BARCELONA, Spain — Mom always said breakfast was the most important meal of the day, and it seems that Europeans have taken her advice to heart.

Cafés serving American breakfast cereal like Lucky Charms have exploded in popularity in major European cities. Cereal cafes have opened up in London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Berlin, Hamburg, Manchester and many more, with items ranging from US$3-$9 per bowl.

There’s no single model for the cafes, but they tend to offer at least 100 brands, dozens of fruit and candy toppings, sweet syrups, and several kinds of milk, including nondairy and flavoured varieties. A classic bowl with milk is still standard. But they’re often topped with combinations of syrup, sweets and ice cream that go far beyond what most Americans would recognize as a breakfast banana sliced over Corn Flakes.

Gourmet Lucky Charms? Talk about food for thought!

With file from The Associated Press