I'm not sure how I just found this place, but I'm so glad I did! There was a short wait when I arrived, but the tables turned over quickly. The host worked to get everyone seated as quickly as he could. A server was at the table almost immediately for our drink order, and they were served in no time. There is quite a selection of breakfast and lunch items to choose from, and I settled on The Classic. I really liked the option for a small cake instead of toast, and I enjoyed that tremendously! The ham steak was thick, juicy, and flavorful, and the eggs were scrambled perfectly. The hash browns were a little bland, and I would rather have had an option for breakfast potatoes instead. But the meal was good and reasonably priced for the portions. For those who like coffee, there is a wide selection of options. The place is cozy inside with warm colors and all of the workers were extremely friendly in their interactions with customer. I felt very welcome and the table was well taken care of throughout the meal. The restaurant itself is nestled in a strip mall off the main street, so it isn't something I would know was there if I were just driving by. But now that I know it is here, I will definitely make a return trip to try additional items on the menu that caught my attention (I'm looking at you apple and blueberry bread, cinnamon rolls, and crake!) read more

PerKup Cafe - The Classic Platter with Ham and a Mini Cake - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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First time we're able to try out this restaurant. Overall pleasant experience. Cozy restaurant, small so expect a wait during normal breakfast and brunch hours (beware of people trying to cut in front of you in line ‍). The food was delicious! If you love eggs, a breakfast meat, and home style potatoes, this is your place. Nothing fancy but good if you want a tried and true breakfast. Because it's a little smaller, you feel a little rushed to eat and get out so others can enjoy a breakfast as well. What was a little odd was that it seamed that the staff uniforms were scrub tops, like those they wear in the medical field. I think if they had an option to wear what they want to, they might be more comfortable. Either way, the service was so polite and so efficient! You will have to try it out for yourself if this is the restaurant for you. read more

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We got here at 7:15 and no one was here. I don't know why because the service was great and the food was fantastic. It picked up closer to 8. You need to come here. We all had delicious meals. read more

We went with daughter and granddaughters for a later brunch. Got right in around 11:30 on a Saturday and got our orders in. We started off with the Apple Cinnamon Blueberry Bread. WOW! It's a delicious, gooey, and dipping it in the syrup makes it even more decadent. I got the Turkey Melt this time around. It was good, but maybe not my favorite. As advertised, just not too exciting. One of the kids got the Cheeseburger and fries and devoured it. All the rest got breakfast items and loved them. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc., were all great. Very clean, service was great, and prices very fair. read more

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The food was underwhelming for $17 per plate. There are better options in the Des Moines Metro for the money.

Found this gem by searching on yelp. I haven't been able to find lots of diners in Iowa like New York. I must say I am impressed. My husband and I were seated immediately on a Saturday. They were busy so that's always a good thing. The ambiance is definitely very laid back and cozy. Nothing fancy just a simple seating with booths. Let's get to the good part, FOOD it was fresh and delicious. I had the jake with bacon and it was so good. My husband opted for the hasbrown taco which was a unique concept and oatmeal with all the toppings. Coffee was fresh and hot. Overall it was a great experience we will definitely be back. It's safe to say I would prefer Perkup cafe more than a breakfast chain! Plenty of parking read more

PerKup Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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We stopped in for breakfast and were not disappointed. I got the egg sandwich and added a tomato and sautéed onions. My husband had the pancake stuffed with strawberry cream cheese. Both were so good. They have a great and very friendly service. The restaurant was very clean and had that homey atmosphere. read more

Pretty standard, reliable American breakfast food with a family vibe. Decent service and prices. Nothing special but totally fine. We had the breakfast quesadilla, an omelet, and the pancake platter. read more

Loved this place for breakfast. Get the crake roll and split it with others. Super yummy!

The Service is great with a warm greeting when you walked in. We sat in a comfortable booth. Clean and not too noisy. The menu had a lot to offer. The coffee cups were kept full. Food was out fast and it was delicious!! read more

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First time here will come back. Hearty breakfast with classic options. The special of the day today was chicken fried steak and my husband enjoyed it. Just don't make his error and put a lot of tabasco on it. Next time on my list is the hashbrowns taco. read more

I usually enjoy the food at this restaurant. I went in on Sunday to order takeout and the doors were locked early at 1:30. I googled the hours before I showed up and closing time is 2 pm. I tried to call a few times and there was no answer. From working in the restaurant service industry for many years consistency is important. This is bad business. read more

After spending a weekend in Des Moines, we were looking for a place to have breakfast on our way home and found Perkup Cafe on Yelp. It was close to where we were, and it turned out to be a great choice. The cafe is clean, and the staff was friendly. I ordered the 2/2/2, which included two eggs, two meats, and a choice of two pieces of toast or a pancake. I chose bacon and a pancake with my eggs, along with a glass of OJ. My wife went for her favorite: French toast and bacon. The meal came out quickly and was cooked perfectly, with the bacon nice and crispy, just the way we like it. The only minor issue was that the OJ could have been colder or served with some ice. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and had a pleasant experience at Perkup Cafe. It's a great spot for breakfast, and we would definitely return. read more

I was looking for something new today, and this popped up in surprise me. It is a nice, clean diner and the service was pretty good. I tried a caramel macchiato and the waffle platter. The food was average breakfast food, and I'd like to come back for a different meal with friends! read more

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A bright cheery space, with a number of covid precautions in place good coffee in big cups refills are brought in a new cup. Excellent omelet and superb hash browns. Definitely on the return list. Son had the strawberry stuffed french toast and the nibble he shared was great read more

PerKup Cafe - Front of menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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We have always had great food and top notch service at PerKup Cafe! If you get a chance, order a cinnamon roll .. they are incredible!!

