Restaurants in St Paul or Minneapolis

I’ll be in St Paul for ten days in August. Hanging with non-wine geeks that like food and wine, preferably high QPR. (They’ll pay up - but only for something special). Last year I brought them to Pearl and Ash and the Peking Duck House in NYC, which were big hits. They also love authentic ethnic food.

Any restaurant reccos?

Any good wine bars? Any good wine shops? Is natural wine too much to hope for?

Any fun bars/clubs for folks 28-48?

TIA

marvel bar is a spectacular cocktail establishment, but not sure if it’s okay for a large group like that.

i’d also look at buying out picollo restaurant for the night. that would be killer.

I can’t wait to hear what other locals have to say. I favor Punch Pizza, Surdyk’s (only sale days) and Sunfish Cellars. My daughter (22 years old) recommends Bar La Grassa. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

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I’ll think of more, but off the top of my head:
Khyber Pass,
Punch pizza (the highland park one is the only one I recommend)
Cecil’s deli for lunch
Trung Nam French bakery (holy crap the croissants are amazing)
There has to be a good Vietnamese, Cambodian or Thai place along university ave
Strip club (never been, but friends love it)
WA Frost on a nice night
Heartland (not QPR)

Happy gnome for beer (Cozy so get there early)
Amsterdam Bar has a bit of a hipster vibe, but I had fun. They serve food late
Wa frost again if you just want drinks
Sweeny’s


Bar la grassa is good…their lobster bruschetta is pretty killer with a (gasp) big Cali Chardonnay. It’s not far from St. Paul .

The list of great southeast asian restaurants is endless and really just pick a type of cuisine - Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and there are a handful of very good places. You won’t fine good wine at any of those restaurants however.

Other restaurants to check out:
If you like Italian Terzo wine bar is great. Very good Italian and a great wine bar too.
Corner Table is great and they have a fun wine list. Their new place Revival is making some cool southern food. Brasserie Zentral is great if you want Eastern European style food - and the wine list there matches the food well. foreign legion is a fun bar up on the roof there. Parlor and marvel bar are both cool cocktail bars. lyn 65 is putting out some really good food at good prices and they have fun cocktails too.

If you want unfancy quick lunch food I would absolutely go to World Street Kitchen.

If could keep going for a while. Might want to check out the minneapolis eater.com page as that always has good info on it in my opinion.

I second Marvel Bar for a great cocktail experience (be forewarned, it can be a PITA to find if their bouncer isn’t outside when you get there). Also Bar La Grassa is very good, as well as its sister restaurant 112 Eatery (probably my favorite meal last time I was in Minneapolis).

Thanks, all. This is a great start! But don’t feel the need to stop. :slight_smile:

Bat signal for Brad Ballinger

Has anybody tried a rib joint called something like “big daddy’s”? In the midway area

Vincent in mpls would be worth the hike as well. Again, not QPR, but I really like the place for solid French cuisine and a nice enough wine list.

112 Eatery is my favorite.

Alma is the best restaurant I have been to in Mpls. No competition. If you want a restaurant centered around “farm to table” and respect for food wines, make a reservation.

I agree with the folks who are noting Punch for a casual dinner/lunch with friends!!!

Alma is fantastic! I am a big Punch fan as well and think they do some of the best neapolitan pizza around. Big Daddy’s is one of the better BBQ places around but if you want good BBQ and good beer I would check out the new Surly tap room.

Starting with St. Paul restaurants…

First recommendation is Ward 6 on Payne Avenue. Reservations not accepted, however, so you will want to arrive on the early side. Fantastic gastropub fare and excellent cocktails.

Further north along Payne is Tongue in Cheek. Again, very good with the cocktails, and the food is creative and comforting.

Rounding out the east side of St. Paul is The Strip Club. Cocktails, check (order the Boxwood). Excellent job with meats. After all, the URL is domeats.com.

Moving to downtown St. Paul…

Heartland should be experienced – when Lenny Russo is in the kitchen. Heartland was a pioneer of farm to table here in Minnesota. They have just opened up a wine bar, but you can order off the dining room menu there. They’ve added excellent and creative burgers to attract the crowd from the new stadium (Northwoods League) across the street. Very good wine list.

Also downtown, I recommend Meritage. It’s a brasserie-themed place. Good wine and spirits. Excellent food. They have an oyster bar as well. Both heartland and Meritage will be on the high end, but downtown St. Paul doesn’t have much in the way of great restaurants. If you are looking for a breakfast or lunch spot, be sure to go to The Buttered Tin.

Heading west of downtown on University Avenue…

Ngon Vietnamese Bistro should not be missed. The menu is split between traditional Vietnamese and modern/fusion. Good wine list. Excellent local beer list.

On’s Thai Kitchen has, IMO, the best Thai food in town. Beer and wine selections are okay.

In the Grand Avenue and Selby Avenue area of St. Paul…

Brasa is excellent for QPR casual dining, although the beverage options kinda suck.

Nextdoor to Brasa is Punch Pizza, mentioned above.

Happy Gnome is a very good gastropub, where it’s all about the beer (70 on tap), but they also have okay cocktails and okay wine selections.

