Meet Minneapolis: We’ve broken down the key brunch spots to visit by neighborhood, but you can also check out popular food writer, Madison in Minneapolis’ favorite places to go!

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Downtown Minneapolis and the North Loop are brimming with casual and upscale brunch spots. For a classy and art-deco feel, visit the Key’s Café. This family-owned restaurant has multiple locations across the Twin Cities, but many Minneapolis locals have fond memories of brunch at this Foshay Tower restaurant. Try their seasonal pancakes or any of the brunch classics on the menu. If you’re looking for a “clucking good” brunch, look no further than Hen House Eatery. Your plate will be as colorful as the décor inside. They’re known for their cinnamon rolls baked fresh daily, and don’t miss their breakfast cocktails! Here, there’s more than mimosas to be had — how does a java-fashioned or a breakfast sangria sound?

Speaking of breakfast cocktails…Bloody Mary fans will love Hell’s Kitchen for their Jacked Up Bloody Mary Bar. It’s a 35-foot-long centerpiece with 243 hot sauces, gourmet rim salts, olives, meats, cheeses and peppers, and dozens of other garnishes. Round out your savory alcohol intake with the lemon ricotta hotcakes, which some say are “sell-your-soul-to-the-devil good.”

For an all-day breakfast spot, eat at the Nicollet Diner — they’re open 24/7! Get traditional breakfasts here, like hash browns, steak and eggs, and chicken and waffles. Down the street is the Muffin Top Café. You’ll find a delicious bacon breakfast sandwich and handcrafted coffee drinks. If you come on a Saturday morning, sip your coffee to live music. Both the Nicollet Diner and the Muffin Top Café are conveniently located by the Minneapolis Convention Center and Loring Park.

For an indulgent brunch in an upscale restaurant, we recommend Giulia at Hotel Emery. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the Tiramisu Zeppole with caffe chocolate and mascarpone (pictured above) or the sweet and salty Mafia Bacon coated with brown sugar, orange, maple, and chilis. But if savory brunch is more your speed, try the mouthwatering L’Aragosta Benedette (poached eggs with lobster tail, escarole, polenta cake, and sundried tomato olandes).

In the North Loop, try NOLO’s Kitchen & Bar. Their unique breakfast fried rice and breakfast tacos are not to be missed! NOLO’s also serves some of the best chicken and waffles in the city and makes a decadent espresso martini (as long as there’s coffee it’s a breakfast drink, right?). At Cardamom, the Walker Art Center’s restaurant in the Lowry Hill neighborhood, there are a couple of prized brunch items influenced by Aegean and Mediterranean cuisine on the menu. Order the Turkish Eggs — they come with a lamb kebab, potato crisps, chili oil, labneh, and herbs.

Hazel’s is what we picture when we think “classic neighborhood brunch.” It’s got a homey atmosphere and serves a range of reliably tasty breakfasts. Share one of their caramel pecan rolls, and don’t skip out on the waffles or their hash browns, which are served like cheesy potato pancakes. The Buttered Tin also serves up outstanding potatoes, and their loaded hash browns that come stuffed with whatever’s fresh that day will leave you happy. For a well-rounded brunch, order the pierogies, eggs, and sausage (the pierogies and polish sausage come from the infamous Kramarczuk Sausage Co). Don’t miss their flight of mimosas; you can try the classic orange, lavender lemon, and pomegranate.

At STEPCHLD, brunch is a blend of international flavors and American cooking techniques. If you love a sweet and decadent meal, order the sweet potato fritters or the blueberry ricotta pancakes. Savory brunch-lovers will enjoy the corn and potato pancakes with pork belly or the smoked salmon eggs benedict.

While Marty’s Deli isn’t a traditional brunch spot, it’s our pick for the best breakfast sandwiches in Minneapolis. All their egg and cheese sandwiches are made on their garlicy, salted, house-made focaccia and can be customized by adding veggies, bacon, sausage, or hash browns. Breakfast sandwiches are only served until 11 am, so rise and shine!

