13 great places to eat breakfast at the Minnesota State Fair

The roosters in the poultry barn were cock-a-doodle-dooing.

That's how early I arrived at the Minnesota State Fair on Saturday.

Turns out it's a pitch-perfect time to enjoy the Great Minnesota Get-Together. For starters, the fairgrounds is quiet, cool, clean and uncrowded, four adjectives that rapidly evaporate as the day progresses.

It's also an optimal time to eat — for all kinds of delicious reasons — and there are plenty of vendors open in the early hours. Here's my nothing-on-a-stick rundown, prefaced by the all-important subject of caffeine.

French Meadow Bakery & Cafe (Nelson St. and Carnes Av.), Farmers Union Coffee Shop (Cosgrove St. and Dan Patch Av.), Anchor Coffee House (Underwood St. and Judson Av.) and Cloud Forest Coffee (Underwood St. and Carnes Av.) are all smart coffee choices. Even better, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the Eco Experience (Cosgrove St. and Randall Av.), Peace Coffee offers one of the fair's great freebies: samples of freshly brewed coffees from its organic, fair-trade, roasted- in-­Minneapolis beans.

You've heard of the Miracle of Birth Center? This is the Miracle of Butter Center. Owners Debbie and Chris Gleize run what is easily the fair's best bake shop (their enormous, watch-them-work operation is as entertaining as any grandstand show), and in the a.m. it's all about expertly prepared scones: golden, crumbly, tender and buttery beyond all reason. They're served with an indulgent swipe of creamy butter and a dollop of not-too-sweet strawberry preserves ($4.50) — an old-school combination that never goes out of style — but they're even better when paired with slices of melt-in-your-mouth, peak-season peaches (or garden-fresh strawberries) and a hefty drizzle of a cream cheese topping ($7). It's true: Simple pleasures truly are the best. Bakery counter opens at 6:30 a.m. and the building follows a half-hour later.

Nelson St. and Carnes Av.

West End Market

This instantly popular newcomer is delivering Norwegian street food to the fair, treating soft, folded waffles as sandwiches and filling the heck out of them. There's a substantial breakfast-all-day option (thick-cut bacon, egg and Cheddar, $8), but consider the unassuming cinnamon-sugar-butter combo ($8), a slow-motion way to greet what is often a day of culinary thrill rides.

West End Market

Fairgoers have been happily standing in line — and watching owner Fred Willis and his nimble crew rolling dough — since 1981. Headliners, of course, are those gigantic, still warm, super-sweet rolls ($5). But don't overlook the breakfast stromboli, another made-from-scratch item that really hits the spot, and then some ($5.50 and $9, and the "half" size could easily feed two). The fillings are fairly boilerplate (egg, cheese, ham, sausage, in various combinations), but it's the sturdy, herb- and olive oil-boosted crust that makes these top-performing breakfast "sandwiches" really stand out. Doors open at 8 a.m.

Food Building

Cosgrove St. and Randall Av.

Healthy fare, at the fair? Yes. What better way to greet the day than with a palm-sized, lasciviously juicy peach ($3), cultivated on a family-owned orchard in Washington's fertile Wenatchee Valley? Get 'em grilled ($5 to $9), served straight-up or topped with Greek vanilla yogurt or chèvre with herbs; they're fantastic in any permutation. Or try First Kiss apples ($3), the University of Minnesota's supremely appealing newcomer, from beautiful Fairhaven Farm in South Haven, Minn. Opens at 9 a.m.

Underwood St. and Carnes Av.

The omnipresent line moves relatively quickly at this 121-year-old tradition. Go for the church-basement camaraderie (and the long, get-to-know-your-neighbor communal tables), stay for the earnest classics — pancakes ($6.50), French toast ($7.50), scrambled eggs and toast ($6), cereal and milk ($5.50) — plus one of the fair's sexier new food items, a bananas Foster-inspired French toast ($9.25), popping with playful hints of orange and cinnamon. Breakfast served from 7 to 10:30 a.m.

Underwood St. and Dan Patch Av.

The Garden

Enjoy the morning from the vantage point of the stand's rooftop patio. There's the requisite State Fair novelty act — an edible bowl filled with a kitchen-sink list of a.m. items, including hash browns, scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy and, inexplicably, pancake syrup, all for $8 — but the standout is a marvelous monkey bread that's billed as Gorilla Bread ($6). The sweet, cinnamon-heavy pull-apart dough is nicely crusted and browned on the edges, but tender inside, and it's slathered in a thick cream cheese icing; truly, what's not to like? Breakfast served 7 to 10:30 a.m.

West End Market

Breakfast begins at 6 a.m. ("We serve a lot of vendors and 4-H-ers," said co-owner Stephanie Olson), and there's a long list of worthy items. At the top is easily one of the fair's best breakfast sandwiches ($8), where a zesty andouille sausage (from landmark Kramarczuk's in Minneapolis) is split and grilled to sizzling perfection, stacked on a sturdy ciabatta roll (from Denny's 5th Avenue Bakery in Bloomington) and finished with a fried egg and gooey American cheese. Another treat: crisp, malty waffles ($6 and $7), topped with tons of berries. The ultimate pig-out is a platter ($12) weighed down with cheese-packed hash browns, sticky-sweet monkey bread and a retro sausage-egg bake. At this friendly, comfortable stand, portions are always in the meal-and-a-half range, but this dish really goes overboard.

Chamber St. and Carnes Av.

Cooper St. and Murphy Av.

It's the Not-Diet Plate, in a wax paper bag. Personally, I prefer them ($5) to their near-look­alike (and near-taste-alike) counterparts at the Tiny Tim Donuts stand, although, in the end, a mini doughnut is a mini doughnut is a mini doughnut: hot, greasy, sugary, essential. Both vendors open at 7:30 a.m.

Cooper St. and Wright Av., and Underwood St. and Carnes Av.

This 35-year-old charmer is something of a fairgrounds relic. "We're one of the last-standing full-service diners," said co-owner Tim Carlson. "We don't chase the one-hit-wonder food items. We're old-fashioned." They're also early risers, opening at 6 a.m. "Although by 5:30, 5:45, the vendors start rolling in," Carlson said. The cooking pretty much defines short order. "We try not to make it too complicated," he said. That means a short stack of fluffy flapjacks ($7), or a French toast trio ($8), or a monster plate of hash browns smothered with peppers, onions, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and biscuits with a peppery gravy ($12). My favorite? The breakfast sandwich, which stuffs a fried egg, a sausage patty, a slice of American cheese and — most important — a juicy tomato slice — into an English muffin. At $5.50, it's a great value. "I don't want to criticize others," Carlson said, "but when they're charging $7, $8 for a breakfast sandwich, they make us look good." The service staff — a multigenerational mix of family and friends — couldn't be nicer. "It's a privilege to be a part of the fair," Carlson said. "It gets into your blood, and you forget about how tired you are. You're glad to see it come, and you're glad to see it go. I don't know that we could do it for more than 12 days."

Southeast exterior of Agriculture Horticulture