Minneapolis-St. Paul's Best Restaurants for Brunch

Baldamar
Roseville

The endangered species that is the brunch buffet is alive and thriving at this swank suburban steakhouse. Baldamar's Sunday ode to excess hits all the right buttons, and then some, with a massive assortment that includes — but is not limited to — carved-to-order prime rib, shrimp cocktail, lobster ravioli, lox and bagels, apple- and caramel-topped French toast, egg dishes, smoked meats, an impressive charcuterie-cheese assortment, and a parade of sweets.

FireLake Grill House
Bloomington 

With its 32 million annual visitors, the Mall of America is the state’s No. 1 tourist destination. Locals call it the megamall, and with good reason, as it is home to nearly 500 stores, a theme park, an aquarium, two hotels and more than five dozen restaurants. 

For brunch, trade the mall’s constant sensory overload for this comfortable refuge of a dining room, which has looks that an HGTV talking head might enthusiastically describe as “Swedish Farmhouse Modern.” Along with featuring most major breakfast standards, the menu also embraces Midwestern culinary icons such as delicate walleye cakes, mushroom-enriched wild rice soup, squeaky-fresh cheese curds, and bison burgers.

Hola Arepa 
Minneapolis

James Beard Award-winning chef/owner Christina Nguyen launched her arepa-centric restaurant as a food truck, then maintained the same playful approach to hospitality when the business later morphed into a brick-and-mortar establishment. Yes, there’s a long list of brunch-ified arepa sandwiches (the slow-roasted pork and hot honey chicken variations make highly positive lasting impressions), but Nguyen expands her scope with a fried yuca-chorizo hash, fried chicken and cachapa, and sweet corn pancakes drizzled with chipotle-infused maple syrup. All kinds of tropical cocktails overseen by co-owner Birk Grudem, too.  

Khâluna
Minneapolis

The striking atmosphere at Khâluna exudes such major southeast Asian-getaway vibes that it could serve as a setting for an episode of “The White Lotus.” The journey continues on the menu, with chef/owner Ann Ahmed spotlighting flavors and traditions from her native Laos. 

At Sunday brunch, that includes braised five-spice pork belly with pickled mustard greens, and a spectacular rice porridge with duck prepared two ways: confit-style leg, and crispy skin. Ahmed also pulls in a few star starters from her evening menu (shrimp rolls and Thai basil chicken wings, hurrah), and keeps the bar busy with colorful brunch-focused cocktails. 

Martina
Minneapolis

The first of what is now a long list of restaurants by chef/owner Daniel del Prado opened in 2017, and from the get-go, Martina was a prime weekend brunch destination. It still is. And with good reason: Del Prado, a Buenos Aires transplant, has crafted a menu based on the food he was fed at home as a kid. We should all be raised so well. 

Highlights include golden (and gluten-free) almond-flour pancakes, a glorious lobster roll crowned with an oozy-yolk fried egg, empanadas filled with gorgonzola and creamed leeks, churro-like hash browns, and a hedonistic crab Benedict. 

The boisterous dining room — a prime people-watching platform — is a definite plus.

Meritage
St. Paul

Before making the Twin Cities his home, Meritage chef/owner Russell Klein trained in top New York City restaurants, and that sterling resume shines through in the kitchen’s scrupulous, French-accented output. At Sunday brunch there are all kinds of dishes that place œufs (that’s French for eggs) at the forefront — expertly composed omelets, quiche, a croque madame — along with bistro staples, including steak tartare, onion soup and fries with Bearnaise sauce. Ordering the popover-esque beignets is a no-brainer. 

Meritage is also home to the state’s top-performing raw bar, and its urbane sidewalk patio is a ‘beaut. 

Mill City Farmers Market
Minneapolis

From May through October, this Saturday morning hotspot draws crowds for its prime Minneapolis riverfront location, carefully curated mix of farmer/maker vendors and wide range of breakfast options. 

Standouts start with the creative tamales, burritos and tacos at Chef Shack, one of the metro area’s pioneering food trucks; the pizzas and frittatas baked in a wood-burning oven at Northern Fires Pizza; and the steamed Tibetan potstickers filled with locally-raised chicken — then doused with a lively cilantro-mint chutney — at MomoDosa. 

Those in search of pastries can peruse the handiwork at a half-dozen bakeries (of special note are the warm biscuits slathered in butter and house-made preserves at Vikings & Goddesses Pie Co.), and coffee drinkers will appreciate Café Palmira, where owner Carlos Palacios roasts beans grown and harvested on his family’s farm in Guatemala. 

