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When it comes to brunch, no spread is complete without the inclusion of bacon. As the name might indicate, Sunnyside’s Bacon Social House more than delivers on this front, highlighting the salty cured meat in a variety of thoughtful ways.
Owner David Dill says the inspiration behind the restaurant was absolutely influenced by his love of cured meat trend. After incubating the idea of a “bacon-forward” brunch hub for eight years, he opened Bacon Social House late last November.
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The spot serves brunch and dinner seven days a week. For the pork belly obsessed, Bacon offers plenty to love, starting with, perhaps most obviously, the bacon flight. Diners can take a journey through six variations of bacon sourced from across America (Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams from Tennessee; Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats from Wisconsin), and prepared in a variety of ways: habanero, candied, hickory-smoked, and even a Paleo option. My favorite has to be the house barbecue, a well seasoned strip with a hint of sweet and savory spices.
From there, we like to round out brunch with an order of the Costa Rica eggs Benedict. Thickly sliced smoked pork belly, two runny poached eggs, and a fresh pineapple salsa are layered on top of jalapeño cornbread, then drenched in a creamy chipotle-jalapeño hollandaise sauce. Given the choice between the side salad or the crisp-on-the outside, soft-on-the-inside, bacon-cheddar tots, there should be no hesitation—go for the tots.
When asked if there’s such thing as too much bacon, Dill responds with a resounding yes. “Not everyone enjoys bacon, so it’s finding the right balance.” Dill and his chef Brian Crow designed the menu to cater to both the bacon-obsessed and the health-conscious alike. As such, Bacon’s menu features lighter options like black bean-topped huevos rancheros and squash noodles swirled with garlic pesto.
But our favorite meatless breakfast here—the Sunshine pancake—does not qualify as healthy. Like sunshine in edible form, the fluffy, not-too-sweet lemon ricotta poppy seed pancake arrives topped with fresh blueberries, candied almond slivers, and house-made honey-ginger whipped cream. Just a quick drizzle of syrup is all it needs. Best of all, since Bacon opens for brunch seven days a week, so there’s no need to wait for the weekend to get your fill.
2434 W. 44th Ave.; 720-550-7065
—All photos by Lucy Beaugard