Restaurant Week July 2017

508 Bar + Restaurant

Mostly thought of as one of the popular watering holes of First Avenue, this one has a menu that tries a little harder.

Blackbird

In Kingfield you'll find Blackbird's quirky art and antlers framing up a menu chock-full of comforting food from many cuisines: lamb nachos, walleye po'boys, crispy duck rolls, truffled gnocchi. Kids with cool parents love this place.

Borough

The hot spot in the North Loop, Borough is a modern small-plates restaurant on the main floor with a plush, swank cocktail den called Parlour in the basement.

Café Lurcat

Campiello

This D'Amico trattoria is phenomenally refined for the moderate prices. People love its often superb Italian regional fare and relaxed, warm environment.

Cast & Cru

Launched in the freshly revamped Old Log Theater, this dining spot features meaty, modern American plates whether you're seeing a show or not.

Cedar + Stone, Urban Table

The sparkly new JW Marriott at MOA has opened an upscale dining room and bar. There's notable efforts to use local products, and the hospitality is top-notch. It's a good zen place to escape the mall hordes.

Citizen

Citizen Supper Club has revamped as Citizen. The vibe is still very Mad Men, but there’s a brand new menu, complete with local touches like app boards featuring meats and cheeses from Red Table Meats and Redhead Creamery.

Copper Hen Cakery & Kitchen

A Kickstarter-funded spot that takes a local, scratch cooking approach to cakes, breads, and rustic mains like pizzas, burgers, and goulash.

Copper Pot Indian Grill

This downtown Indian eatery is one of the better lunch spots. The vindaloos are excellent.

Corner Table

Corner Table has evolved into one of the best neighborhood eateries in town, again. Under the ownership and reign of Thomas Boemer and Nick Rancone, it has become refined but humble and satisfying. A true find.

Crooners Lounge and Supper Club

Live music in the lounge is the main attraction here, alongside classic cocktails and supper club-style fare.

FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar – Mall of America

Cooking with a wood-fired rotisserie and hardwood grill, it turns out tasty and accessible American fare for all three meals. The grilled North Shore whitefish and corn-crusted walleye are great.

Fogo de Chao

With its all-you-can-eat menu, strolling gauchos slicing more than a dozen grilled meats tableside, plus a stellar salad bar, Fogo de Chão not only represents great value, but also offers many cuts of meats and flavors not otherwise found in loc...

Ginger Hop Restaurant

The team behind Chiang Mai Thai created Ginger Hop with a Vietnamese colonial vibe. The food may have a Southeast Asian influence, but you'll find flavors from all over contributing to innovative dishes, including a kimchi Reuben. The subterrane...

Hammer & Sickle

Uptown has a new vodka bar with a light Soviet theme. Check out the menu with a round of pierogis, small plate zakuski offerings, even caviar.

Herbie's on the Park

Inspired by Herb Brooks and with a lot of old St. Paul swag, Herbie's on the Park offers up steaks, lobster rolls, and crab cakes in a dining room flanked with a roaring fireplace and marble bar.

It's Greek to Me Taverna E Parea

Family-owned and a LynLake landmark for more than 25 years, it offers moussaka, spanakopita, kebabs, appetizers, and lamb dishes, plus seafood and vegetarian specialties.

Jacques'

The Marquette Hotel lobby, in the IDS, has been given a modern makeover that included Jacques', a new full service eatery with Italian leanings and a massive burger. Plus: good happy hour vibes.

Kafé 421

One of the more creative restaurants to draw the U of M student patron, Kafé 421 keeps it easy and friendly with creative dishes that leave diners craving another visit. The owner has Greek roots but cooks from all over the map. Wine bar has its...

Kendall's Tavern & Chophouse

The Bunker Hills Golf Club has a new draw for the clubhouse: Kendall's has opened with a hearty menu of American tavern fare. Look for big sandwiches, hefty burgers, and wood-fired meats.

Lake & Irving

The brothers Ikeda have opened this Uptown spot where Asian meets Mediterranean meets Minnesotan. Surprisingly, it all works in a cozy pub-like atmosphere.

Lela

A refreshed space adjacent to the former Sofitel plays sophisticated and modern with crudo, house-made pasta, and some enormous steaks.

McKinney Roe

Dermot Cowley has added to his restaurant collection (that includes Jake O' Conner's, Lola's Lakehouse, and O'Donovan's) with fancier digs and a serious wine balcony.

Mediterranean Cruise Cafe

In a grand space, this Med-focused restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes, such as kebabs, pasta, gyros, pizza, and more. Check out one of the weekend belly dancing shows or enjoy a hookah on the patio.

