The Briar is a trendy neighborhood cafe and bar. The space is open and bright, decorated…read morenostalgically. Although it is mostly popular with a younger, well-to-do crowd, the owners make an effort to contribute to social justice through anti-ICE organizing, free hygeine supplies in gender-neutral bathrooms, etc. It gets super busy during the Saturday brunch hours, so be prepared to wait a bit! We were lucky and got a table quickly but it was very crowded and loud for a bit. They seemed a bit short-staffed, too, although everyone we encountered was still friendly and helpful. The food and drinks are superb! The portions are on the smaller side but they're actually priced accordingly, which is rare these days. We highly enjoyed the waffle and the pork cutie.

A friend brought me there to get drinks and apps before we headed out to dinner and I have a lot of…read morenice things to say about the place overall, but the service that night started off pretty awful. Great things: my espresso martini was amazing. As an espresso martini addict, I'd consider this one a top in the cities. The patio space is fantastic, every single person got greeted when they walked in and thanked when they walked out. The bartender was very friendly and even gave us a suggestion for somewhere to go after for dinner. Unfortunate thing: The service. We didn't actually start at the bar. We started at a table on the patio and sat for about 10 minutes watching the server walk around us, she was obviously busy so that was fine, but after seeing 3 tables served who came in after us she finally walked to our table and said she'd be right with us after she put in the orders. Cool cool. Well, unfortunately, when she came back outside she did not come to our table and instead walked around taking orders from more people who came in after us and that's when we decided 20 minutes was too long and we went into the bar where the services was good. The outdoor server did apologize to us, and we do understand she was busy, but at that point we nixed the appetizer and just had cocktails due to it being later than planned and wanting to get to dinner. I'd definitely go again, like I said - fantastic espresso martini, but I did want to be honest about my experience.

One of those places you could drive by and not even know they have a grill with food options. If…read moreyou do pull in though I highly recommend the Philly. I had heard this from others and read a lot of positive reviews on it as well. They are done quickly (10 minutes or so) and combined with fries it's tough to even finish the whole thing. Both the philly and the fries were cooked great and are an awesome quick option here in Northeast.

The new deli and menu is truly amazing! Home cooked food with all sorts of options. We had the…read morechicken fried rice, cranberry cream cheese wonton, spicy stir fry noodles, and a Philly cheesesteak. All made from scratch in 20 minutes for takeout. Soooo good

Meatball mondays! I've gone for Meatball Monday a few times, and while it's not a transcendental…read moreexperience, it is very enjoyable. It's a cool little place, with a nice bar, and community stuff like trivia night. It's casual and good quality, and you can watch the kitchen at work from the counter. Check it out.

This is a great breakfast place. I've had their breakfast burrito three times now and it's…read moreconsistently great. Love the atmosphere inside, they have lots of plants and cool decor. It's meter street parking but I've never had an issue finding a spot. The meatballs and sausage were amazing, but the pothole pie was really bland. We think they may have forgotten to add seasoning. Some of the tables are pretty small so if you're ordering a few things you may have to arrange the plates carefully to have everything fit. The servers are always really friendly and coffee is good here too. I'm between 4 or 5 stars only because of the pothole pie, but if they fixed that it would get 5 stars from me for sure! (Pictures of pothole pie and meatballs & sausage are from after we had started eating them)

I had heard a lot about Lu's Sandwiches, so I decided to finally give it a try. When you walk in,…read moreit has a bit of a Chipotle style setup with the ordering counter. The service was normal and the restaurant itself was clean. There were a lot of people inside eating, which seemed like a good sign. I ended up ordering the classic chicken banh mi. Honestly, I was not that impressed. I have had a lot of banh mi sandwiches before, and this one tasted pretty average to me. The seasoning on the chicken was a bit overpowering after a while and did not feel very balanced. The pricing was also a little higher than I expected for what I got. It was not bad by any means, but it did not really live up to the hype for me.

My first time to Lu's was just okay. I had had their sandwiches through catering before and was…read moreimpressed, but the grilled pork banh mi I got last week was a bit unevenly dressed and the bread a bit dry. This was around 5p so maybe earlier in the day is better. I also tried some wontons and they were not great-- too much cream cheese and not crispy enough. Atleast the price is right! Plenty of parking in the Red20 building which is a nice amenity in this neighborhood.

