Best Brunch in Indian River County – Part 1

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I was curious as to the origin of the word “Brunch”, so I looked it up on Wikipedia and they define it as “a combination of breakfast and lunch, and regularly has some form of alcoholic drink (most usually champagne or a cocktail) served with it. It is usually served anytime after 11 o’clock till 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The word is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch. Brunch first originated in England in the late 19th century and became popular in the United States in the 1930s.” While I’m not usually a fan of combining meals since that means one less time of the day I get to eat, I’m OK with brunch since it contains many of my favorite foods!

A special thank you to my readers for your help with suggesting and voting for your favorite places. With a total of over 170 votes cast, you helped me narrow down the list to your Top 6 favorites! The first 3 restaurants are listed below in no particular order.

Now let’s dive right in and see all the amazing dishes I tasted over the past few weeks while creating this article!

Baci Trattoria – Vero Beach

**Fried Green Tomatoes & Pimento Cheese** – Served with Corn Bread and Pickled Sweet Jalapenos

**Meatball Parmigiana Omelet** – Sliced Meatballs, Mozzarella, folded and topped with Sunday Gravy

**Chunky Monkey “Frenchish Toast”** – Grilled Banana Bread, Chocolate Chips, Sliced Bananas, Whipped Cream, and topped with a Browned Butt’a Carmel Sauce

As one of my all-time favorite brunch places in Vero, I’m always excited for the opportunity to stop by and see what new creations Chef Emi has come up with! Located in Downtown Vero, just off 14th Avenue, Baci Trattoria is located in-between the new Armani’s Cucina Italian restaurant and Carmine & Lucia’s Fine Olive Oils and Balsamics in Town Plaza. While they do have a few classic Italian dishes on the menu, owner Karen Fulchini doesn’t follow the rules of what an Italian restaurant is expected to serve. What you will find here are truly unique dishes that leave you always wanting more. While spaghetti may have had a hand in building this place, stuffing sliced meatballs into a omelet and covering it with Sunday gravy is what keeps her customers coming back for more!

Baci Trattoria
Address: 1918 14th Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960
Phone: (772) 794-4747
https://www.bacivero.com/

The Green Marlin Restaurant & Raw Bar – Vero Beach

**Hot Bar Selections include Fish & Chips, Hush Puppies, Mac & Cheese, Shrimp & Grits, French Toast and Home Fries, Eggs Benedict, and Sausage Links**

**A Selection of Sweet & Savory Items including Biscuits & Gravy, Sweet Breads, Fruit Salad, and a selection of Baked Goods**

As one of the newer restaurants featured in this article, The Green Marlin has only been open for approx. three years now and already has quite the following of loyal customers. They are located off of US Hwy 1 in the old Outback steakhouse building. While seafood is one of the featured specialties on the menu, their Sunday Brunch has also become very popular! It’s been dialed back a bit due to Covid-19, but they still have many wonderful options to choose from as you can see from the pictures above. They will be expanding their outdoor patio very soon! There will be additional seating and an area for live bands. They expect to have these renovations completed by the end of summer 2021. I will also be starting up our monthly Sunday Brunch Foodie Meetups again in January, so stay tuned for more information coming soon!

The Green Marlin Restaurant & Raw Bar
Address: 1475 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach, FL 32960
Phone: (772) 999-5248
https://www.thegreenmarlin.com/

Hen House Eatery – Sebastian

**Mixed Berry Salad** – Fresh Greens with our Champagne Vinaigrette and topped with Fresh Strawberries, Seasonal Fruit, Craisins, and Toasted Pecans

**Veggie Crepes** – Crepes stuffed with Scrambled Eggs, Spinach, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Peppers & Onions, and topped with Hollandaise sauce

**Monte Cristo** – House Roasted Turkey Breast, Smoked Ham, and Swiss Cheese on Grilled Egg Bread, Dusted with Powdered Sugar and served with Raspberry Preserves

One of the reasons why I love having you submit your suggestions for these articles is because I learn about new places like this one that I’ve never heard of before. I’ve driven by this place many times and I never knew it was there. The Hen House Eatery is located on the south side of Sebastian off US Hwy 1 in the Sebastian Square shopping center. Upon entry, it’s much larger inside that it appears from the outside. I sat down with the owner, Theresa Lynn Fink to try a few of their brunch dishes. Theresa has a wealth of knowledge in the restaurant industry and previously ran the Eagle’s Nest restaurant for 27 years. After closing that place down, she opened the Hen House Eatery in July of 2017. Everything I tasted was quite delicious and freshly prepared using many ingredients locally sourced from vendors such as Ecotone Farms, Kroegel Homestead Produce stand, and Natalie’s Orange Juice.

Hen House Eatery
Address: 11632 US-1, Sebastian, FL 32958
Phone: (772) 228-8907
http://henhouseeaterysebastian.com/

This article is the first in a two-part series where I visit and feature several brunch restaurants located in Indian River County! I gave you the opportunity to suggest your favorite brunch spots. You then voted for your favorites and the Top 6 will be featured in this article series. Click Here to read Part 2!