Breakfast and Brunch in Union Square

Part of Food and Drink Crawls Through Boston and Beyond

Welcome back to Food Crawls, a series in which Eater Boston staffers guide you (virtually) on various food (and booze) crawls in the Boston area.

When we go out, we often find ourselves wanting to try more than one restaurant or bar at a time — a drink and a snack here, another drink and perhaps a dessert there — and want to share our favorite multi-stop combinations with you. These crawls are meant to be relatively walkable, and the amount of food and drink is meant to correspond roughly to a couple of average appetites (so bring a friend), although your mileage may vary. Email us if there’s a particular theme, specific dish or drink, or neighborhood you’d like to see covered in a future installment.

Eaters looking for a very good Sunday breakfast and brunch neighborhood needn’t look further than Somerville’s Union Square. The doughnuts at the eponymously named Union Square Donuts are top notch; the German-style sausages at Bronwyn will make you feel like you’re at Oktoberfest; the Cream of Wheat at the Neighborhood will convince you that there is no better thing to eat in the city. (In fact, the doughnut and the Cream of Wheat are two of the most iconic dishes in the area.) And the beer you’ll drink in between and after eating all of those treats will leave you feeling heady and not lamenting the fact that the beginning of the work week is merely hours away.

This crawl will require many mouths, so gather two or three of your closest friends before embarking on it. It’s not an every-Sunday sort of crawl — your general practitioner would no doubt agree — but the good weather is here and there are few better ways to spend a 67-degree sunny Sunday than with a belly full of doughnuts and beer.

(Note: Stay tuned for the imminent opening of Bow Market in Union Square, which will add a huge amount of new easily crawl-able breakfast and brunch options shortly. Think you can fit a few pierogies or an empanada or a roast beef sandwich into this crawl?)

Total stops: 4 (until the arrival of Bow Market, in which case, as many stops as you can physically handle)
German sausages slammed: How much pork does your doctor let you consume on a daily basis?
Beers swilled: To hell with temperance, it’s the weekend
Doughnuts eaten: One, but it also contains pork. On second thought, maybe relax with the sausages.
Bowls of Cream of Wheat consumed: One, but it will be the best bowl of Cream of Wheat you eat in your entire life

Maple Bacon Doughnut at Union Square Donuts

20 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville

Overhead shot of a maple glazed doughnut with pieces of bacon on it. It’s sitting on a white paper bag on a rustic wooden table. — A divine doughnut

It’s the best doughnut in the city. Union Square Donuts also has a damn fine cup of coffee, so this should be the first stop on any Union Square breakfast or brunch crawl. Get nice and caffeinated before getting nice and beer-drunk.

Cream of Wheat at the Neighborhood

25 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville

A white bowl of Cream of Wheat sits on a dark background, topped with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. — The good stuff

Somerville residents — and most anyone who likes breakfast in Greater Boston — know that the Neighborhood has the best Cream of Wheat in the game. If you haven’t eaten it, you may find it bizarre to heap praise on a bowl of unremarkable semolina porridge. If you have eaten it, you know that no amount of praise can really do the Neighborhood’s version justice. Just go eat it. (And try to replicate it at home, too. Apparently the secret is lemon peels.)

Wurst Teller and Pfannkuchen at Bronwyn

255 Washington St., Union Square, Somerville

Finely carved wooden chairs with plush blue velvet padding line opposite wooden tables with a light blue wall in the rear at Bronwyn in Somerville. — The interior of Bronwyn will make you feel like you’re at a Central European feast

Good sausages and good beer mean good brunch. Bronwyn has that and then some — try the Pfannkuchen, which is the fancy German way of saying pancakes. They’re topped with roasted apples and a slab of bacon. Eat heavy, drink heavy, and feel heavy (but also very happy).

An Omelet at Juliet

257 Washington St., Union Square, Somerville

Interior of a well-lit restaurant with minimalist decor and white and off-white walls — Juliet is a clean, well-lighted space

Juliet’s omelet (special ingredient: dijon) is beloved for a reason. Get it with gruyere and ham, and have a cappuccino while you’re at it. If you’re still not satisfied, order a pastry basket — there are many goodies inside Juliet’s pastry basket.

And for an afternoon-cap, hit one of Union Square’s many great bars for a quick pop before returning to the crushing reality that Monday is always just around the corner.

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Take a Breakfast or Brunch Food Crawl Through Somerville’s Union Square