Helen Breakfast Spots

Breakfast in Helen is better than the town's schnitzel reputation lets on. There's a bakery that turns out German potato pancakes and biscuits with bratwurst gravy, a cafe that starts frying cheese at 9 AM, and a valley coffeehouse where the pastry case is the first thing you see. Most of it is within a few minutes of Main Street, and one of the best stops sits on a deck over the Chattahoochee.

The one thing to plan around: Hofer's is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Everything else here is open all week.

Hours change with the season and with festival weekends. Call before you drive out for anything you've built a plan around.

Hofer's Bakery & Cafe sits at 8758 N Main St, just north of the square, in the old First National Bank of White County building. The cafe switches from breakfast to lunch late in the morning, and the bakery case stays open after the kitchen closes. The schedule changes by day, so here it is at a glance.

The breakfast menu reads like a trip through a German guest house: a Bavarian cold cut plate with smoked ham, jagerwurst, gelbwurst and mild cheese, a corned beef hash, a veggie hash, a bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, onions and capers. Order the potato pancakes if you want the most German plate, or the Alpine French toast if you'd rather start sweet. Call 706-878-8200 with questions.

Names and descriptions come from the breakfast menu on Hofer's website. The online menus don't list prices, so expect the cafe to confirm them at the counter.

Muller's Famous Fried Cheese Cafe is at 60 Chattahoochee Strasse, two minutes off Main Street, and per the visitors bureau listing it's open seven days a week starting at 9 AM. Its calling card is the Fried Cheese Steak, mozzarella or brie stuffed with ham, but the menu also covers Hungarian goulash with Czech bread dumplings, hand-breaded pork or chicken schnitzel, and grilled bratwurst with sauerkraut.

Think of it as brunch with a German-Czech accent rather than eggs and bacon. It's a good stop when someone in your group wants schnitzel at 10 AM and someone else wants coffee. Call 706-892-1212 for the day's hours.

Sweetwater Coffeehouse is at 2242 GA-17 in Sautee Nacoochee, about 10 minutes from downtown, and opens at 8 every morning. The pastries are baked fresh daily, and the menu runs to cheddar biscuits, quiche, bagels and sandwiches, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free choices. The Honeycomb Latte, made with lavender and local raw honey, is the signature drink.

JumpinGoat's Helen shop at 7086 S Main St is about five minutes south of downtown, in Nacoochee Village, and its deck hangs over the river. It doesn't open until 10 AM, so it works as a mid-morning coffee stop rather than first breakfast. Want the early start? The roastery in Cleveland opens at 8:30. Our coffee guide has the full picture, and JumpinGoat's page covers both shops.

In downtown Helen, Hoth Cafe at 8600 N Main St sells coffee, boba tea, pretzels and pastries next to its honey shelves. No hours are posted, so call 706-878-9982.