Morning person or not, Rise & Shine is your new ‘happy place’ in Las Vegas

If you’re having trouble finding something about mornings to put a smile on your face, a visit to Rise & Shine should do the trick.

With two southwest Las Vegas locations at 9827 W. Flamingo Road near the 215 Beltway and in Southern Highlands at 10690 Southern Highlands Parkway, Rise & Shine: A Steak & Egg Place promises happiness the minute you walk in the door. The main dining area welcomes patrons with a ceiling full of colorful flower parasols, which spin suspended from cords.

If the pleasing atmosphere doesn’t bring you out of your a.m. gloom, a look at the menu should. Breakfast is served all day and includes fluffy, cake-like pancakes (each is 16 inches and roughly the size of a dinner plate), waffles, French toast, three-egg omelettes, breakfast burritos, and, of course, steak and eggs.

The most popular of the namesake dish is The Ultimate, a 9-ounce ribeye with a coffee rub served with two (or three) eggs any style and hash browns . Other classic breakfast choices are chicken and waffle (served with a giant buttermilk battered boneless fried chicken breast), Ham-N-Eggs Benedict, and homemade corned beef hash and eggs.

Most breakfast entrees come with a choice of toast, biscuit or the house Pot of Bread, which is just what it sounds like: a dinner roll and a cinnamon roll baked together in a teacup, topped with cinnamon-sugar and served with cream cheese syrup. It’s not for the carb-cautious, but it is a little bowl of pillowy comfort.

But it’s the little touches and attention to detail that really set Rise & Shine apart. The fun and casual atmosphere has servers wearing their PJs instead of stuffy uniforms; what could be boring, standard-fare house hash browns are served here with a touch of green onion; and the coffee menu uses Italian coffee brand Lavazza and includes a delicious hazelnut Nutella latte or cappuccino (complete with latte art) that could rival one on the menu of any specialty coffeehouse.

There’s also a selection of fresh squeezed juices (watermelon and strawberry; carrot and green apple; and orange juice), as well as the house Green Go Go Juice (a frothy, slightly sweet blend of kale, cucumber, green apple and honeydew). There’s also yogurt and fresh fruit smoothies and build-your-own fruit and yogurt parfaits.

Lunch items are available starting at 11:30 a.m. and include soup made from scratch, salads, steak burgers, chicken sandwiches, wraps and panini melts. There’s also a kids menu available.

Menu prices average from around $10 to $20, and specialty juices and coffees are around $5.

Seating inside the West Flamingo location is booths and tables (with plenty of space to accommodate large parties), and there is a spacious outdoor patio that is covered.

Rise & Shine is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For the West Flamingo location, call 702-873-0155; for Southern Highlands, call 702-202-4646.

Visit bestbreakfastvegas.com.