Anima Cucina is such a cute spot in Bismarck. I was greeted right away and seated promptly, and the service throughout the meal was warm, friendly, and attentive. For a small restaurant, they also have an impressive wine selection. We started with the garlic bread, hot olives, and meatballs -- all of which were flavorful, balanced, and absolutely delicious. For entrées, our table had the breaded walleye, the Bolognese pasta, and the Porchetta. The walleye and Bolognese were outstanding, but unfortunately the Porchetta was a big letdown. The skin was chewy rather than crisp, with a thick layer of unrendered fat beneath it, and most concerning, it still had visible pig hair. I was expecting the classic combination of crackling skin, melting fat, and tender pork, but instead it was oddly undercooked on the outside, dry inside, and after biting into hair, I really lost my appetite for it. We finished with tiramisu and a torte, and both desserts were excellent -- a strong way to end the meal. Overall, Anima Cucina has a lot going for it: charming atmosphere, friendly staff, great starters, and standout entrées (other than the Porchetta). I'd happily return for the appetizers, pasta, fish, and desserts, but I'd avoid the Porchetta based on my experience. read more

Anima Cucina - Hairy pig skin - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

Our most favorite place in all of Bismarck! Came here practically every morning over the summer while we stayed here for work. Lovely staff, great vibes, lots of natural light, and excellent coffee! We miss this place!!! read more

I was in the mood for Italian and not sure where to go while in town for work. I went to BisMan Eats online and searched the group. Many threads suggested Anima Cucina so my husband and I decided to try it out after looking at the menu online versus our other go to restaurants we typically stop at while in town. We are so glad we tried it out as it's our new favorite! Our server was so nice and helped point out some popular entrees while also taking into consideration what we might be hungry for. I could have ordered two garlic breads as it was that good! Don't even get me started on the house made scratch pasta - delicious. No where in town compares! We also got the tiramisu which was the perfect little amount to share. We appreciated the overall vibe of the restaurant and the fact that we weren't made to feel rushed out after dining, but also the service was always attentive without being overly interruptive. Please go check it out if you've drive by or never gone in! I can't wait to stop back and bring others with! read more

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We are passing through on the way to Chicago. The place is inviting. You order at the counter and they serve it to you at the table you have chosen. I ordered their turmeric latte, and it is delicious. I also ordered the ratatouille, which is also good. Carafe water is self serve. Price is about $$, normal this day and age. The noise is average. read more

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Place is nice and chill but wasn't very busy. Waitstaff friendly and attentive. The shareable salad with dates and goat cheese was fantastic! The white meat brined chicken breast was dry although presentation was very nice. My pasta was a bit salty and portion size was in my opinion, medium not large as described in the menu. All in all a good experience. read more

The food and wine were very good. I had cacio e Pepe (1/2 order) and mussels. The mussels came with an ink infused pasta which surprised me. My wife had the Mediterranean Bowl with chicken. We also had gelato which comes from next door if you prefer to go there. read more

Great food and cute spot to people watch. Nice selection of wines and I wish I could have eaten more because everything looks so delicious!! Would definitely come back. read more

Anima Cucina - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

Came here for late breakfast. Had a latte and hazelnut scone which was very delicious. Sorry forgot to take food photos ‍ read more

Anima Cucina - Bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

My 16-year-old son and I stopped in hoping for some better-than-average Italian fare, and we were not disappointed. I ordered the gnocchi while he chose the Lobster Paccheri - both were delicious. The pancetta and mushrooms were perfect savory accents to the gnocchi, while my son said the sauce on his paccheri was just right: creamy, not too salty, with just enough tomato to add depth and texture. The crusty topping gave it a nice finishing touch, and he especially loved the lobster (a rare treat for us in North Dakota). For dessert he had the spumoni, which he enjoyed for its layers and mix of flavors and textures. The service was excellent - attentive, friendly, and well timed without being intrusive. read more

The arancini and aioli were amazing. Trout tray was fun. We went for the carbonara. It was ok. Service was excellent.

