French Meadow Café

Championing organic and farm-to-table fare, French Meadow is a local favorite for breakfast in Minneapolis, served every day starting at 7am to 3pm. The sizable menu is loaded with fresh takes on classic breakfasts (think benedicts, breakfast burritos, and quiche) as well as a large array of gluten-free and vegan options. Fun fact: French Meadow was the first organically-certified bakery in the country back in 1985! Located in Uptown—which can often mean parking is hard to find—French Meadow offers not one but two parking lots adjacent to the restaurant, as well as dedicated parking spots in the (heated) Aldi garage across Lyndale.

Ideal Diner

Built in 1949, this historic Northeast landmark serves a classic homestyle diner breakfast seven days a week from 6am to 2pm. Longtime locals love to share how the diner has changed very little in over 70 years. Be warned, the place is TINY (think 14 stools on a single bar counter) but the big portions, affordable plates, and friendly staff make it a must-visit if you’re staying in the neighborhood. Bonus: the counter-only seating give a great view of the bustling kitchen where you can watch true breakfast professionals at work.

Modern Times

Nostalgic for the quirky, colorful, vegetarian-leaning breakfast spot of your college town? No matter your alma mater, chances are Modern Times will take you right back with all-day breakfast served from 9 to 5 daily. Melding punk-rock vibes with family-friendly charm—and a menu with options for pretty much every taste—this South Minneapolis staple gets very busy on the weekends but is worth the wait. Dining with vegans? Ask for the fully dedicated vegan menu for an impressive selection of plant-centric plates, from vegan breakfast burritos to the southside hash (loaded with grilled veggies, housemade cashew spread, plant-based chorizo, scrambled tofu, vegan poblano sour cream, and roasted jalapeños). Don’t forget to try the homemade hot sauces!

The Buttered Tin

Founded by James Beard-recognized pastry chef and Cupcake Wars winner Alicia Hinze, St Paul favorite The Buttered Tin opened a Northeast Minneapolis outpost in 2021. The full breakfast menu is available every day from 7am to 3pm, and is packed with house baked treats—like cinnamon rolls, hand pies, cakes, pies, cookies, fresh bread, and even homemade twinkies—as well as heart plates that nail the line between comforting and fresh. Regional ingredients are highlighted throughout the menu, like Lake Superior walleye cake benedicts and Kramarczuk's Polish sausage with potato cheese pierogis and eggs.

Nolo’s Kitchen and Bar

This classy-but-comfortable North Loop eatery offers breakfast weekdays from 8am to 11am and weekends from 8am to 3pm. If you love a sweet morning meal, check out the French toast with salted caramel butter, cinnamon crunch, and harvested-in-Minnesota maple syrup. Savory more your style? Enjoy some Breakfast Fried Rice, loaded with breakfast sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, peas, and sesame kale. With plenty of tables and ample space, this is a great spot for bringing a larger group or even hosting a party—just be sure to call ahead.

Al’s Breakfast

Beloved by students of the University of Minnesota, this extremely narrow, cash-only Dinkytown diner offers seating along a single counter, sassy service, and classic diner fare every day (6am-1pm Monday through Saturday, 9am-1pm Sunday). Given the small space—it’s literally the narrowest restaurant in the city, just 10 feet from wall to wall—you’ll undoubtedly have to wait for one of the 14 seats, but many locals consider breakfast at Al’s a rite of passage. Fun Fact: Al’s was a recipient of a James Beard Award as one of "America's Classics Restaurants."

Victor's 1959 Cafe

Looking for something a little different than your typical eggs-bacon-and-toast fare? Check out this cozy Cuban eatery for plates like Cuban Hash (beef simmered in creole sauce with eggs and sweet plantains), Bistec Criollo (sliced steak marinated in garlic and lime with fried yucca), and Mango Pancakes with diced mango and mango puree. Breakfast is served Wednesday through Sunday, from 9am to 2:30 pm. Coffee lovers be sure to try a cafe con leche wih house sugar paste. (P.S. This family-friendly space is noted for encouraging guests to write and doodle on the walls with sharpies!)

