Most of us are no strangers to the idea of pizza for breakfast — but wood-fired pizza eatery Bufad, 1240 Spring St., is using its specialty to put an interesting spin on brunch.
Normally, the BYOB restaurant focuses on pizzas, Southern Italian antipasti and small plates. And yes, in the late-morning/early-afternoon hours, you can take in some of the more usual pizza offerings. But we found the brunch dishes to be far more adventurous and interesting.
Bufad’s chef’s breakfast ($15) is a lovely take on the idea of lox and bagels, with wood-fired pizza flatbread taking on the role of an everything bagel. Basil cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, tomatoes and beets round out the dish in a hearty and refreshing fashion.
The Italian sausage gravy ($14) definitely pushes the envelope in fine fashion, arriving in a sizzling cast-iron skillet with fennel sausage gravy and fall greens and eggs baked in. Once again, seasoned pizza bread comes in to substitute for biscuits and does an admirable job of soaking up the creamy, herbaceous goodness of the gravy.
If you have a sweet tooth for brunch, you need to make a beeline for the cannoli French toast ($12). Actual gourmet bread is the vehicle for this dish, which is cooked to perfection and stuffed with banana ricotta and sprinkled generously with pistachios, chocolate and sliced bananas. Although decadent, thankfully it doesn’t come across as sweet as it sounds, so you can indulge without fearing a sugar coma ruining a good chunk of your weekend.
Bufad is already a go-to spot for great pizza and now it is convincingly staking its claim to Philly’s morning cravings too. Swing by so they can fire you up some brunch.