Maybe you’re not interested in a subdued 2025. You desire a new year filled by decadence, luxury, and excess – which is why you’re even considering a Downtown Austin hotel brunch at all. Few places could kick off your gourmet future better than this New Year’s Day feast over at the Thompson’s first-floor 5th Street Diner. On offer here will be millennial-bait avocado toast, green eggs and ham benedict, bread-pudding French toast, or Irish oatmeal, whose brûléed raw sugar and fresh fruit don’t exactly call to mind the humble cuisine of Ireland but like. You’re not in Ireland, so why pick nits? Top this foodie finery off with an elevated cocktail, such as 2024’s darling the espresso martini or a tropical pineapple orange mimosa. The world may be burning, but who cares when the eating’s this good? – James Scott