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Rochester, Minnesota is rich with great places to eat breakfast. All kinds of cuisines, all kinds of styles, and all kinds of dietary needs (it is the home of Mayo Clinic, after all).

Fruit at restaurant table with pretty woman in background. (Rabe)
Fruit at a restaurant table with a pretty woman in the background. (Rabe)
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From simple eggs, toast, and hashbrowns to a fancy benedict, you'll find it in Rochester. But if you're only here for a few days, you want the best of the best, so where to eat breakfast?

You can check YELP, but you can never really trust there isn't some money making the reviews a little higher. TripAdvisor is better for some because of its travelers' reviews. But to get the lowdown on what the locals love, you gotta go to the source.

After two surveys and lots of conversations, these are the restaurants Rochester goes to for breakfast. Plus, as a bonus, if you keep scrolling, you'll find the best breakfasts out of Rochester, too. We have a lot of beautiful small towns around us that are very much worth exploring.

The Top 9 Breakfast Restaurants in Rochester, Minnesota

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9 - Canadian Honker - 1203 2nd St SW, Rochester, MN 

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What We Love Here: 

  • "Canadian Honkers Tripleberry Stuffed French Toast."
  • "Eggs Benedict with American fries. Or the Feta Florentine omelet. Great food with amazing service."
  • "When the weather is nice, sit outside! So fun to watch Rochester bustle by.

8 - Tap House West - 2365 Commerce Drive NW, Rochester, MN 

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What We Love Here: 

  • "They just started breakfast in January and it's delicious! Go for biscuits and gravy 😍"
  • "The blueberry pancakes and breakfast totchos for me."
    • We're assuming they mean the Hangover Totchos. Chicken, Pork or Steak. Tator Tots. Lettuce. Tomatoes. Cilantro. Queso. Cheese. Salsa. Pickled Jalapeños. Onions. Sour Cream.

Special Note: 

  • Open for breakfast on weekends only! 

7 - Hollandberry Pannekoeken - 214 N Broadway Ave, Rochester, MN 

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What We Love Here: 

  • "Hollandberry Pannekoeken has amazing omelettes and general breakfast items."
  • "The Dutch Skillet!"
  • "Rum Raisin Pannekoeken!"
    • What is a Rum Raisin Pannekoeken? It's a special Dutch pancake, in this case, stuffed with raisins and topped with a rum sauce

6 - Dunn Brothers / Blue Plate Diner - 120 Elton Hills Drive NW, Rochester, MN 

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What We Love Here: 

  • "Their Cajun Hash is AMAZING!! Then take home a caramel pecan roll."
  • "I love their Ham and Cheddar Quiche with a side of bacon."
  • "The biscuits and gravy plate or avocado toast with eggs and side salad. I parked myself in the back a bunch eating one or the other of these things (usually b&G - I am from the south) while completing my Master’s degree."

Special Location Notice

  • There are TWO Dunn Brothers locations in Rochester, this is the North (or Elton Hills Drive) location. I know it says that up there above the photo, but want to make sure you go to the correct location.

5 - Grandma's Kitchen - 1514 N Broadway Ave, Rochester, MN 

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What We Love Here: 

  • "Vegetable Omelet, Orange juice, and English Muffin."
  • "French toast!"
  • "LOVE their country-fried steak. You will not leave hungry."
  • I'm simple. Eggs over medium, hash browns crunchy, sausage patties (get the patties!), and toast.

Special Note: 

  • If you're dining on your own, sit at the counter. People eating here are super friendly and you will leave with a few new friends. 

4 - Benedict's - Inside Rochester's Hilton Downtown

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What We Love Here: 

  • "Omelets are awesome and you can't go wrong with their classic benedict."
  • "Benedict's Rochester Brioche French Toast. Stellar"
  • "If I start my weekend with their Brioche French Toast, I can take anything. Well, maybe not a t-ball tournament, but anything else!"

3 - Brothers Bar & Grill - 812 Broadway Ave S, Rochester, MN 

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What We Love Here: 

  • "Biscuits and gravy Omelets"
  • "French toast"
  • "awesome country fried steak"
  • "Get the country-fried steak omelet. Enough for two, and you'll probably take some home, this thing is huge. If you don't see it on the menu, ask for it anyway. They'll make it!"