This is a cool little place. I enjoyed everything. Kitchen closed at 8 so I could not try entree but app and wine flight were enjoyable. . read more

Anima Cucina - Charcuterie - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

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Food was just ok. Service was awful. I had a group of 9. We waited 10 mn and nobody came to the table. I finally went and found someone. When our unfriendly and Anton server brought our wine she didn't know the names of two wines. They never refilled our carafes of water until I asked. They left our dirty dishes on the table. When I paid the credit card machine forced a 20% tip. There were only two other tables full. I've been a server and this didn't meet even the most basic courtesies a customer deserves. Find someone. Else in Bismarck. read more

Quiet little breakfast spot. Great coffee. Great service; the server made excellent food recommendations. Quantity fresh ingredients. Recommend the mushroom scramble for breakfast. read more

Anima Cucina - Mushroom scramble. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

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Always amazing. Staff food the patio cannot ever stope eating breakfast lunch dinner they do it all so well

TL/DR: This eatery is much better suited as a breakfast, lunch and coffee spot versus a nicer wine and dinner location. The ambiance is tailored for a casual setting and they do very little to transition the space for dinner hours, despite charging more for dinner and wine service. Unfortunately, this restaurant is not staffed well for dinner service, even on a Friday night at 6:30pm. My partner and I waited over 5 minutes to be greeted and seated, despite the restaurant being nearly empty. I was impressed with the wine list. However, little wine options are available by the glass and the prices are quite high for the casual setting. The same goes for the food. We loved the brussels sprouts and the House red wine was very good (and affordable at $8 a glass). I ordered the gluten free Bolognese and was quite disappointed. The portion size was alright for a $27 entree but the noodles were undercooked (not al dente) and there was very little sauce -- like comically little. My husband ordered the cacio de pepe pasta dish, which had little flavor. Must have been an off night in the kitchen but I would suggest leaning into what they do best, which is breakfast, lunch and coffee. read more

Anima Cucina - Gluten Free Bolognese - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

What a gem in Bismarck! Was in town for work and saw the other reviews and thought I'd give it a shot! So glad I did! Here are the bullet points Positives: service is outstanding, food is fresh and great portions, the wine selection is very good and if you don't know anything about wine they will help you, it's cozy inside! Negative: NOTHING The menu isn't huge but the quality of food is very good! Prices are fair but not somewhere you're I'll eat $10-15 a person but absolutely not going to break the bank! We got a cheese and meat board and was excellent and the pancetta and bolognese was excellent! Will be back for sure! read more

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Cute restaurant, don't really like the buffet style ordering but it is what it is. Masks on wait staff or order takers are ridiculous, you can't understand a word they are saying, it's sad. Food looks great, cauliflower and cheese is WOW! Chicken Salad Sandwich is To Die For! Muffuletta Sandwich is good read more

Anima Cucina - Very nice wine bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

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A complete surprise and delight. Great service, incredible espresso, and delicious food. Will be back the next time I am in town!

Nice little restaurant in downtown Bismarck. Quite happy to find this. Has a little bit of everything that could be eaten now and then great to munch on through out the day which I need when flying. For breakfast I got the lemon loaf and a caramel latte and then I got Anime cucina board for later today while I'm working. read more

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I didn't feel like cooking (blah blah blah), and I wanted Italian, but not Olive Garden. BRO. I SHOULD HAVE COOKED. I ordered the meatballs, a turmeric latte, and the bolognese. The latte was pretty standard, no complaints. Neither dish was hot. NEITHER DISH WAS HOT. The pasta in the bolognese was hard in a cooked-but-dried-out-way, and the meat sauce was dry. This wasn't the warm, rich meaty bowl of cheesy Italian goodness I was dreaming about. The meatballs were hard too!! Like they had a seared crust that was then left out to get cold and hard. I came right around the beginning of dinner service - not that there's ever a reason for not-fresh food - but shouldn't that mean the food is fresh, prepped for dinner? Textures and temperatures aside, the seasoning of the dishes was pretty bland. I wouldn't bring anyone here that was Italian, or that had been to Italy, or has been to dinner in a major city. I'd just cook for them myself. read more

