Wake-up Call
Bon Appétit names Austin café window to best breakfast list
Mercado Sin Nombre is really making a name for itself.
A new breakfast destination in Austin is basking in the national spotlight. Bon Appétit included Mercado Sin Nombre as one of 14 eateries in an article titled “These New Restaurants Are Waking Up the Breakfast Menu.” The list deals specifically in new restaurants.
Although Mercado Sin Nombre was slinging coffee and masa snacks at farmers markets in 2020, its brick-and-mortar café just over a year old, having opened in July 2024. The breakfast window could not be any more unassuming, but what comes through it is decadent. Staff writer Sam Stone hails the restaurant’s dishes, which are made from heirloom Mexican corn that’s nixtamalized on-site.
“One morning, you’ll fall in love with an egg sandwich doused with devilishly spicy hot sauce and cradled between two halves of an earthy blue corn masa biscuit. The next, it’ll be the standout masa dessert inspired by a Twinkie, filled with chili-tinged chocolate ganache, and finished with a swirl of toasted marshmallow,” he writes.
Although Mercado Sin Nombre is well-respected locally, it still has some hidden gem status. Praise has come from local publications and influencers (even a grant by a regional nonprofit), but a win from Bon Appétit could herald a wider audience to come.
In Houston, Casaema impressed Stone. Casaema is an ode to Mexico City cafes created by chefs Stephanie Velasquez and Nicholas Veras along with their business partner, coffee roaster Marlén Mendoza. Anchored by Valesquez’s pastries — which won her Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards — and Vera’s savory dishes like the fan-favorite mushroom tetela and confit carrot taco, Casaema has already earned wide national acclaim, including a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide and a mention in the New York Times for its signature horchata berlinesa.
“Inside an airy, modern dining room flooded with light from tall windows, chef Nicolas Vera and pastry chef Stephanie Velasquez reward patience with a satisfying menu focused on ingredients native to Mexico,” stone writes. Noting the line diners will likely endure on the weekends, Stone mentions the carrot taco, horchata berlinesa, and French toast.
The list also includes Comedor Nishi in La Jolla, California, Mémoire Cà Phê in Portland, Oregon, and Norm’s Diner in Detroit.
“As American breakfast morphs and expands to encompass morning rituals the world over, our first meal of the day has become something we seek out and treat with deserved respect,” restaurant editor Elazar Sontag writes in the article’s introduction. Later, he continues, While the restaurants on this list aren’t above French toast and pancakes, they bring something new to even the most well-trodden dishes.”
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Brianna Caleri has contributed to this article.
A very saturated look at spicy chicken and sides.Photo courtesy of Angry Chickz
Cape Bottle Room is pairing ice creams and wines December 9.Photo by Jack Fanelli