Where to brunch in Minneapolis? Give these 3 spots a try

All that needs to be said at this casual North Looper — at least on weekends — is "P & E," shorthand for "pastrami and egg sandwich," a plate of eye-popping excess involving the kitchen's dreamy pastrami, a runny egg, roasted peppers and a not-shy harissa, all piled into house-baked focaccia, a steal at $8.50. The biscuits with smoked chicken sausage gravy are a worthy second choice.

800 Washington Av. N., Mpls., 612-767-4330, bewicheddeli.com

St. Genevieve

Oh, those baked goods. Pastry chef Alexandra Althoff turns out croissants (and other a.m. delicacies) that are the stuff of dreams, and chef Paul Backer and his collaborators (Jason Hansen, Nathaniel Anderson, Sean O'Donnell and owner Steven Brown) deftly create a shortlist of deeply satisfying sort-of breakfast/sort-of lunch dishes. The cozy room is beyond lovely, service is smoothly hospitable and the bar uncorks all kinds of bubbly.

5003 Bryant Av. S., Mpls., 612-353-4843, facebook.com/stgenevieve

Sure, the Saturday brunch is a see-and-be-seen scene, what with the people magnet that is the Mill City Farmers Market booming away next door. But (quieter) Sundays at the stylish House of Brenda Langton have their own charms, with smoked salmon-stuffed buttermilk crêpes, a beautiful Niçoise salad, what just might be the city's No. 1 lamb burger, and more. Don't skip the coffee cake.