Picture it. You’ve woken up bright and early, before the sun even, so you can get to the beach and watch the sunrise over the gulf. It’s a beautiful sight, quiet and peaceful, with cascades of oranges, yellows, and the occasional purple shining on the endless ocean. Maybe you’ve even taken in some early morning fishing, and now your cooler is filled with dinner for when you return to your vacation rental later that night. Either way, it’s beautiful, peaceful, and perfect.

And then your belly rumbles, interrupting the early morning quiet. It’s time to satisfy that appetite. But where should you go? Don’t worry! Orange Beach has some great options to satisfy that freshly awoken hunger.

The Southern Grind Coffee House at The Wharf

You need food being up this early, sure, but you’re going to need something else to fuel all your adventures later in the day (because the Gulf Coast of Alabama offers a lot of places to visit). You may even be the ‘don’t even talk to me till I’ve had my coffee’ type. Well, how about a place that makes their own coffee?

The Southern Grind Coffee House at the Wharf is a top-tier place to kick your morning off. Not only can you enjoy fresh, homemade coffee (as well as lattes and cappuccinos), but you can also enjoy the waffles that various patrons rave about. The Southern Grind Coffee House also boasts some amazing pastries, so the biscuits are also a must-try. Open for breakfast from 7 AM to 11 AM, 7 days a week, The Southern Grind Coffee House is a delightful way to start your day. You may even be so impressed that you stop there again for lunch, which many a visitor to Orange Beach has been lured into before. There are also a multitude of vegan and vegetarian options if that is what you need.

BuzzCatz Coffee & Sweets

While on the subject of coffee, there are other options to get your roasted bean caffeine fix, and some of them are downright fun options. Enter BuzzCatz Coffee & Sweets! Making a strong, but reasonable, claim as being one of the best breakfast locations in all of Alabama, BuzzCatz is satisfied to just offer one really good menu. From 7 AM to 11 AM, every day, BuzzCatz offers daily deals to entice all kinds of tastebuds into the door. Waffle Wednesday, where a savory Belgian Waffle is served with creole gravy is absolutely wonderful, and the breakfast burrito and quesadilla on Tortilla Tuesday will definitely leave you satisfied.

The best part is how cheap BuzzCatz is. The daily breakfast specials are sometimes as low as $5. Patrons definitely rave about the sweet treats, especially the cookies, but there are many an Alabaman who will fight you over BuzzCatz having the best breakfast, especially for the price.

The coffee also gets rave reviews, so get your morning buzz on with BuzzCatz Coffee & Sweets!

Brick & Spoon Orange Beach

Who says breakfast can’t be a little fancy? If you are looking for something a bit more trendy, but still with some down-home, Southern creole fare, you should check out the Brick & Spoon in Orange Beach. Serving up classic, lowland Southern cuisine with a little bit of that creole kick, the Brick & Spoon is consistently praised for their variations on eggs benedict, including an Oyster Benedict, a lovely way to wake up with some of that ocean salt.

Open at 7 AM and closed at 2 PM, the Brick & Spoon has great service, great food, and a cozy environment that will make you feel at home, but with food that feels like it is coming out of a five-star restaurant.

Orange Beach has lots of options to satisfy your breakfast cravings, and while these three are excellent, you’ll find many options to satisfy your early morning palette.