On Wednesdays, We Brunch! The Best Breakfast and Brunch in Shelby County

Adventurer's Coffee Co. in Calera is committed to providing the best fuel for your day ahead, because they believe that everyone is an adventurer at heart. This means that the adventure does not just await you outside this coffeeshop and breakfast joint, but also awaits you in their food and drink options, which includes special coffee roasts hailing from across the world. Adventurer’s distinctive roasts form Brazil and Colombia are some of the best roasts you will find in Shelby County. Additionally, the breakfast sandwich menu at Adventurer’s never disappoints! Whether you consider yourself adventurous or not, Adventurer’s Coffee Co. wants to see you have the best start to the journeys (big and small) that await you in the coming day. Fuel up with friends or order ahead and get your coffee and breakfast sandwich to-go!

This iconic restaurant group has arrived in Shelby County! While the name might suggest a “bad” breakfast, you can expect anything but! Big Bad Breakfast’s founder, Chef John Currence, incorporates his Southern heritage and passion for Southern cuisine in all of the restaurant’s dishes, offering food that hails from New Orleans, Mississippi, and the Gulf Coast. Needless to say, this isn’t your average breakfast. Serving the best American breakfast staples (oftentimes with a little twist!) in generous serving sizes, Big Bad Breakfast is one of the best places to grab a meal in the morning that is affordable and customer-forward. See why Big Bad Breakfast has become one of the most celebrated and awarded restaurant groups in the South by ordering the Big Bad Breakfast Plate, the Creole Omelet, or the Shrimp ‘n’ Grits! You really can’t go wrong at Big Bad Breakfast!

If you want something a little bit different than the typical pancakes and waffles, Cantina Grill is one of the best Mexican places open during breakfast time in Shelby County! Their breakfast tacos and burritos are curated with the customer in mind, tailored to be as affordable and as ready-to-go as possible! Order ahead, and this would be the perfect place to get a quick bite to-go, or take a load off your feet and enjoy their unique, one-of-a-kind breakfast menu. In Shelby County, we’re all about trying new things and celebrating all sorts of cuisines that populate our home, and we are lucky that Shelby County houses one of the best Mexican breakfasts around!

The Coffee Shoppe Diner in Harpersville evokes the exact small-town, cozy feel that you should want in any Southern diner. Get a taste of a real Southern breakfast and atmosphere. In addition to breakfast, they are open for lunch as well with some of the best Soul Food and meat-and-three options you can find in Shelby County! This gem, though hidden, still shines through and is one of the best places to get a bite to eat in the morning if you ever get out to Harpersville.

Edgar’s Bakery is a locally-owned business with locations all across Shelby County, and for good reason! This iconic Alabama-based bakery actually started in the heart of Birmingham before expanding across the state to Tuscaloosa and Huntsville. Serving all of your favorite breakfast foods (and some new dishes as well!) alongside their quintessential pastries and sweets, Edgar’s is the perfect place to have your breakfast. Try out their Huevos Rancheros or Spicy Eggacado Sandwich, or dig into the All-American Breakfast, all while satiating your sugar cravings with an apple strudel or petit-four (among all of their other five-star pastries). These pastries do not need to be just confined to your mornings! If you want to extend your love for Edgar’s beyond breakfast time, they are also open for lunch and can bake a cake for your next get-together, whether it be a corporate event, a birthday party, a night at home with friends, or even a wedding! Edgar’s Bakery has become a new favorite for both Shelby County residents and those just passing through, making it the best way to start the day! Edgar’s has two locations in Shelby County, one in Greystone and one in Pelham.

First Watch, one of the most prolific and proclaimed breakfast joints in America, is a favorite of Shelby County residents. As the name suggests, First Watch is here early in the morning to make sure you are fed with the breakfast plates that will set your day up for success. The First Watch menu offers some of the best diet-friendly, budget-friendly breakfast foods, drinks, and mocktails, with a rotating seasonal menu that keeps everyone coming back for more. Sweet treats, fresh produce, and classically-cooked eggs abound! We always recommend any of the benedicts, the Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos, and the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. You will not be disappointed by this Southern breakfast staple!

Who doesn’t love a good donut to start the day? Luckily for you, Lickin’ Good Donuts, one of the most popular donut and pastry shops in Shelby County, will have you doing just as they say you would: licking your fingers, wanting more. Their donuts and breakfast pastries (including their locally-renowned apple fritters and sausage kolaches!) are made hot, fresh, and ready-to-serve every day, filling your stomach with the sweet, sugary warmness that we all need some mornings. Swing by Pelham and get yourself a coffee, smoothie, or bubble tea while you savor each bite.

This local hole in the wall is one of the best hidden gems of Shelby County breakfast. Similarly to the Coffee Shoppe Diner in Harpersville, the Pelham Diner delivers on providing an authentic atmosphere with all of your favorite American breakfast staples. The Pelham Diner promises “a taste of home” and it goes without saying that they follow through on that promise. Great food at even better prices prioritizes the customer experience, so that you always feel like a part of the Pelham Diner family. This restaurant has also designed the menu to be entirely customizable, so that each customer can tailor their meal to their exact cravings and eccentricities. Make sure to come back for lunch and try out their meat ‘n’ three buffet, another local favorite! The warm atmosphere and great food are what makes Pelham Diner, and the broader Shelby County community, so special.

The Big Easy has come to Shelby County! This amazing restaurant group brings authentic New Orleans cuisine to Shelby County. For example, their biscuits are made fresh and from scratch every day, served alongside signature house-made cane-syrup butter, and the beignets and fried green tomatoes have received universal acclaim for being some of the finest recreations of these classic Southern breakfast dishes, showcasing Ruby Sunshine’s dedication to not just bringing authentic flavors, but also authentic warmness and hominess. Quite simple, everyone feels like family at Ruby Sunshine! If you want our recommendation, we’ve never met anyone who didn’t absolutely love the Bananas Foster French Toast or the Sweet Heat Chicken and French Toast Bites. Everyone who walks through Ruby Sunshine’s doors always finds a new breakfast favorite! Make sure you also order something from their cocktail menu. With tried-and-trued recipes, both adventurous and familiar, these drinks are unlike any others that you will find in Shelby County and are the perfect way to celebrate being with great company. However you choose to dine at Ruby Sunshine, we can’t wait to see you there (and if we’re lucky, maybe you’ll let us sample a bite of your food)!