Best Breakfasts 2009

METRO's guide to the Twin Cities best pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

Colossal Café's hearty egg sandwich arrives on a homemade buttermilk biscuit with fluffy scrambled eggs, sharp cheddar and thick-cut bacon.

Image credit: Photo by Sara Rubinstein

By: METRO staff |   January 2009   |  From the print edition

Biscuits & Gravy

Homemade biscuits are key: Our favorites come from the Grand Café, where a huge, 60-year-old conveyor oven produces unbelievably tasty biscuits, which are kissed—not smothered—by a delectable red-eye gravy; and the Modern Café, which uses paprika and chives to make a red gravy that almost tastes like chili, and whose biscuits are so in-demand on weekends that they regularly run out. [3804 Grand Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.822.8260; grandcafempls.com // 337 13th Ave. N.E., Mpls.; 612.378.9882; moderncafeminneapolis.com]

Breakfast at the bar

On the rare occasion that we need a break from our neighborhood diner, we take our breakfast at the bar. For fresh, no-frills fare in an elegant setting, hit up Monte Carlo Bar and Café’s Sunday brunch (the pumpernickel toast is transcendent). If you’re feeling lower-brow, the Triple Rock serves breakfast with a punk-rock soundtrack on Saturdays and Sundays (try its yummy vegan options, such as the tofu scrambler). [219 3rd Ave. N., Mpls.; 612.333.5900 // 629 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.; triplerocksocialclub.com]

A perfect cup of coffee

When we’re in need of the perfect cup of coffee to go along with our most important of meals, we make sure to go somewhere that serves either Peace Coffee or our other favorite local roaster, MorningStar. For the former we hit either the Birchwood Café in Seward or Common Roots Café in Uptown, both of which are known for their local-organic mantras and their very own custom Peace Coffee blends. For MorningStar, the lesser-known but no less satisfying purveyor of black gold, we like the Modern Café in Northeast or the Citizen Café near 38th and Hiawatha. All four spots serve up the joe for $2/cup, with free refills for those especially foggy mornings. [3311 E. 25th St., Mpls.; 612.722.4474; birchwoodcafe.com // 2558 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.871.2360; commonrootscafe.com // 337 13th Ave. N.E., Mpls.; 612.378.9882; moderncafeminneapolis.com // 2403 E. 38th St., Mpls.; 612.729.1122]

The best pancakes and waffles

Maria’s Venezuelan corn cakes (get ’em with cotija cheese) are light, moist, bursting with flavor and, yes, deserving of the monumental legend that surrounds them. There’s something special at the tiny Colossal Café, where the “flappers” are so yeasty and savory that they make sandwiches out of them. And at the Original Pancake House, try the Dutch Baby: a baked, lemony pannenkoeken so eggy it tastes like flan and so sweet and moist that you needn’t even glance at the syrup. Victor’s is home to a mango waffle that makes us yearn for the Havana childhood we never had, while Hot Plate keeps us transfixed with visions of whipped butter melting into the crisp grid of a buckwheat-pumpkin waffle. [1113 E. Franklin Ave., Mpls.; 612.870.9842; mariascafe.com // 1839 E. 42nd St., Mpls.; 612.729.2377 // Four metro locations; originalpancakehouse.com // 3756 Grand Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.827.8948; victors1959cafe.com // 5204 Bloomington Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.824.4794; hotplatediner.com]

Hash browns done right

Too often restaurants treat hash browns as a soggy, overly salted afterthought. Not so at the following potato-lovin’ eateries. The browns at Our Kitchen and Pearson’s Edina Restaurant are cooked to old-school perfection—meaning they’re crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, not too greasy and seasoned just right. Feeling like hot dish for breakfast? Try The Local’s creamy hash browns, a cheesy, gooey Minnesota-meets-Ireland take on the breakfast staple. [813 W. 36th St., Mpls.; 612.825.3718 // 3808 W. 50th St., Edina; 612.927.4464; pearsonsedinarestaurant.org // 931 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.; 612.904.1000; the-local.com]

Hidden diner gems

We’re not normally morning people on the weekends, but the thought of uncovering great, little-known-outside-their-community cafes will unleash in us an actual urge to rise and shine before 8 a.m.—OK, maybe 9. Hamel’s Peg’s Countryside Café, with its delicious country sausage (made with a rich mixture of beef, pork and spices and griddle-fried to perfection) and impossibly adorable charm, is worth so much more than forfeited sleep. As is Peterson’s Bacon and Egg Café, a tiny gem (cash only!) in Columbia Heights that turns out a classic breakfast—two over-medium eggs, golden hash browns, crispy bacon and hot, buttery toast—with such precision that we still brag about it as “our find.” [842 Hwy. 55, Hamel; 763.478.6869; pegscountrysidecafe.com // 513 40th Ave. N.E., Columbia Heights; 763.789.4544]

