Combine a chilly climate with an abundance of craft beers and a penchant for delicious, caloric-laden comfort food and you’ve got a recipe for a magnificent brunch city. Yet Minneapolis is so much more than meets the eye (or mouth) for that matter. It is certainly a place where the brunch gods will smile down upon you. You’ve got Bloody Marys topped with bacon donuts at Icehouse and Jam Buns (an ice cream sandwich with donuts) from Milkjam Creamery yet, it's a maverick, beautifully designed restaurant, located Uptown in Calhoun Square, Fig & Farro, open as of January, that has turned Minneapolis brunch comfort food on it’s head. They’re serving “global vegetarian comfort food” with an ethos of something greater. And that plant-based twist with a mission is why Fig & Farro should be on your Midwest #brunchbucketlist. 

Photography: Elena Kruse
 

It’s a simple philosophy really, “Eat well. Do well.” Fig & Farro aims to “create soul-warming belly filling food that both tastes good and does good.” The best part? You certainly don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan to indulge. Owners Michelle Courtright of advertising fame and Thomas Dambrine of a quick service restaurant background came together with the goal of helping people find their way to eating less meat, reducing their global footprint and making the world a better place. Lofty? Yes. Inspired? Most definitely. 

Expect brunch classics like biscuits with mushroom gravy or blueberry cinnamon buns that will live on in your dreams, all vegan and gluten free. Yet, you can also expect to-die-for global dishes such as Shakshuka, cage-free eggs poached in spicy red peppers, tomatoes and feta with a side of fresh bread. Washed down, of course, with house made Bloody Marys or bottomless mimosas. 



Photography: Rebekah Poppen​ | Fig + Farro
 

Visually, the restaurant is a deep, slate blue with accents of plushy maroon booths, mismatched, well-worn and welcoming chairs as well as gold fixtures that look as though they’ve lit up a good time or two. There’s no shortage of foliage friends and the pops of lush green are happy surprises. Velvet furniture and kiln rug accented lounges provide a design-friendly backdrop to the global nature of the food. Bonus for parents who need to brunch: there’s a thoughtfully designed play area for children. 

Fig & Farro expects you to bring your bests for brunch, so there’s plenty of room for groups at communal tables and comfy booths. Sharing is encouraged so for those who love to taste test everyone else’s food, this is the spot for you. Menus rotate seasonally but are always chock full of the freshest local produce.



Photography: Elena Kruse | Tami Nguyen-Dang
 

Fig & Farro is a bold, beautiful brunch choice is a city of inspired indulgence. It hits the perfect #brunchbucketlist balance of the delicious, comfort food you want on a weekend morning, coupled with do-gooding and wrapped in feel-good design unmatched anywhere else in the Twin Cities.


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