French toast gets a delicious makeover at these Pittsburgh restaurants

It's said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and thankfully, Pittsburgh has a ton of great options. Various local cafes, diners, and other restaurants all have menus filled with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and even crepes. But one of the best breakfast foods (arguably) is French toast, with its thickly-sliced bread cooked with egg batter, and topped with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and syrup.

However, like anything, plain French toast can get boring fast. Luckily, these Pittsburgh restaurants put delicious, unique spins on this classic breakfast food.

Geppetto Cafe

4121 Butler St., Lawrenceville. digipitt.com/geppettocafe.com
Geppetto Cafe, located in Lawrenceville, has a wide menu of sweet and savory breakfast foods. A whole section of their menu is dedicated to French toast, with selections like the Apple Tree (caramelized apples, cream cheese glaze, cinnamon, caramel sauce, and whipped cream on side) and the S’mores Stuffed French Toast (marshmallows, Nutella, crushed graham crackers with chocolate crumbles on top, and whipped cream on side), as well as French toast sandwiches.

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Waffles, INCaffeinated

Multiple locations. wafflesincaffeinated.com
Waffles, INCaffeinated has locations all over the Pittsburgh area – including Downtown, South Side, Wexford, and Beaver – and the chain is, as the name suggests, famous for its extensive waffle menu. However, they have other breakfast items as well, including French toast – which they also put in the waffle iron. It’s made with Italian bread and includes their signature honey mascarpone spread, making it a hybrid waffle and French toast dish.

Caffé Mona La Bistro

4200 Penn Ave., Bloomfield and 2019 Penn Ave., Strip District. caffemona.com
Fig and brie, berries, Monte Cristo, and spanikopita are the flavors at Caffé Mona, a restaurant with locations in Bloomfield and the Strip District. Spanikopita is the most unique option, and with spinach, feta, asiago, fresh mozzarella cheese, and a glaze, it feels more like a gourmet sandwich.

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Cafe Moulin

732 Filbert St., Shadyside. cafemoulinpgh.com
This crêperie offers savory and sweet French toast options, with choices such as the Walnut Street French Toast, which combines brie cheese, white chocolate, granola, walnuts, and maple butter, and Barcelona French Toast, which has mascarpone, Dutch gouda, raspberry compote, and non-dairy whipped cream.

Nancy’s Revival

616 South Ave., Wilkinsburg. nancysrevival.com
For breakfast sandwich lovers who still want to be in on the French toast fun, the Monte Cristo French toast sandwich from Nancy’s Revival is just the thing. With thick-cut ham, turkey, and melted swiss between two pieces of French toast and maple syrup for dipping, this is a perfectly decadent breakfast treat.

Cherries Diner

115 Forbes Ave., Downtown. facebook.com/cherriesdiner
Cherries Diner in Market Square stays true to their name with their Very Cherry French Toast. The item is stuffed with cream cheese and your choice of cherries, blueberries, or strawberries, and comes at an affordable $8.50.

Pamela’s Diner

Multiple locations. pamelasdiner.com
A Pittsburgh favorite, Pamela’s Diner has a great menu of classic and unique items. A fun twist in one of their French toast items is the Croissant French Toast, which is exactly what it sounds like – three croissants fried with cinnamon and vanilla batter and then topped with chopped walnuts, caramel sauce, and powdered sugar. The Squirrel Hill Pamela's may have shut down, but you can still enjoy French toast and more at the chain's other locations in the Strip District, Shadyside, Millvale, Mt. Lebanon, and Oakland.