Special Note: 

  • It's a bar, but it is full of families for breakfast. Super friendly service. There's a chance you'll see the owner hanging around, he's the super chill one. 

2 - Rooster's Too! - 4576 Maine Ave SE, Rochester, MN 

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What We Love Here: 

  • "Great pancakes!"
  • "Really good Wild Rice Omelette, with hash browns and sourdough toast."
  • "Sausage and gravy or just about anything else"
  • "Wild Rice Omelette...you're thinking it's weird right? I did the first time a friend ordered it. Not weird, amazing. Ham, mushrooms, cheddar jack cheese, and Minnesota Wild Rice"

Special Location Notice

  • There is also a Roosters, same owner, different location. This specific location got all the nods, so we're featuring this one, not far from Target, Wal-Mart, and hardware stores. Plus Mills Fleet Farm. Both have a multi-screen movie theater nearby, and they share the same menu. 

1 - Five West - 1991 Commerce Drive NW, Rochester, MN

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What We Love Here: 

  • "Sunrise with bacon, hash browns, and wheat toast! Yum! Yum!"
  • "Awesome breakfast!! Love the breakfast burrito and yummy french toast and delicious eggs Benedict!"
  • "Their eggs Benedict is amazing."
  • "Breakfast egg rolls or French toast. I go back and forth each time."

Special Note: 

  • They offer breakfast seven days a week, but on their website the weekends are listed under brunch. Like Brother's above, this has a very visible bar if that's a concern to you.

There are plenty of communities just a few miles from Rochester. Take a short drive to enjoy even more options.


The Top Breakfast Restaurants Outside Rochester, Minnesota

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1 - Tarsilla's Café - 112 N Main St, Stewartville, MN 55976

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What We Love Here

  • "The best biscuits and gravy!"
  • "You'll see a full menu, but ignore it. Just ask for the biscuits and gravy...and was born and raised in Missippi!"
  • "They have the best biscuits and gravy."

2 - Kenny's Oak Grill - 307 W Oakland Ave, Austin, MN 55912

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What We Love Here

  • "Best hash browns in Southern MN! Also fabulous eggs Benedict!!!"

3 - Betty Sue's Better Brew Cafe - 301 North S Main St, Pine Island, MN 55963

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What We Love Here

  • "The Mexican Skillet is perfect! Like a happy dance in my mouth."
  • "The best coffee you'll get from any breakfast place in Minnesota because it used to be a coffee shop!"
  • "Get the Bridget's Out of the Park! So much meat! Oh, and forget the pancakes, get the coffee cake! Om nom nom"

4 - Old School Cafe - 515 Clay St, Mantorville, MN 55955

Rabe
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What We Love Here

  • "It's an old schoolhouse! This place is legit!" (Son of the commenter)."
  • "Weekend breakfast and then antique shopping, perfect Saturday if you ask me."

Special Note: 

  • Breakfast is served only Saturday 8 AM to 11 AM and Sunday 8 AM to Noon. 

5 - Chickadee Cottage Cafe - 317 N Lakeshore Dr, Lake City, MN 55041

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What We Love Here

  • "My wife is super healthy, she gets the Quinoa Bowl, me, I live on the edge, so it's the Meatloaf Muffin!"
  • "My mom gets the same thing every time...Laure'n's Scone, comes with fruit and jam and she raves about it every time I see her!"

5.5. - B and B Bowl and Restaurant - Hiway 52, Preston, Minnesota

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What We Love Here

  • "Plate-sized pancakes and outstanding bacon."
  • "French toast and the chicken with waffles. Yum!!"
  • "I get the Stacked hashbrowns. Oh so yummy!"
    • What are Stacked Hashbrowns? Their menu says, A double order of hashbrowns stacked with American cheese, onions, tomatoes, green pepper, diced ham, mushrooms, green & black olives. Served with toast.

If you're looking for great pancakes, check 'em out!

Top 10 SE Minnesota Restaurants for Pancakes

Everyone knows the big ones, the Perkins, the Denny's, the Canadian Honker, Grandmas...but how 'bout some batter from off the beaten path?

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