The best brunch in Des Moines

Brunch is the meal Des Moines takes seriously, and the options have gotten genuinely good. Whether you want bottomless mimosas and a wait, a quiet from-scratch plate, or biscuits big enough to justify a nap, here is the shortlist worth your Saturday.

For the bottomless-brunch scene

Eggs & Jam in the East Village is the one everyone is talking about right now. It leans into the weekend-brunch energy, big scrambles, warm cinnamon rolls, and a bottomless option that turns a meal into a plan. Go with a group, and go a little early, because so does everyone else.

For elevated, sit-down brunch

Centro downtown is the dressed-up move. The long-running Italian spot stays reliably packed for weekend brunch, with real cocktails and a room that makes it feel like an occasion instead of an errand. This is your reservation-worthy pick.

For from-scratch everything

HomeGrown, with spots on Ingersoll and in West Des Moines, is the from-scratch favorite. The homemade pop-tarts in rotating seasonal flavors are the signature, but the whole menu has that made-this-morning quality. A great low-key, everyone's-happy choice.

For Southern comfort

Two ways to go here. Bubba in the East Village does modern Southern with the biscuits, the shrimp and grits, and the kind of plate that ends an argument. Tupelo Honey, out west, is the biscuit-forward, honey-on-everything option if you want the full Southern-brunch treatment.

For something a little different

Eatery A on Ingersoll runs its wood-fired, Mediterranean-leaning kitchen into brunch, so you can start the day with something off the usual eggs-and-toast script. And La Mie is the French-bakery answer: pastries, quiche, and a croissant worth the drive.

For the view

Mullets, tucked on the river on the south side, is the patio play. Get a table outside on a nice morning, order something easy, and take in the downtown skyline across the water. Brunch as a slow hang, not a race.

For a big, hearty Iowa breakfast

The Machine Shed in Urbandale is the farm-to-table-before-it-was-a-phrase institution: cinnamon rolls the size of a hubcap, skillets, and the kind of breakfast that assumes you have chores after. Touristy, sure. Also genuinely good, and very Iowa.

A few brunch rules

Reservations help at the sit-down spots (Centro, Eatery A), and walking in early beats the 10:30 rush everywhere. If bottomless mimosas are the goal, call ahead to confirm the deal and the cutoff time, since those change. And save room, because in this town the cinnamon roll is almost always the right call.

If you want the short list of where to eat, drink, and go out in Des Moines every week, that is exactly what we send. One email, no noise.