Avocado toast is the new biscuits & gravy—it's on practically every menu, everyone does it slightly differently, and people have tons of opinions about it. I know some people think it's pretty basic, but I think it's heaven. Especially for vegetarians, avocado toast hits all the high points: healthy/filling fat from the avocado, easy carbs from the toast and protein from the eggs typically on top. You always know you'll be satisfied when ordering avocado toast.

So I've done the Lord's work for you and sampled avocado toasts from across town. This is in no way an exhaustive list (I have yet to try the options from Picasso Cafe or Elemental Coffee, which I'm sure are both excellent), but it's a list of toasts you can certainly count on. I'd love to hear your thoughts, too; share your picks in the comments below!

Please note that Aurora is permanently closed as of June 2019.

#1 - Aurora Breakfast, Bar & Backyard

This might just be my favorite avocado toast in town. I usually order the Veggie Biscuits from Aurora, but in doing "research" for this post I ventured off course—and man am I glad I did. If you ordered it precisely off the menu, it would come with avocado on sourdough with breakfast radish, feta, cucumber, fresh pea shoots, lemon aioli, heirloom tomato and EVOO. You also get the option to add hummus for an extra 75 cents, which I 100% opted to do. I'm not a fan of tomatoes or cucumbers, so I nixed those and added an over easy egg instead.

Holy crap was this thing delicious! Aurora makes a fantastic, creamy hummus, which went perfectly with the buttery toast and the divinely ripe avocados. I loved the addition of the feta on this, too. Be sure to ask for their house hot sauce, and give a generous drizzle over the top. Their potato cabbage hash is a must-order as well (it weirdly looks like Thanksgiving turkey in the photo above, but just ignore that). 

#2 - Neighborhood JAM

I've already told you about my love for Neighborhood JAM and how you can't go wrong with basically anything on their menu. The Breakfast Tacos might be my current favorite, but the avocado toast was one of my original loves—in fact, I modeled my own avocado toast recipe (available at the bottom of this page) after the one at JAM. I absolutely adore balsamic glaze and think it adds great flavor to just about anything. You've definitely got to try this one. 

#3 - Kitchen No. 324

Now, Kitchen No. 324 doesn't technically have avocado toast on its menu, but I can work around that. The Fried Green Tomato Benedict is always a great vegetarian option, but I've since taken to ordering the Open Faced Toast. Get it without the shaved black forest ham, add avocado and you're all set. Can't go wrong with poached eggs, gruyere and thyme béchamel on sourdough toast with crispy potatoes!

#4 - The Jones Assembly

When I'm not ordering Cacio e Pepe from The Jones Assembly, I'm probably going for their avocado toast. It's available on their lunch and brunch menus and is impeccable. It's super simple: sourdough toast slathered with mashed avocado mixed with lime (and I'm talking about a lot of mashed avocado), sprinkled with cilantro and kosher salt and topped with fresno chilis. They must add a bit of magic to it tpp, because it's crazy how delicious something quite basic can be.

#5 - Pizzeria Gusto

The avocado toast at Gusto is kind of like a mix between those at Kitchen No. 324 and Neighborhood JAM. It's served on grilled Tuscan bread and topped with avocado mash, roasted tomato (which I left off, of course), red onion, arugula, poached eggs, hollandaise and calabrese peppers. Gusto is a great option when you want avocado toast with delectable hollandaise but don't want to mess with going downtown to Kitchen No. 324. 

#6 - The Winston

If you're an Oklahoma City resident like me, then you probably rarely venture outside your city-centric bubble. But seriously, it's worth the trip south to Norman to check out The Winston (full disclosure that I manage the social media for The Winston, but this is truly a sincere recommendation). They have a fantastic cocktail called the Jessica Rabbit—Plymouth Dry Gin, carrot syrup, fresh lemon and fresh mint—but they also do a killer avocado toast. It's the actual bread, the garlic-jalapeño toast, that makes this stuff, but I absolutely love the greens and the lemon vinaigrette on top, too. I leave off the tomatoes and cucumbers, of course, and suggest adding red onions instead. I also tend to add an extra egg, because that's just how I roll.

#7 - Sunnyside Diner

So Sunnyside Diner does literally have avocado toast on their menu, but that's not what I'll be talking about here. Instead, go for the Toad in the Hole and add avocado. This way, you get tasty, eggy toast with Parmesan, green onion and red pepper flakes as well as avocado (and I will say that I added more avocado than what's pictured above). It's a win-win, people. Plus, their breakfast potatoes are seriously out of this world.

#8 - Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza

So the avocado toast at Upper Crust is literally the exact same as that at Neighborhood JAM, but it includes the addition of pie sauce. Now, I understand if marinara sauce with avocado sounds like a strange combination, but the end result isn't as weird as it sounds. Upper Crust puts just enough pie sauce on the bread to kind of soak through the pores, but not enough that it's actually overwhelming. I think it's definitely worth trying, but they also have killer brunch pizzas if you're into that sort of thing.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 avocados

Juice of one lemon

Garlic powder

Kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

1 red onion, thinly sliced

Balsamic vinegar

Arugula

Sourdough toasts

Balsamic glaze (I like Trader Joe's brand)

STEPS

1) Either purchase the sourdough toast pre-sliced or slice it yourself (not too thick). Brush with olive oil and bake until crispy.

2) Sauté the onions with a touch of olive oil and a hefty dose of balsamic vinegar until caramelized. 

3) Mash the avocados with the lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

4) Assemble the toasts by first spreading with the avocado, adding a leave or two of arugula and then topping with a bit of the onions. Finish by drizzling with balsamic glaze.