Hazel’s Northeast

A Northeast neighborhood staple, Hazel’s serves breakfast Tuesday through Sunday from 8am to 2pm in a cozy, casual space. Local favorites include Drunken Banana french toast made with cinnamon swirl bread, run-soaked raisins, and homemade caramel, chicken fried steak smothered in sausage gravy, and slow-cooked brisket hash. Oh, and the Meat Waffle. Yes, the Meat Waffle. (If you’ve got a strict timeline for your day, be sure to make a reservation—wait times can add up!)

Our Kitchen

Serving up classic Americana breakfast in Southwest Minneapolis since 1941, this cozy (read: tiny) family-owned favorite offers staples like pancakes, french toast, omelettes, breakfast sandwiches, and loaded hash browns with ultra-friendly service weekdays starting at 6:30 and weekends starting at 7am. In warmer months, the space has a little more breathing room thanks to sidewalk tables, but be prepared for a wait year-round!

Maria's Café

At Maria's Café on Franklin Avenue, you’ll find an authentic Colombian breakfast and extremely friendly staff at this neighborhood gem. Ripe plantain pancakes, cachapas venezolanas (corn pancakes with Cojita cheese), and omelets with Colombian twists are delicious here. On some weekends, you’ll even hear live music.

Hen House Eatery

This women-owned, all-day breakfast spot in downtown Minneapolis focuses on locally sourced ingredients, a long list of specialty breakfast cocktails, and baked goods including maple bacon cinnamon rolls and dozens of housemade bars (from Triple Berry to Oreo Cheese Cake). The breakfast menu includes classics as well as Spanish breakfasts inspired by co-owner Maribel Cuadros Perrault’s upbringing in central Spain. The full breakfast menu is served in the colorful, homey eatery weekdays 7am-3pm and weekends 7:30am-2pm.

Hell’s Kitchen

If breakfast isn’t breakfast without a Bloody Mary, Hell’s Kitchen is for you. This employee-owned, underground downtown Minneapolis institution is perhaps best known for its award-winning Bloody Mary, but perhaps should be better known for its regional specialties, like beer-battered walleye bites, Native-harvested, hand-parched wild rice porridge, loaded rosti potatoes, and Maple-Glazed Bison sausage. Breakfast Brunch is often served to the tune of live music starting at 10am.

Keys at the Foshay

A true Twin Cities classic, Key’s (located on the street level of the historic Foshay Tower, now the W Minneapolis hotel) does old-fashioned breakfast right with options for every appetite, with a focus on homestyle classics like omelets, loaded hash browns, breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, buttermilk or buckwheat pancakes, and homemade bread. Dining with folks avoiding gluten? Keys goes above and beyond with gluten-free pancakes, waffles, and French toast. Breakfast is served daily, 8am to 2pm.

Eggy’s Diner

With a menu inspired by American diners from the 1960s, the spacious and modern Eggy’s serves up homestyle breakfast and lunch comfort foods with an indulgent twist—think Crunchy Nutella French toast (pan fried in a crunchy corn flake batter), omelets stuffed with pulled pork and queso fresco, and breakfast poutine topped with cheese curds, sausage gravy, and two eggs.

Dave’s Downtown

This downtown institution in the Minneapolis Skyway takes the concept of “family-owned and operated” to a new level—the space is managed by David & Sue Barnier and their nine kids! Located in the Oracle building on 9th St, Dave’s Downtown serves classic breakfast plates for dine-in or takeout Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 10:30 am.

The Freehouse

Breakfast at a brewpub? You betcha. This North Loop favorite’s motto is “Breakfast to Beer,” which means if you’re staying in the area, you might not need to eat anywhere else. Breakfast is served all day—which means you can get chilaquiles at 8am, breakfast burrito at noon, or oatmeal pancakes at 11pm. With a wide array of house and guest brews on tap, you’ll be sure to find something to pair with your breakfast meal, any time of day. Coffee stout, anyone?

