mulberry and Lambert's Downtown Barbecue. If you're looking for some good old fashion French toast, go to Galaxy Cafe, Magnolia Cafe, Old Pecan Street Cafe or Austin Java.

Chez Zee American Bistro offers a crème brûlée French toast with Meyer's Rum sauce.

Photo courtesy of Chez Zee American Bistro

Chez Zee American Bistro offers a crème brûlée French toast with Meyer's Rum sauce.

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Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.