Brunch at The Breakfast Club isn’t a quiet catch-up over coffee — it’s a full-on daytime party with pancakes. From the moment you walk in, the energy is unmistakable: neon pops of color, throwback décor, a soundtrack that leans ’80s and ’90s, and a dining room that buzzes like it’s Saturday night, even at 9 a.m.
The Breakfast was selected by USA TODAY as one of the best brunch restaurants in America.
This is a place where mimosas are ordered in flights, Bloody Marys come loaded and no one blinks when dessert masquerades as breakfast. It’s rowdy without being chaotic, welcoming without being precious and designed for groups who want brunch to feel like an event rather than a meal. The Breakfast Club leans unapologetically into indulgence — big flavors, bold presentations and plates built to be shared, photographed and talked about long after the table clears. If your ideal brunch includes laughter, cocktails before noon and a little controlled excess, this is your spot.
What makes The Breakfast Club stand out
The Breakfast Club opened its first location in Des Moines’ East Village in February 2021, launching in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly becoming one of the metro’s most in-demand brunch destinations. The homegrown concept is owned and operated by Dark Side of the Spoon.
From the beginning, The Breakfast Club set out to make breakfast loud, indulgent and impossible to take too seriously. The dining rooms lean hard into an ’80s-meets-diner aesthetic with neon accents, colorful murals, throwback playlists and a playful irreverence that matches its menu. This is a place where brunch is treated like an event, where creative excess is the point, cocktails are encouraged before noon and familiar comfort foods are turned up to 11. That mix of high-energy atmosphere and scratch-made food has fueled rapid metro expansion and long weekend wait lists.
What to order at The Breakfast Club
The menu is intentionally over-the-top, built around craveable plates sized for sharing — or not.
Bananas Foster French toast is one of the restaurant’s most talked-about dishes, piling thick-cut French toast with caramelized bananas and rum-style caramel sauce for a sweet-start classic with real heft.
Loaded hashbrowns are a house specialty, with several variations that layer crispy potatoes under smoked meats, eggs, sauces and unexpected global flavors like kimchi or soy reduction.
Breakfast egg rolls take a bar-food approach to brunch, stuffing scrambled eggs, cheese and breakfast meats into crisp wrappers that dip easily between bites.
For savory-with-a-twist fans, the Cowboy Killer hashbrowns arrive stacked with sausage, bacon, queso, fried eggs and spicy barbecue sauce, a maximalist plate designed to defeat even the strongest hangover.
Chicken and waffles feature fried chicken stacked over fluffy waffles with syrup and butter, hitting that perfect sweet-savory balance.
A Nashville hot chicken sandwich leans into a spicy fried chicken with pickles and house sauce on a soft bun, bringing legit heat to the brunch table.
Avocado toast is really a dressed-up version with smashed avocado, tomato jam and pickled onions that still somehow feels indulgent.
Lox of Love is the cheeky name for the smoked salmon layered with cream cheese, capers, red onion and everything seasoning on rye — classic brunch done loud.
Hearty and crisp corned beef hash comes topped with eggs and is rich enough to fuel the rest of your day (or help recover from the night before).
Sweet seekers gravitate toward rotating pancake and waffle specials, including s’mores-style builds and fruit-forward creations that are as photogenic as they are filling.
What to drink at The Breakfast Club
Brunch here is incomplete without something fizzy or spicy. The Breakfast Club is especially known for its mimosa flights, which let diners sample multiple juices or flavors in one sitting, and its loaded Bloody Marys, garnished generously and mixed in-house.
Signature cocktails like the house Bloody, infused mimosas and coffee-forward drinks frequently blur the line between breakfast beverage and brunch dessert, reinforcing the restaurant’s “brunch without cocktails is just breakfast” philosophy.
Fun facts that add to the charm
Despite its party-forward reputation, the kitchen spent months testing bacon, ham and potato preparations before opening, obsessing over textures and seasoning to make sure the indulgence was backed by real technique.
The East Village location also features a mural depicting Des Moines as a waffle, a visual wink to the restaurant’s belief that breakfast can — and should — be playful.
Where to find The Breakfast Club
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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: USA TODAY chose this Des Moines restaurant as one of the best brunches
Reporting by Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
