A great French tasting menu experience at Meritage. Go with time as it's a gourmand experience that comes at a slow pace, but with everything delicious and beautifully plated, from start to finish, and with great service. The space is beautiful, reflecting a French bistro to detail. Started with a few amuse bouche treats, including a delicious saffron mussel soup. The first course was the crudo, light but very creative with a mango yolk. The Alaskan halibut was cooked to perfection, same for the foie gras. The duck breast was also perfectly cooked and the duo of Iowa pork an highlight, especially the braised pork cheek. It all ends well with the delicious meringue dessert. Highly recommended. read more

See all

Exquisite service and cuisine. Great dinner place after a concert at The Ordway. Great martinis too!

I had an absolutely terrible experience at Meritage. While dining here, my YSL bag was stolen. What made matters worse was the complete lack of genuine concern or effort from the staff to help me recover it. The assistance I received was the bare minimum--vague mentions of "attempts" to help with no transparency or real action. I still don't know if the thief was another diner or possibly an employee, which is incredibly unsettling. For a place that charges premium prices, I expected way better customer service and accountability. I will never spend my money here again and would not recommend this place to anyone. If you choose to dine here, watch your belongings closely because the staff clearly won't have your back. read more

Sat at the oyster bar top at 4pm with a reservation. I was served my soup and oysters 50min later. My oysters were so bad I couldn't finish the dozen. My cup of soap was also left half full with zero desire. (Lobster bisque) I proceeded to throw up all of it after I arrived home that evening. Honestly just made me overall sad that my "expensive lovely evening plan" on Thanksgiving weekend... was horrible. Staff could care less. Their only worry was the bar top regulars. read more

Food: 4/5. Service: 2/5. Even with a reservation our party of 4 waited more than 30 minutes for our table. Once seated we waited another 15 minutes to be greeted. The pace of service was so painfully slow; it took an hour for our first course to come out. Staff offered to buy us a round of drinks (we accepted) but they didn't actually take it off our bill. Overrated and underwhelming. read more

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was the night I wanted to celebrate my birthday, as well as my husband's and our friends who also share November birthdays. Knowing my friends are big fans of oysters, and realizing I haven't been to Meritage since before the pandemic, I booked a reservation online. And I couldn't be happier with my decision because I forgot how much I missed this St. Paul treasure. I absolutely love the romantic decor of this restaurant. The intimate space is made even better by the ability for guests to carry on a conversation without straining to hear or shouting. I crave this intimacy that is so rare in restaurants these days. Our server started us with cocktail recommendations, and I took his advice and ordered a Pimm's Provençal. What a delightful start to the evening! Fresh Gruyère gougeres were brought to the table, and we selected three appetizers: baked oysters Bienville, grilled octopus bourguignon (tender beyond belief), and steak tartare (delicate, but so tasty.) The appetizers were brought to the table with fresh baguettes that were dreamy, and were the perfect vehicle to sop up the absolutely divine juices in the bourguignon. We ordered three flights of oysters as well, big hit! Our meal selections were the steak au poivre (another sauce that makes you want to lick the plate clean), shrimp and crab stuffed trout filet and the hangar steak. We opted for sides of macaroni gratin and sauteed spinach for sides. Wildly unnecessary, but oh-so delicious. Gild the lily? You better believe it! Dessert was creme brulee and a decadent chocolate dish, both perfect for sharing with two. A lovely birthday card came with the check, which was such a sweet and personal touch. It capped off a flawless meal that has left me reminiscing about it every day since. Whether you're a local or just visiting the Twin Cities, this is a destination restaurant. It's the perfect place for a proposal if one were inclined. One of these days, I'm going to get a group together and tackle the tasting menu, which looks sublime. read more

See all

Food and atmosphere was excellent. Highly recommend. The pork shank was amazing. Great wine list and drinks.

The space was very nice; we booked in the main dining room, and it's aesthetically pleasing and had jazz music piped in at an appropriate volume. Be aware that there is a lot of construction going on right outside, so it probably won't be very enjoyable to book on the terrace until that is finished. The food was okay-to-good, but was definitely the weak point of our trip. I ordered the soup of the day, which was a chilled olive pureed soup. It tasted fine but was very one note (green olives); some sort of crunchy garnish may have gone a long way. I also ordered the olive poached halibut; the texture was perfect, but it didn't have much flavor despite being served with a dill sauce and a few pieces of light spring vegetables (peas and asparagus). For dessert I ordered the creme brulee, which is one of my favorite desserts; it was fine as well, but the custard was a bit warmer and runnier than I'm used to, and the brulee a bit darker than I'm used to. Perhaps this is the correct way to prepare the dish in the true French tradition (?) but it just wasn't quite as refreshing as a dessert due to those features. My husband ordered the steak frites; I tried a piece of his steak, which was seasoned well and cooked to his specifications (medium rare); definitely something I would order if I were to go back. I snuck quite a few of his French fries since my dish didn't come with a side (and since I love all things potato!); they were excellent -- they had an almost sweet flavor, I suspect from the fat used to cook them in, and had just the right amount of crispiness. read more

