BEST BRUNCH IN PHILLY! You heard it here first. The Sunday-only Brunch here flies under the radar especially if you do not follow them on Instagram/Facebook and do not venture to the Mt Airy area. Jansen is known for it's white tablecloth dinner experience (which is a more than fair price, in my opinion), but they deliver an incredible, affordable brunch menu that tops the frequently visited/trendy Center City area spots.
My friend and I came in with a single intention: the Sticky Buns. If you check out their social media or have ever had one of their desserts made by their pastry chef, you'll understand.
We arrived shortly after opening with a reservation two and were promptly sat next to the fireplace. As a cool historical note, Jansen is housed in Cresheim Cottage which was built in the 1700s and oldest in the area! My friend and I immediately started drooling over the menu options with stomachs ready - we were in the middle of our kick that included a 4-course meals from Twisted Tail and two pizzas plus a sandwich from Angelos (see my reviews) within a 4-day span. Our server promptly tended to us and certainly fed the fire saying everything was delicious. We were undecided.
Our final entree order? Chicken and Waffles, Monte Cristo, Huevos Rancheros, and French Toast. Told you - undecided. Our server laughed and asked if she could interest us in the fresh breakfast bread and pastry spread to start. We caved, of course.
The breakfast bread and pastry is nothing eye-popping, but, boy, does it deliver. The spread consisted of peppered biscuits, buttered rolls, biscotti, and caramel glazed banana bread with honey butter and peach jam on the side - all homemade. The biscuits were flaky, moist and, when coupled with the rich and light honey butter, some of the best I've ever had. The rolls were fresh and melt in your mouth. Banana bread was moist, not overly sweet from the glaze, but a little light on the banana flavor. We treated the biscotti - which was a bit bland - as a vessel for the perfect peach jam and extra butter. Great starter!
To our amazement with our aggressive entree order, the kitchen offered us a sample of breakfast egg-rolls. My taste buds are still dancing thinking about them. The bite-sized egg-rolls were filled with light, fluffy eggs, breakfast sausage, wrapped by crispy, flaky, lightly fried roll and topped with a dollop of ketchup. Pure bliss and enjoyment!
After devouring the egg-rolls, we were greeted with our first entree: Chicken and Waffles. As a note, it does come with candied pecan, but, since I have an allergy, they gave them to my friend on the side. The dish itself is a masterpiece with thoughtful flavors. In addition to the standard sweet/savory compliment of chicken and waffle, the waffle itself contains bacon and homemade toffee for added compliments. The fried chicken itself is tied for the best I've ever had. Period. Crisp, tender, and rich with flavor. The waffle was sweet and crisp. As mentioned, the toffee and bacon was like a symphony in my mouth. The fresh maple syrup is nothing to bat an eye at either! We agreed this was our favorite dish!
Next up was the Monte Cristo and Huevos Rancheros. I started with the Huevos Rancheros which was a well executed rendition. The bean and salsa concoction was light and flavorful. Tortillas were crisp and light, so no issue cutting into them with compromise of the crunch. I really enjoyed poached eggs vice the normal sunny side up. The dish was a masterful blend of flavors and textures. Careful with the fresh jalapenos though. After eating my half, I moved onto the Monte Cristo. It's good, but definitely the first one out if we had to reduce our order since it's heavy. The dish is taylor ham (PORK ROLL!!!), turkey, gruyer cheese between two pieces of thick french toast then topped with two sunny side eggs and mornay sauce plus a side of syrup. Although its a heavy dish, the flavors kept me chugging through the dish with the 4th on the horizon.
By the time the Brioche French Toast came, we were all but ready to tap out. Still had to try and, again, it was well worth it! The french toast was lightly dipped in batter so not overly eggy, but enough to get that perfect crisp outside without compromising the soft, chewy consistency of the inside. The berries and syrup added the perfect additional amount of sweetness. Great for leftovers, too!
In the end, we did not get what we came for: the Sticky Buns. Don't worry though, I came back for them the next week. Again, phenomenal!
Jansen is THE BEST BRUNCH IN PHILLY. Hands down. I cannot wait to go again - just need someone available on a Sunday morning. Check it out! If something sounds good, it probably is. Mimosa and Bloody Marys are creative at reasonable prices if you want to make it boozy. Will go again! read more