Bar breakfasts

Sometimes, Sunday brunch puts people out because it's too fussy. The mimosas, the pastries, the architectural egg dishes. I happen to love that stuff, but there's a time and a place for it.

Oh, and who has $50 to drop on breakfast anymore? It's murder on the budget, or lack thereof, especially when you were out the night before. Mostly, you have to grub it on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Keep it low-key. The ease of a diner, but with the added bonus of more booze. Just sayin'.

We feel the same way. So we rounded up the best weekend breakfasts at some of our favorite bars. Some drinking spots are categorically unfit for morning visits -- like we would never, ever sub a Wondrous Punch at the Red Dragon for a screwdriver. While these places can be downright disorderly at night, each becomes a friendly, even classic public house by the light of day. But none will ever make you feel bad if, like us, you find it's always beer o'clock.

Mayslack's

The "Cheers" theme song might play before a cut from Metallica's "Black Album." "Juan Breanna" might be scrawled into the side of your booth. (This is a decent date litmus test, BTW. Are you having a good enough time that you'd be willing to do declarative carving?) Breakfast is straightforward, with some nice touches: a homemade cinnamon roll with honey-whipped butter and crème anglaise, attractively presented buttermilk pancakes that taste just like the McDonald's hotcakes of your youth, and a spicy, peppery Bloody Mary with a pickle and jerky stick, to name a few. Plus, it's never too early for Mayslack's famous, two-handed roast beef sandwich.

CC Club

Owner Sharon Emard cooks breakfast for her husband, Moe, every weekend. She includes things on the menu that she would make at home, such as a fried egg sandwich, Denver omelet or simple eggs on toast. She also adds a little Southern love to the mix -- Emard's sister married a man from Mississippi and sent her newfound recipes for biscuits and sausage gravy back for us Union-loving tundra-dwellers to enjoy. Who knew there was such homespun sweetness lingering behind the curtain at the CC? One final dose: Emard says young patrons occasionally tell her their parents met there. Aw, shucks. Ø

Cuzzy's

North Loop neighbors tend to regard Cuzzy's like a little brother. They don't always treat it with respek, but they love to drop by to give it noogies. The eternal interior darkness and walls of plastered dolla billz make a fine backdrop for a simple menu of eggs your way, omelets, hash browns and bacon. The benign house ghost, Betsy, inspired a feminized Eggs Benedict with "thin sliced ham and a dollop of Hollandaise." Lest you think that's too dainty, there's a ghastly Cowboy Breakfast -- a $22 offering of two steaks and multiple eggs. And how about the dog-friendly patio on Twins game days?

The Narrows Saloon

For an off-the-beaten-path live-music, pseudo-dive bar, the Narrows packs a culinary punch. The menu offers "Bloody Mary and a snit for breakfast," something the self-conscious reader could interpret as a dreary reminder of the decision to drink before noon, but so be it. More upbeat selections range from the fancy, as in lobster Eggs Benedict, to the bizarre, as in scrambled eggs with bacon and alfredo sauce. The bartender admitted she doesn't get it, but marveled at the dish's legion of admirers. I'm with her -- I'd go for the breakfast burrito with melted cheese and enchilada sauce. For the record, I'm also told the Narrows has an excellent dirty pork stew.

Triple Rock Social Club

Now that the Uptown Bar is gone, the T-Rock is the reigning champ of bar breakfasts. It's loud, proud and brash -- emphatically catering to bikers, vegans, rockers, skaters and anyone else who falls under the definitionally irreverent. Its commitment to legit vegan fare is commendable, as is the fun they have with it. Take the "Mother Biker," a nice tofu scramble with veggies, a goodly amount of jalapeños and a slathering of vegan nacho cheese sauce.

Grumpy's

It's always good to see bars stepping it up. Grumpy's Downtown added brunch to its wheelhouse just a few weeks ago. Manager Todd Hazelmyer tinkered with the menu until he settled on the theme that stuck: the universal language of rednecks. Each dish is named after a derogatory term from different cultures, such as the Chilango (eggs with chorizo, tomato and a tortilla), the Nee Jee (buffalo patties with eggs and wild rice), the Golliwog (lobster red pepper scramble), and the Guido (a fire-in-the-hole riff with sausage encased in egg bake). Hazelmyer makes some of his own sausage and doesn't shy away from the good stuff, like cream and butter. He's currently trying to master an eggy-sour cream pancake -- a griddle cake with the lusciousness of French toast. Stop in and see how he's doing.

501 Club

The 501 had me when they introduced their Hash House Brunch. Even my discerning, refined Lake Minnetonka sister-in-law gladly comes downtown to grub on veteran chef Rick Truax's breakfast eats. He has scrambles with green onion, cheddar and bacon; a worthy huevos rancheros, homemade corned beef and an especially satisfying baked egg casserole with cream, smoked ham and ciabatta. If this sounds highfalutin, it's not. Just good, easygoing, well executed food delivered in the comfort of your favorite bar. Bonus: They welcome substitutions, a nice gesture that keeps patrons feeling welcomed, that most essential of good bar qualities.

• Kate Rogers writes the Brunch Beat column for Mpls.St.Paul magazine.