Food service and ambiance was amazing!!! Stopped here in September 2025 and I didn't leave a review, not like me. So today I'm making sure I praise this place! If you're ever in the area stop and enjoy a fabulous brunch! read more

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Surprised at such good reviews. Had lunch today and there were only about 3-4 other tables there at any given time. Potatoes were well done (burnt and crispy). Service was pretty much nonexistent. Waitress on cell phone. Had to call over to other waitstaff (he waved back) and ask him if all potatoes were served well done. The replacement was delicious. Never was even asked how any of our meals were. Never offered a drink (iced tea) refill. The restaurant seemed clean but there are so many other restaurant choices out there to try. read more

The food was delicious and the decor was very cool. I liked the chandelier that was made with gator heads. We got served fairly quickly. Shout out to the peach bellini! I also liked that there was an option to sit at a table with a griddle where you could make your own pancakes because that seemed pretty interesting. I might try that one day with friends but this visit we stuck to regular brek read more

Backwater - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

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Backwater is consistently great food and service!! Never disappointed and always leave full!!

The food is pretty good. I really love their vast vegan and vegetarian menu, lots of great tasting options. The ambiance is great and the staff is super friendly and kind. If you have kids this is a great place to go because the personal griddles are a ton of fun. Only downside is the long wait times, but that's common for breakfast spots. read more

Backwater - Veggie Okeechobee ice cream - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

Always great food and excellent service !! Get the gator and waffles, you won't be disappointed. (And the "cook your own pancakes are fun for all)! 5 stars! read more

Backwater - Lemon poppyseed pancakes! Mmmmmmm - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

THIS IS A TRUE FLORIDA GEM!!! After seeing rave reviews online, I made a point to visit. I'm so glad I did. The wait time was spot on. We opted for the griddle table. I want to give an extra 5 star review to the server Roxy! She was THE BEST server I've had at a restaurant. She was beyond helpful with explaining the menu. She went the extra mile, making us feel welcomed and well taken care of. Our drinks were always full, and we wanted for nothing. Roxy gave us lots of information on the restaurant and the area around. Dine here. Hopefully, you will get Roxy! Now for the food. We each got the Southern Breakfast with eggs, bacon or sausage, grits or home fries, and toast. We got 1 bottle of the seasonal flavor, pumpkin spice pancake batter, and cream cheese icing. The one bottle made 5 medium-sized pancakes. The pumpkin pancakes were delicious and so much fun to make. It kept us busy at our table. It really made for a fun breakfast experience. The southern breakfast was delicious. The sausage patties were very large and the best strawberry jam with whole pieces of strawberry throughout. The interior embodies the true Florida feel. As a Floridian, I can tell you this is the true Florida vibes. I was obsessed with the gator skull chandelier. I can't wait to come back! read more

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Reviewing this after having been a few times. The seating, staff and food overall are great. In my opinion they have some of the best pancakes in the area. I've found backwater's food to be really consistent which is something I think a lot of similar establishments struggle with. I don't think I have been dissatisfied with anything I've tried there. The staff are always prompt and helpful. I really like the decoration style they are going for. Classic but not overdone or tacky. If you want you can even sit at a table with a griddle and make your own pancakes. I've also found that the food here comes out very fast but still all seems freshly made. Maybe the griddles take some pressure off the kitchen . My only negative to add is that on more than one occasion the noise of customers has been quite loud, especially for a breakfast setting. Which is not the restaurants fault per se, but on all of the aforementioned occasions I've felt that they then turned up the music to match. Even without the chatter the music volume has been what I consider unacceptable as it made conversation completely Impossible even In our part of three. I understand this can happen with restaurants using playlists where the music gets louder by itself and it gets missed but this has been a significant issue for us. I cant in good faith give them any less than four stars as they do well at all other aspects, but this is a significant factor which hinders our desire to return. I hope they make this easy fix. read more