The best chicken dinner ever! Along with great French food, comforting, and delicious. Excellent service. It's so cute and elegant inside as well. Highly recommended! read more

See all

The first time I ate at Meritage, I ordered a steak with pommes frites. Delicious. This time I ordered the pork roll. Overdone. Lentils underdone. Broccolini rubbery. Not sure I'll go again. read more

We had a very lovely dinner before a show. Beautiful at Christmas. Oysters were amazing and the service is impeccable. read more

Meritage - a window display in a store - French Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

The food was really good and the atmosphere delightfully pleasant. As a party of 1 they sat me outside on the patio and it was perfect.

crowded noisy eating hall...tables jammed up against each other....mediocre food....bitter sourdough bread....decent service....so many better fine dining restaurants in MSP...won't waste my time or money here again read more

One of my favourites in Twin cities. Very good menu, high quality service, very French atmosphere. Keep returning here now and then. read more

Meritage - Meritage main dining hall. - French Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Fantastic Ambiance and first class service. The food is delicious, although the last time we went our Steaks were a bit charred. Overall, one of our top go to restaurants when in Saint Paul, MN. read more

Went to Meritage for the third time last month while in town and I have to say we had the worst waitress. Not coming back. We were completely ignored by the waitress. She would pass and not made eye contact. We had to ask the waiter from the table next to us to call her. My husband ordered a rare steak and they brought a medium one. We called the waitress and she just took the dish away and didn't say anything. Only came ten minutes after saying "chef said it was medium". She didn't have an opinion. She didn't even cared. We have gone to this place twice already and we had nice food and nice service but this time it was horrible specially for the service. Her attitude was horrible , it was like she was doing us a favor for serving us or she might be a racist. Definitely not going back to this place in the future. If you are not white don't go to this place. read more

Luckily you don't have to take the 8h 5m flight to be transported to Paris. This is a magical place. As the saying goes, "Chacun voit midi à sa porte" or "Inutile de discuter." The food is just as good, and the dining room bathed in natural sunlight is a sight to behold. This charming bistro offers delightful dishes and professional service. I recommend trying the oysters or beignets. You'll be impressed and understand my admiration. I'll be back for their dinner menu. read more

See all

This was our first time trying Meritage. Overall, the food was subpar as it didn't meet the expectations coming in. The service was friendly however and the atmosphere was nice as we sat in the outdoor patio. The owner or GM checked up on us to make sure we were doing okay and the people were very friendly. I loved the French vibe that we got to experience but I wouldn't say I'd come back for the food. I'm sure the food was great but it just wasn't up to my taste palate. read more

See all

Just a 5 minute walk from the Ordway, we popped in here after Saturday night's concert at the Ordway Concert Hall featuring Classic Albums Live performing Pink Floyd's iconic album, Dark Side of the Moon - in recognition of its release 50 years ago on March 1, 1973. It was around 9:45pm when we arrived; the place was open, not busy. Inviting, dreamy jazz music was playing through their sound system and highlights the ambiance of this place. We came to have a dessert and we were seated in the front bar area, since they were in process of closing out the dining room. There were just 3 people sitting at the bar, and we were seated at a small table along the back wall. The server was pleasant and gave each of us a menu and brought us each a tall glass of water since we did not want coffee or other beverage. My companion ordered his favorite - a creme brûlée, and I decided on crepes suzette, something I'd never had. I was delighted to see that they still have that decadent chocolate "bomb" I had last March on my birthday on the menu. That'll have to wait for another time. Upon its arrival, my crepes suzette was 'warm', and oh, so fragrant, and pretty on the plate, too. Tasting the sauce pooling around the perimeter of the plate blew my mind with its perfectly balanced 'tart-sweet-pungency' of orange. Folded into quarters, the three overlapping crepes were delicate and 'eggy', and were scattered with orange zest - and so good with the sauce. Once I'd finished eating the crepes, I wished for just one more so that I could make use of the sauce remaining on the plate! The following day, Sunday, I suggested, half-jokingly, to my afore night's companion, that we ought to return to Heritage that afternoon/evening for a second round of crepes suzette and creme brûlée. (We didn't, but we will again, soon) read more

I think this was one of my first times at a french restaurant and I'm super impressed. We came here for brunch and decided to try a bit of everything - ordered two oysters, the fin de la Brie and Beau soleil, boeuf & ouef, hash du jour, beignets, and side of smoked salmon. The oysters were both super clean with not much of a seafood after taste, which is wonderful. Beignets were the most crispy and fluffiest I've ever had! So good! Hash du jour had bacon and roasted peppers in the inside and I'm just dreaming about the crunchiness of the hash brown again, I loved it! The beouf & ouef is steak and eggs which my husband really liked and the steak looked dry at first but is surprisingly tender. The smoked salmon was average, probably the more forgettable dish we had here. Overall, 10/10 would come back again to try the dinner menu and I was satisfied :) Ambience: 5/5 Service: 4/5 Food: 4/5 read more