Al’s Breakfast has been a staple in Dinkytown (near the University of Minnesota) since the 1940s. This old-school, 14-seat diner serves incredible and classic made-from-scratch breakfasts. You might consider arriving 10 minutes before they open at 11 am to avoid waiting. But if you DO have to wait, the food and friendly customer service is worth it. You can even buy a quart of pancake batter to make at home! Al’s is cash-only.

A bit further east is Surly Beer Hall in Prospect Park. Yes, Surly is known for their beer, but they also serve up a delicious brunch with a brewery twist every Sunday. They’ve got a breakfast burger (with egg, bacon, and cheddar cheese), four kinds of breakfast burritos, and other brunch classics. Try one of their breakfast beer cocktails, which have a rosé lager or hard seltzer as the base.

When you think of brunch, you probably don’t picture pizza (unless it’s cold leftovers after a night out). But you’ve got to try Wrektangle’s Very Nice Breakfast Pizza at the Market at Malcolm Yards, right next across the street from Surly. This Detroit-style pizza is topped with cheddar jack cheese, sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon jam, and fried sage and just won Good Morning America’s competition for the best pizza in the U.S. This pizza paired with a beer from the self-pour tap wall…delish.

For a farmhouse brunch and bottomless mimosas, visit The Copper Hen in Uptown. Bagel and lox, potato and egg skillets, country quiches, brioche cinnamon rolls…every member of your brunch party will be satisfied. Order bottomless mimosas for $13.50 along with your entrée and save room, because you’ll be enticed by their cupcakes and boozy desserts on the way out.

Say you want to feel transported out of the neighborhood…Hola Arepa will send you somewhere tropical, especially if you visit them in the winter. Hola Arepa’s brunch is known for, well, their breakfast arepas, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the plates, snacks, or sweets menus. Plus, their food is very friendly towards those with dietary restrictions, and everything is gluten-free.

The Uptown Diner is another well-loved neighborhood favorite. It’s also one of the top pics of locals for hangover brunches – simple, good food and big portions is the norm here. The staff is known for their friendliness, plus there is ample free parking in their lot.

Between Bde Maka Ska and Lake Harriet, you’ll find Martina in Linden Hills. Inspired by family ties to Argentina and Italy, their brunch menu is high-end and features lobster toast, potato churros, crab benedict, and more. Also on the menu are an array of elevated cocktails, like the Arancia, made of milk punch vodka, orange bitters, and cacao nib.

Victor’s 1959 Café is a little piece of Cuba in the Kingfield neighborhood. Ordering a coffee with your brunch is a must here – try the Cafecito, cortadito, or café con leche. For an authentic Cuban breakfast, order a mango pancake to share and any of their breakfasts (reviewers love the Basque scrambler and the arroz a la Cubana) that come with black beans, yucca fries, or sweet plantains.

For another transportive brunch, we recommend Khâluna. Inside feels like a resort far-far-away, and the menu is influenced by Laotian flavors. The tempura fried chicken wings with sticky rice patties and maple syrup are a crowd favorite, as well as the French toast, which comes with ever so lovely masala chai butter and chai syrup.

Not far is The Lowbrow, which serves up anything you can think of. Jalapeno hash, chorizo breakfast tacos, bacon pancakes…kids and adults will both love their spread. What’s even better is that The Lowbrow uses locally farmed and sustainably grown ingredients and offers gluten-free and vegan options.

In Longfellow, the Hi Lo Diner gives you an old-school, and some might even say historical, brunch experience (it’s an original 1957 Fodero Diner that was relocated from Pennsylvania to Minneapolis). Here, they’re known for the Hi-Tops, sweet and savory flavor combinations on top of their house-made donut. For example, the Notorious P.I.G. has pulled pork, an egg, black beans, and corn salsa piled high a not-too-sweet donut.

For a weekend brunch, visit The Lowry Café. Skillets, omelets, pancakes, grits…they’ve got a classic selection for brunch!

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