With her Bad B*tch Brunch reviews, Anne Cox explores the feminine urge to partake in scrumptious foods and bottomless mimosas. Her first experience: Grizzelda's.
By Anne Cox, Photos courtesy of Anne Cox
I think we can all agree that the past two years have been a lot, to say the least. The freeze, the election, the Supreme Court’s deliberation on reproductive healthcare (RIP, RBG), inflation and, oh yeah—the pandemic.
These days I often find myself looking for a routine or something that’s a constant in my life to feel grounded. But whatever could that be? The world is spiraling into an ever-changing, ever-terrible fiery ball of doom! What could possibly bring a person joy and stability in these tumultuous times?
Well reader, I’ll tell you.
Brunch.
Austin is possibly one of the best places in the country to find a good brunch. They’re everywhere! You can’t cross a street downtown between the hours of 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. without running into a brunch (if you’re lucky, a drag brunch).
Brunch is a ritual that is so unapologetically feminine. In a society where women are shamed for eating too much or too little, brunch seems to be the one exception. It is a celebration, carefree, a reconnection with girlfriends. An excuse to dress up and take a thousand Instagram photos, all while posing with a glass filled with never-ending mimosa.
It is collectively understood that brunch is for the girls, the gays and the theys. This is why brunch is sacred.
I had brunch at Grizzelda’s last weekend, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Plan Ahead
It’s virtually impossible to get a table at Grizzelda’s without a reservation, so I beg of you, plan ahead! Luckily, a friend (who is very type A) invited me, so we had that reservation nearly two weeks in advance. You can reserve your table now directly from the website or on Open Table.
One extremely important thing to note: On Sunday, Grizzelda’s only opens for brunch. That means they close the whole restaurant down for the day after 2 p.m. On Saturday they are open for brunch from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., and then open back up for dinner from 5 – 10 p.m.
Located on Tillery St., one of the first things you’ll notice is the parking. A popular Austin brunch spot with enough parking to actually accommodate its guests? That’s almost unheard of, but that’s the perk of choosing a restaurant that’s a little further out of central Austin.
The front of the building features a long pink wall accompanied with pink picnic tables, a very cute spot for grabbing drinks and apps in the evening. But it isn’t shaded, so it wouldn’t be my first choice for brunch. We were inside, but there is also an enclosed patio space available for seating.
The Drinks
I’ll be honest, what really pulled me in to Grizzelda’s was not the cute maximalist decor or the pink ambiance lighting. It was the promise of $20 bottomless mimosas. I am beyond happy to report that when they say bottomless, they mean it. I may have reached the bottom of my glass once or twice, but that’s just because I’m a mimosa fiend. Our waiter was always just around the corner with another refill.
And I know what you might be thinking: “Twenty dollars! What if I only drink two?”
Don’t worry. I’ve done the math for you. Grizzelda’s offers the bottomless option for $20, but they also offer $6 a glass, so you just need drink four glasses and you’ve got your money’s worth! No, I’m not an alcoholic. Why do you ask?
Quick note here. You should not be driving home after drinking four mimosas. I personally took a Lyft home, and I encourage all avid bubbly-brunch goers to do the same.
There are quite a few other drink options if champagne and orange juice isn’t calling your name. There was a selection of wines, margaritas and cocktails sporting fantastic names like “Bad Girl Ri Ri,” “Cardi B” and “S&M.”
The Food
For the table we ordered the house chips and salsa, which comes with red and green salsas. If you’re a frequent flyer of chips and salsa/queso/guac, you’ll understand how important a good sturdy chip is. I give these chips an 8/10 on the sturdy scale—which is most definitely not a scale that I just made up.
Normally I’m a migas or chilaquiles kind of girl, but something about the sound of churro chicken amd waffles had me in a chokehold. These are house-made waffles dusted with cinnamon and sugar, chicken strips on top, and coated with spicy syrup and powdered sugar.
I didn’t have any leftovers, and I didn’t have any regrets. That’s brunch, baby!
Grizzelda's: Final Thoughts
I would absolutely return here for another brunch. There are quite a few things on the menu I want to try that I didn’t get to on the first round, and I definitely have to go back for those themed cocktails.
It was a little pricy. With what I ordered, my total was probably around $55-60, but this could easily be a $30 brunch.
As far as photo ops, I would recommend trying to get some sitting at the bar or outside in the patio area. The sign outside is cute but probably a lot cuter when it’s lit up at night.
I give Grizzelda’s 5 Bad B*tch Brunch Stars.
Grizzelda’s if you’re reading this, I love you.
