8 breakfast ideas at the Minnesota State Fair

Step right up for a basket of easy-to-share French toast bites, dressed with a berry compote, a voluptuous dollop of whipped cream and an appropriately carnival-ish garnish, Pop Rocks.

West End Market

Co-owners Stephanie and Mike Olson plug in their waffle irons at 6 a.m. and turn out Belgian beauties topped with strawberries, blueberries or chocolate chips. For serious carb-seekers, there's a plate of cheesy potatoes, monkey bread and a cheesy egg bake. "It's a lot of food," said Stephanie Olson with a laugh.

Carnes Av. and Chambers St.

Explore a long list of sweet and savory options, including breakfast crêpes filled with scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon.

Carnes Av. and Nelson St.

Pick up a freshly baked croissant filled with ham, bacon or turkey bacon, or a wide range of scones (including a vegan option), plus lattés, cappuccinos, espressos, chai teas and the most refreshing iced tea on the fairgrounds.

Take a seat at the counter of this old-school setup, and dig into biscuits and gravy, eggs, pancakes and other rib-sticking short-order fare.

Cooper St. and Dan Patch Av.

Founder Stine Aasland serves several morning-appropriate choices, folding tender waffles around bacon, eggs and Cheddar, or dressing them in cinnamon, sugar and butter. Iced coffee, too.

West End Market

It's a breakfast-almost-all-day situation, which means pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy, an English muffin egg sandwich and fully loaded hash browns. The table service is a fair rarity.

It doesn't get more Minnesotan than feasting on a fried slice of Spam (the canned pork product is the pride of Austin, Minn.) that's slipped into a bun and topped with American cheese and a fried egg.