I'd seen rave reviews about this place, so we decided to go here to celebrate a personal…read moreaccomplishment last weekend! It's a really cozy moody interior, with *no big lights* aka great low lighting and comfy seating options. When we went, there were just a few other parties there so pretty quiet. I liked that we had a whole corner to ourselves with a sectional couch of sorts and some chairs. They close at 10pm on a Friday night, which felt absurdly early for a cocktail bar. But, we were able to order and drink one drink during the ~45 minutes we had. They closed up shop promptly at 10pm. They had a classics and a "rumors" section of the menu. I didn't think the signature drinks were overly unique, with classics like Paper Plane making that menu side. I had a pomegranate mojito which was good! Consensus was that the cocktails were good not exceptional, especially for the $16-17 price point. We ordered churros for the table which were a table favorite! I wouldn't go out of my way to come here again, but we enjoyed our time and could see this being a good option if you lived in the neighborhood and don't mind the early close hours.

The interior of this place is incredible, such a cute spot with moody lighting, intimate seating,…read moreand vibey music. It's a great place for drinks and appetizers. The drinks were good, and they also have a solid selection of beer on tap. The food portion are a bit small imo but I will say the Mac and cheese was pretty darn tasty!

Great little local spot in Saint Paul…read more There's a lot to like about Estelle so I'll try to keep it to what stands out: 1. The menu is wonderful, and the food comforting. The peri peri chicken was surprisingly spicy. I like spicy foods and it was teetering on a bit too hot for me, but I enjoyed the flavors and the dishes as a whole that we sampled. 2. The cocktails are divine. I had two old fashioneds and they were amongst some of the best I've had. 3. The service is impeccable. Friendly, well paced, and professional. 4. The ambiance is really comfortable. I liked that we weren't rushed, and had a really well paced meal in a nice environment. Overall I'd love to return someday. If you go be sure to make a reservation!

Went to this fantastic restaurant for date night. We were early so checked out the bar. Kelly our…read morebartender was awesome. She had great suggestions. I had a cider and my date had the cornholio martini. She also gave us a shot of their house made lemon cello which was amazing. The host came and found us at the bar and showed us to our table. The ambiance reminded me of a late night New York cafe/bistro with a wooden accent wall and an open kitchen. The service was very attentive and informative. The papatas bravas were incredible. So much so that we got an order to go and I went the next day and got another order to go for dinner. They were THAT good. I got the rigatoni and my date got casarecce. Both were excellent. The kitchen was kind enough to also give us two churros for dessert which were warm and delicious. Absolutely definitely will go again. A great choice for date night or dinner with friends.

A very versatile bar! An intimate setting, more so when a…read moreband is on stage. Would definitely play here again!

The White Squirrel Bar was just okay to me. There was live music going on, which was a nice touch…read moreand probably the highlight of the visit. The inside of the bar is pretty small and felt a bit cramped, especially with how busy it was on a Sunday. They do have a back patio that is fairly large, which I appreciated, but during the day it did not feel very inviting. Without lighting or much going on, it came off a bit plain. As for drinks, I tried a non alcoholic half and half with lemonade and iced tea, which I actually really liked. I also had a mojito style cocktail that was not my favorite and tasted a bit too strong for me. The overall vibe just was not really my thing, but I could see it being more fun at night or with a bigger group.

I've tried coming to this place at least two other times and it's always full…read more It was worth the wait and every penny spent! I love the menu design and drink break downs. I hope they can expand and hire a couple more servers. Strongly recommend

Went here to grab drinks for my friend's birthday. She had been here before but it was my first…read morevisit. She made reservations but it was nice out so we decided to sit on the patio which was fairly empty. The drinks were definitely interesting and fun! We all got different drinks the first round. My friends shared a few apps. Overall it was a nice time. The server gave us some bday shots (my bday was right before my friends) so that was really nice. The space inside is smaller so I definitely recommend making reservations! Plenty of street parking.

Wow, this place was cool!…read more The entry is pretty hidden and parking requires a bit of work unless you do valet. We went on a Saturday night, so we had to wait a bit in order to be seated. However, it was worth the wait for us. There is a dark moody vibe and while my group went in for drinks, there are also options for food. The place itself is pretty loud - both with music and talking, so maybe not the best location for a first date. The drinks are expensive, but the experience was worthwhile for us. I enjoyed the meditteránea. I'll very likely be back! What a neat spot.