Bloody-good bloodies

All hail to the refreshing morning pick-me-up, the hangover delayer, the explosion of flavor that’ll make that plate of eggs you’ve paired it with a hell of a lot more interesting. Locally, the spicy cocktail works best at three spots: the supper-clubby JD Hoyt’s, where it’s simple and delicious, garnished with but a lime and crisp dill pickle; the Uptown Bar and Cafe, where it’s made from a secret, sneeze-inducing mix; and the Red Stag, where it’s called the “Hail Mary” and comes with jalapeño-infused vodka and homemade beef jerky. [301 Washington Ave. N., Mpls.; 612.338.1560; jdhoyts.com // 3018 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.823.4719; uptownbarandcafe.com // 509 First Ave. N.E., Mpls.; 612.767.7766; redstagsupperclub.com]

Eggs benedict authorities

St. Paul Grill perfects classic eggs Benedict, along with a Benedict of the day, Florentine, grilled tenderloin and Maryland crab cake versions, served with cream hash browns. Fittingly, the Sample Room lets you mix and match your Bennies at its Sunday brunch; half-sized portions of a classic with thick-cut ham, Florentine, Portobello mushroom and salmon are all modestly coated with made-from-scratch hollandaise. Zumbro Café aces a straightforward eggs Benedict, made with local organic eggs and toasted stirato bread in place of the traditional English muffin, offered daily. And the classic eggs Benedict served daily at the friendly, neighborhood Bon Vie, smothered with a rich and lemony hollandaise, has long been revered by Bennie connoisseurs. [350 Market St., St. Paul; 651.224.7455; stpaulgrill.com // 2124 Marshall St. N.E., Mpls; 612.789.0333; the-sample-room.com // 518 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651.287.0112; apieceofcakebakery.net]

Sinful sweet stuff

No human can resist Isles Bun & Coffee Co., with its enormous, decadent cinnamon and caramel-pecan rolls and puppy dog tails (cinnamon-roll fingers for kids), served with a vat full of help-yourself homemade cream-cheese frosting. Swede Hollow Café brings us the down-home loveliness that is homemade sweet rolls, scones, bread pudding, peach cobbler and turnovers (topped with real whipped cream!). [1424 W. 28th St., Mpls.; 612.870.4466 // 725 E. 7th St., St. Paul; 651.776.8810; swedehollowcafe.com]

This is why we brunch

The amazing five-course champagne brunch at the scenic Nicollet Island Inn, includes pastries, omelets, crêpes, quiche, eggs Benedict, French toast, seafood, desserts and a complimentary champagne or mimosa. Stunning views form an elegant backdrop for the Sunday brunch at 20.21, featuring made-to-order omelets, cinnamon raisin French toast and Asian-inspired dishes such as Chinese chicken salad and seafood green curry. Café Maude also has a spread to be reckoned with: chorizo hash with a fried egg, avocado and harissa, or the sautéed flatbread with scrambled eggs, bacon, cucumber, cilantro and sriracha (sounds weird, but it’s good). And the brunch at French-inspired Barbette features organic, local ingredients used in crêpes, Croque Monsieur or Madame and daily specials. [95 Merriam St., Mpls.; 612.331.1800; nicolletislandinn.com // 1750 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.; 612.253.3410; wolfgangpuck.com // 5411 Penn Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.822.5411; cafemaude.com // 1600 W. Lake St., Mpls.; 612.827.5710; barbette.com]

Dirt cheap 

Hoagie’s Restaurant, the classic diner of your parents’ youth—all wood paneling and kitsch—slings some of the best breakfast deals west of the Mississippi: Nearly all of its combos are $5 or less, all day, every day. Other standouts include south Minneapolis’s Curran’s Family Restaurant, which offers thrifty winter breakfasts (two eggs, three slices of bacon or sausage and two pancakes or toast for $3!) every Monday–Thursday, 6–11 a.m.; Tin Cup’s Place in St. Paul, where you can score 50-cent Bloody Marys and screwdrivers during Sunday breakfast (10 a.m.–2 p.m.); and Day by Day Café, which has us slapping the alarm while it’s still dark for the early early-bird weekday special (6–7 a.m.), with $4.75 buying us a plate of eggs, cakes or potatoes and a griddle-fried protein. [824 Main St., Hopkins; 952.935.2865 // 4201 Nicollet Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.822.5327; curransrestaurant.com // 1220 Rice St., St. Paul; 651.489.7585; tincupsplace.com // 477 W. 7th St., St. Paul; 651.227.0654; daybyday.com]

Dining local in the a.m.