First time here and the last. Met 2 friends for breakfast. I got there went in looked for the other 2 ladies. Don't see them so started to walk to the door. Was going to wait for them. Some guy that worked there asked if he could help. I said I was looking for 2 ladies but didn't see them so they must not be here yet. He asked if I was staying I said yes. He pointed to the door and said you can sit out there and wait. Wasn't even nice about it. So I did. They arrived within a couple minutes. We were seated. We ordered, ate, paid the bill and were visiting. I asked for another cup of coffee, the sever did but didn't seem happy about it. A couple minutes later she slammed a to go cup on the table and said" here is a to go cup we are on a wait." She was very rude about it. She walked to the back and her and another server stood there and glared at us till we got up and left. Ok so maybe we sat there too long. But there are nicer ways a getting people to leave. And as for the guy that was rude when I got there. There was also a nicer way of telling me there was seating out by the door. I will not be going back there. To many other places to eat that have nicer employees. read more

Service was great! Food was great! A little bit of a wait, but it was definitely worth the wait.

Absolutely delicious breakfast! Great atmosphere and staff. I highly recommend this place. They have a plethora of options and definitely a family place! read more

PerKup Cafe - Hashbrown Taco - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

My partner and I have been coming here for about 6 years and love it every time. Classic breakfast food, good lattes, and quick service! Very quiet, lowkey place to eat with consistently good staff and food. read more

Best little cafe fore breakfast around. Great service, breakfast food cooked to perfection

Awesome local breakfast spot. Wait time for weekends can be long, but worth it. Family friendly spot to bring kiddos. Cozy place to try breakfast+ read more

I enjoyed breakfast today at the PerKup. The food is always tasty and service was great! Look forward to returning and trying out lunch next time. read more

PerKup Cafe - Build your own omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I'm upset that it has taken us this long to make it over to try PerKup Cafe. We decided to try it after another breakfast spot had an almost hour long wait. We only had to wait about 5 minutes, and then were seated in a booth. The decor of this place is really interesting. It's a color scheme and style that you just don't see anymore outside of thrift stores, but it's homey-feeling, clean, and welcoming. Our server was excellent, and our food didn't take too long to come out. We ended up ordering a variety of foods, and then later, added some coffee after we saw how delicious it looked (they have a full coffee bar). Stuffed French Toast - They offer three different types of french toast (plain, blueberry, and apple cinnamon) and the stuffed variety has a strawberry cream sauce in the middle. My husband was in love and ate every single bite. Omelettes - Two of us ordered omelettes, and mine was definitely the best omelette I had ever had! I had a very simple ham and cheese, but simple done well can be difficult. They nailed it by using high quality, delicious ham chunks, with the perfect amount of cheddar cheese, and perfectly cooked egg. The other omelette-eater got a side of gravy and revenge sauce (spicy mayo) and used it on the meat lover's omelette. He said it was amazing, as well. The ONLY thing that wasn't absolutely perfect on our visit were the caramel macchiatos we ordered. They were delicious and huge, but the mugs were overfilled so they were also a huge mess. Our server brought us a rag to help wipe up the mess, which was appreciated. Again, they were amazing, just a little sloppy. But even that isn't enough for me to knock a star of this rating. PerKup is an amazing little breakfast venue that should be a staple in everyone's breakfast rotations. I know we plan to be back soon! read more

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Perkup cafe is a well honed machine Serving a pretty decent breakfast. Service is very good. read more

PerKup Cafe has become one of our breakfast favorites. It is our go-to when we aren't looking for a trendy brunch but just a good, know what you are getting breakfast. PerKup Cafe reminds me of a mom-n-pop cafe which I can appreciate. They are always busy which speaks for itself - but we have never had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for a table. Their coffee is exceptional, I love when restaurants offer espresso drinks like lattes and mochas. Not to mention their specialty drink coffee cups are large and worth every penny. I always get PerKup's cornflake crusted french toast, so tasty! This is the perfect place to take visiting family for breakfast! read more

We were sat immediately on a Saturday morning at 8:45am and the place was filling up fast. Our waitress took our drink order and brought the kids some crayons. Coffees were refilled multiple times. Our food came out hot and fresh in heaping portions. We loved how you can pay via QR code right at your table! Staff was friendly, service was great and food was also great. read more

