Whether you plan to ring in the New Year with champagne towers and questionable dance-floor decisions or you’re going to bed by 10 p.m. clutching your water bottle and a vision board, New Year’s Day brunch is a non-negotiable – and so are the fried potatoes.
Starting the new year fresh with locally farmed ingredients, Room 39 has earned a reputation for brunch that is practically an essential public service on January 1. With limited table and bar seating, reservations are highly encouraged and can be made here.
Whether you’ll be planning world domination or just daydreaming about it over Brown and Loe’s lobster benedict special, Executive Chef Aaron Salina’s New Year’s Day menu intends to inspire your tastebuds and set the tone for a year of intentional indulgence. Other resident bests including The Farmhouse and Westside Local bring heartier, homegrown menu picks with brunch staples and hair of the dog in Bloody Mary or mimosa tower form.
On the Southern-inspired side, Tupelo Honey, the popular and growing franchise which opened its Lenexa location this summer, and Lula Southern Cookhouse dish up Cajun comfort food, plates of biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, and breakfast sammies that bring a bit of spice to 2026.
Those looking for both sweet and savory options that can also strike a balance between resolutions and revelry should make a stop at HomeGrown with popular spots dotting the metro, including Power & Light, Brookside, Liberty and Leawood. that combine fresh, locally loved dishes with coffee strong enough to power an afternoon walk. Hemma Hemma invites guests to dine in homey hospitality and will also have its takeaway store stocked with at-home New Years Day brunch necessities.
And if you want to soak in the first sun of the year, there are few places better than Billie’s Grocery sunlit locations to satisfy your stomach, your soul, and a much-needed dose of Vitamin D to get through the depths of winter and into another year ahead.
