Crickles Checks All the Boxes On Our Brunch ‘Must-Have’ List

Just off the Cedar Springs strip is a perfect little place for brunch.

Crickles and Co. has an unassuming space on Throckmorton Street, and at first glance, it may not seem user-friendly. It has a walk-up counter for ordering, you have to get your own silverware and you’ll spot little disclaimers stating your food could take a while.

But there’s a lovely atmosphere in here. Even at 2 p.m. on Sunday, there’s a busy buzz of traffic from a crowd that’s wonderfully diverse in a way we frequently don’t see in Dallas restaurants. And it’s not all that surprising that people are going, because Crickles puts together a solid brunch.

The menu is transparent in its layout, showing you “Breakfast carbs” that fuel your body for a short while but your soul for much longer.

Buttermilk pancakes with mascarpone butter ($6.50) and the iron cake ($7.50), a Belgian waffle, are tantalizing choices. But what will really please you is the spicy bacon ciabatta ($6.75).

If you’re on a mission to have brunch or breakfast out on a regular basis, you develop lists of things you love, things you crave and things that regularly disappoint you. A solid breakfast sandwich is on all of those lists for us, and Crickles is at the top of the brunch list because it knows how to do it. Take this bacon sandwich.

The ciabatta is perfectly soft and comes in the correct proportion to the rest of the sandwich. The egg is cooked enough to have structure but not too much that it doesn’t have the perfect spill of yolk from the center. Thick bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and house-made tomato jam complete it. But Crickles also adds a jalapeño aioli, making every bite start a bit sweet, followed by savory goodness and finishing up with a quick spice.

Crickles excels at making other dishes compatible with breakfast. Take the pressed pig ($10) under the “Sammies” section. Proper bread carries tender ham with bacon jam. Add an egg, and suddenly it’s appropriate before noon.

To drink, you can get a $4 mimosa or a $5 bloody mary. The coffee (also self-serve) is pretty decent, too.

Finding a perfect breakfast sandwich after it has seemed impossible for so long is worth writing about. Having this meal in a space that feels like the perfect little community restaurant just makes it that much better. It’s going to become a new regular brunch spot.

Crickles and Co., 4000 Cedar Springs Road (Cedar Springs). Open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.