I went here because I was intrigued by the griddle feature. The wait was super long, but worth it. The service was excellent. I did the make your own pancakes and I did banana chocolate chip. They were delicious!! I loved being able to cook it in front of me!! I also got eggs bacon and home fries. The food was seasoned well. The decor was giving FLORIDA. It was nice! read more

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Food was great and atmosphere is good. Pricy for breakfast and add on fees. Service was ok. Good place for families

The pancakes were scrumptiously crispy. Crispy enough for me to want to steal the recipe. I will unveil your secrets, watch me. (Food: 5/5) You will never catch me drinking a carbonated beverage. Childhood left me yet I never left chocolate milk behind. But it was suspicious... cool glass I must say, very tall. I'm a woman, tall is my type. Idk why there was a film at the top of the milk though. Weird. (Drinks: 3/5) Service was good, no flaws but nothing spectacularly exceptional like you would get at those hole-in-the wall places I usually go. But everyone was friendly, checked up on us. And dear god. The pancake menu. Was. Laminated. And had. DRY ERASE MARKERS. Is this heaven? My ordering-anxiety memory loss is being accommodated? (Service: 4.5/5) The decor is giving rustic meets thrift store. Like the breakfast equivalent of Texas Roadhouse vibes but better. Not an inch of wall not covered with picture frames and antiques, my grandpa would have a field day. Nice divider to maximize seating and secluded ish area to minimize noise and stuff probably, overall love what they've done with the place. All vegetarianism left me when I saw the chandelier because that was epic. (Ambiance: 5/5) Crispy pancakes I will be back my love read more

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If you've never had deep fried French toast this is the place to try it. You would never think French toast with raisin bread would be delicious, but it was an 11/10! The inside decor of Backwater is very eclectic and unique but truly catered to the Florida vibe, the crocodile chandelier was the perfect touch. We also had the roasted Tomato Benedict which was perfectly delicious as well. The wait was short & our waitress was perfect. read more

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Very very calorie heavy menu. The pulled pork Benedict looked better on paper. Bread gets swamped by the huge pile of shredded pork. Carolina style, the strong vinegar in the pork is not subtle and very off-putting. They have cook-your-own pancake tables. Hayseed hibachi. The batter is so thick that it doesn't spread right. Off-putting, Cute theme. Culinary version of the movie Deliverance. Service was very good. Wouldn't come back for this heavy food, that's a total obesity graze, in my opinion. Fewer kcals. More kwality. (I know. I know. The joint's called "Backwater," okay? Work with me here.) read more

Love this restaurant. Sat at the griddle booth a few mins after requesting a table. They do need to warn patrons when sitting down. My mom bumped her knee on the leg of the table. Everything was tasty & flavorful. The vegan bacon was under. Really flimsy & an unappetizing texture. We had 3 orders & put them on the griddle to get them crisp. Food did take a lil while to arrive. Pretty spacious & bar area seating. One of my favs, many vegan options. Recommended. read more

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we went here today for a work brunch. overall, the experience was great. the server was kind of rude but maybe she was just a bit overwhelmed because we had a large party. I still tipped though. The food was delicious, and the staff that brought the food out was VERY FRIENDLY and ATTENTIVE! The prices are super affordable as well! read more

Backwater - Crawfish & Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

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Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to even try the food. Checked in at the entrance where it showed a 10 minute wait for 'non griddle' seating. After checking back at the 20 minute mark and then again at the 40 minute mark, still had several people ahead of us with no estimate of when we'd be seated. Well it's been an hour now and still have yet to get a notice to be seated. Time to go. :( read more

The food was great! We had a griddle table so we could cook our own breakfast. I'm sure that you get your pancakes already made however if you're looking for being creative or have youngsters who need entertained or the young at heart to entertain its fun and they are still tasty. The noise level wasn't very loud and we came in at a not so busy time and were seated within 10 minutes for a griddle tables. Griddle tables are a longer wait. There's lots of variety and the good was great. If you're going in with a larger group you may have to wait a while. This is the 2nd time I've been to one of their restaurants when I was in town to visit and I plan to be back again. read more

