These Are the Best Brunch Restaurants in Minnesota for 2024

I don't always go out for brunch, but when I do I want it to be SO good. I'm not saying it needs to be fancy, it just needs to taste really good.

I go out for brunch maybe a couple of times a year mostly because when I don't need to come to work I'm slow and lazy in the morning. But no matter if you go to brunch once a year or once a week, I've got some places that you need to try.

ALSO READ: The Worst Pizza in Minnesota According to One Bite Pizza Reviews

When Did Brunch Become a Thing?

It's easy to see that 'brunch' is just a combination of the words 'breakfast' and 'lunch' but when and why did people start enjoying brunch in the first place?

There are different theories for where brunch came from. Some say it's from Catholics fasting before Sunday mass and then having a big meal afterward. Others say that it came from New York since so many brunch foods are traced back to New York.

The Smithsonian Magazine actually has a whole article about where brunch came from and it dates back to the 1930s.

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The Smithsonian writes that it's believed brunch started when Hollywood actors would take train trips and frequently stop in Chicago "to enjoy a late morning meal. It was a meal championed by hotels since most restaurants were closed on Sundays and, with church attendance flagging after World War II, people were looking for a new social outlet that also let them sleep in a bit."

And thus, brunch was born!

It's also interesting to note that the word 'brunch' can actually be found all the way back in an 1895 Hunter's Weekly article by a British author named Guy Beringer. It was called 'Brunch: A Plea' and in, it Guy wrote,

''Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting. It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.''

Minnesota's Best Brunch Spots

If you would like to partake in this "cheerful, sociable and inciting" meal, there are a few spots you should definitely check out in Minnesota according to OpenTable.

OpenTable has a list of the 2024 Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in the US. Making the list are two Minnesota spots! Let's check them out.

Baldmar

Baldmar is located in Roseville, MN and is one of OpenTable's top spots for brunch. I've written about Baldmar before so they are definitely a restaurant to check out. It's a fancier place, though.

Lake Elmo Inn

Also making OpenTable's list is Lake Elmo Inn in Lake Elmo, MN. With a name like Lake Elmo Inn, I assumed it would be a bit more casual, but I was wrong. Google lists it as 'fine dining'.