Minari
Minneapolis

Dim sum devotees will appreciate this stylish newcomer. During his popular weekend brunch, chef/owner Jeff Watson playfully filters dim sum traditions through his Korean heritage and enviable resume, which includes stints in several top-rated Twin Cities kitchens. The options change frequently, but they might include shrimp- and pork-filled dumplings, fried prawns, Szechuan-style ribs and a BLT-gimbap mash-up. 

Another plus? Fresh oysters, dressed with a lemongrass mignonette and a Korean spicy-sweet condiment.

Owamni
Minneapolis

The nation’s best new restaurant at the 2022 James Beard Awards is named for the Dakota word for the nearby waterfalls. Talk about a priceless location: As the only major cataract on the Mississippi River, the falls are a sacred site for the region’s Indigenous people, as well as the birthplace of Minneapolis. 

Take a seat at the counter and watch as chef/owner Sean Sherman and his crew brilliantly demonstrate the limitless appeal of North American ingredients. At weekend brunch, that mission translates into delicacies along the lines of richly flavorful corn cakes topped with huckleberry-cured salmon, or chilaquiles fortified with bison brisket and a duck egg. 

Reverie
Minneapolis

Inventive plant-based cooking is the focus at this casual Powderhorn Park favorite. At weekend brunch, bowls, burritos and Benedicts all make fine use of Just Egg, a commercially prepared plant-based egg substitute. The kitchen’s bakers turn out an impressive vegan biscuit, smothering it with mushroom gravy or using it for a breakfast sandwich. The bar sources a well-rounded roster of locally produced kombuchas, beers and switchels, and the house-baked cinnamon roll, sweetened with dates, is a treat.

RH Rooftop Restaurant
Edina

What a room! The store formerly known as Restoration Hardware has embraced the restaurant business, big time. The setting is a sunshine-filled combination of Victorian greenhouse and Las Vegas glitz, complete with massive crystal chandeliers, a splashing fountain and enough boxwood to trim the garden of a minor British royal. Most brunch classics are present and accounted for – omelets, waffles, pancakes, scrambles and Benedicts, all rigorously prepared – along with a few happy indulgences that suit the setting, including blinis with caviar, a lavish lobster roll and a well-edited wine list. The chocolate chip cookies are a must.

Saint Genevieve
Minneapolis 

Decisions, decisions. At this cozy ode to Parisian buvettes, the first task is selecting one of the bar’s by-the-glass Champagne options. From there, more verdicts await. Will it be the buckwheat crepes, laden with mushrooms and Brie? The salmon mousse tartines? The puffy gougères, buried under a boudin blanc gravy? Or the French toast, made with custard-soaked brioche and topped with luscious house-made ricotta? 

As for ordering the beignets, that’s a given.

Spoon and Stable
Minneapolis

Chef/owner Gavin Kaysen’s flagship restaurant pleases on multiple levels. The loft-like setting and hospitable service staff are major draws, and the bar’s libations are standard-setters. Working in theatrical, front-and-center quarters, the kitchen crew produces one of the city’s leading Sunday brunches. 

Expect to encounter just-right omelets filled with smoked trout and herb-flecked ricotta, sorghum-sweetened waffles, bison tartare dressed with a harissa-infused aioli, a sigh-inducing croque madame and a clever roasted-beet Benedict. 

Pastry chef Alexandra Motz’s work is not to be missed. 

Tongue in Cheek
St. Paul

This modest storefront on St. Paul’s rejuvenating east side might seem like an unlikely brunch destination, but think again. Chef/owner Leonard Anderson’s dynamic, forward-thinking cooking upends expectations, turning status-quo items such as chicken and waffles, eggs Benedict and omelets into fun-loving, eye-opening works of edible art. 

Take advantage of a multi-course, fixed-price option for $38.

W.A. Frost & Company
St. Paul

It’s all about the setting at this Cathedral Hill landmark. Housed in a Victorian commercial block (the restaurant’s name comes from an original 1889 tenant, a drug store), the dining rooms and bar occupy spaces so sumptuously romantic that they would make Ralph Lauren proud. Outside, the enormous, flower-filled patio, shaded in towering trees and softened by a gurgling fountain, is one of the Twin Cities’ most memorable summertime venues. 

Still, chef Grant Nelson’s cooking is not overshadowed by the ambience, especially at weekend brunch, where a dozen or so classics — shrimp and grits, lemon-ricotta pancakes, eggs Benedict, an ever-changing quiche — more than satisfy.