Lucia’s sources locally all around: broccoli from Riverbend Farms in its frittata and quiche; Callister chicken sausage; and local squash pancakes with apple butter. Bryant-Lake Bowl drums up great locally sourced breakfast dishes like the eggsadilla, egg burrito and the single BLB pancake, a sweet little something that rings up at just $1.50. The Sunday brunch menu at the cozy Café Twenty Eight includes organic egg scrambles made with local eggs and breakfast meats from Larry Schultz and Fischer Farms. And Spoonriver’s weekend brunch—with many items like omelets, crêpes and French toast—features a host of local foods. [1432 W. 31st St., Mpls.; 612.825.1572; lucias.com // 810 W. Lake St., Mpls; 612.825.3737; bryantlakebowl.com // 2724 W. 43rd St., Mpls.; 612.926.2800; cafetwentyeight.com // 750 S. 2nd St., Mpls.; 612.436.2236; spoonriverrestaurant.com]

Where to get great bagels

Bagels aren’t exactly waistline-friendly, but at Common Roots Café in Minneapolis each bagel is handmade from local and organic ingredients, so you can’t help but feel a little healthy each time you eat one. Across the river, the St. Paul Bagelry also makes its doughy delights in-house daily, New-York-style, with more than 20 varieties and 16 flavors of cream cheese. If imitating New York’s bagels isn’t close enough to the real thing, try The Brother’s Deli in the Minneapolis skyway; they import H&H bagels directly from NYC. [2558 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.871.2360; commonrootscafe.com // 1702 Lexington Ave. N., Roseville; 651.488.1700; stpaulbagelry.com // 50 S. Sixth St., Skyway Level, Mpls.; 612.341.8007; thebrothersdeli.com ]

Decadent French toast

Turtle Bread Company improves upon the classic with chocolate French toast, made from the bakery’s chocolate bread, accented with raspberry sauce. Ditto Muffuletta’s French toast, made with  brioche and topped off with brûléed bananas, Brie and toasted pecans. Try Chino Latino’s French Toast of the Dead, made with pan de muerto, a traditional sugary bread normally reserved for Dia de los Muertos celebrations, and covered in banana slices and Meyer’s rum caramel syrup. And no one could forget Sunnyside Up Café’s Santa Fe French Toast in all its cinnamon-saturated crunchy glory. [4762 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.823.7333; turtlebread.com // 2260 Como Ave., St. Paul; 651.644.9116; muffuletta.com // 2916 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.; 612.824.7878; chinolatino.com // 2704 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.870.4817]

The classic omelet

And no one understands the omelet more than The Egg and I Restaurant, where you have your choice of luscious ingredients—sausage, spinach, jalapeños and more—folded into their creamy three-eggers. The serious connoisseur needs to try Sunnyside Café’s exquisite Basquais omelet from, made from nearly a dozen large eggs, three types of cheeses and a host of brilliant ingredients. And there’s always the Good Day Café’s soufflé-style omelets served with its signature spicy grilled potatoes. [2828 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.872.7282; eggandimn.com // 1825 Glenwood Ave. N., Mpls.; 612.374.5914 // 5410 Wayzata Blvd., Mpls.; 763.544.0205]

Welcome, vegetarians & vegans

No one can resist French Meadow’s organic French toast, the classic vegan breakfast (tofu scramblers, vegan sausage, hash browns and hemp toast) and the famous fruit and nut pancake—served with Minnesota maple syrup. Or Trotter Cafe’s breakfast menu, filled with meat-free breakfasts that include locally grown, organic herbs, fruits, veggies and cheeses. It’s hard to get past the juice options on the breakfast menu at Good Earth, but we came for the entrees: 10-grain hot cakes, cinnamon challah French toast, and salmon or vegetable hash. [2610 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.870.7855; frenchmeadowcafe.com // 232 Cleveland Ave. N., St. Paul; 651.645.8950; trotterscafe.com // Two locations: Galleria, Edina, 952.925.1001; 1901 W. Highway 36, Roseville, 651.636.0956; goodearthmn.com]

The ultimate egg sandwich

Our first stop is always Colossal Café, where a hearty egg sandwich arrives on a homemade buttermilk biscuit with fluffy scrambled eggs, sharp cheddar and thick-cut bacon (there are more grown-up versions, too). The Town Talk Diner offers another great, straightforward version—this time with fried eggs on toast—that is sized to share (have your date get the Bananas Foster French Toast), but the Good Day Café’s Iggy sandwich, replete with oozy eggs, ham and avocado on brioche, is the stuff foodie dreams are made of. [1839 E. 42nd St., Mpls.; 612.729.2377 // 2707 E. Lake St., Mpls.; 612.722.1312; towntalkdiner.com // 5410 Wayzata Blvd., Golden Valley; 763.544.0205]

Mmmm, bacon

If bacon were gold, Nueske’s applewood bacon, from Wittenberg, Wis., would be gold made out of diamonds. If that sounds like nonsense, it’s because we’ve eaten slabs of the stuff at Manny’s and Chambers lately, and our heads our still reeling from the pure bliss of the stuff. [821 Marquette Ave., Minneapolis; 612.339.9900; mannyssteakhouse.com // 901 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612.767.6999; chambersminneapolis.com]