Anima Cucina - Bolognese - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

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The food was tasty but the service has challenges. Much coaching and customer service is needed. When I asked for grated Parmesan cheese the waitress stated the chef would not allow extra cheese for a customer. I asked for extra spaghetti sauce for the bolognese and they said they were not permitted to provide extra sauce because it was not permitted. I said I would pay for extra sauce but still not allowed. The walleye was not available because they were out of it and only one person could order a salad because they were out of spring mix at 6:00 PM on a Saturday night. One of three people who ordered a salad so we changed to soup. They were out of Caesar salad so we switched to soup. The white bean soup was good. The portions are small. The pasta is a very small amount. So the food we did get was tasty minus the one bolognese being dry. So order an appetizer if you're hungry. read more

Great food. Great service. Loved sitting by the kitchen and watching the chef. Overall a great place to sit and visit with your friends or loved ones. read more

My fiancé and I were visiting Bismarck for a wedding and came here one night for dinner. It was pretty busy so we sat at the bar. We were helped somewhat quickly and I ordered a glass of wine and a charcuterie board. My only main complaint from the night was that the charcuterie board was pretty light. We got 3 cheeses and 3 meats and there were literally 3 slices of cheese. One slice of each type of cheese. Aside from that though, our meals were very good. I got the bolognese with wild boar and that was delicious and my partner got the shrimp corn spaghetti which he enjoyed. The atmosphere of the space was really nice and they had a large selection of wine and beer. I would return! read more

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Food was fantastic and a small pasta wine and bakery in Bismarck. Highly recommend! This is great for a date night just looking for good food. read more

Anima Cucina - Huntress pasta was fantastic! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

Great service sitting at the bar with a lovely hostess who made some great wine recommendations that were not terribly expensive which is always a plus. To start, I got the smaller cheese plate. While a nice variety, I would say that the cheeses were far from exotic or even interesting. The meats were nice, a ham, a chorizo sausage and a salami. Good olives, great marcona almonds and the bread was nice. Just a let down with average cheese. For main course, the porchetta was excellent. A nice piece that went very well with the crisp white wine. Sweet red cabbage with it, it was a healthy portion that I thoroughly enjoyed. A good meal at Anima Cucina and great sitting at the bar. [Review 10741 overall, 509 of 2019.] read more

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The dinner menu here is delicious but the portions are on the smaller side. I tried their brunch menu for the first time eager for their eggs and greens. Sadly they were out. The ordering experience was awkward and the cashier was inattentive. It's on you to grab any silverware or water you might need even for dine in. They forgot my turmeric latte which was bland. My avocado toast was under seasoned but the bread was delicious. It was underwhelming and I will stick to their dinner menu if I return. read more

The food honestly was pretty good. The service was 2 starts at best between an extremely long wait even for drinks, checking back multiple times to confirm order before entering it to the kitchen and a solid 30 minutes to get food on a very low traffic night. But the end all be all of why would never eat at what should be called Animal Cucina is that this place was like a dog pound. I think I saw a total of 2-3 dogs roaming around. Our server said the one was a retired service animal (read, no business in a food establishment). Watching staff routinely pet the dogs and not wash their hands was DISGUSTING! This place needs to be checked by the Health Department! The "service dog" had no identification as such either. Absolutely gross! read more

Excellent service and excellent food as always this restaurant is an amazing place to just go and relax or to take someone for your anniversary or birthday strongly. Recommend it. read more

We had a delicious meal here for our date night. Highly recommend! The gnocchi and lobster pasta are great.

We were passing through on a road trip and were very pleasantly surprised to find such a cute spot for a late lunch. We shared a charcuterie board and sandwich. It was kind of a weird time of day so the place was pretty empty which was great for social distancing. Staff were wearing masks. The food tasted fresh and really hit the spot. It's a great place to grab a gourmet sandwich. The only annoying thing is that I keep getting emails from them, and they are too far away for me to participate in the wine class they are advertising. read more

Anima Cucina - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

This place rocks! The charcuterie board with salad was the perfect size and delicious. The staff and service was outstanding. It is the cutest place in downtown Bismarck and I highly recommend it. read more

I met a friend for lunch and was amazed at this place! The salad was fresh and flavor filled with shaved parmesan cheese, orange slices and pine nuts. My vegetarian sandwich was delicious with a perfect blend of flavorful veggies and a generous slice of provolone cheese. The baked goods looked sooo tempting. It is a bit on the pricey side, but worth every bite. read more

