Zumbro Cafe

2803 W 43rd St. (Linden Hills)
Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 920-3606

Category: Breakfast

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 6
Service: 7
Ambience: 7

Recommendation: Good. This cute Linden Hills eatery which is only open for breakfast and lunch is always bustling with the neighborhood crowd.

Minneapolis is full of cute neighborhoods, many of which seriously lack good eating options for the residents, and it seems like the restaurant community is starting to notice. We have seen the emergence of new neighborhood restaurants such as Café Maude and Crave but the Linden Hills area has some mainstays (Café 28, Zumbro Café, Rice Paper) and they all seem to be doing pretty well. Zumbro Café has the feel of a contemporary cabin – copious use of light wood complemented by large windows and minimalist décor. We were at Zumbro the day of the first large snowfall this year and that only added to the holiday atmosphere in the neighborhood – Santa on the street, a horse drawn carriage giving rides, people standing around a log fire on the sidewalk, and carolers going door to door.

Zumbro is only open for breakfast and lunch and the menu therefore consists of breakfast options and some salads and sandwiches. The Hot Chocolate here is abysmal – watery and lacks any chocolate flavor. Luckily for us, the entrees were considerably better. The Eggs Benedict was excellent - all the ingredients were fresh and the hollandaise was creamy but not overwhelming. The Portabella Mushroom, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Frittata was good, but not consistent – Natasha’s didn’t have enough cheese and didn’t taste as good as the one ordered by our friend. The Chicken with Wild Rice Hash is the signature dish but we weren’t impressed – it isn’t really a hash and we’d describe it more as a non-soupy version of the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, served with breakfast potatoes. Although the flavors were quite good, it doesn’t seem to fit the breakfast or lunch menus and we wouldn’t order it again. The Breakfast Potatoes served with each of our entrees could have been more crispy and smaller in size, but we really liked the sourdough bread. If you’re going for breakfast on the weekend, be prepared to wait as this place is real popular. Once you are seated, service is good and the food is brought out quickly.

$$. Breakfast for two with coffee, tax and tip was $30.