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Services was great, friendly and attentive to our large group. Food was okay, not bad but nothing mind-blowing. The griddles are what makes the place unique and fun for all ages. Portions are pretty large so bring your appetite. read more

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My son took me here for Father's Day breakfast, so glad we showed up to try this place... At the suggestion of my oldest son, we got up early to get here early and wait in line, yes a line, just before 8am this morning. I was shocked and surprised to see how many people were waiting outside for this place to open. I see this most times as hype and I wonder if it will live up to it, and I have to say, for the most part, it did. As far as the food was concerned - it was superb. We both had the gator bites waffle and I added a single scrambled egg which came out looking like two or three - I was surprised to say the least. The place here at Wickham is beautifully decorated and inviting, and the staff was super friendly. The only nit to the morning breakfast was service was a tad slow to start but they made up for it as they caught up from the early onslaught of folks who decided to start their Father's Day celebration (like us), here. I'm already looking forward to coming back again, and hopefully, soon... read more

I have visited Backwater several times and it has usually met my expectations--until this visit. We were assigned a server named Mimi, whose behavior was extremely rude and dismissive throughout our experience. After introducing herself, she promptly disappeared. We sat at a griddle table, circled our order, and placed it at the end of the table. Another staff member brought our food. Mimi never checked on us, and when I finally managed to get her attention to ask for a spatula to make our pancakes, she responded with a condescending "yeah, you need that." I was very dissatisfied with the service. I had to ask another server for our check and a to-go box because Mimi was completely absent. Having worked in restaurants, I understand how busy it can get, but her tone and lack of attention were inexcusable, especially for paying customers. The food was delicious and the staff members that did help us were incredible and very kind but Mimi needs to get it together. Don't come here if you're in a rush. read more

Backwater - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

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This place is amazing. My sister loves this restaurant and it was highly recommended by her. So this morning coming in off of a cruise, she took us there. The food was amazing and the service was great. I was a little hungry and was craving for some pancakes and then it caught my eye. I seen the poppyseed pancakes. So I had to oblige my hunger and ordered this. The taste was so good that you didn't need syrup in my honest opinion. It also came with some thick bacon which were awesomely good and I ordered scrambled eggs. There was so much food leftover that I have enough for tomorrow morning before I fly back to Lone Star state. Forgot to mention, the fried green tomatoes were good, but i like them they not so thick. I did enjoy them but I like my tomatoes slices a little thinner but each is their own, right? read more

Backwater - Poppyseed pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs and thick bacon, just like I like my women. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

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My wife and I were really impressed by this cool little place, and the food was terrific. The host was very funny and entertaining, the concept is fantastic and the portions were great. We're both quite snobby and pretentious regarding breakfast, and frankly most places here serve the same bland mush, but I had to leave a review for this place. It was awesome, and we'll definitely be returning. read more

The diy pancake option is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I didn't partake int eh pancakes but the food I had was straight fire. It has super cute decor and great service. Definitely a must visit spot. read more

Backwater - Shaved ribeye sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

Went here for my friends bday. The waffles were really good and the mimosa flight. It was a bit busy so we waited for a bit but it was worth it read more

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Everything was so good, the sauce on the gator po boy was heavenly, usually not the biggest fan of tomato soup but our waitress recommended it and I am now a fan of tomato soup lol. Speaking of our waitress, she was great, gave us recommendations, and was so friendly. Loved the gator decor all over the restaurant, definitely will be back and telling others of "Backwater" read more

Backwater - Gator Po' Boy with Tomato Bisque Soup - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

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We came for brunch this past Sunday and unfortunately you can't make a reservation, so we had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated for a party of 6 at one of the tables with a griddle. The decor is all swamp themed and super cool, including an alligator chandelier. The staff was super friendly and accommodating. We of course had to make our own pancakes though it gets pricey since you pay for each topping. It's very easy to do though because they give each person their own spatula and the batter is in a squeeze bottle. We loved the buttermilk and snickerdoodle batters. The main meals were also awesome and the portions were large. The mimosa flight tasted as great as it looked. read more

