Tippy P.

I took my cousin to dinner for her belated birthday. We've heard so many great reviews about the food. Reservations recommended, this restaurant is busy in the evening and weekends. They are located by the river, huge parking lot as well. Nice restaurant inside, 2 different dining rooms. Food menu is mixed fusion, I am planning to go back and try some more dishes. My server was wonderful.

Alannah K.

A truly exceptional new spot for elevated dining in the Champlin/Anoka area. Yesterday was my first time in and I was so impressed with the service and the food, especially for this being a newer restaurant. Our server was incredible and very attentive. He was happy to make recommendations and was very knowledgeable about the menu. They have a print out allergen guide for people who have food allergies which was really great since my husband has a peanut/tree nut allergy. Great drinks, great food, great ambiance. I truly don't have anything negative to say. Seriously well done, Char Blu! Can't wait to try out the patio this summer!

Kripa M.

A Great addition to the Champlin area and so close to home. This beautiful restaurant sits on the side of Mississippi River. Can't wait for the patio to open up in the summer. The staff was very attentive, friendly and knows the menu very well. Shout out to our server, David. He was amazing. Let's get to the most important part, the delicious food. We decided to skip appetizers and jumped right to the entrées. We got the Scallops and the Wagyu Ribeye. The Scallops came with Basil Risotto, crispy Serrano jamon, fried basil, asparagus and basil oil. The Scallops were cooked to perfection, nice sear on the outside and buttery on the inside. The Risotto was cooked perfectly and had a good Basil taste. Every bite was perfection. For the Wagyu Ribeye we chose the cauliflower au gratin as the side. The Ribeye just melts in your mouth and was cooked to perfection. The Au Gratin is a must try and a perfect side for the Ribeye. It was ooey, gooey, cauliflowers roasted to perfection and the taste reminded me a little of truffles. We ended the dinner on a sweet note. Right away the Pistachio lava cake was calling my name and the hubby wanted to try both the Budino and the Affogato. All of them were good but the lava cake won my heart over. The cake has a nice caramalization on the outside and very soft on the inside, topped with Pistachio Gelato and Orange zest. It's just perfection, not overly sweet. The orange zest adds some freshness and the citrus balances out all the flavors. We can't wait to go back and try other good things on the menu.

Nicole N.

This has been a highly anticipated opening! There were pros and some cons, let's get into it! Make the reservation! This place is currently very popular! The location is great!! There will be a patio in the summer time and it overlooks the Mississippi River! There is access down to the river near by, so a great place to go for a walk afterwards :) The building itself is clean, modern, classy but as another yelper stated "approachable." Jeans and a nice shirt would be fine here. I saw multiple men wearing baseball hats on the bar side. There is a bar side and a more formal area. There is also a large bar area with high top and booth seating. Large TV's throughout to catch a game. The service here is SPECTACULAR!! I saw multiple people cleaning, bringing plates out, checking in on service, making sure chairs were facing just so at the bar to look nice! We were incredibly impressed!! Our water glasses were constantly full and dirty plates were picked up right away! Our server Diane was absolutely lovely! The food: My boyfriend got a beer and said it was "perfect." I got the nonalcoholic "Cereal Killer." Unfortunately I did not care for it. It was lacking flavor. It tasted like a muted cinnamon toast crunch. Would have loved more flavor!! The crispy cauliflower had delicious flavors! The mint really complimented the dish! The cauliflower wasn't mushy and had a good crispiness! Would recommend! The tiger shrimp was delicious! Perfect amount of batter! The sauce has a little smokiness which pairs so well with the large shrimp! The braised beef tortelloni has a huge piece of meat! Fork tender with great flavor! The fat however did get almost a slimy texture that I was not a fan of. There wasn't a lot but it did slightly turn me off to this dish. The pasta is homemade and delicious!!! The only problem I had was the pointed part of the pasta got a bit dry and tough, instead of tender with the sauce. The sauce was very rich and tasty! The Prime Denver was cooked to a perfect medium! The flavors were soooo good on their own! We did get a chimichurri sauce but there wasn't very little flavor and tasted more of just oil. I would not recommend that. The cut of steak was absolutely delicious though!! To end the night we got the Blackberry key lime flan. Very large piece! Could split between 2-4 people! This was light and fresh! Not your traditional flan. Very smooth but somewhere between a flan and cheesecake in consistency. Overall, this place is a spectacular addition to the north metro and definitely worth the visit!