If your numbers are small enough, in the something special category, my favorite place in St. Paul is Joan’s in the Park. Beer and wine only, and the glass options are just fine. Food is outstanding.

Most every other place mentioned upthread is Minneapolis, and I’ll chime in starting with North Loop…

Cocktails: Marvel Bar and Parlour. You can sit outside at Parlour. Marvel Bar is indoor seating only and quite dark. But hard to find better cocktails. If you go to Parlour DO NOT SKIP THE BURGER.

Wine Bar: Toast Wine Bar. The owner is very accommodating. Wine selection is good and the food is good enough.

Restaurants: 112 Eater as a gastropub experience, Bar la Grassa for pasta, Black Sheep for pizza… Higher end is Spoon and Stable (the latest “hot spot”) and The Bachelor Farmer (nouveau Scandinavian and Continental European with an excellent food-friendly wine list).

Northeast…

Restaurant Alma has been a standout for a very long time, and deservedly so. It will be on the high end price-wise, but worth it.

The Sample Room for cocktails and small plates.

Vic’s for the best QPR wine list and a great view of downtown Minneapolis.

Uptown and surrounding area…

Icehouse really wowed me recently. Great cocktails, killer ploughman’s platter, gastropub themed. Ask for Chris Greenfield, if he is working, and tell him you know me. It’s under the radar right now, but I can’t imagine it staying there.

Further south…

Rincon 38 for Spanish tapas and a good Mediterranean wine selection.

Terzo for an all-Italian wine bar with very good snacks/small plates.

Tilia is one of the best food QPR places going, and a favorite of our local wine group. Nothing bad on the menu. Decent wine selection, better tap beer selection. If the wait is too long, go next door to Harriet Brasserie. You won’t be disappointed.

Let me know if you are 1) looking for something specific or 2) looking for company.

Forgot wine shops…

St. Paul: Number one spot is Thomas Liquors. Many like Solo Vino, but that shop has never done it for me, and they have never solved their southern exposure problem. Just south of St. Paul, Sunfish Cellars is very good, and they have a wine bar attached.

Minneapolis: Number one spot is South Lyndale Liquors. Surdyk’s is also good.

+1 on Meritage, we dined there last fall and had excellent food and also a very good wine selection.

Brad pretty much nailed it there- hard to argue with any of them-

The Happy Gnome and WA Frost are in a very historic neighborhood in St Paul, so if you are heading in that direction, take a few minutes to check out the neighborhood - especially Summit Avenue up on the hill - gorgeous, gorgeous homes -

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Still loving the contributions. Brad, you are awesome.

I used to work several weeks a year in St Paul. But I’m guessing I’ll eat better than ever before. Thanks.

A lot of good recommendations, so I will just add some along the edges and second my favorites.

  • Favorites: Alma, Bachelor Farmer, 112, Bar La Grassa, Picolo, Tilia, and Meritage.
  • New Ones I have liked: Brasserie Zentral, Tongue in Cheek, and Third Bird.
  • Lunch/Outside: I love going to Fika if it is nice out and you can sit in the courtyard. It’s Scandinavian fare. And since it will be August, hanging out at Sea Salt at Minnehaha park is nice too if the weather permits. Tiny Diner in the Powderhorn area also has a nice seating area.

Odds and Ends:

  • If you go to Happy Gnome, the Solo Vino wine shop is nearby. I also like Sunfish which is walking distance from my house.

  • Ward 6 is good, but make sure you don’t go on quiz night.

  • If you are downtown, the Loews Hotel just opened The Apothecary that looks interesting.

  • If you are eating late, The Butcher and the Boar’s kitchen is among one of the last to close. Good sausage and whiskey.

  • At 112 Eatery, I love their tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs. One of my favorite dishes in MSP.

  • I just went to Spoon and Stable a couple of weeks ago. You’ll probably have to sit at the bar as reservations are still tough to get, but the space is amazing. I’d recommend the bison tartare and the sautued foie gras. They comp your corkage if you buy one of their bottles. Just FYI, Marvel/Bachelor Farmer is right across the street, so you can always pop in at Marvel afterwards. 2nd FYI, Pip the head bartender just went on sabbatical, but all the bar keeps are very good.

  • I just ate at Piccolo a few days ago. Still very good, and they have a nice chef’s tasting menu for $54. They comp corkage 1 for 1 if you buy one of their bottles.

  • A unique spot that I have been really wanting to try is the Gyst Fermentation Bar. The ex-sommelier from Bachelor Farmer, Jill Mott, was one of the people who helped start it. It is an intriguing concept with an interesting menu. I imagine the staff is fairly competent with wine, but I think they tend more towards organic, naturally made wines – though I have heard different thoughts on this.

And FWIW at both Spoon & Stable and Piccolo, I had to turn back bottles that were corked. Two dinners in a row for me.

k.

Minneapolis - 112 Eatery

St. Paul - Meritage

Tops for me I’ve been to nearly every place mentioned previously. Great recommendations all throughout. 10 years ago twin cities was meh now it’s hitting on all cylinders for food.

I ranked Piccolo for its more complex dishes above 112 Eatery, but both are good.