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I had been hearing whispers of a place where you can make your own pancakes in Melbourne, Florida and then I realized that Backwater's newest location was just a few minutes away from my mom's house. So, no brainer, my mom, husband and I decided to brave the wait for this one-of-kind experience. Backwater is off of Wickham in Melbourne, FL near a couple of other local restaurants. They are open daily for breakfast and lunch (closing around 2pm) and have several seating options: outside, inside at a regular table, inside at a table with a griddle and inside at the counter. As reservations are not accepted, you place your name on the waitlist electronic tablet at the hostess station....and wait. It's really not that bad though as there are a handful of oversized backyard games on the side patio and a lot of neat (think Cajun meets country chic decor) stuff to look at. We (ok - I - I gave my fellow dining mates no choice since I wanted to make my own pancakes) opted for a griddle table and we had a fantastic experience. The wait staff was beyond hospitable and I had way too much fun with the colored pancake batter (I'm apparently a pancake artist). My mom went the traditional route and chose not to make her own food. She loved the Greek omelette and grits that she ordered, while my husband and I shared the colored pancake batter and chose 2 toppings: cookie dough and blueberries to enhance our pancake shenanigans. 5-stars for an amazing experience and a commitment to definitely return! read more

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Very nice restraunt. Making your own pancakes is so much fun!!! We came here for my friends birthday and we had a blast. She had such a good time. It was so yummy, but the bacon was a bit too crispy. Service was friendly and quick, it is really nice inside and it is in a great location. read more

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We lucked out when a couple seats at the bar opened up, the (Saturday Morning) wait was fairly long -- but for good reason. The energetic vibe, cool merch and great service was only topped by the amazing food! When In Melbourne (Florida) -- get here! read more

Backwater - the BOSS HOG - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Melbourne, Florida

Good food and great service ruined by LOUD MUSIC. I just went there today at 8 am for breakfast with a couple of friends. 5 minutes after we sat down someone cranked up the volume on music. I asked the waitress to turn it back down a notch, but within 10 minutes, it was even louder. We couldn't wait to finish our breakfast before leaving. read more

Came here because we wanted to try something new in the Melbourne. I guess because it was a weekday, there was no waiting which is always a good thing. We were asked if we wanted the tables with a grill (you make your own pancakes) or regular table. We chose a regular table and I ordered the 2 pancake breakfast with egg, sausage or bacon. I ordered a corn muffin on the side. The service was great and I liked the food and atmosphere. Defined recommend. read more

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Ok.... So if you love great food this is the spot! We had breakfast, the lunch/dinner menu looked amazing, and some pretty cool drink options. Let's talk "breakfast".... It's either ok or good, but Backwater's breakfast is AMAZING! This place has tables with a griddle in it so you can cook your own pancakes!!! WHAT, so cool!!!! We give Backwater 5/5 Mai Tai's from our restaurant rating scale: 1. Ambience "southern rustic" 2. Food: quality, quantity, choices 3. Very personable and professional 4. Cleanliness 5. Drinks.... Yup yup! This place checked off all of the boxes! Definitely try this place!! read more

