RFK Rankings · Minneapolis
Best Brunch Restaurants in Minneapolis 2026
Weekend brunch and all-day breakfast · Minneapolis · 6 tables ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 15, 2026 · Updated June 15, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Minneapolis treats brunch as a weekend institution, and the strongest version of it still happens in a restored diner car: Hi-Lo Diner, a genuine 1957 streamliner hauled onto East Lake Street, where the line forms early for house donuts and a Juicy Lucy hash. The city's brunch runs on two tracks. The diner-and-cafe side, all-day eggs and hash in the neighborhoods, and the sit-down weekend kitchens that lean farm-to-table in the south-side bungalow districts. Patio season is short here, so the warm-weather decks fill fast from May to September. The six below are ranked on the cooking first, then the room and the weekend wait.
1.Hi-Lo Diner
A restored 1957 diner car serving house donuts and Juicy Lucy hash all day. Go early for the best brunch in town.
Hi-Lo Diner opened in 2016 inside a genuine 1957 Fodero diner car trucked from Pennsylvania to East Lake Street in the Longfellow neighborhood. It serves breakfast all day from 8am, and the brunch run is the reason to come: oversized house donuts, the Hi-Top sandwich, a Juicy Lucy breakfast hash and a strong list of cocktails for a diner. Most plates land in the low-to-mid teens.
It is walk-in only and the weekend line forms fast, so arrive before 10am on a Saturday or Sunday or settle in for a wait. The room is small and loud in the best diner way, with counter seats facing the line cooks. For an all-day breakfast that doubles as the city's signature brunch, this is the table.
Book it for the donuts, the diner-car room and an all-day weekend breakfast. | Skip it if you want a quiet, reservation-led sit-down brunch.
2.Hen House Eatery
Downtown's reliable all-day breakfast and bakery, with a full bar and weekend reservations. Go for an easy core-of-the-city brunch.
Hen House Eatery sits at 114 South 8th Street in the downtown core and is the easiest full brunch in the core. It runs breakfast all day from 7:30am on weekends, with a bakery case up front, a proper bar and a menu of benedicts, skillets, hash and house pastries. Plates run in the low-to-mid teens, and it is one of the few downtown rooms set up specifically for breakfast and brunch rather than lunch.
It takes reservations through its own site, which is worth using for a Saturday or Sunday late morning, though weekdays are usually a walk-in. The room is bright and roomy, good for a group or a work-adjacent brunch. For downtown convenience with a real kitchen behind it, this is the pick.
Book it for a downtown brunch with a bar, a bakery and bookable weekend tables. | Skip it if you want a neighborhood-cafe feel over a downtown room.
3.Tilia
Steven Brown's Linden Hills kitchen runs the sharpest sit-down weekend brunch in the city. Book it for eggs Benedict and chilaquiles.
Tilia is chef Steven Brown's long-running Linden Hills restaurant, a neighborhood room that turned into a destination for its dinner cooking and carries that standard into a weekend brunch. The brunch menu leans precise: a lighter take on eggs Benedict with house hollandaise, chilaquiles, and a well-built bloody Mary on the drinks list. Plates run from about eighteen to twenty-two dollars, the upper end of this list.
Weekend brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10am, and it takes reservations on Tock, which is the move here given how tight the room gets. This is the brunch to book when you want a kitchen rather than a cafe, and the cooking holds up against the restaurant's reputation at dinner.
Book it for a precise, sit-down weekend brunch from a serious kitchen. | Skip it if you want cheap and casual, or a weekday breakfast.
4.Victor's 1959 Cafe
A tiny graffiti-covered Cuban cafe pouring mango pancakes and strong cafe con leche. Go early on Sunday and bring patience.
Victor's 1959 Cafe in Kingfield has been south Minneapolis's cult Cuban brunch for decades, a tiny, marker-scrawled room at 38th and Grand that opens daily at 8am. The draw is the Cuban breakfast: mango pancakes, eggs with plantains, Cuban toast and a strong cafe con leche, most plates in the low-to-mid teens. It is cash-friendly, cramped and full of character.
It is walk-in only, the line is real, and by 10:30 on a Sunday the wait can run long, so come early or off-peak. There is a small patio in the warm months that helps with the crush. For a distinctive, decades-deep brunch that is unlike anywhere else in the city, this is the one to wait for.
Book it for mango pancakes, Cuban coffee and a one-of-a-kind room. | Skip it if you want elbow room or a short line on a Sunday.
5.Wise Acre Eatery
A farm-to-fork Tangletown kitchen with vegetable-forward plates and gluten-free options at weekend brunch. Go for a local, seasonal morning.
Wise Acre Eatery on Nicollet Avenue in Tangletown runs on its own farm, Sogn Valley, and that supply line shows up on the weekend brunch plate. It opens at 8am and serves breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch from a menu that leans seasonal and vegetable-forward, with strong meat-free options and named gluten-free dishes. Plates run in the low-to-mid teens.
It is walk-in only, with a patio that fills in the short warm season, so weekend mornings before 10am are the easy window. The room is relaxed and neighborhood-scaled, the kind of brunch that rewards a slow Sunday. For a local, farm-sourced brunch with real options for vegetarians, this is the south-side pick.
Book it for seasonal, farm-sourced plates and strong vegetarian and gluten-free options. | Skip it if you want a classic diner spread or a downtown location.
