Al's Breakfast occupies a narrow 14-seat counter squeezed into a Dinkytown storefront near the University of Minnesota, a space with a history stretching back to 1938 as a lunch counter before Al Bergstrom bought it in 1950 and renamed it Al's. The restaurant is now owned and operated by Doug Grina and Alison Kirwin, who've kept the format intact: no freezer, no deep fryer, no microwave, just scratch-made breakfast food out of a kitchen with no room for anything else.
Blueberry pancakes and hash browns are the dishes reviewers bring up most, the kind of order regulars build weekday mornings around at the counter, with a wait for a stool treated as part of the routine.
The James Beard Foundation named Al's Breakfast an America's Classics winner in 2004, and Eater has included it among its Minneapolis essentials.
Blueberry pancakes and hash browns are the dishes reviewers bring up most, the kind of order regulars build weekday mornings around at the counter, with a wait for a stool treated as part of the routine.
The James Beard Foundation named Al's Breakfast an America's Classics winner in 2004, and Eater has included it among its Minneapolis essentials.