Jess W.

Celebrated a birthday with brunch here and was impressed with the atmosphere, the service, and the food quality. We had the dressed oysters, steakhouse burger with miso pork belly soup, French dip with wedge, plus 2 mocktails (cereal killer and High of 75). Our server, Katie B., was the perfect amount of chatty. We will be back!

Ann Marie C.

Overall a great experience. Restaurant is large and will have patio seating once the weather warms up. Service was friendly and bathrooms are clean. Came for lunch and have the half/half combo for $20. Half sandwich or pasta and half soup or salad. I had the shrimp scampi pasta with a wedge salad. Pasta came with 4 pieces of shrimp and pasta seemed like it was fresh made. Sauce was garlicky and delicious. Wedge salad was just ok. I got more of the core of the iceberg so it was a little bitter and the dressing wasn't very flavorful. A little bland. I love a nice blue cheese flavor but this lacked it. I asked if the had any bread and was charged $3 for 2 slices of toast. I wish the server let me know that there was a charge but I found out with the bill.

Austin P.

Absolutely loved our first experience at Char Blu. Just what the NW metro needed- classy but not intimidating. Loved the size and vibe of the place, very well done. Food and service was a 10/10. Very excited for many date nights to come. Not sure if I would bring a toddler here as it is classy, but just what the area needed

Veronica B.

Great food through and through. Started with dressed oysters, then had a ribeye steak with potatoes and asparagus and steak sandwich with truffle fries. Ended the evening with the pistachio lava cake (to die for honestly (not pictured)). Very attentive staff throughout the whole evening! Would recommend! Low lighting and modern music, fitting for the space!

Went on Eastern Sunday for brunch. Made the reservation 6-8 weeks ago and the place was packed. At times the brunch line was long and the place was long. Felt more like a cheap all you can eat buffet place. Food selection was limited. Hardly any vegetables and not as good as it could be. Service was very friendly and attentive.

Charlie P.

Great spot! Lots of options on the menu. The French onion soup was a more shallow bowl so more surface area for the bread and cheese. The aligot potatoes are amazing. It's the best mashed potato in Minnesota. The shrimp pasta had a bit of a kick but good. The key lime flan was a really good key lime pie vibe and huge portion, really similar to a cheesecake. Key lime lovers should go for it. Kid friendly with kids menu as well. Our server was very knowledgeable of the whole menu and had excellent recommendations . We're excited to come back in the summer with all of the river events! Or sooner for those potatoes alone. The old fashioned was top notch!

Kathleen R.

Tried out the new spot for lunch with friends. Our server, Dense, was new to Char Blu, but experienced in serving. She was friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and shared her favorites and insights too. The restaurant has surprisingly comfortable chairs at the table and chair sets, the noise level was high without being full of people. Likely not a place for conversation without challenges from sound. The food was decent. French Onion soup and Wedge Salad definitely recommend. If you like adult beverages, try the Creamy Espresso Martini from the dessert menu.

Laurine N.

This place reminds me of Baldamar, very fancy beautiful ambience. I ordered a ribeye medium rare, but it was a bit overcooked medium. Otherwise the flavor in the food was delicious. The shrimp scampi was so flavorful and saucy. The drink was also very tasty. The server was very patient with me while I was being indecisive about which drink I wanted to order which I really appreciated. I enjoyed dining here. I'm sure everything on the menu will taste delicious.

Natalie P.

Food and service were great! We grabbed a spot at the bar after antiquing nearby in Anoka. We shared a few dishes - beef tartar, shrimp, cauliflower and fried rice. The bartender specifically mentioned how good the fried rice was and he was correct!