The Lowry

So one friend wants oysters and martinis, another wants pasta and red wine, a third wants a burger and a beer, and you want French toast and a bloody mary. Oh, and it’s 9pm. Where can you go?! The answer is the Lowry. Breakfast starts at 8am and goes all day long—so no matter what you’re craving, you’ll be able to sidle up to a luxe boothe and dig in.

Nicollet Diner

Craving breakfast at an odd hour? Then this is the place for you. A classic diner experience where breakfast is served all day, 24 hours a day and has all the traditional breakfast favorites. Omelette, breakfast quesdilla, French toast, chicken and waffles? You got it!

Uptown Diner

Open 24 hours Thursday through Saturday and 7am to 10pm the rest of the week, this all-day Uptown breakfast joint is the place to go for midnight pancakes (Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pancakes, to be precise). In addition to the ‘cakes, you’ll find five different benedicts, french toast, waffles, build-your-own omelets, classic breakfast combos, and house specialties like gyro omelets and blackened catfish with eggs and hashbrowns. Wash it all down with a house blend organic fair-trade coffee, and you won’t even notice it’s 3am.

Hi-Lo Diner

If you like your diners looking like they came off a movie set, Hi-Lo is your jam. It doesn’t just look classic, it is classic—an original 1957 Fodero Diner relocated from Gibsonia, PA, complete with teal vinyl booths and lots of chrome. Serving breakfast all day from 9am-9pm, Hi-Lo’s signature dish is the Hi-Top, a housemade, puffed-up donut topped with a variety of tasty add-ons, like buttermilk fried chicken, pulled pork, or apples and caramel.

Café Alma

The more casual side of Alma’s tony Northeast restaurant and hotel, Café Alma’s all-day breakfast menu incudes house-made pastries, oatmeal, baked egg strata with housemade bread, and four different egg sandwiches in a setting that’s both relaxed and chic. Breakfast is served Tuesday–Sunday, 8am–5pm. Pro tip: If you stay in one of the boutique hotel’s seven romantic rooms, daily bakery breakfast and coffee is included.

Gray Fox Coffee

With several locations in Downtown and Uptown, Gray Fox offers unique coffee drinks with quirky foam art, savory breakfast sandwiches, and—for the health conscious in your crowd—a good selection of smoothie bowls. Try the very-Instagrammable Blue smoothie bowl with tropical fruit, blue spirulina, dried mango, chia seeds, coconut flakes, and banana.

Rise Bagel Co.

Serving up artisan “Minneapolis-style” bagels Wednesday through Sunday from 8am to 1 pm (or until they sell out). You can order online and pick up quickly—skipping the line that often forms—if you’re in a hurry. In addition to organic bagels, schmear (both dairy and cashew-based), you can also get brunch-y bagel sandwiches from the simple (eggs or plant-based JUST eggs) to loaded (like the Artisan, with eggs, bacon, havarti, arugula, rosemary butter, and apple butter).

If your idea of breakfast perfections is pastries and a coffee, a few Minneapolis bakeries should be on your must-eat list. Patisserie 46 is a Parisian-style dream for pastry lovers in Tangletown, serving world-class French pastries, breads, and desserts. The Kouign-Amann and croissants are especially noteworthy. You’ll enjoy housemade biscuits loaded with your choice of fillings alongside an array of sweet and savory baked goods and breads at Sun Street Breads in Kingfield, Tuesday through Sunday from 6:30 to 2pm. At Isles Bun & Coffee, you’ll join the line of locals waiting for cult-favorite buns—think Cinnamon and Caramel Pecan and kid-favorite Puppy Dog Tails—a few blocks from Lake Harriet. At Butter Bakery Cafe on Nicollet, you’ll enjoy freshly baked pastries and treats (think cinnamon biscuits, coffee cake, banana bread, scones, housemade granola, and cookes), 7 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday and from 8 am to 2 pm Saturdays. (Heads up: If you’re a fan of fancy espresso drinks, Butter has you covered!)