Al's Breakfast

The overview

Fourteen stools of Dinkytown legend

Al's Breakfast is a fourteen-seat counter in a ten-foot-wide Dinkytown alleyway, the narrowest restaurant in Minneapolis and, since 1950, one of its most beloved. Cooks work the griddle inches from the stools, turning out blueberry pancakes, hash browns, and eggs with no freezer, fryer, or microwave in sight.

A James Beard America's Classic where regulars wait behind seated diners and cover each other's tabs, Al's is a genuine institution — cash only, cramped, and unfailingly great.

The public record

What reviewers already knew.

A Centurion Award doesn’t replace the public record — it verifies it. Read it for yourself, on the platforms where it lives.

Google Maps
Reviews, photos & directions Read reviews →

Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.

The verification

Why this business cleared the bar.

Selection is by the published criteria, evaluated on public evidence. Al's Breakfast cleared every one.

✓Years in operation. Operating in Minneapolis since 1950 — 75 years of continuous business.
✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in Minneapolis.
✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: Minneapolis has kept Al's Breakfast busy for 75 years.
✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by Minneapolis regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
✓Recognition in the local community. Named best breakfast counter in Minneapolis for 2025 for seven decades of pancakes served from a ten-foot-wide diner with fourteen stools.

The full verification report — the specific data behind this award — is held by the business. The exact thresholds stay internal so the bar can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.

Award record

2025

Best Breakfast Counter in Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation

All awards for Al's Breakfast →

Visit Al's Breakfast

Websitealsbreakfastmpls.com ↗

Location413 14th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414

In business since1950

Find them onTripadvisor · Yelp

Facts at a glance

The sourceable record.

Clean, checkable facts about Al's Breakfast — for readers, search engines, and answer tools alike.

Legal / trading name: Al's Breakfast
Category: Restaurant
Founded: 1950, Minneapolis, MN
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Centurion Award: Best Breakfast Counter in Minneapolis — 2025
Record last verified: July 2026

A signal you can check.

This is a dated award record, published by The Centurion Awards after Al's Breakfast cleared the 2025 evaluation for its market and category. It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — the criteria are public, only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. For everything else — hours, bookings, live reviews — go straight to the business itself.

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions.

What is Al's Breakfast?

Ten feet wide, fourteen stools, and a line out the door since 1950, Al's is Dinkytown's nationally honored breakfast legend.

Is Al's Breakfast award-winning?

Yes — Al's Breakfast is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best Breakfast Counter in Minneapolis, a verified, criteria-based award. Named best breakfast counter in Minneapolis for 2025 for seven decades of pancakes served from a ten-foot-wide diner with fourteen stools.

Where is Al's Breakfast?

Al's Breakfast is in Minneapolis, MN.