Loved it! I wish I didn't wait a year since moving into the neighborhood. Pretty simple menu, but…read morethey do it well. The sandwiches come with a side of potato chips. They aren't over salted and they are super thin and crunchy. I tried the Philly style sandwich and my partner tried the hot Italian sandwich. We both were impressed between the amount of meat and also how chewy the bread was. Friendly staff was a plus too. We will be back soon.

So friggin' good! Neighborhood sandwich shop with perfect sandwiches. Embarrassed to say I can't…read moreremember the name of who helped us - but he was fantastic, too. We had a grilled veggie sandwich and a build-your-own veggie, both on baguettes. In the world of veggie sandwiches, few managed to get a bullseye quite like this. Each bite was filled with freshly grilled vegetables, and the bread, a warm and soft vessel that accompanies the bright ingredients past the finish line. And the ingredients are top notch - from the broccolini to thick slices of onion. Even their potato chips were in-house. As vegans, food options are usually limited or not well thought out, so love finding a place where all components are top tier. Can't wait to bring others and get their thoughts on the non-veg options.

Came back for the same meal, still delicious!! The corned beef in the Reuben is fantastic…read more I also tried the paprika garlic chips, which they make in-house. Great crispiness and flavor. I ordered online and pickup was smooth. Photos are from dining in last time!

This is a Minneapolis institution. It's taken me so long to finally give this a try! Situated in…read moreHennepin but they have their own parking lot or metered parking. First part of the building is a deli/market. The dining area is a cafeteria style where you grab a tray and go down the line. I recommend reviewing the menu before hand because there's so many options. We ordered the pastrami brisket (Reuben style), a Ukrainian sausage, a kale salad, sauerkraut, one meat peroigi, and meat/tomato cabbage roll. The pastrami was so tender and flavorful. Nice and warm on toas ted rye. The sausage had a great snap and great flavor. The peroigi was underwhelming for us. Just ok. Kale salad and sauerkraut were good. My favorite was the cabbage roll. A little sweet from the cabbage, tangy from the tomato sauce, and savory and comforting. Drinks are self serve.

4.5/5 Stopped here…read morefor happy hour on a Friday and got $5 vegan/veg beyond sliders and boneless vegan wings, tots and beer. Wings only have two spice options (Sriracha or buffalo sauce) and we got the buffalo sauce, very spicy and the wings were kinda cold - we would skip these next time. Knowledgeable and friendly staff, Huge vegetarian/vegan menu Can't wait to go back!

The food was so good! Not pictured because we devoured them were the vegetarian rooster wings -…read more10/10!!! Everything was amazing. Appreciated the dedicated separate vegetarian menu (which also had vegan adjustments available for most). Our server was also super kind and noticed which menu side we were using when I forgot to specify. Last, but certainly not least was the decor in here. I loved it soooo much, heck I event want to buy some of paintings they have up!!! They do have prints of some available too. Tl;dr I definitely recommend! Great food and place, parking was also easy to find nearby.

I think I want everything here eventually but I started with spaghetti and meatball. Great that it…read morecomes with two slices of their own fresh baked soft bread, which they also sell by the loaf. The meatball had a touch of spice. The sauce is rich and the aroma intoxicates. There is a small parking lot on the side or you might find street parking nearby. Food priced very reasonably and served quickly hot and ready. A true Italian family run deli that I should have attended long ago, but will now to make up time. Dedicated to my Trentino relatives.

I moved into the area about a half year ago and have passed this spot more times than I can count…read more I finally stopped in and was curious about their ultimate cheesesteak. I love myself a cheesesteak and I wanted to see if this would be a new favorite I'd enjoy wearing out. They loaded this sandwich with onions, green peppers, and mushrooms. They added some of their pasta sauce on the bottom as well. The sandwich was good, but I thought it needed a bit more flavoring/spices. The bread was some of the softest I've experienced though and the cheese was a good amount. The combo was paired with a pickle spear and a bag of potato chips. This may sound strange, but can potato chips steal the show? Because they did. Super crunch and salty. Yum-O! I tried their coleslaw too and it seemed like to sat there awhile. It was tasteless and I ended up throwing the pint out. I will say the staff here are very friendly and helped me decide on some sandwiches and gave me an honest review of their favorites and least favorites. I appreciate that. I'm sure those chips will bring me back in the future and I'll be open to trying another sandwich.