Start the stay off right with a hearty breakfast. The omelet, a perfect fluffy egg concoction mixed with fresh veggies and meats, will power you through your morning. Iowa’s award-winning and appetite-destroying breakfast places are serving up some of the best omelets around. Here are our 10 favorites.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Sunrise Cafe in Le Grand is everything and more you are looking for in a quality cafe. Featuring entree favorites like the beer-battered chicken strips and hot beef open-faced sandwiches, one of the many reasons to visit this neighborhood cafe is the wide assortment of omelets coming through the kitchen window. Western, veggie and meat-lover, there are many omelets to choose from including the build-your-own, and whatever variety you choose, don’t expect to leave the Sunrise Cafe feeling hungry.
While many people will tell you to visit the Leaf Kitchen in Iowa City for lunch, it’s really the breakfast and brunch menu that will have you coming back for a second helping. Leaf Kitchen recently received the coveted the “Best Restaurant” and Chef award from Edible Iowa River Valley magazine, and their food, and particularly their omelets prove that designation. Whether you go for the tomato feta or the ham asiago omelet, one bite will be enough to understand why Leaf Kitchen cooks up some of the best omelets in the state of Iowa.
Mullets of Des Moines is much more than just a breakfast and omelet spot, it’s a community gathering place for people to share a meal, sip some coffee (or any beverage of choice) and remark about the fun Des Moines has to offer. Part of that is the atmosphere and location of Mullets, festively decorated and situated along the Iowa River bike trail in Des Moines near Principal Park. Touted as the best breakfast in Iowa, for those omelet lovers out there it’s recommended to try the Cordon Bleu omelet complete with ham, chicken and Swiss cheese, plus a heaping helping of hollandaise sauce.
Tommy’s Cafe cuts straight to the breakfast and lunch business with their small storefront and counter, and if you want a breakfast done right, look no further than this classic Davenport establishment. Few frills and a lot of culinary thrills, Tommy’s Cafe is as functional as it is friendly, and the omelet selection, including a corn beef hash and E.T. omelet, will have you coming back to this simple-seeming neighborhood breakfast spot.
For a local spot that can’t be beat, Duncan’s Cafe in Council Bluffs has all your favorite breakfast items under one roof, with every entrée served with a smile. While you can’t go wrong with any breakfast order at this community eating spot, the omelets may very well take the breakfast gold at Duncan’s. Whether you go for the Denver variety, or the veggie, whichever three-egg combination you choose it will surely satisfy your appetite.
While Americana in Des Moines has quite the reputation for a being a hot spot in the downtown Des Moines nightlife scene, if you truly want to see people having the most fun in this hip, urban cafe, you’ll catch them enjoying the weekend brunch. Featuring bottomless mimosas and bloody Mary’s, as well as a customizable grilled cheese station, Americana also delivers big on traditional breakfast entrees, including delicious omelets.
Featuring a full line of all your favorite omelet varieties, and a few soon-to-be favorites, the PerKup Cafe in West Des Moines also has a deep menu of all the breakfast classics. Whether you go for the Kick It Up omelets with sausage, onion and jalapeno plus pepper jack cheese and spicy revenge sauce, or the Florentine complete with spinach, mushrooms and an Italian cheese blend, you won’t be disappointed with any order at West Des Moines own PerKup Cafe.
Featuring constantly rotating daily specials, Sigourney Cafe delivers on the home cooking you’d expect from a neighborhood cafe. While any breakfast, lunch or dinner option is the right one at Sigourney Cafe, like any great American cafe, it’s the all-day breakfast fares that keep Sigourney Cafe busy all day. Featuring omelets from across the country, including Western, Hawaiian and Texan varieties, if you are looking for a good omelet in a fun atmosphere, look no further than the booths at the Sigourney Cafe.
Featuring breakfast and beyond, Robin's Nest Cafe & Bakery constantly smells of something sweet and savory every time you walk through the door. Not only are the breakfast and lunch entrees an awesome reason to visit, but to add to your meal or take home with you, the bakery selection is worth the drive alone. Per omelet selection at Robin's Nest, consumers have a choice between Western, Mexican, vegetarian and more, but you can never go wrong with the build-your-own three-egg omelet.
No best of any breakfast menu would be complete without mentioning the Waveland Cafe on University Avenue in Des Moines. Home to the universally known best hash browns on the planet, the Waveland Cafe also conquers all other breakfast options including eggs benedict, chicken-fried steak and you better believe some first-class omelets. While the house-made specialty omelets won’t ever let you down, it’s the build-your-own feature that is best utilized at the Waveland Cafe.