Brunch, Baby! is what happens when a beloved burger joint hands over the spatula to its inner child.
Launched by chefs Nate Box and Sean O’Connor inside the Westmount location of Fox Burger, this weekend concept is as fun as its name suggests. It’s not a pop-up in the usual sense — more of a “diner within a diner,” operating Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., before beers and burgers take back the stage. The location makes perfect sense for this new venture. Though Westmount is dense and walkable, its north end has surprisingly few brunch options.
Box — a prolific restaurateur who made his mark as a young chef with the pocket-sized Elm Café over a decade ago and later helped establish spots like Little Brick and District Café and Bakery — leans on his usual values of comfort food and quality ingredients. The family-friendly atmosphere feels like a natural evolution of his own maturity, as he juggles a growing business empire with a growing family.
When I arrived with my own little ones on Saturday, the room buzzed with other young families. Servers handed my kids magnetic doodle boards with the menus, putting us all at ease. That same playful energy runs through the bright-pink menu featuring a wide-eyed cartoon egg and cheeky section titles like “For the Rugrats” and “Sammiches,” as well as menu items like “Lil’ Kid Cereal” (a $3 bowl of Shreddies for the pickiest of eaters) and “Big Kid Cereal” (District’s house granola and local yogurt for the healthiest of eaters).
From the drinks menu, I got a (much needed) coffee while my kids went for the strawberry and hibiscus lemonade. To my surprise, my son — who got the “flower flavour” — loved it. “It’s kind of flowery,” he said, which I took to mean herbaceous and refreshing. He shared one sip for me to confirm it was.
Before our meals, we got a plate of fresh crullers, piped and fried to order, then finished with honey glaze and slivered almonds — a recipe developed by O’Connor. Still warm when they arrived, the crullers were airy on the inside with a soft shell and mellow sweetness. A perfect start.
Then came the main dishes, starting with the fried chicken benny — crunchy, boneless breast on dill slaw. Yolk from the perfectly poached egg draped over the crisp chicken and tangy slaw like a sauce, tying it all together with richness and just a hot honey drizzle.
We also loved the “Bacon Bacon Egg and Chz Sammie.” No, that’s not a typo — it doubles down on the crisp bacon with thick-cut seared pork belly, plus a thin cheese omelette and sweet tomato jam. It got unanimous praise from me and the rugrats, who devoured most of it.
Lucky for me, they were less interested in the Spud Bowl — what with all the spinach and avocado over chimichurri-dressed hash browns, poached egg with hollandaise and an optional pork belly (because why not?). Like a breakfast buffet in a single bowl, every bite offered something different in texture, temperature and flavour.
For now, Brunch, Baby! is exclusive to Fox Burger Westmount, the third and newest location (after Highlands and Leduc). But the plan is for it to “pop-up” permanently in the others once this location is on solid ground. And if opening weekend was any indication, it won’t be long.
Brunch, Baby! in Fox Burger
Westmount | 11003 124 St, Edmonton | brunchbaby.biz
