The 9 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul!

In addition to being the birthplace of the late pop legend Prince, the state of Minnesota happens to be the king when it comes to dining. 

Recently, the Star Tribune reported that a record 91 restaurants had opened in the Twin Cities metro area, with another 42 in the pipeline. The restaurant community in Minneapolis and St. Paul has clearly grown exponentially, expanding the list of restaurants worthy of a recommendation. 

In alphabetical order, here’s a list of Minneapolis and St. Paul restaurants that every tourist and Minnesota native must visit at least once.

Betty Danger’s Country Club, Minneapolis, MN

While not your average country club, this restaurant and bar has many of the activities you’ll find at a country club, only with a twist “for the 99 percent” as their motto reads. In between having a plate of hot Mexican food with a pint of beer, you can squeezein a nice golf session on the mini-golf course. Or better yet, enjoy your meal while experiencing a one of a kind Ferris wheel ride in “The Danger”. Betty Danger’s is guaranteed to remind their customers why they come for the food, stay for the drinks, and return for the fun activities. 

Café Latte, St. Paul, MN

Its simple but effective slogan of “Modern Comfort Food” couldn’t be a more accurate and appropriate one for Café Latte. Not only does it provide delicious comfort food, it provides a comfortable setting reminiscent of a cafeteria which allows for a wide variety of food options right before your eyes. From pizza and wine to tea and baked ham, this place proves that sometimes, less is more.

Hi-Lo Diner, Minneapolis, MN

While it’s still catching steam, now would be the perfect time to check out this new dining spot.Opened since March, this place provides high quality meals for reasonable prices. It’s exactly what you expect out of a diner and then some. While providing your usual diner pancakes or burger, it also offers the kind of fine cuisine you’d expect from a five-star restaurant. You wouldn’t expect something as fancy looking as a Yum Yum Yum (a short rib decked out with wasabi greens, glaze, and apple-bacon slaw) to come out of a typical diner, but Hi-Lo is far from your typical diner.

Joan’s in the Park, St. Paul, MN

As made evident by this list, Minnesota has some of the best restaurants in the world. It isn’t hard to find a good eatery in the Minnesota area, but it is hard to find good wine. Actually, good wine is hard to come by just about everywhere. Thankfully, Joan’s in the Park exists in St. Paul and provides some of the best wine anyone can come across. Which makes sense given wine is one of the venue’s specialties, but with good wine in addition to great food (particularly when it comes to their steak), it’s hard to find a place better than Joan’s.

La Grolla, St. Paul, MN

Ever since it opened in 2003, La Grolla has been one of the most popular Italian restaurants in the St. Paul neighborhood area. Not just for the food, but for its rather welcoming and polite staff that work hard to set a relaxing mood for their guests. Sometimes, good service is all that’s needed to deliver a memorable eating experience, but La Grolla goes a step further with the way they prepare their cuisine. With menu items looking fancy, yet affordable, there’s no reason not to try out some of the beloved food down at La Grolla. 

Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis

While it’s far from the cheapest restaurant you will visit, Spoon and Stable is worth every penny. Originating as a horse stable in 1906, chef and owner Gavin Kaysen returned home to the North Loop Neighborhood for the first time in 16 years and made it a four-star restaurant in early 2015.The menu is decked out with fine cuisine from top to bottom. Spoon and Stable offers a welcoming and friendly environment that includes giving giant cotton candy cones to customers on their birthday. It’s an equal amount of fun and fancy. 

St. Paul Grill, St. Paul, MN

For anyone in the downtown St. Paul residence, the St. Paul Grill has become a landmark spot for the area. While it has been recognized and critically acclaimed every year as being the best restaurant in both St. Paul and Minnesota overall, this restaurant features some of the finest cuisine a customer can ask for, and then some. For breakfast (or brunch), lunch, dinner, and dessert, the top chefs in the world work to provide succulent dishes like The Grill Tenderloin and The Market Street, some of the restaurant’s most praised specialties. 

Tongue in Cheek, St. Paul, MN

The restaurant’s title isn’t just meant to be a cheeky one, pardon the pun. It emphasizes the place’s retro vibe, which it seems to be succeeding at. There’s something that feels classic about Tongue in Cheek’s entire atmosphere and lighting which gives the setting an old school tone made just for the new school, as odd as that may sound. With eye-popping titles off the menu and a taste for anyone’s appetite, this restaurant is just the right amount of tongue for your cheek.

Turf Club, St. Paul, MN

With a built in music venue and bar, the Turf Club didn’t even need to incorporate a restaurant to be successful. But it did, and that only makes it better. While jamming out to whatever musician pops up here, you can have yourself any one of the classic burgers on the menu. The Turf Club Sandwich (with smoked bacon and red peppers) is a must have. Don’t want a burger? No problem. You can have something simple like nachos, chicken wings, or tacos off the menu. You even have the option to build your own pizza with any toppings you want. There’s even ice cream desserts. The Turf Club has it all.

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