PHOTO BY Mark Davis
Breakfast bounty
The deli crowd takes its food very seriously — right down to the kind of pickle served next to the sandwich. “Food has a way of making people really angry or really happy,” says Lisa Giannopoloulos, owner of Gio’s Café & New York Deli. She is definitely making people happy at her local restaurant that opened in December, filling the void of other New York-style delis that have come and gone in our neighborhood. Gio’s has become a breakfast hotspot, serving homemade corned beef hash delivered straight from Carnegie Deli in New York City. The dish comes topped with poached eggs and home fries on the side. Other popular items include the lox, eggs and onions, which has scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. The restaurant bustles with diners and, if you live in the neighborhood, you’re bound to see a familiar face. “Everybody knows each other, they’re going around to all the tables hugging and kissing each other,” Giannopoloulos says. People feel at home with the food, too. From the pastrami to the stuffed cabbage, customers often say it tastes just like their mothers used to make.
PHOTO BY Mark Davis
Gio’s Café & New York Deli
Preston & LBJ
972.387.4467
giosdeli.com
Three more spots for breakfast and brunch
1 Woodlands Grill
It’s quality over quantity on this small brunch menu, which includes the Woodlands loaded potatoes and the mascarpone and blueberry pancakes. For something healthier, there’s also the low-fat yogurt and granola mix.
Preston & Forest
972.239.2024
woodlands-grill.com
2 La Duni Latin Kitchen & Coffee Studio
From gourmet empanadas to the homemade chori burger, this upscale restaurant serves a classic, South American-inspired brunch 11a.m.-3 p.m. on weekends.
NorthPark Center
214.987.2260
laduni.com
3 Mama’s Daughters’ Diner
You have to travel a bit outside the neighborhood for this comfort food gem, but it’s well worth it for hefty portions of buttermilk biscuits and bacon and cheese omelettes.
Royal & Harry Hines
972.241.8646
mamasdaughtersdiner.com