Iconic greasy spoons

Lucky for us, the Twin Cities house a few old-fashioned diners to remind us that breakfast is best enjoyed on tables tattooed with coffee stains. In places like St. Paul’s tacky-in-the-best-way breakfast shrine Copper Dome Cafe and Dinkytown favorite Al’s Breakfast, which serves up perfect, tangy-fluffy pancakes in impossibly narrow confines. Places like Mickey’s Diner, our vote for the best breakfast ambiance in town. Throwback joints like the River Oasis Cafe and the Coffee Cup, both of which appear to be stuck in 1956. And who can forget Band Box Diner? Sure, the Minneapolis institution was remodeled a couple years ago, but it retains a truly wacky clientele and its crispy French toast is breakfast perfection. [1333 Randolph Ave. St. Paul; 651.690.0993 // 413 14th Ave. S.E., Mpls.; 612.331.9991 // 36 W. 7th St., St. Paul; 651.222.5633 // 806 Main St. S., Stillwater; 651.439.0928 // 1446 Rice St., St. Paul; 651.489.0020 // 729 S. 10th St., Mpls.; 612.332.0850]

Late-night breakfasts

For some reason, the Uptown Diner’s massive servings of hash browns, build-your-own omelets and sky-high pancakes taste best at 2 a.m., when you’re kind of tipsy and don’t want to go home. St. Paul’s similarly named Uptowner on Grand Avenue also welcomes night owls with sharable portions, cozy booths and eggs exactly how you want them. Ultra-refined palates will get their money’s worth at 112 Eatery, where Chinese fried eggs and a bacon, egg and harissa sandwich are staples on the upscale menu. [2548 Hennepin Ave, Mpls.; 612. 874.0481 // 1100 Grand Ave, St. Paul; 651.224.0406 // 112 N. 3rd St., Mpls.; 612.343.7696; 112eatery.com]

Quick service

If you were eating at Moose & Sadie’s, you’d be pleasantly full by now. With a simple breakfast menu centered around eggs, fresh fruit and cornmeal pancakes, you’ll be in and out the door in no time. Grab a quick (and delicious) muffin, scone or the caramel and cinnamon pull-a-parts on your way through the aptly titled Yum! Skip the middleman at the Bad Waitress and take your own order, or quickly debate the meaning of art and breakfast with the Wilde Roast’s to-go menu. [212 N. 3rd Ave., Mpls.; 612.371.0464; mooseandsadies.com // 4000 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park; 952.922.4000; yumkitchen.com // 2 E. 26th St., Mpls.; 612.872.7575; thebadwaitress.com // 518 Hennepin Ave. E., Mpls.; 612.331.4544; wilderoastcafe.com]

Farmers’ markets morning delights

We’re dreaming of the Mill City Farmers’ Market’s McDonner muffin—fried egg topped with American cheese and a locally sourced pork sausage patty on an English muffin—à la Minnesota Valley; and pretty much anything the gals inside the Chef Shack are peddling—though the Indian-spiced mini donuts are simply the best. Crêperie Mala at Saturdays’ Midtown Farmers’ Market doles out the French street-food classic—your choice of regular, buckwheat or cornmeal—filled with market veggies and meats or homemade fruit preserves. If you find this all just too depressing, don’t fret, the Minneapolis Farmers’ Market is open year-round and thankfully so is the Tollefson Family Pork stand, home to a legendary breakfast brat. [millcityfarmersmarket.org // midtownfarmersmarket.org // mplsfarmersmarket.com]

The best breakfast – period

Good Day Café is wildly popular for breakfast, with a come-one-come-all approach that offers everything from smoothies and espresso to corned beef hash and almond French toast. The breakfast/brunch wait is now much shorter at Hell’s Kitchen, so you can enjoy your lemon ricotta hotcakes or huevos rancheros before your blood sugar reaches dangerous lows. The eggs en cocotte with puff pastry, Italian ham, truffle cream, poached eggs and Comte gruyere may be the pièce de résistance of the Grand Café’s weekend brunch menu, but dishes like the brioche French toast make it an excellent brunch all-around. Is it the sourdough flapjacks or just the really good, crispy potatoes that make Blackbird’s weekend breakfast so noteworthy? We don’t know, but since there’s never a wait for a table, we think it’s totally underrated. [5410 Wayzata Blvd., Golden Valley; 763.544.0205 // 80 S. 9th St., Mpls; 612.332.4700; hellkitcheninc.com // 3804 Grand Ave. S., Mpls; 612.822.8260; grandcafempls.com // 815 W. 50th St., Mpls; 612.823.4790; blackbirdmpls.com]