First Look: A Brunch Spot With the Fluffiest Pancakes in North Texas

A trendy new restaurant-cafe, The Bloom Lounge, opened its doors in Plano earlier this year. It's known best for its Instagrammable interiors, over-the-top brunch and gigantic stacks of unusually fluffy pancakes. The cafe, adorned with floral motifs on its ceilings, walls and doors, is the creative child of Jorge Saab, the serial entrepreneur who also owns the 8-year-old Rum Cake Factory next door.

First finding success with his moist and buttery rum-cakes-by-the-slice, Saab decided last year to expand his product line from simple rum cakes into the “range of creative and flavorful dishes” available at The Bloom Lounge. While the higher-end dining spot is open morning to night on most days, the most popular meal here is brunch. For a savory indulgence order one of Bloom Lounge’s brunch omelets mixed with Swiss cheese and topped with sautéed mushrooms. The Spanish omelet brims with dried tomatoes and sausage. Eggs Benedict come layered in a sheet of melted mozzarella. But the Turkish eggs caught our attention: two poached eggs float atop a tangy garlic yogurt sauce.
But much to our surprise (and admittedly, delight), the sweet half of the menu overtakes its savory counterpart in both size and variety. The photogenic plate of red velvet waffles makes a good start, drizzled in a mildly sweet cream cheese chantilly. Or pick from any of the cafe’s shareable French toasts, with overdressed options like the Nutella-stuffed version or simpler platings like the classic French toast, garnished sparingly with berries and cinnamon-maple syrup.

However, pancakes reign as the indulgence of choice for most customers. There are four flavors of the cake-style delights. The monstrous iterations of the classic breakfast are cooked extra fluffy and stacked in trios with generous layers of cream in between. Dive into a stack of the tres leches flavor, which comes soaked in sweet condensed milk and topped with housemade whipped cream. Any of the pancake options make for a sinful brunch of epic proportions.
The lunch and dinner menus are dotted with eclectic options like the Argentinian barbecue ($38.95) and Bolognese pappardelle ($19.95). Soups, salads and appetizers all span different geographical influences from lobster bisque to an Asian salad. A full-service bar offers options ranging from brunch mimosas to dinnertime sangrias and martinis.

Prices are on the higher end here, both for brunch and for lunch and dinner. A stack of tres leches pancakes will set you back about $20. But to dine beneath crystal chandeliers, within flower-blanketed walls and accompanied by a giant plate of tiramisu pancakes, we think it might be a worthy splurge.

The Bloom Lounge, 6145 Windhaven Parkway, Plano. Tuesday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; closed Monday.