Mercy

What was once Marin in the Le Meridian, is now more cozy and accessible as Mercy. Fresh seafood dishes and an oyster bar mesh with Minnesota decor vibes, and you won't want to miss the buttery garlic monkey bread.

Monello Cucina

Hotel Ivy's restaurant is a slice of coastal Italy in the hands of chef Mike DeCamp, from the menu full of fresh crudo to the gilded interior. Head to the basement for the darkly cool cocktail bar, Constantine.

Mystic Steakhouse

If you're down playing the slots, reward yourself with dinner at this classic casino steak house offering chops, seafood, pastas, salads, and more.

PUBLIC kitchen + bar

Mears Park gets a new upscale eatery with modern plates upstairs and loungy cocktails in the basement.

Pazzaluna Urban Italian

This Italian trattoria has a buzzy after-work scene. Sit at the kitchen bar or chef's table to experience Calabrian mussels, handmade gnocchi, or trout with a horseradish crust.

Pig Ate My Pizza

In the former bones of Travail, this cutting-edge pizzeria has risen from the same band of merry cooks. Your pizza might have pork, it might have a smoke-filled dome, it might be covered in potato salad, and that's the fun.

Poor Richard's Commonhouse

These are locally owned sports bars with hearty sandwiches, burgers, and plenty of walleye to go around.

Primo Plates & Pours

This old-school family spot is bringing spaghetti and meatballs and traditional Italian entrees to Long Lake.

Rinata

Rinata is an Italian bistro with considerable charm. Simple elegance is applied to the warm, candlelit surroundings as well as the rustic menu. Earthy flavors from all over Italy are featured in dishes such as eggplant involtini, ravioli with br...

Rodizio Grill

There's a large salad bar and servers who bring you different cuts of grilled and roasted meats at this all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak house.

Ruth's Chris Steak House

Ruth's is perhaps the least flashy of the local high-ticket steak houses. Generous portions, super sides, and great service are its benchmarks.

Saji-Ya

Sleek, modern design has refreshed this longtime Grand Avenue grill, known for high-quality sushi, noisy and rollicking teppanyaki tables, skillfully prepared Japanese entrées, and a general commitment to excellence.

Sanctuary

In this graciously restored fieldstone building, Sanctuary's menu spans the globe with new-age verve. Call it classic fusion—Latino and Asian flavors via French technique. Chef Patrick Atanalian's plates are surprisingly innovative and playful.

Smack Shack at POTLUCK

St. Paul Grill

There's no denying the appeal of downtown St. Paul's clubby home for power lunches, decadent brunches, and winning pre-theater dinners. The food is classic American, the simpler the better. It's the place to be seen if you're a Capitol mover and...

Stella's Fish Café & Prestige Oyster Bar

Casual seafood specialties such as peel-and-eat shrimp and raw oysters are served in this Uptown restaurant with a rooftop bar.

The Lyndale Tap House

The Lyndale Tap House jams. The pub features an easy-going bar vibe and a creative menu centered around pit-grilled meats and higher-end bar fare. The brunch, and most notably the hard cider French toast, is a worthy endeavor.

The Melting Pot

There's an all-fondue menu of four-course feasts, as well as other items, including filet mignon, shrimp, sirloin, lobster tails and a vegetarian option. Also cheese and chocolate fondues.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room

Though the space isn't as cool or swank as it used to be, the fish is still flown-in fresh, the portions generous, and the crab cake the best in town. Happy hour has become a popular pastime.

Tria Restaurant

This attractive north suburban restaurant feels like a European country house and is popular for gatherings. The food is similarly influenced, hearty, and comforting.

Urban Eatery

Calhoun Beach Club's edgy eatery. Focused on fresh & local food, the menu plays with a few foodie touches such as duck nachos, house smoked pork chop. Local farms get a nod on the menu.

Vieux Carré

The Artists' Quarter has been cleaned up and refreshed as this New Orleans–inspired jazz joint. Creole food matched with stepped-up cocktails make this spot a St. Paul destination (and not just because the kitchen is open late).

Wise Acre Eatery

Tangletown Gardens created this companion eatery serving fresh, local farm-to-fork food and old-style cooking with a modern edge. Think dill pickle fried chicken and carrot chive mashers.

al Vento

Warm and upscale, this Italian trattoria, in a part of town thin on options, prides itself on its scratch cooking, from housemade mozzarella to fresh pasta.

moto-i

Besides being the first sake brewpub outside of Japan, moto-i has really come into its own as a Japanese izakaya with ramen, whole fish, a crazy brunch menu, and one of the more zen rooftops in town.