5 Cafés & Diners Where You Can Start Your Morning in Des Moines

5  Cafés & Diners Where You Can Start Your Morning in Des Moines

Updated April 15, 2019

It’s been a long week, you’ve struggled with some colds (why is the cold season so late this year?) and busy schedules, and it’s finally Saturday morning. You just want to sleep in.  I hear ya! Unfortunately, my daughter is an early riser, always has been.  My son is not….except for on Saturdays. (eye roll:) What about you?  Do you have kiddos that get up at the crack of dawn?  Let’s not stress ourselves over what we’re going to do with the kids for the LONG stretch of morning ahead of us. Let’s give ourselves a much needed break and get some fresh air and yummy breakfast to start the day and weekend off right at one of these five cafes and diners in Des Moines. 

Ankeny Diner

133 SE Delaware Avenue • Ankeny, IA 50021 • (515) 965-1987

Imagine a breakfast joint where regulars sit down to their favorite dishes, hot off the griddle, every morning.  That’s just par for the course at the Ankeny Diner where breakfast is served all day every day.  Open at 6:00 am, kids can fill up on all of their traditional diner breakfast favorites, like buttermilk pancakes, French toast, eggs and bacon. After all of that, they’ll hopefully be ready for a nap!

100th Street Corner Café

3017 100th Street • Urbandale, IA 50322 • (515) 331-2343

The servers and owners of this locally owned café know their regulars by name and could probably place their order before they even sit down. (My neighbor eats breakfast here every weekday morning!)  They’re open Monday through Saturday 6:00 am to 1:30pm and Sunday 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. They have an affordable kids menu with plenty of options that your kiddos will love.  We also like that they have several a la carte options, just in case you need another side of bacon or a cinnamon roll to go!

Perkup Café

2700 University Avenue • West Des Moines, IA 50266 • (515) 270-1466

Perkup Café in West Des Moines is the perfect early morning eatery for families.  Parents will love that they can get their favorite coffee or espresso drink and kids will love the generous portions that are easy to share.  Our favorite breakfast entrée is their French toast with whip and chip.  They’re open Tuesday through Saturday at 7:00 am to 2:00 pm and Sunday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.  They are CLOSED on Monday.

Ritual Cafe

1301 Locust Street, Suite D • Des Moines, IA 50309 • (515) 288-4872

Located on 13th St. between Grand and  Locust in the Western Gateway downtown Des Moines, Ritual Cafe is a great place to start your morning.  This cafe with a hip edge, serves up a menu of vegetarian food & coffee. They’re open for breakfast six days a week and CLOSED on Sundays.  Your kids will surely find something on their menu to fill up their hungry tummies.

Waveland Café

 4708 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311 • Des Moines, IA 50311 • (515)  279-4341

This popular café in the Drake neighborhood serves up made from scratch breakfast all day long starting at 6:00 am.  They have a set menu along with daily breakfast and lunch specials.  You’ll want to be sure to wear your yoga pants, because the portions here are HUGE!  They serve up classic breakfast fare like eggs, bacon, pancakes and their out of this world famous hash browns.  

 

 

What are your favorite early morning, kid-friendly cafes and diners in Des Moines? Share them with us in the comments section below.