Looking for something unique? New Mexican American brunch bar open in Perry
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Meridian Brunch & Bar opened in Perry offering Mexican‑American brunch and dinner.
- Menu features chilaquiles, croques, French toast, juices, cocktails and beers.
- Restaurant seats about 60, most dishes under $15; hours Tue–Sat 7–2 and 5–9.
For a unique dining experience, the new Meridian Brunch & Bar in Perry offers a blend of Mexican flavors with contemporary American cuisine and a few international dishes.
The restaurant at 1818 Houston Lake Road, Suite A300, is owned by Diego Gonzalez, his wife, Diana Aguilar, her sister, Gissele Aguilar, and his best friend, Jesus Antonio.
Gonzalez, who worked as an architect in Mexico before coming to the U.S. , was accustomed to eating at brunch spots that offered healthy options and freshly squeezed juices when he lived in Guadalajara and Los Cabos.
“When he came here, he was looking for places with that kind of style,” said Gissele Aguilar, who interpreted for her brother-in-law . “But he didn’t find any place like that.
“That’s why he was with that idea, can we just open one because I think this area needs one? So that’s how we decided to open a Mexican American brunch place.”
What’s on the menu at Meridian Brunch & Bar
The restaurant offers Mexican dishes such as chilaquiles, crispy corn chips sautéed in either salsa roja or salsa verde topped with sour cream, cured onions and choice of chicken, eggs, chorizo or bacon and served with refried beans.
Also on the menu are French croques. The vegetable version is brioche bread stuffed with asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms and spinach, covered in a buttery bechamel sauce and topped with sunny-side up egg and cheese au gratin.
The French toast is thick sliced brioche bread dipped in a light mix of eggs, milk and sugar, then toasted in butter and served with a whipping topping, berries or Georgia peaches.
The menu also includes egg dishes such as eggs benedict, huevos rancheros and omelettes, baked skillet dishes, avocado toast, fruit bowls, paninis and salads.
Additionally, the restaurant serves artisan coffees, freshly made juices, smoothies, Coke products and iced tea.
Meridian Brunch & Bar also has an evening menu. The restaurant closes for about three hours mid-afternoon before reopening, with the evening entrees including baguettes, sopes, fried empanadas, chicken flautas and salmon salad.
The bar offers a host of classic cocktails from an old fashioned to a mojito to a mimosa, along with specialty cocktails such as the Meridian spritz of Mezcal, aperol and prosecco sweetened by elderberry syrup. Bottled domestic and imported beer and two draft beers also are available.
The restaurant, which can comfortably seat about 60 people, has an upscale vibe but with reasonable prices — most dishes are under $15. The croque au vegetable is priced at $10.49, the chilaquiles at $12.99 with a $3.99 up-charge for extra protein, and the French toast at $11.99.
A tall glass of the freshly squeezed green detox juice of green apple, celery, spinach, cucumber, lime and orange is $4.99. The Meridian smoothie of espresso, banana, milk and ice is also $4.99.
Meridian Brunch & Bar is ‘more than a restaurant’
Gonzalez never expected to open and own a restaurant, but he’s familiar with how restaurants work because his mom, Guadalupe Abarca, has more than 15 years of restaurant experience in Mexico. Also, his wife and sister-in-law previously owned Fogata Street Tacos in Warner Robins.
How the restaurant looks on the inside is based on Gonzalez’s ideas, his sister-in-law said.
Gonzalez plans at some point to take classes to become licensed in the U.S. to return to architecture. But right now, he’s all in at the restaurant.
“He says that he wants people to experience the good quality of the food, fresh everything, homemade salsas, dressings for the salads, the homemade juices,” Aguilar said. “He wants people to feel like Meridian is more than a restaurant.
“So, it’s a place people can feel comfortable, slowing down the days and to enjoy the place. He says he puts a lot of care into everything.”
What diners at the restaurant had to say
Friends Shannon Byrd and Christie Durham have become regulars at Meridian Brunch & Bar since it opened March 7.
“The mimosas are fabulous,” said Byrd on a recent morning visit. “Customer service is top-notch. Food is incredible. My favorite is the avocado toast.”
The women also run a mahjong group, where they’ll have anywhere from 12 to 35 people join in to play the tile game at the restaurant on Thursday mornings.
Mindy Sebastian was enjoying the restaurant for the first time recently with her friend, Maria Zamora.
“I got the chilaquiles, and they were amazing,” said Zamora, who chose the salsa roja and a fried egg for her protein. “It’s my second time coming.”
She plans to be back.
The restaurant is nestled in a new shopping center anchored by a convenience store and a gas station at the corner of Houston Lake Road and Perry Parkway. A new Dunkin’ with a drive-thru next door in the same shopping center is expected to open this spring.
Meridian Brunch & Bar is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The number is 478-313-5096.