St Paul's Best Brunch

Brunch in St. Paul is a serious civic undertaking, a weekend ritual that demands strategy and a working knowledge of parking lots.

We chased the city’s best plates from the runway views at Holman’s Table to the quiet, bookish booths of Day by Day Cafe, where bottomless coffee makes time irrelevant. Along the way, we weighed the theatrical pull of a pork belly biscuit against the simple perfection of a $15 hash brown.

The wait at Highland Grill is genuinely annoying, but the oatmeal pancakes justify the grudge. These are the places where the city actually gathers.

Consider this your table.

Hope Breakfast Bar - St. Paul

Highlights
Seasonal menu, never disappoints
Spacious patio, lovely atmosphere
Stellar strawberry matcha
Pork belly biscuit shines
Carrot cake pancakes win

Hope Breakfast Bar runs a seasonal operation that never disappoints, and the patio is spacious enough to feel like a small escape. The pork belly biscuit shines with salt and flake, though the carrot cake pancakes win the morning’s affections. The strawberry matcha arrives with a quiet, verdant sweetness, a stellar choice if you lean less toward coffee. Service moves with the ease of a place that knows its rhythm. A reliable anchor in St. Paul’s brunch rotation.

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Holman's Table

Highlights
Airport runway views
Walleye without breading
Mimoas built to share
Pastry chef banana bread
Prompt, unrushed service

Holman’s Table separates itself with airport runway views, which sounds gimmicky until you watch the planes rise while you rise from your seat for a second mimosa. Those mimosas are built to share, and they should be. The walleye, served without breading, is delicate and precise. Pastry chef’s banana bread arrives warm, with butter melting into the slices. Service is prompt but never rushed. A brunch that leans into the theatrical without losing the food’s calm center.

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Golden Thyme Restaurant & Bar

Highlights
Southern menu done right
Jambalaya linguine with rich sauce
Friendly, knowledgeable staff
Soft, toasted sandwich buns
Family friendly, parking on site

Golden Thyme Restaurant & Bar does Southern food right, and the jambalaya linguine arrives with a sauce that stains the plate with rich, slow heat. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, quick to recommend the buns that are soft, toasted, and sturdy enough for a proper breakfast sandwich. Families fit easily, parking on site is a genuine luxury, and the room hums with neighborly chatter. It’s the kind of place that feels like a kept promise.

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Neighborhood Cafe

Highlights
Bike parking out front
Perfect sausage spice level
Crispy, well-priced hash browns
Under $15 per person
Worth the parking patience

Neighborhood Cafe keeps the morning simple and sharp. Bike parking out front sets the tone, and the hash browns come out crispy, golden, and well under the price of a fancy latte. The sausage hits a perfect spice level, gently prickly, then warm. You can eat well here for under fifteen dollars per person, which is increasingly rare. Patience is required for parking, but the reward is a no-nonsense brunch that respects your time and your wallet.

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The Buttered Tin

Highlights
Cinnamon rolls worth the splurge
Friendly staff, sharp suggestions
Large portions, counter service
Walleye tacos pack flavor
Cordon Bleu sandwich impresses

The Buttered Tin leans into indulgence, and the cinnamon rolls justify the splurge. The counter service is quick, and the staff offers sharp suggestions, steering you toward the walleye tacos that pack surprising flavor into each soft shell. Portions are generous, aggressive in their abundance. The Cordon Bleu sandwich impresses with a crisp crust and a satisfying pull of cheese. A place that knows brunch is not a subtle affair. It’s loud, but it’s delicious.

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Day by Day Cafe

Highlights
Cozy, bookish West 7th charm
Bottomless coffee, fair price
Gluten-free options done right
Private booths for long talks
Back patio with water features

Day by Day Cafe feels like a borrowed study on West 7th, with books on shelves and private booths that invite long conversations over bottomless coffee. The price is fair. Gluten-free options are handled without fanfare, just careful execution. The back patio offers a small water feature that hums in the background, a gentle white noise. Bring a friend, a newspaper, or a vague excuse to stay longer. This is brunch as a small ceremony.

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RSVP restaurant

Highlights
Salmon fillet, perfectly cooked
Excellent food, professional staff
Warm, welcoming brunch atmosphere
Great drinks and desserts

RSVP delivers a brunch that is both composed and warm. The salmon fillet arrives perfectly cooked, with a crisp skin that gives way to moist, flaky flesh. Service is professional but personable, attentive without hovering. The room’s ambiance says quiet luxury, and the drinks and desserts keep pace with the entrees. A place where you can celebrate a milestone or simply make a Tuesday feel like a holiday. It’s polished, but it doesn’t forget to be kind.

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Highland Grill

Highlights
Worth the weekend wait
Oatmeal pancakes are legendary
Big menu, tough choices
Solo diners welcome at counter
Daily soups beyond the basics

Highland Grill earned its weekend wait, and I say that with no small irritation at the line. The oatmeal pancakes are legendary, thick, studded with oats, and served with a pat of butter that melts into every crevice. The menu is enormous, making choices genuinely difficult, but the daily soups go beyond the usual tomato and lentil. Solo diners find a welcoming counter, where the staff pours coffee without asking. Worth the patience, if you have it.

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B.L. Restaurant, Bar and Cafe

Highlights
Spacious, comfortable, and clean
Bold, generous thin-crust pizza
Strong espresso, solid wine list
Indoor, outdoor, and smoking seating
Reliable repeat-worthy perfection

B.L. Restaurant, Bar and Cafe offers a brunch that feels like a well-oiled machine. The space is spacious, comfortable, and spotless, with seating options that include indoor, outdoor, and smoking sections. The thin-crust pizza is bold and generous, a brunch twist that works. Espresso comes strong, the wine list is solid, and the service is reliable enough to make you a repeat visitor. It’s not flashy, but perfection rarely is. This is consistency done right.

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Red Cow St. Paul

Highlights
Strong cocktails, swift service
Crispy Gouda hash perfection
Blues 2.0 flavor boldness
Quick seating even packed
Quality drinks, friendly staff

Red Cow St. Paul nails the modern brunch with efficiency. The cocktails are strong, the service is swift, and even when the place is packed, you find a seat quickly. The crispy Gouda hash is perfection, each cube of potato carrying a molten core of cheese. Blues 2.0 brings a bold, earthy flavor that lingers. The staff is friendly, pouring quality drinks without the pretension. A brunch that knows its strengths and plays them loud.

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La Fusion Cafe

Highlights
Curry bowl worth the drive
Crispy hash brown perfection
Clean, friendly, quiet mornings
Generous portions, fair prices
Savory crepe hits the spot

La Fusion Cafe is the kind of find you keep to yourself, but then the curry bowl forces you to tell a friend. It’s worth the drive, wherever you drive from. The hash browns are crisp and golden, a study in texture. Mornings here are quiet and clean, with staff that nods at regulars and still makes you feel welcome. Portions are generous, prices are fair, and the savory crepe hits the spot with its soft, yielding folds. A quiet hero of the brunch landscape.

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Meritage

Highlights
Attentive, unhurried service
Excellent oyster and wine pairings
Elegant outdoor patio seating
Skilled guidance through menu
Memorable French-inspired dishes

Meritage practices the art of unhurried brunch. The service is attentive, hovering just outside your peripheral vision, ready to guide you through an oyster selection or a wine pairing with skilled, easy confidence. The outdoor patio is elegant, with a stone floor and enough shade to keep the sun kind. The dishes are French-inspired, memorable, each plate arriving with a quiet assurance. You leave feeling fed, educated, and slightly spoiled. This is brunch as a fine, slow ritual.

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