At first I was disappointed as I came in wanting the rotisserie chicken and was told I had to wait an hour for it to be ready which I was completely surprised by. However, I figured I could try a local fish which I do not get a chance to order back at home. Even though it was a light snack for me it was very delicious and hit the spot. On top of that I sampled some of the strip my friend ordered and that was done really well. The flavor in the steak was phenomenal. With only two staff members working I think they did a decent job attending to all of the guests. read more

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The portions are super small. I'm not sure that one dish could feed a small, thin 5 year old. The $15 salad my mom got didn't have any dressing and was literally one handful of greens. One glass of cheap wine is $15 when you can get a full bottle for &12 at any shop. Service was so slow we literally finished and left before the wine and last dish came out. Don't bother going. It would be a waste of time and money. read more

Man, I'm constantly disappointed by this place. I come here a lot, mostly because my family loves trying out all the wines, which is why I am giving this place 3 stars. The wine holds this place up! The food is subpar. So recently I got the board "Anima Cucina" and one of the cheeses was SUPER moldy (to the point of everyone at my table asking "Is this even safe to eat?" "How can someone serve furry, fuzzy cheese?") worrisome, right? You may be thinking something like... "well cheese does mold," but to that I will tell you... Cheese is not supposed to mold THIS badly... you're not supposed to be eating fuz/fur (see pictures). Now let me tell you about me, I am not picky at all (in fact, I ate around Anima Cucina's fuzzy, moldy cheese). I also had the olives, which were not that tasty (I've had better olives at other places). Lastly, the blueberry lemon tart was very dry. Overall, I enjoy almost all edible food -- but the food menu here needs to change and the servers need to notice moldy food before they dish it out (kind of hoping the health inspector catches this). Granted if I had maybe two more glasses of wine in me I probably wouldn't have noticed how terrible tasting the food was. I imagine that is why my family comes back to this place, not for the food, but for the wine. The service is good. I really didn't want to hate this downtown restaurant, but I have to be honest and say that this place is just OK, not amazing or great. read more

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I grab a cappuccino and a pastry here regularly. Despite that, I am still blown away by how delicious everything is with every sip of coffee or every bite. Great crew and great ambiance! read more

What a wonderful place. I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay but found the staff to be professional and personable. I wanted some salad to finish off my lunch from earlier. I also got an expresso coffee, not my favorite. The salad was fresh and had apple, cheese and walnuts. Very good. They bring it to the table. read more

Anima Cucina - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

The vanilla latte was amazing and the chorizo eggs were just spicy enough to kick off the day. It was the only place in the area open on a Monday morning so they saved the day. read more

Anima Cucina - Vanilla Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

Anima Cucina is conveniently located next to the hotel in downtown Bismarck. The breakfast menu is simple but the choices are unique, they have made it their own style. The staff was friendly and overall good service. Foot note: great coffee. read more

Anima Cucina - Decor is modern yet comfortable. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

I've been waiting like forever for this place to open, and it does not disappoint. We received a warm welcome and were invited to sit in the wine bar (more on that later) or the restaurant. We opted for the restaurant because RL is not a big fan of bar height chairs. We skipped The charcuterie and went straight for the small plates (which were NOT small). The meatballs were unexpectedly spicy (but in a good way), and the cassoulet was unusual, but delicious. Much drier than I expect from a cassoulet but full of flavor and perfectly complemented by the broccolini. The ravioli was delicious, but the filling was slightly dry. I'm not a big fan of Brussels sprouts, but these were quite nice. The food star was dessert! The tiramisu was to die for. We tend to judge Italian restaurants by their tiramisu, and RL and I agreed that this is easily the best we've ever had! So food aside, the absolute star of the evening was the wine bar! I had the "staff pick" wine flight, and Taylor the sommelier asked me some questions about what I liked and didn't, and chose four 3 oz. pours for me. He was willing to spend a great deal of time at our table explaining about vineyards and vintages and countries of origin, and picked out three excellent (like really excellent) pours and one very good one. I really appreciate when someone knows their stuff and is eager to share their knowledge. I would definitely come back just for the wine! read more

Anima Cucina - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota