A breakfast plate can be a fairly simple pleasure, but Day By Day Cafe gives it an unusually memorable setting. Beyond the familiar pleasures of French toast, eggs, pancakes and coffee, this St. Paul cafe opens into a series of lived-in rooms filled with books, brick, wood, small objects and the sort of visual odds and ends that invite a closer look.
The cafe has enough space to spread out, yet it avoids the impersonal feel that can come with a larger dining room. Booths and separate rooms break up the experience nicely. You can settle into a corner with family, meet a friend for a long catch-up, or find a table where conversation can unfold without feeling hurried along.
Then there is the patio in back: a plant-filled outdoor retreat with a pond, water features, sculpture and whirligigs. It gives a straightforward brunch outing a little more texture, especially on days when sitting outside sounds better than another meal under ceiling lights.
Rooms with stories in them
Day By Day's interior has a personal, collected quality rather than a carefully matched restaurant look. Exposed brick and wood set the foundation, while cranes, trinkets, artwork and other bohemian touches keep the rooms from becoming too neat or predictable.
The library-like area is one of the cafe's quieter charms. A wall of books makes a natural backdrop for a slow breakfast, and the room has the comfortable, slightly private feel of a place where people might actually linger over a second cup of coffee.
A large window near the library area can look toward the outdoor space, a pleasant reminder that the cafe has more going on than the table in front of you. Even the menu gets a bit of personality through its distinctive illustrated cover.
One especially unexpected indoor feature is a walk-in fish tank. It fits the cafe's fondness for small visual surprises: this is a restaurant where the surroundings give your eyes something to do between bites.
French toast, stacks and serious breakfast plates
French toast is a strong place to start. One version has enough flavor to stand on its own without a blanket of butter or syrup, which is a useful trait for anyone who likes the richness of French toast but not necessarily the sugar rush that can accompany it.
The buckwheat pancakes make a more substantial case for breakfast. A full stack with blueberries can arrive in notably generous portions, putting it firmly in the category of meal rather than side project.
For a breakfast with more moving parts, the smoked salmon scramble comes with hollandaise, while a multi-ingredient omelet offers another hearty route. These are the sorts of dishes that suit a long morning and an appetite that did not come merely for coffee.
Biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs and hash browns create a particularly classic comfort-food combination. The creamy sausage gravy and crunchy potatoes put different textures on the same plate, and the eggs keep the whole thing grounded in diner-breakfast territory.
Sides are not treated as an afterthought. Cheesy hash browns, bacon, sausage and a crisp English muffin make it easy to build a breakfast around smaller components, or add a little extra ballast to a lighter main dish.
A menu that lets the table order differently
The menu is broad enough that a group does not have to agree on one style of brunch. There are familiar, indulgent breakfast choices alongside vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free selections, a useful arrangement when one person wants biscuits and gravy and another is headed in a lighter direction.
Avocado toast and a veggie sandwich with fries make the meat-free side of the menu visible rather than merely token. The range is one of the cafe's practical strengths: breakfast can be as traditional or as flexible as the morning calls for.
Coffee is a dependable companion to the food, and the availability of soy and oat milk gives coffee drinks a little more flexibility, too. The pace here suits a lingering cup rather than a quick stop at the counter.
The patio has its own little world
Out back, the garden patio shifts the mood considerably. Plantings soften the space, while water features, small sculptures, artwork and decorative whirligigs add the gentle clutter of a backyard assembled over time rather than a patio designed from a catalog.
The pond is the focal point, with koi or goldfish giving diners one more thing to pause over. It is a small touch, but it changes the rhythm of an outdoor breakfast. You may be waiting for toast, but there is water moving nearby and a few fish to watch.
The overall effect is tranquil without being overly polished. Yard ornaments and whimsical details keep it playful, and the tucked-back setting provides a welcome change from a standard streetside dining setup.
The outdoor area has also worked for larger family meals when seating has been coordinated ahead, and dogs have been welcomed on the patio. Outdoor seating can vary with conditions, but when it is available, this is the portion of Day By Day that most resembles a brief escape from the city routine.
Built for an unhurried morning
Day By Day works well as a neighborhood meeting place because the service style is friendly, attentive and low-key. The cafe suits the kind of breakfast where nobody is checking the clock every five minutes and a simple meal becomes an excuse to stay at the table.
Families, regulars and pairs of friends all fit comfortably into the flow. Booths provide a little enclosure, while the separate rooms allow the cafe to handle more than one sort of gathering at once without making the place feel like a banquet hall.
The restaurant is often used by parties of two to four, though groups of six and eight have also found space with advance coordination. Its multiple-room layout matters here: it keeps a gathering from overwhelming the quieter corners that make the cafe appealing in the first place.
A few useful logistics
Free street parking is available around the cafe, though finding a space can take some searching at busier times. That is one practical detail worth allowing for before a leisurely brunch turns into a few extra laps around the block.
The general rhythm is walk-in friendly, while larger parties have successfully called ahead to ask about patio seating. With indoor booths, separate dining rooms and the garden area all in the mix, the seating choice can be nearly as pleasant a decision as choosing between French toast and pancakes.