Brunch is Back

Dining at Brasserie Central is a Great Way to Spend a Sunday Afternoon

The reopening of restaurants is truly a symbiotic relationship. It benefits the restaurant staff that’s been out of work for months, and it benefits us, who haven’t had bottomless mimosas for months. Brasserie Central offers an incredible brunch that won’t break the bank. On Saturdays and Sundays the Brunch is Back from 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., you can get an appetizer, main course, dessert and bottomless mimosas for just $45. Considering their entrees hover around $30, this deal is, as the French say, magnifique!

And when they say bottomless, they’re not kidding. When you’re just about to take your last sip of one, the face-masked waiter is ready with the next. Their brunch menu not only satisfied our mimosa needs, but also our wanderlust; while international travel is banned, Brasserie Central transported us from the Shops at Merrick Park to a Parisian café. 

We began with the artichoke vinaigrette and the gnocchi a la Parisienne. The artichoke was good, and the side of ravigote vinaigrette was even better. The gnocchi – made with a spinach and artichoke gratinée – was very filling for a first course, so to save room for the other two we recommend saving some to take home. 

In true French bistro fashion, we then had the croque madame and omelette au jabon and ratatouille for the main course. The only difference between a croque madame and croque monsieur is that the former has a fried egg atop the standard ham and cheese sandwich. Far superior, in our opinion. The three egg omelet – stuffed with vegetables, ham and gruyere cheese – was savory and satisfying. And the side of potatoes was the cherry on top.

Taking full advantage of mango season, Brasserie Central serves mango sorbet for dessert. It also offers more traditional French desserts like crêpes suzette, île flottante and pain perdue. But after two indulgent courses, sorbet was the perfect, light way to complete brunch. It was also incredibly refreshing on a hot Miami day. To fight off the heat, the bistro’s outdoor patio has shaded seating and plenty of rotating fans to give you a blast of cool air every few seconds. 

Our advice: Come hungry and with a clear schedule; the three courses took around three hours. At least it gave us plenty of time to knock back the mimosas.

Brasserie Central
320 San Lorenzo Ave., Shops at Merrick Park
786.536.9388
Opens for Brunch at 11:30 a.m.