6.Isles Bun and Coffee
The cinnamon-roll counter by Lake of the Isles, home of the famous Puppy Dog Tails. Go for a sweet, grab-and-go brunch.
Isles Bun and Coffee is the bakery side of a Minneapolis brunch, a small counter near Lake of the Isles that has been baking its cinnamon rolls since the 1990s. The signature is the Puppy Dog Tails, cinnamon-sugar braided into brioche and drowned in cream cheese frosting, alongside scones, macaroons and good coffee. It is a few dollars a roll, not a full sit-down meal.
It opens at 6:30am most days, closed Mondays, and works best as a grab-and-go or a pre-walk stop by the lake rather than a table-service brunch. There is limited seating and a steady weekend crowd. For the sweet, bakery-counter version of a Minneapolis brunch, this is the stop to add on.
Book it for the cinnamon rolls, the coffee and a quick lakeside brunch stop. | Skip it if you want a full savory plate and table service.
Avoid for brunch
Closed, moved or not actually brunch
Lyn 65 (Richfield). The well-loved Richfield kitchen and bar has closed; its former team opened Lynette elsewhere, so the old brunch is gone. Do not drive out for it.
Petite León. The Kingfield Mexican spot closed at the end of 2025 and reopened as Company Bar, an evening neighborhood bar. The brunch menu it once ran no longer exists.
Colita and Bull's Horn. Both are strong south Minneapolis rooms, but they open at 4pm for dinner and do not serve brunch. Save them for an evening table instead.
How to book brunch in Minneapolis
Minneapolis brunch splits cleanly into reserve and walk-in. Tilia in Linden Hills books weekend brunch on Tock and Hen House Eatery takes reservations on its own site, both worth locking in for a Saturday or Sunday late morning when the rooms turn over fast. The rest of this list, Hi-Lo Diner, Victor's 1959 Cafe, Wise Acre Eatery and Isles Bun and Coffee, are walk-in only, and the weekend line is the real cost. Aim for a table before 10am on Saturday or Sunday; by 10:30 the waits at Hi-Lo and Victor's stretch out. Patio season is short, roughly May into September, so the warm-weather seats at Wise Acre and Victor's go first on a sunny morning. Tip about twenty percent at the sit-down tables, as you would at dinner, and bring cash-friendly habits to the smaller cafes. If you are a group, call ahead even at the walk-in rooms, since most are tight on space.
Frequently asked
Which Minneapolis restaurant has the best brunch?
Hi-Lo Diner on East Lake Street is the most-loved all-rounder, an all-day diner in a restored 1957 diner car known for its house donuts and Juicy Lucy hash. For a sit-down weekend brunch, Tilia in Linden Hills runs a tighter kitchen with eggs Benedict and chilaquiles. Hen House Eatery downtown is the easiest pick if you want a full breakfast in the core. All three serve brunch every weekend in 2026.
Do Minneapolis brunch spots take reservations?
It is mixed. Tilia takes weekend brunch reservations on Tock and Hen House Eatery books on its own site, both worth doing for Saturday and Sunday late mornings. Hi-Lo Diner, Victor's 1959 Cafe, Wise Acre Eatery and Isles Bun and Coffee are walk-in only, so arrive before 10am on weekends or expect a wait. Victor's in particular runs a long line by 10:30 on a Sunday.
What time does brunch start in Minneapolis?
Most kitchens open at 8am for breakfast and run brunch straight through to about 2pm. Hi-Lo Diner serves breakfast all day from 8am, Wise Acre Eatery and Victor's 1959 Cafe both open at 8am, and Hen House Eatery opens at 7:30am on weekends. Tilia starts weekend brunch at 10am. For the shortest wait at the walk-in spots, aim for a table before 10am, especially on Sunday.
Where is the best brunch in south Minneapolis?
South Minneapolis is the strongest brunch quarter in the city. Tilia in Linden Hills and Wise Acre Eatery in Tangletown both run farm-leaning weekend kitchens, Victor's 1959 Cafe in Kingfield serves a Cuban brunch with mango pancakes, and Isles Bun and Coffee near Lake of the Isles bakes the cinnamon rolls. Hi-Lo Diner sits a little east on Lake Street in Longfellow. Any of these makes a strong south-side weekend morning.
Is there good vegetarian brunch in Minneapolis?
Yes. Wise Acre Eatery in Tangletown is the standout, a farm-to-table kitchen with a strong run of vegetable-forward plates and named gluten-free options at brunch. Tilia and Hen House Eatery both carry solid meat-free benedicts and bowls. For a sweet vegetarian fix rather than a full plate, Isles Bun and Coffee near Lake of the Isles is the cinnamon-roll stop. Call ahead at the walk-in rooms if you need to confirm a specific dietary swap.
How much does brunch cost in Minneapolis?
Most brunch plates here run from about twelve to twenty-two dollars. The casual rooms, Hi-Lo Diner, Victor's 1959 Cafe, Wise Acre Eatery and Hen House Eatery, sit in the low-to-mid teens for eggs, hash and pancakes. Tilia in Linden Hills is the upper end at around eighteen to twenty-two dollars a plate. Isles Bun and Coffee is a few dollars for a roll and coffee. Tip about twenty percent at the sit-down tables, as usual.
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