Avocado toast, brunch foods, breakfast menu, eggs

Dinner parties are out… brunch parties are in! You’ve already shown off your home in the evening, now it’s time to take advantage of those weekend hours and invite your favorite gals (and guys) over to check out your beautiful space in all of its glory during the daytime. You can go with a family event and invite the kiddos, or stick with just the adults only, prosecco-all-day situation.

Whatever you decide, your summer brunch party event will be fabulous if you stick with the plan… and we have everything you need for that plan! We’ve got all the info to help you design and host a beautiful and stress-free brunch, right here in Dallas, Texas.

Choose Easy-to-Prep Items

The goal here is to serve something memorable, but also foods that don’t require you to be in the kitchen prepping 24 hours before, and slinging omelets during the entire brunch event. Here are three Dallas area solutions we love:

Hire a Chef

This is probably the easiest route to take. When you hire a chef, they bring everything they need to prepare the meal… but they also take everything with them when they leave. And that’s a huge help with cleaning up!

If you do opt to hire a chef, we love, love, love Dallas-based Chef Clayton of Crescendo Culinary His goal is always to prepare the perfect meal for the occasion, with the intent of allowing you the freedom to get your mingle on. He just gets it. Chef Clayton will also take the research part out of the menu planning, he’s basically a magical sorcerer food and already knows what’s in season.

Simple and Sophisticated Food Ideas

If the kitchen is your happy place and cooking is your therapy, then by all means, make this lovely brunch in Dallas all by yourself! It is kind of fun to give the ol’ “it’s a family recipe” response when people ask the secret behind your fluffy eggs or spicy maple syrup.

To make sure you have as much time to spend with your guests as possible, base your menu around foods that are as close to a buffet as possible. Something like a waffle bar with fresh fruit and different syrups is always a fun and tasty way to go. Or assembling your own breakfast sandwiches is a fabulous treat, too- different artisan cheeses and breads, eggs… we’re hungry already!

Anytime you can make your food service into an activity, you’re also encouraging guests to engage, have fun, and converse with one another- always a positive thing.. And we’re all about fun here, right?

Catering from Your Go-To Brunch Spot

If you want to go bold, you can choose to have one of your most favorite Dallas hot spots cater your meal. Or, if you’re the type to get entree-envy when you see what someone else orders from a menu and you can’t make a decision, you can order some signature dishes from a few different places.

If you do choose to snag carry out or catering, make sure you’re ready to do a little logistical planning. Pick foods that can be kept warm in a chafing dish or an oven until it’s “go” time. Schedule your deliveries and pickups accordingly, you don’t want to miss a delivery while you’re picking up something else.

Here are a few Dallas-based brunch dishes that work well for at-home parties:

  • Bread Winners Cafe - can’t go wrong with any item from this iconic brunch spot!
  • Brunch pies from Pie Tap, they do offer delivery from any of their four locations.
  • The Biscuit Bar does delivery and catering… and it’s pretty darn delicious.
  • Crawfish and corn beignets and hot honey sliders from Ida Claire are the perfect Texas touch your brunch needs.

Fully Assemble Your Brunch Bar a Week Before

If you’re not bringing in a full catering staff with a bartender, then it’s essential you set up the bar yourself, and do it at least a week in advance. That way you can have plenty of time for those “oh no I forgot to chill the champagne” or “did I get enough bubbly” moments.

Either Bloody Marys or Mimosas are an absolute must. If you’re not in the mood for making adult decisions, go ahead and plan on serving both. Make sure you have plenty of accouterments for each. Plate them on a beautiful serving platter the day before and pop them in the fridge. You’ll also want to make your fresh squeezed oj the day before. But everything else can be kept on the bar until brunch day.

Prep What You Can Before Brunch Day

Get as much done beforehand as possible. It always sounds like a great idea until life happens and you’re still prepping the day of. Give yourself plenty of time for all of the last minute to do’s so you’re not left frazzled when guests begin to arrive. A few key reminders include:

  • Lock in a caterer, chef, or decide on a menu. Provide the professionals with a headcount or factor that into your own menu planning.
  • Just as soon as you lock in the food… schedule your house cleaner to come two days before your event.
  • Also, about two weeks before, visit your favorite decor hot spots to source your tablescape and other decorations. Fresh flowers are a must, so order those now. Delivery is the only option here, trust us here.
  • The night before your brunch, use sticky notes either on your serveware or just the counter to assign a place to each and every item that will be out. Like literally, every item. From the napkins to the actual food items, condiments to silverware, make a spot for it.

Saving the Best for Last… Decor

And now for the fun! You’ve already put in the effort with the food, so now it’s time to let your inner creative soul out. Or, if you’re not feeling craft, you can fake it with a few easy tips.

Give yourself at least two days to decorate for your brunch. Again, this will give you ample time to let it all sink in but also allow for last minute hiccups.

Here are some functional hosting tips to help you choose just the right decor for your chic, Dallas brunch party event:


  • You absolutely must have fresh florals. You really can’t have too many, especially if your brunch is an indoor/outdoor event- you’re decorating two spaces! Just be sure to choose a mix of flowers and greenery that work in your conditions- not all flowers do well in direct sun even if they’re in a vase, so check in with your florist to let them know where your arrangements are going.
  • Point your guests in the right direction and label your food with beautiful signage. You can always purchase editable signage templates on Etsy to go with your color story, or if you’re feeling creative, you can design your own sign suite on Canva. Print out your signs and put them in lovely frames. Now you don’t have to hear “what’s in the potatoes?” or “what kind of bread is this?” a million times.
  • There’s no way to avoid using the caterers serving dishes for the warm dishes, but wherever possible, swap out the stock containers provided by the restaurant or caterer for your favorite serving pieces. Brunch food tends to be more casual, so you can make it seem more upscale with fancy serving trays. And always remember to have enough spoons, tongs, and spatulas for serving- if you have extras, lay a few out in between dishes.
  • Add a little something extra to the powder rooms that guests will use. Of course you’ll want to make sure they’re stocked with plenty of hand soap and disposable towels, but add a few fun decorations, too. Spruce up the space with an extra sign or two.
  • If you’re using candles, make sure they’re unscented. Mixing any smells with what’s already going on with the brunch aromas can be unpleasant for a lot of people. Just let the natural smells of whatever you’ve got cooking happen throughout your home.
  • To balloon… or not to balloon, that is the question. We say, yes! But there are conditions. If it’s a celebration, like a baby shower or bridal shower, then you can do a classy balloon arch or two. But, if you’re just hosting a friendly brunch gathering in Dallas for the sake of brunching, we say skip the balloons (invest in more florals!).

Final Thoughts

So now you’re hopefully feeling extremely confident in hosting a beautiful, stylish and sophisticated brunch. But, if you don’t quite feel like your space is the reflection of your style that it could be, we know some ladies who specialize in making design dreams come true.

With our team, our clients get three award-winning custom interior designers for the price of one! We’re at your service for layered perspective & maximum efficiency. And, we’ve invested in the infrastructure most interior design firms don’t have (but desperately need) to manage large projects & many moving parts.

You don’t have time to stalk contractors and manage deliveries. We troubleshoot, problem solve, and have all the difficult conversations. Further, we offer custom interior design services throughout the entire Dallas / Fort Worth metro area, including north Dallas.

Visit our website or give us a call to schedule a quick visit to learn more about your project and to help us both understand whether our team is a mutual fit to achieve your goals. We look forward to hearing from you!

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