Good Eats (restaurant version)

[dmention7]

Post up your favorite places for grub, along with a mini-review including type of food, price, and any specialties the place has!

[DrWebster]

Carbone's on Randolph Ave. in St. Paul. Fantastic pizza. Kind of a hole in the wall, but it's been around forever. A pizza and a couple of sodas run about $20 with tip.

www.carbonesonrandolph.com

[JustROLLIN]

Village Wok - Some of the best Chinese food I have had anywhere in the cities. Very inexpensive ($7-13 per entree) and huge portions. You can literally eat it for 2-3days. Centrally located right next to the U of M campus.

http://www.villagewok.com/

[ZoomZoom Diva]

Have you ever tried the stuffed pizza at Grandpa Tony's just south of there on Snelling (cross w/ Bayard)? It's been a little time since I've been there, but it takes 45 minutes to prepare, and worth the wait. Last I checked it was about $20 plus drinks and tip. Otherwise, typical, but very good pizza place fare.

http://www.yellowpages.com/info-LMS67606446/Grampa-Tonys

[JustROLLIN]

Red's Savoy Pizza - Excellent "thin" crust pizza and one dive of a joint. Prices are reasonable, but the wait can be long depending on the night. The bar is as classy as the trailer park.

http://www.theoriginalredssavoypizza.com/index.html

[JustROLLIN]

The Little Venetian - Top notch Italian food. Very reasonable prices, but the location has limited hours. I believe they are only open for dinner (4-10pm) so make sure you check in advance.

http://www.yellowpages.com/info-LMS67596962/Little-Venetian-Incorporated/maps?from=qpibp

[Slim]

Here's a few of my favs:

Sandy's Tavern (http://search.cityguide.aol.com/twincities/restaurants/sandys-tavern/v-104277311/reviews) - Beer and the best Olive Burger EVAR! In the Edina area.

Pizza Nea (http://www.pizzanea.com/) - My favorite pizza place. Neapolitan style pizza at decent prices. A decent drive from Edina.

El Meson (http://www.elmesonbistro.com/) - Top-notch Latin-American cuisine. Not overly priced, but not Taco Bell either. Fairly close to Edina.

[Picklz]

Axle's Bonfire is one of my favorite places to go.

Very good American Cuisine, excellent steaks and they have pizza cooked in a stone wood burning oven. Not overly cheap, usually $15-25 per entree, but worth the money.

They are located in Blaine off Lexington and 35W and in Uptown, not sure if they have other locations or not.

[dmention7]

One place I haven't been to in awhile is Mancini's Charhouse in St Paul. The only thing on their menu is no-frills cuts of meat, but they have a platter of pickled veggies at every table, and they serve some mean garlic toast. It's a fun place to go, because the decor feels straight out of some 1930's mob hangout, and the attached lounge is a fun place to sit and have a few drinks after dinner.

It's a step above the chain steakhouses, but nothing all that-end either... figure $25-$40 for a steak.

[mndsm]

Fat Lorezos, Corner of Cedar and Nokomis- BEST PIZZA EVER

Matt's Bar, 28th and Cedar- the ORIGINAL Juicy Lucy Burger. As long as you don't mind a bar setting that hasn't likely been cleaned in 30 years, it's the bomb-diggity

O'Gara's, Snelling and Selby in St Paul- Best cheesesteak outside of Philly

Chula Vista, South Robert St. in W. St. Paul- Rock solid Mexican eats

[Young Roids]

The Holy Land off lowry and central in NE Mpls is probly my favorite place to eat at. They have the biggest Gyros you have ever seen(6$) and they have a great lunch buffet($10) as well.

http://www.holylandbrand.com/home.html

[Jana]

Al Vento (http://www.alventorestaurant.com/) The best Italian ever, in a quaint atmosphere. They create the menu daily, so it always changes. They also have great 1/2 price bottles of wine most days.

Ristorante Luci/Luci Anocra (http://www.ristoranteluci.com/reservations.htm) Another great Italian place. I have not been to Ristorante Luci, but have been to Luci Anocra.

Both are mid-scale to up-scale for price, but the quality is what you pay for.

[DrWebster]

Tom reminded me of how good Fat Lorenzos is. It's been a long time since I've been there.

I might as well mention the Groveland Tap on St. Clair in St. Paul (http://www.grovelandtap.com), and Punch has good Neopolitan pizza (they have several locations, www.punchpizza.com).

[Jana]

I might as well mention the Groveland Tap on St. Clair in St. Paul (http://www.grovelandtap.com), and Punch has good Neopolitan pizza (they have several locations, www.punchpizza.com).

I don't really think the pizza at Punch is that great. I've been to the EP location numerous times over the past couple years...nothing extra or nothing I'd drive out of the way for.

[mOjO]

Best Latin-Caribbean cuisine has to be Babalu in Downtown Minneapolis. Medium priced, excellent Mojitos and the food is excellent. Great atmosphere although I haven't been there when they have live music.

http://www.babalu.us/

Best BBQ: Famous Dave's in Calhoun Square of course! I simply die for their brisket and ribs combo... Been there any number of times when they've had live music and it's always a good show. If you haven't been (how DARE you!) bring some friends and order the feast that comes in a garbage can lid. Fo Rizzle.....do it.

