18 Weekday Breakfast Spots in Arlington

When you’re on vacation or looking to experience a bit of local flavor during a business trip, you want a hearty breakfast to fuel up for the day of adventure.

Sometimes it can be a challenge to find weekday breakfast spots to satisfy your cravings, especially when brunch abounds on the weekends.

We put together a list of spots that serve a hot breakfast every day of the week in Arlington.

Full-Service Breakfast

1. Busboys and Poets:

A restaurant, bookstore, lounge and theater known for a literary atmosphere, Busboys and Poets in Shirlington serves an international breakfast menu all day long with everything from vegan eggs to Iraqi corned beef hash.

2. Ted’s Bulletin:

The Ballston outpost of the local favorite restaurant and bakery serves delicious American breakfast items all-day long. Try the T.U.B.S. breakfast sandwich, breakfast burrito or something from the bakery like their famous pop tarts. Its sister cafe, Sidekick, offers quicker options like croissant sandwiches or breakfast sliders.

Pictured | Busboys and Poets

Credit | @samluieats

3. Ruthie's All-Day:

This special neighborhood place near Columbia Pike makes bellies happy all day, every day. Enjoy the cheery dining room or patio with breakfast counter service including treats like the Fried Chicken Biscuit, RAD Apple Pie Pancakes and Crispy Hash Browns.

4. Santé:

For an upscale atmosphere, head to Santé in The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City. Its menu features a variety of classic breakfast items such as Eggs Benedicts and Avocado Toast, and Cinnamon Brioche French Toast.

Pictured | Ted's Bulletin/@hunterbee

Diners

5. Columbia Pike:

This cozy, popular diner has three Arlington locations making sure a fresh stack of pancakes is not too far away, 24 hours a day. The original location on Columbia Pike dishes up French toast, omelets, bacon, and country-fried steak and eggs, or you can try the same diner classics in Crystal City and North Arlington on Langston Boulevard.

6. Metro 29 Diner Restaurant:

Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, the New York-style Metro 29 has graced Langston Boulevard since 1995. Come in for an easy-going atmosphere, 18 different kinds of pastries (made in their onsite bakery), renowned challah bread French toast and massive menu.

7. Silver Diner:

With a focus on fresh and local food, Silver Diner in Clarendon is a popular spot for breakfast. Served all day, every day breakfast items include fried chicken and waffles, avocado toast and quinoa coconut pancakes.

Pictured | Bob and Edith's Diner/@marythekoreanfoodie

Cafes

8. Good Company Doughnuts & Café:

This family- and veteran-owned café in Ballston specializes in baking the freshest and most delicious doughnuts in Arlington, along with specialty coffee by Intelligentsia and and a wide selection of mouth-watering breakfasts.

9. Bayou Bakery:

Channeling New Orleans, this Courthouse café serves up a delicious dose of the Big Easy with beignets, breakfast biscuits, fresh baked goods and a full coffee menu. Try the made-to-order beignets and Iced NOLA drink with chicory coffee and half and half.

10. Northside Social:

This popular Clarendon café serves up gourmet coffee, fresh-baked pastries (everything from scones and muffins to pop-tarts and croissants) and breakfast sandwiches all day long.

11. Best Buns:

This pint-sized bakery in the Shirlington neighborhood is buzzing in the morning with locals snatching up their famous bread, breakfast sandwiches and aromatic pastries.

12. Tatte Bakery & Café:

Located in Clarendon, Tatte’s food, cakes, tarts, and pastries owe their exceptional look and flavor to carefully sourced raw ingredients, crafting bold combinations of flavors and textures from around the globe.

13. Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery:

Conceived and run by lovers and purveyors of food, this Crystal City bakery transports the curious on a delectable journey of mystery and desire that will elevate the baked good to a piece of comforting decadence that can be experienced every day.

14. Kaldi's Social House:

This trendy inner-city style coffee shop located in the heart of Clarendon offers fresh, house-made baked goods, Counter Culture coffee, and an array of smoothies, bowls, toasts and waffles.

15. Oby Lee:

A hidden gem in Clarendon, Oby Lee is known for its friendly service and tasty breakfast crepes that you can get all day long. They also have a variety coffee and teas plus wine-tasting events.

16. Brooklyn Bagel Bakery:

For a taste of New York, head to Courthouse for fresh-baked bagels. This casual café serves fresh coffee, bagels in dozens of flavors (like French Toast and Jalapeno Cheddar) and a variety breakfast sandwiches with NY staples like lox and whitefish, and bacon, egg and cheese.

17. Detour Coffee Co.:

This Virginia Square café has become well-known for its coffee (think nitro cold brews and beautiful lattes), and is also a favorite spot to grab breakfast sandwiches with interesting fillings like fried bananas and queso fresco.

18. Le Café Market:

Located at the Virginia Square Metro stop, Le Café market offers fresh, made-to-order, all-day breakfasts including the Lox Deluxe, Good Day Wrap, Breakfast Burrito and Chicken & Waffles.

Pictured | Detour Coffee Co./@brunchgod