In case you haven’t heard there is a new brunch spot on the Houston restaurant scene: Snooze. Located at the corner of Montrose and Westheimer, this new spot has been packed since the day it opened. For better or worse, Snooze is doing great business but its popularity makes it difficult AF to get a table. Below are some tips on how to make your breakfast experience the most enjoyable while you’re waiting to get seated.

• Don’t snooze. This place is packed. Like all the time. The place opens at 6:30am, and while I haven’t been there at that time I’m sure it’s busy then as well. But you probably have a better chance of getting seated if you arrive before the sunrises.
• Don’t make coffee. 5 minutes can make the difference between six groups adding their name to the waitlist before you. So don’t make coffee at home. Just book it out the door. Plus Snooze, being considerate as they can be given the circumstances, offers you complimentary free coffee while you wait.
• Nominate a sacrificial lamb. The first time we tried to go to Snooze we arrived at 11am. The wait was well over two hours. The second time, we planned ahead, didn’t go out the night before, and arrived at 9:30am. The wait was 45 minutes to 1 hour long and we were seated after about 1 hour 15 minutes. Moral of the story? Send someone 2 hours ahead of your regular meet up time to put your name on the list.
• Go on a Monday morning. I think that’s the only time I haven’t seen hordes of people waiting outside.
• Volunteer to sit outside. It had rained earlier on the day we went, so the patio was initially closed, so they weren’t seating people out there. But they have some big ole umbrellas that would keep the rain away / the sun off your back. If you can stand the Houston humidity, volunteering to sit outside will get you seated immediately.
• Get drunk at the bar. If you’re going to be standing and waiting 1 hour + before you get seated, you might as well use that time to pregame, get a buzz on a take the edge off. Bloody Mary’s and mimosas on deck.
• Use Favor. We saw plenty of Favor runners picking up to-go orders. Pretty clutch idea, if you love the food but not the wait. If you’re unfamiliar with Favor — it’s an app that has people run errands (aka favors) for you–like grocery shopping, delivering to-go orders, or maybe even putting your name down on the wait list! If you haven’t signed up, you can use the code ANASC5 for $5 off!
• Place an order to go. The hostess stand takes orders, so if you’re looking to get in and out this might be the best way to do it. Take your food to-go and eat in the comfort of your own home to get away from all the hangry, mimosa tipsy patros waiting in line.
• Prepare your order beforehand. If you’re like us, by the time you get seated you’re going to be hangry AF and ready to nomz. Don’t lash out at your server (it’s not their fault Snooze is so popular) but if you check out the menu beforehand you can place your order speedy quick.

The Snooze menu is pretty complete with everything you’d ever want for breakfast (or by the time when we got seated…lunch). Everything is customizable with veggie, cheese, meat and sauce toppings / fillings. They have a great selection of omelets, pancakes, and eggs Benedict. To me, the menu looks like an elevated version of IHOP. Lots of breakfast classics that are indulgent AF but using locally sourced ingredients.

We split a blueberry danish pancake which was covered in blueberry coulis, sweet cream, almond streusel and…wait for it….filled with lemon cream cheese. It was amazing. But also decadent AF.

I got the Snooze Spuds Deluxe which was a a fat serving of hashbrowns covered with covered with melted cheddar and jack cheese, scallions plus a bunch of veggies–spinach, mushrooms, pico de gallo–and then topped with two fried eggs. The server brought out a selection of like 6 hot sauces with the meal as well.

Others at the table got another version of the Snooze Spuds Deluxe and a simple egg omelet scramble with an English Muffin. The food was actually quite delightful, although I inhaled mine in like -2 seconds because I was so famished. I’ll probably never go to Snooze again on a weekend because there are so many other fantastic brunch places in Houston that this wait isn’t really worth it. Plus, Snooze is a national chain with locations in California, Colorado and Arizona. But I might stop by again on a week day or order out with Favor.