Flora Room is a gorgeous cocktail bar located behind and beneath Chef Del Prado's steakhouse…read morePorzana. Fortunately, I arrived at 5:30 PM on a Saturday, which was early enough to avoid a line and a velvet rope. I don't wait in line for anything unless I'm at a pharmacy, bakery, post office, or airport. Lines at restaurants and bars strike me as pretentious or bad management, and I don't tolerate either. However, I'm old, and at my age, nothing is worth waiting for unless it's a necessity. I found a seat at the beautiful and expansive bar and looked around at the Del Prado design. The colors might be different, but Flora was reminiscent of Minari and Noma. All three add to the Twin Cities' cachet. However, I was taken aback by the attire I saw around me. People were dressed in shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers. It's friggen Saturday night Minneapolis. Have some class! Flora Room was a lovely cocktail lounge, perfect for wooing, but don't expect to strike up a conversation with any of the bartenders. At these Del Prado joints, the staff must be trained not to engage. I'm out alone and enjoy talking. Bartenders used to be part of a lounge's attraction when I grew up in NYC. They learned your name, knew what you did, and gave you a hearty welcome. That, I guess, is not part of the culture in Minneapolis. Well, at least not at the Del Prado restaurants and bars. Chef Del Prado is from Argentina, and certainly, Argentina is one of the warmest and friendliest countries in the world, so I don't get it. I now live up the block from the Flora Room. I'm a neighbor and would like to be treated like one. Neighborly and the Flora Room are distant concepts.

Loved the food and mocktails here!! Definitely felt more expensive than it should have been as the…read moreambiance wasn't that special, but so tasty. Our server was a tad unfriendly but all the others seemed much warmer.

Went to Crasqui for the 2nd time to try some of their menu items, which switch seasonally. I didn't…read morehave a reservation but was able to get a table in the evening. Just note that they require a credit card to hold reservations made online. For drinks, I ordered the Papelon, which is their cane sugar drink. I remember really loving this the first time I had it. This time it was a little more tart and less sweet than I remembered, with a deep maple-y, tamarind flavor. Definitely recommend trying it. We also got a pitcher of the red sangria, which was really good. For apps, I went with the Trio de Arepitas and seafood empanadas. The trio came with shredded beef, reina pepiada (creamy chicken), and beans with plantains. Overall, it was a good way to try a few different flavors. The arepas were surprisingly filling because of the bread. The veggie linguini El Avila was also really good, with lots of fresh, crunchy vegetables. The seafood empanada was my favorite! It had a crunchy, deep purple shell with a flavorful seafood filling, and the creamy sauce was so good. Overall, I think Crasqui is worth trying, especially if you like trying different flavors and dishes. The apps are a little smaller for sharing, and the mains are pretty pricey in my opinion.

My daughter and I were excited to finally try this restaurant in my new neighborhood after walking…read moreby it countless times. Since we didn't have a reservation, we arrived early and were pleasantly surprised to be seated right away. From the moment we walked in, we loved everything about the place. The décor is beautiful, the ambiance is warm and inviting, and the staff was fantastic. The menu offers so many great options, and the cocktails were even better than expected. Our server, Rosie, provided excellent recommendations, and we genuinely loved everything we ordered. They also offer a great happy hour until 6 PM, which is a nice bonus. Overall, it was a wonderful dining experience, and I highly recommend giving it a try. One small note: We didn't realize a 20% gratuity had already been added to our bill. That's partially on us for not catching it on the credit card slip, (we tipped in cash) but I do think it would be helpful if servers mentioned it when presenting the check. I typically prefer to tip in cash, so on our $62 tab, we ended up leaving a $34 tip. Even with that little surprise, we'll absolutely be back. The food, drinks, service, and atmosphere were all worth another visit!

Such a fun cocktail bar! Deliciously curated and unique drinks, and the food is actually very good…read moreas well, great spot for date night! We tried a couple dishes and drinks, both for the Halloween pop up and on their main menu, and loved everything. The only issue we had is that there was some miscommunication/ aggression regarding last call and closing time - I think those things could be better communicated by servers early on, as many parties were kicked out of the dining room with food and drink still remaining. But besides that, we had a great time and will be back!