Best All you can Eat Sushi = Ichiban downtown I've gone there after work a few times and basically you can shovel in as much sushi as possible in the hour you pay for. Little boats carry trays carrying all sorts of different varieties. There are usually two chefs taking special orders in the middle (always well tipped from me) and waitresses circling to fill your drinks and bring you a tempura of choice.

Best Morning Bakery: Turtle Bread Co. on either 44th and Zenith (maybe?) the other is on 47th and Chicago. Great quiche's, breakfast pastries, breads of all sorts and coffee. LOVE IT.

Best American Breakfasts: I have two favs. Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown (There's only 13 seats so prepare to stand and wait.) and Original Pancake House in Edina just south of the mall. Giant servings of clog your arteries before you finish french toast, etc. Always busy...but always good stuff.

[ZoomZoom Diva]

Uptowner on Grand and Lexington in St. Paul for the American Breakfast. It's a diner with a great people watching late night crowd. The one in uptown is still good, but not as good as the location in St. Paul. Love doing the Tex Mex with cajun sausage added to it!

[Workdawg]

Burgers... Lions Tap (http://www.lionstap.com/) in EP

The burgers are GOOD.
They used to have really good prices, burgers for like 3 bucks, and there were always coupons for B1G1, but new management a few years ago made it more expensive and they don't hand out coupons like they used to. They also have 1919 draft rootbeer.

[dmention7]

Oh, as long as we're talking about breakfast, it would probably be bad not to mention Keys Cafe. It can be tough to get into on a weekend morning, but it's worth the wait when the pancakes are big enough to be used as spinners on a ghetto escalade.

[Z-licious]

I can vouch for the Holyland's goodness. Great gyro's, and a great chicken dinner for 2 for about $10.

I was actually not that impressed with Ichiban's sushi buffet. Martini Blu has a better sushi buffet.


A good place for some mexican't is Little Tijuana, just off of eat street in Minneapolis. Open late, great food. Some of the regulars can attest to that.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&hl=en&geocode=&q=little+tijuana&near=Minneapolis,+MN&sll=46.145589,-94.534607&sspn=1.362486,2.554321&ie=UTF8&latlng=44955506,-93277134,138835912828185374&ei=d0n2R8ClDp_YigH1iem1Aw&sig2=jwB3R8PRcUyuJ5e27qCsWQ&cd=1&dtab=1&oi=md_structdata&sa=X

[dmention7]

I have not had sushi that much as it gets pricey, but there is a place in EP called Kabuki that has great sushi, as well as some decent teppanyaki-style dining as well.

[Jana]

I have not had sushi that much as it gets pricey, but there is a place in EP called Kabuki that has great sushi, as well as some decent teppanyaki-style dining as well.

That place has nothing on Benihana when it comes to great teppanyaki-style dining. :D

[ZoomZoom Diva]

On ethnic, I'll have to state two other excellent places on Grand.

Khyber Pass is Afghani food. Very middle eastern decor, sometimes with live music. It's sort of a combination of Indian and Middle Eastern, and really tasty. The cardamom tea is a must. Probably a $20 a person place all considered. http://www.khyberpasscafe.com/index.html

Everest on Grand is a good Nepali/Tibetan place. More oriental-type food but some similarities... and where else can you eat yak? Again, a $20 a person place.

http://www.hotmomo.com/

[Bartron8000]

Hell's Kitchen - Minneapolis. Breakfast, and brunch. They have really good food, I would highly recommend going, but make reservations to be safe, or be prepared to wait.

If your in Mankato
Pho Shigon I don't think thats how its spelled, but it is an excellent Vietnamese's restaurant.

Tav on the Ave - This is a bar and grill like restaurant, they have really good appetizers.

Dino's Pizza - This is an excellent pizza and pasta place.

[DrWebster]

Dino's Pizza - This is an excellent pizza and pasta place.

Dino's isn't bad, but I like Pagliai's better.

For Japanese, I really dig Origami in downtown Minneapolis. Sometimes it can be hard to get into, and it's a little spendy, but they've got a big menu and great service.

[YSOSLO]

Best all-you-can-eat deal in town IMO is Wednesday night at the Fridley Crab House on Hwy 65 on the north end of Moore lake. Get there around 7pm to avoid the rush and get a salad, pop-overs, choice of potato and all you can eat Snow Crab for 17.95 per person. The wife (Jess) and I used to go there all the time and eat for about 2 hours straight....awesome! With the kid it's down to about once every 3 months rather that once a month, but it's always great. Saturday night is all-you-can-eat shrimp night too. The shrimp are on skewers and it's good, but we didn't enjoy it as much as the Wednesday night crab.

Also, right in the same area there's a strip mall just North of the Crab House if you turn right at the stoplight and it's on the left. King's is a great sushi place in there and their prices are much more reasonable than Origami and places like that. The regular entrees seemed overpriced for what you get though, so I recommend sticking with the sushi.

And a quickie that a lot of people might not be aware of it White Castle breakfast sandwiches! They're made with real egg and less than a couple of bucks for an "egg mcmuffin" type sandwich. Very good quality stuff on the way to work.