Martini Brunch lays claim to a unique culinary genre in the Skagit Valley’s restaurant scene: an “adults-only” party breakfast and lunch venue. Located on 2nd Street, just a few blocks south of Mount Vernon’s downtown core, the bill of fare includes scrumptious eggs Benedicts, buttermilk biscuits and gravy, a “not-so-classic” breakfast plate with spicy pulled pork and giardinera (pickled vegetables), and many more brunch plates that put an entirely new spin on the concept of “scratch cooking.”


Brooke and Charlie Martin moved to Skagit Valley (Brooke’s home of origin) in 2021 with the objective of finding a restaurant space. The couple are both lifelong hospitality workers: Charlie with back-of-house and classical chef education, and Brooke with front-of-house and bar experience. They purchased the site formerly occupied by 2nd Street Deli & Dogs in October of 2023 with a plan to convert it into a dine-in breakfast and lunch spot.

It was anything but a slam dunk effort. Starting with a space that had previously been geared for “grab and go” sandwiches, they had to entirely re-outfit the kitchen to house a range and fryer with a hood and fire suppression system. It was an arduous five months before Martini Brunch was ready for prime time, but Brooke and Charlie’s efforts quickly paid off. “We opened in February 2024 with a bang,” Brooke recalls, “and in March we had a writer from The Seattle Times sneak in who featured us in the weekend paper, which dramatically increased our visibility.” The word was out — and the word was “yummy”!


Brooke and Charlie spend hours crafting in-house goods, from their “FU hot sauce” to their crowd-favorite honeycomb butter. “Everything we make is with care and consideration,” Brooke says, “and quality is never compromised. We focus our energy on supporting small and local businesses and farms. We would love to be able to shop for everything we need locally, and work hard to do so.”

Martini Brunch takes having fun seriously, with the goal of making their customers’ experience both delicious and memorable — something its owners define as “Party Brunch,” thanks to unique and cheeky cocktails with glitter, fancy sugars, and candy garnishes presented in funky glassware that light up the eyes when presented. “Our bartenders love to come up with ‘Make Me Something’ cocktails on the fly,” Brooke explains. “We even have plenty of non-alcoholic beverage options for those not partaking in stronger spirits.”

But there are other aspects to the Martini Brunch brand that are every bit as important as the food, and just as tangible. “We consider our space a safe space, meaning we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind,” says Brooke. “In an ever changing world we find open-mindedness a trait that we as a species need to work on. Food is love, and we serve it with sass!”

Another value driving Brooke and Charlie’s business model is paying their employees a livable wage, and the couple stresses the importance of creating a work/life balance so their staff can live their lives without feeling chained to their jobs.

Given Martini Brunch’s seating constraints, it does offer to-go food, but its owners’ priority is always with those inside its welcoming space and it declines to use third-party delivery apps. Beyond feeding bellies, however, Brooke and Charlie want to nourish hearts and souls. “We take our small community seriously,” says Brooke.”We donate often to Friendship House as well as hosting pop-ups with local artists and makers at no cost. It’s our goal to continue working with our neighbors to create beautiful hyper-local fare that shows off the bounty of our Skagit Valley home.”

Martini Brunch I 1300 S. 2nd Street, Mount Vernon I 360-404-5915 I martinibrunchmv.com