It delivered! The food was delicious and the staff was…read morefriendly. The food was classic American, but elevated throughout. We left happy! Burger, chicken sandwich and Brussel Sprouts all yummy!

I unfortunately have to give Parlour a 3.5 based on this last visit, but typically I truly would…read moregive them closer to a 4. I love the vibe, cocktails, service, and food here, but my recent visit the food was unfortunately a little too salty for my taste. We started with the fried pickles and aioli which were extremely salty - so much so that it was hard to keep eating them. This was a bummer though because the batter and the flavor of the pickles themselves was perfectly crispy. The burger and crispy chicken sandwhich were good! The sandwhich was a little dry but flavor on both were still good! Truly still a solid place for a burger and a bite but I was disappointed by the saltyness of everything. Drinks and mocktails were delicious!

Everything here was delicious, that this is coming from someone who is not vegan! The food we…read moreordered was so flavorful & you never would have guessed that the milkshakes were vegan too! This place has a fun vibe and their branding has a sense of humor. Their staff wore camo shirts, and neon signs said "killer burgers" . weather was good when we went & all of their doors were open to create a big open air space. The service was exceptional and accommodating. Our server was friendly, helpful and very attentive. -parking lot and street parking

Francis Burger Joint is a fully plant-based (vegan) restaurant which also has plenty of gluten free…read moreoptions! It is a casual spot with ample seating. They have QR codes on each table so you can order on your phone, and they have WiFi available. Alternatively, someone can take your order if you'd prefer! For the burgers, you can choose between the impossible patty or the black bean patty. For the chicken sandwiches, you can choose grilled or fried vegan chicken. For beverages, they have cocktails, mocktails, wine, beer, THC drinks, milkshakes, pop, lemonade, and more! There are so many options which is great! The fries are crispy! One of my friends went with the ranch fries which were good, but in my opinion it was not worth the $2 upcharge for the amount of seasoning that comes on them. I would recommend sticking with the regular fries and ordering a side of ranch as a dipping sauce instead! This is the only place that I'm aware of where you can get a vegan juicy lucy! It is very cheesy, and it's fun that there's a meatless version of a MN classic! It was messy to eat though so make sure to have a napkin nearby! I really enjoyed the atmosphere, and would go back! I think it's be a great place for hanging out with friends, especially if there are any vegans or vegetarians in the group!

This place is so fun! We went on a lucky 80 degree October day and sat on the patio, and the vibes…read morewere fantastic. Tons of outdoor seating, and lots of places where groups of 6+ can hang out together. The inside had beautiful red mood lighting and great seating options - perfect for date night or intimate dinners. We also went on a Monday evening, and the place was not packed but decently filled - another testament to the great vibes! We got a couple drinks, an app, 2 mains and a dessert to split. We loved the Georgian cheese bread - so cheesy and our toddler loved it as well! The pear cocktail was delicious, good fall vibes. The pork medallion covered in cheese was phenomenal and big enough to split between two, and we paired that with the vareniki with chili vinegar. The vinegar was great, but we could have used a bit more salt/ tang with the dumplings. Otherwise, fantastic. The tiramisu was also delicious, not too sweet and a delicious boozy end to the meal. The patio was child friendly enough, there were no other kids but luckily the space was loud enough that when she made noise, we didn't feel too out of place. Overall, we'll definitely return!

A gem of a find in St. Paul! I'm guessing this is popular among locals too. I have no Russian food…read morewhere I live, so was immediately intrigued and wanted to try. Such a cute, cozy and divey place. The bar is adorable. You can definitely tell this is family owned. Our server was fantastic and very obviously Russian. We tried all the food--from the garden salad with the sunflower vinaigrette to pickled vegetables, borscht and the homemade dumplings. I'm not typically a huge cabbage person, but the borscht was really good. And the homemade dumplings--you won't be displeased. Ask for the chili vinegar to kick them up a notch. Everything was so good, fresh, and priced well. The drinks---way too many fun options with house infused vodkas to choose from. It was too early for a vodka flight, but I'm sure that's a fun adventure. Next time. I ordered a martini that had chocolate and pepper infused vodkas (Red October)---so strong unique and flavorful. I believe I also did the Alexander Palmer. I could have tried almost every drink on the menu. I cannot wait to come back when in MN.