New Year's Brunch 2017: Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Area Best Bets

What's the first thing you should do on Jan. 1, 2017? If you've made some resolutions, you might be thinking about going for a run, registering for a class, or downloading one of those diet apps.

Well, maybe put all that off until Jan. 2. After all, New Year's Day is a Sunday, and after a long night of celebrating, the first thing you should do is decide where to go for brunch.

Here's a list of the best local brunches according to sites like Yelp, Eater Seattle, and OpenTable.com. Most of these places are open on New Year's Day, but we urge you to call ahead just in case.

• Dough Zone, Issaquah - This brand new (October 2016) location is an alternative to the always crowded Din Tai Fung in Bellevue. They open at 9 a.m. for all the juicy dumplings you can handle.
• Devoted Kiss Cafe, Gig Harbor - Reviews say you might have a wait in line for brunch ... but the wait is well worth it because the food is excellent. Plus, the Devoted Kiss has an excellent view of the harbor, and, if on a clear day, you can see the top of Mt. Rainier.
• Rhododendron Cafe, Seattle (First Hill) - A Patch reader told us about this place and said it's a "unique spot with some brilliant entrees, including shrimp and grits, Panco chicken and waffles, and citrus mascarpone stuffed French toast. All ingredients are local and everything is made to order."
• Raconteur, Seattle (Seward Park) - Two words: chicken and waffles. Two more words: Smoked salmon ... eggs Benedict (OK, four words). This new-ish spot is in the up-and-coming Seward Park business district in south Seattle. A great alternative to crowded Columbia City.
• Rockcreek, Seattle (Fremont) - This place has a wonderful menu, but if you go, it should be for the brunch oysters. Rockcreek serves fresh oysters on the half shell sourced from the Hood Canal.
• The Stone House, Seattle (Rainier Beach) - This brunch spot offers great food (waffles, smoked salmon omelette), and they have a bakery on site - but the best part is the view of Lake Washington. A well-kept South Seattle secret within shouting distance of Renton.
• Pomegranate Bistro, Redmond - A bloody Mary with blue cheese? Yes please. Great food at this Marymoor Park-area cafe with an extensive menu of (non-alcoholic) coffee drinks.
• Phat 12 Island Broiler, Mercer Island - A Caribbean-flavored brunch begins on Sunday at 9 a.m. and ends when you've had your fill of fish and grits.
• Lot No. 3, Bellevue - This highly-rated spot offers solid brunch classics like avocado toast and BLT sandwiches, but they also have many craft cocktails to choose from.
• Woodinville Cafe, Woodinville - All the breakfast-treat favorites you could ask for, but don't overlook the wide variety of eggs Benedict creations.
• Salt & Iron, Edmonds - Another great local spot to get fresh oysters for brunch. But if that's not your thing, chicken fried steak is a great alternative.
• The Kettle, Enumclaw - Huge portions! Head to this local spot if you want to fill up before you start your New Year diet.
• The Table, Tacoma - This restaurant serves brunch with fresh, upscale ingredients, but at reasonable prices. They also have a great menu for kids, and an even better craft cocktail menu.
• Original Pancake House, Tacoma or Puyallup - You can't go wrong with a restaurant that calls itself a pancake house. This place serves standard buttermilk or chocolate chip pancakes, but they also offer new inventions, like Hawaiian pancakes, or pancakes filled with bacon bits. Yes, bacon.

Did we miss your favorite brunch spot? Email neal.mcnamara@patch.com and we'll add it to the list.

Image via Pixabay