Colossal Cafe

Top of the morning to ya! Today’s stop on The Great Minnesota Breakfast Tour was a St. Paul gem: Colossal Cafe. Named a hometown favorite by many other blogs and publications, I thought today would be a great day to experience this venue for myself. So, we headed down Como Avenue, ready for a great meal.

After parking on an adorable little street in an adorable lil town, we slipped into the small venue, joining a line that was nearly out the door. This lengthy wait gave us plenty of time to strategize our breakfast choices off of the menu, although much time wasn’t necessary because the variety was rather slim. There were plenty of good, basic options, including a variety of traditional breakfast plates, but not much beyond that. We continued to wait, carefully stalking fellow diners in order to snag a table as soon as we were done ordering. (A friendly sign instructed us not to claim a table until we’d ordered, though there weren’t any tables ready to be claimed anyway.)

When it was finally our turn to order, I selected my usual bowl of oatmeal ($4), adding walnuts ($1), craisins ($1), and brown sugar (50 cents). My friend opted for a traditional breakfast plate with eggs, hash brows, bacon, and toast ($9). After forgetting our receipt and our coffee cups, our flustered cashier sent us on our way to find a table in the crowded room. I served myself a cup of coffee while casually closing in on a nearby diner’s personal space in order to encourage an early exit. My sneaky tactic was a success and we plopped down near the window.

We spent just a few minutes waiting, our food arriving rather quickly considering the busy hustle and bustle of the place. My oatmeal was enjoyable enough. The craisins were a unique and festive touch, though without them the dish would have been all too bland. They were rather thick, but not creamy, so I’d describe them as simply blobbular. My breakfast companion loved, Loved, LOVED her bacon. I can’t tell you how many times she said, “I love this bacon, I just love this bacon.” She also raved about her toast, which was the consistency of Texas toast but wasn’t too hard and crunchy. Her hash browns lacked crisp and her eggs were average, but overall her traditional breakfast plate was a hit.

After finishing our meal, we selfishly occupied our table as we polished off a few more cups of coffee and engaged in some quality eavesdropping. We were seated next to two college professors who were complaining about their students, which was absolutely fascinating to hear. It was also painfully difficult not to listen to their conversation that was two feet away from my ears. Overall, though the wait time and crowdedness were a bit overwhelming, Colossal’s traditional breakfast foods are worth the wait and the price.

The Ratings: 
Coffee Quality: 7
Food Quality: 7
Quality of Service: 7
Cost: 7
Menu Variety: 6
Overall Satisfaction: 6
Parking: Street parking
Average Score: 6.7

Have you been to Colossal Cafe? Share your experience with me below!
OR…want to experience Colossal Cafe for yourself?
Check out their website or pop their address into your smartphone:
Colossal Cafe
2315 Como Avenue
St. Paul MN

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