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Having friends on the Space Coast is hard. It's a long drive out there, and there's not a lot to do or eat out there, compared to Orlando. But it had been way too long since I had seen my friends and their new baby, so I did the research, and I discovered that this legendary Melbourne breakfast/brunch joint had opened another location about a half-hour north. Bingo. Let's go. There are two really cool things about this place. The first thing is the thing I didn't take advantage of. They have eight tables where there are griddles IN the table, so you can get pancake batter by the bottle, and toppings from chocolate chips to cookie dough pieces, and cook your pancakes yourself, right in front of you. So cool. But, FYI, there are no reservations here, so the posted wait times that are right on the host stand will reflect, for example, that a normal table's wait time would be 45 minutes, while the griddle table's wait time would be an hour and 45 minutes. So, if you want this fun, show up early. The other really cool thing about this place is that they openly brag about their ingredients being all, or mostly, locally sourced from the great state of Florida. And right in the middle of the lobby, there is a giant sign with the state of Florida and arrows connecting your menu ingredients to what part of Florida they are from. Nice. Anyway, so after our 45 minute wait, we got seated. And then we had to comb through their extensive, everything-sounds-delicious, menu. While I was browsing, though, I was sipping on my glass of fresh squeezed watermelon juice. Which, there is nothing like. Order a glass of this. You can also get it in a mimosa, if that's more your speed. After a bit, I couldn't deny myself, I ordered the Fried Gator Waffle (Orange zest waffle topped with candied orange peels and fried gator). This was good! The gator was fried nicely, and popped when eaten with the orange peel. The waffle was a little over-done. Very dry. But, they had pretty good syrup to drizzle over everything, so it was all good. I also ordered a side of the biscuits and gravy. And oh my goodness, go look at the picture. Those thicc, fluffy biscuits were literally drowned in that gravy. The gravy was well-peppered, and you got a gulp of it with every, single, bite. Nice job, Backwater. Very Southern. I also got to sample the Cuban Benedict (Two poached eggs atop pulled pork, grilled ham, and diced pickled on Cuban garlic bread topped with Dijon hollandaise and your choice of a side). Now this, was something truly special. Cut that egg and let that yolk run over everythinggg. Take some of that, or some hollandaise and have a bite of it with the pulled pork, or the ham. You can't go wrong. Every component of this was dynamite. The side with that one was the black cherry grits. These were good. If you like grits, you'll like them. If you don't, you won't. Let's just leave it at that. Overall, I'm glad this place is out on the Space Coast to offer the locals a brunch place that isn't a national chain. I will be becoming back, because there's so much more I want to try! read more

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I really love this place the choice of either cooking my own pancakes by myself is pretty cool and the restaurant's design is amazing great service great food Great restaurant. read more

New location and very busy..... PRO TIP: Sit at the bar....no waiting if there is a spot. So sat at the bar and ordered our food....always a double edge sword to be able to see the pass....more on that later. So one waitress takes our drink order, another takes our food order and another brings us the food. Not sure if that was by design or just the way it was. Ordered up a build your own omelet and it was very good...they use fresh spinach so that is a plus....Check out the picture....It was spinach, bacon, tomato, and cheddar cheese with home fries and an English muffin. Would have ordered a biscuit but apparently, there would have been an upcharge but the waitress who took our order did not know what it was....so I passed. Man child got enough food for two and killed it all...the pancakes, eggs, sausage, and a small stack of pancakes....photo as proof..... Now it was warm in the restaurant but cooled down a bit. We could see the food being expedited and then we saw almost all of our order come up...for some reason they plated the pancakes then they got pulled back and put in a to-go....then we waited for sausage and the pancakes to come back up......the food died in the pass for five minutes....fortunately it was still warm but I would have liked them to bring out the omelet when it was ready. Not wait for them to re-fire the pancakes....just a preference.....know they want to serve the entire party at the same time but the to-go pancakes just sat up on the counter until after we left but at a certain point.....another thing was the expeditor was also kinda serving the bar...she did not take our order but she was all over chatting up folks, while our food died..... In the end we got fed, the food was pretty good and we will be back. read more

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Ambiance and food are good. I'd go more but it is definitely a little overpriced. And I don't mind spending money on quality but it deters me more than not. read more

Food is always fresh and flavorful. Service is great! Worth the wait. Take your family and friends.

Second visit here. Same great staff experience but as before I found the coffee extremely weak which can be easily remedied by the kitchen. Also the biscuits and gravy I ordered was good, not great. The biscuit was moist, dense, and tasty but the gravy was a bit bland. My scrambled eggs were perfectly cooked. More of a 3.5 star experience after two breakfast visits. read more

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Fun atmosphere and food was delicious- huge portions! We sat at the bar and received our food quickly. Husband ordered Bloody Mary which I tried and it had great flavors! read more

Eggs Benedict was amazing. Atmosphere is loud and crowded but food and service was top notch. read more