5 Good Mother’s Day Options For Procrastinators

Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday, which may panic some who have yet to make a reservation and are leaving things to the last minute. Don’t despair. From decadent seafood buffets to heavenly buckwheat pancakes, here are five spots where you can still snag a spot — if you hurry. (If you’re thinking about staying in, all three locations of Bakery Nouveau will have piles of pastries, quiche, and even Mother’s Day-themed cakes available for pre-order, while Piroshky Piroskhy has Mother’s Day gift boxes filled with seven pastries available for pickup as long as orders are in by May 9.)

Wild Ginger

This longstanding downtown restaurant, known for its Asian-fusion fare and impressive wine list, has a special buffet from 11a.m. to 8p.m. loaded with Chinese braised duck, Cambodian fruit salad, steamed mussels, pineapple fried rice, various dim sum, and more. As of press time, there are plenty of brunch reservations slots available.

Price: $48/adults, free/kids

1401 3rd Ave

AQUA by El Gaucho

This seafood-focused spot near the Elliott Bay pier has a great atmosphere that should impress mom. Brunch options skew traditional: an omelet station, cinnamon French toast, eggs benedict with the option of oyster and seafood bar stacked with Taylor Shellfish oysters, Dungeness crab, mussels, and more, served from 9a.m. to 2p.m.

Price: $69/adults, $24/kids 6-12, free/kids 5 and under

2801 Alaskan Way

Serafina

With the weather looking warm for the weekend, this Italian spot with an outdoor patio in Eastlake could be the way to go. On Mother’s Day, there’s a two-course prix-fixe from 9:30a.m. to 2:30p.m.; first course options include burrata with pickled grapes or avocado and smoked salmon on pumpernickel while the second course spans the gamut of buckwheat pancakes with huckleberry and parmesan biscuits with fennel sausage bechamel. There’s also a kid’s-specific menu and contemporary violin music. Open Table is filling up fast for brunch (as of press time), so call first. There are also plenty of dinner slots available, and the bucatini Cacio e Pepe with foraged mushroom and summer black truffle isn’t a bad backup plan to brunch.

Price: $35/adults, $15/kids

2043 Eastlake Ave

Heartwood Provisions

This cozy spot a few blocks from Pike Place Market is known best for its cocktail list (mom can booze it up with a drink like Summer in Provence, featuring barrel-aged gin and rhubarb-Lavender), but it also offers an extensive menu that rotates seasonally. Current options include strawberry monkey bread, duck confit hash, and a pork tenderloin with herbed potatoes and grilled asparagus.

Price: a la carte; brunch dishes average around $15

1103 First Ave

Tilth

Brunch at this Wallingford restaurant from star chef Maria Hines — which emphasizes food from all-organic sources — is set to be a three-course prix-fixe menu. Among the choices are an asparagus salad with anchovy vinaigrette, eggs Benedict, baked eggs with braised leeks and mushrooms, sourdough French toast with rhubarb, and waffles with mascarpone and cocoa nibs and will be served from 10a.m. to 3p.m. There were a limited number of slots via Open Table as of press time, though, so dinner might be a good secondary plan. The Umpqua Valley lamb loin is worth it.

Price: $30/person

1411 N 45th St