PerKup Cafe - Menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Awesome lil breakfast spot! Don't confuse this for 27th and University in DSM...or you'll look like the fools driving around Drake looking for PerKup (which is 27th and University in WDM)! Cute little nook, waited less than ten minutes for a table. Service was super perKupy (see what I did there ) and personable. Clean and quaint. Jake's is like a skillet without the skillet. Hash browns on the bottom, cheese, scrambled eggs, peppers, onions and bacon. What we liked was the fact that there was no grease at the bottom. Just crispy hash browns and the fixin's without the guck. It was delicious. So delicious we went two days in a row! Toast came with regular table jam. However, we opted for the specialty jam of strawberry pineapple (+$.50). Yummy!!! Biscuits and gravy obviously homemade and absolutely delish. Not at all fake white gravy tasting overdone with cracked peppers. This is a slightly runnier gravy but so tasty. Just tastes...original. Egg sandwich. So simple and yet so good. One of the few times I'll say American cheese tastes good but it was so good. Perfectly runny to dip bread into as well. Kickin omelet was good, little too much chipotle mayo for my liking. And it wasn't really "kickin" but it was tasty. Personally if this was made with fresh jalapeños and not canned, it'd be solid. Just my two cents. Coffee was great and always flowing hot. We just got regular coffee but they had several specialty options available. So glad we've found this place. Our usual favorite place has gone downhill the last few times and it's awesome to have this place now to go to, and "close" to home. read more

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I don't like chicken salad OR broccoli cheese soup, so I have no idea what I was thinking when I decided to order this the first time around. I'm so glad I did though, because I can't believe how good both were! Like ridiculously good. I ordered it a second time today and it was just as awesome as the first. Same with the biscuits and gravy...normally that dish just grossed me out, and yet, here we are again. This place has figured out how to make some really really good food, consistently. read more

PerKup Cafe - Their broccoli cheese soup is soooo good! Here it is next to their pecan chicken salad sandwich. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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This place was great and food is still tasty; I never had a negative thing to say until their recent price increase on everything. Nice new fancy menu came at a high cost. We experienced a huge increase just from just last week. -1.75$ to add cheese to hash browns -2 extra dollars for sourdough bread(5$ for sourdough toast, instead of $2 for white or wheat) none of which mentioned during ordering nor on the menu. These are just a couple of the changes we noticed that really affected our total bill and all over experience and felt like sneaky hidden cost. read more

PerKup Cafe - Updated menu! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Food is great & tasty! However, we won't be able to come back. Today was the first day with their new menu and price increases. And although I understand price increases in this economy; they have taken it to another level. $1.75 for a slice of cheese and an additional $2.00 for sour dough bread without it being on the menu. It's truly unfortunate. If you're going to nickel and dime your customers, you should Atleast be upfront about it& put it on the menu. read more

PerKup Cafe - Biscuits and Gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Traveling in the Midwest and found this spot. It was 10am and still had a few people so we figured it must be okay. I've lived of coffee most of my life and coffee is coffee. It isn't often that I've had a bad cup of coffee but this was one of them. It tasted dirty or as my wife said 'earthy'. The omelet seemed as if they cooked the eggs then put it on a plate before adding anything else. Part of the cheese wasn't melted and the vegetables were still very raw. As if that wasn't enough they shorted us change on the bill. Just a few coins but they should have said something if they ran out of change. Not sure if we just had some bad luck but they didn't win us over. read more

The food and service are definitely at competition for being the greatest. The food had plenty of portions and you'll definitely walk away full. It's a little busy but there is minimal wait and perfect for breakfast/brunch. read more

Decided to give this place another try as other Yelpers rave about the breakfast. We had a much better experience this time. I ordered a mocha coffee drink which was good but not as hot or flavorful as I had hoped. We also ordered biscuits and gravy which I didn't try but was told it wasn't the best. I had the stuffed strawberry french toast and it was amazing! I will definitely go back for just the french toast! When it was time to pay our bill, I just had to scan the code and pay from my phone. read more

PerKup Cafe - Strawberry french toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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The pancakes were meh the cheese was bad but everything else is really good the waiters were nice and they had family friendly music over the speakers read more

Beautiful food, service was really good and fast. The environment was friendly but relaxed. Great breakfast and the food came out fast!! Highly recommend read more

Excellent service and big, yummy breakfasts! If you have a big appetite, I recommend the Big Jake. And if you have a sweet tooth, I recommend their "crakes" (a cross between a crepe and a pancake). read more

O. M. G. This place is the dream of dreams for homecooked breakfast. A wonderful mom and pop shop. Cozy and friendly, you'll feel like family here. I've been on several occasions on the weekends.... Arrive early because this place gets PACKED! Well worth the wait though. Service is always on point. Start with the scones. Seriously. They are awesome. Pick your flavor; they're all good. The coffee choices are also wonderful, with big mugs for the fancier drinks. If you can't finish the cappuccino or macchiato, ask for a to go cup. They have a vast selection for breakfast, ranging from the standard eggs-bacon-toast platter to French toast, biscuits and gravy, and hash brown tacos. They serve lunch too but we always go for breakfast. Expect to go home and take a nap, because you'll be full and happy. read more

Breakfast was great and atmosphere was very relaxed. Very low key and good prices. Service was very helpful and friendly .

Loved it here. Everyone was very nice and attentive. Great food. I had the cheese omelette and it was awesome