See all

I was quite disappointed by my experience here. I tried a raw oyster which was fun (but not delicious to my taste), and the pate...which was very rich. The shrimp cocktail I had was quite possibly one of the worst I've ever had. The shrimp were super hard and fishy tasting. They tasted old. I also have quite a few food intolerances and the only thing on the menu I could have was the "selection of organic lettuces". It was a joke of a salad, both in size and lack of ingredients for how expensive it was. I will also say we walked out the back way, and there are windows you walk past to view the kitchen and food prep areas...everything looked quite dirty. For the price of everything, I expected WAY better. read more

I went here for a business dinner. The wait staff, service, food and ambiance were all wonderful. I had a Manhattan, French onion soup, lamb and a glass of Cabernet. It was all wonderful. read more

Mostly a disappointment. First no place to wait so we were standing by the kitchen entrance with a dozen other patrons. Scowling hostesses. Mediocre service. Food was overall a B-. If you want a great experience and great French food you'll be better off at Chloe by Vincent. read more

This summer my partner and I have made it a point to revisit all of our favorite date spots and this one easily made the list. The premium prices are well worth the beautiful view of the restaurant and the world passing by out the window. The oysters are always shucked to order and some of our favorite starters. In terms of things requiring actual preparation, the cocktails and food is all to die for as well. The stuffed dates, fries with bearnaise, and cassoulet have been long favorites of ours. We don't order fries at an upscale place almost ever but these are absolutely a must-have. The service has always been good for us, servers well adorned and serving old-style customer focused care which makes it the perfect place for a romantic evening. The bar also features a machine used to slowly drip absinthe over a sugar cube for some of their craft drinks which is such a cool spectacle to watch as well. The service is sometimes slow - hello, welcome to a busy fine-dining restaurant - but never slow enough it affects our meal or quality time in the slightest. This menu continues to feature fun things that make us want to come by. We look forward to trying to return to one of their oyster fests in the future but in the meantime we will definitely stop back in for a date night soon! read more

France in St Paul without the expensive plane ticket! Ladies brunch! Sunday was perfect. Not as many parking rules. 11am was rather quiet surprisingly, but it definitely got busier as the day went on. I started with a Meritage Sunrise similar to a Tequila one. Delicious! One of my friends ordered the Limoncello combo. Plus they have absinthe on the menu! My friends came for the pomme frites/French Fries, but I came for the Eggs Benedict! So many choices! I finally decided on the Eggs Norwegian with their house smoked salmon. Oh my goodness! It is melt in your mouth. The smoked salmon is amazing! The eggs were poached perfectly and the hollandaise was on point. I went with the greens on the side to make room for the frites. Their pommes frites are fantastic! Perfectly cooked with salt. Some crunchy and some soft. They're served with bernaise to dip in and just as tasty with ketchup! I will definitely be going back for more salmon & frites. We also had an eggs cocotte, breakfast Americanne, and Vanilla Brioche French Toast on the table. All of them looked good and the few bites I had of the French toast were pretty tasty. I'm not sure I'd order the French toast on it's own but it was nice to try. Even better were the Amusements! Mini desserts to top off your meal. They had my favorite macarons... pistachio! I was also impressed with the Caneles de Bordeaux. Our waiter explained that the French were resourceful in using up all of those leftover egg yolks from macarons & meringues by inventing this tasty little cake. Yum! If I haven't raved enough definitely get the Espresso Pot de Creme as well. Just order all of the Amusements! Next time I'm getting the Baked Alaska! Definitely make a reservation to try this beautiful & delicious French restaurant in the heart of St Paul! read more

See all

Delicious escargot and relaxed ambiance - reminds me a lot of the time I spent in Paris. Would definitely recommend! read more

Meritage - Escargot - French Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Meritage is one of my very favorite places to eat in the Twin Cities and it had been a long time since I had dined there so it was very good to be back. I am a Francophile. I lived and worked in Toulouse for awhile and I always feel as if I am back home when I visit France. Meritage does the best replication of an upscale French Bistro of any restaurant in our area. The waitstaff is dressed appropriately in white shirts, black ties, and black pants or skirts as appropriate. There is a nice hustle and bustle, the clientele seems very happy to be there, and you can eat outside and watch the world go by. Down town St Paul has a bit of a European feeling which is lacking in Minneapolis. The only other place in our area that comes close is St Genevieve in my neighborhood. The food a Meritage is delicious. I was there with my wife, son and daughter in law. We started with a dozen oysters and an order of excellent pomme frites with glasses of Cremant d'Alsace which was a nice sparkling rose which paired well with the briny oysters and crisp potatoes with sauce Bernais. Next we had the champagne peach salad, soup du jour (a wonderful sweet corn veloute), soupe a l' oignon, and foie gras (I know about foie gras and cruelty to ducks but it is so good I can't resist it). We then had the duck breast (Donald and Daffy I apologize), the pork chop, the shrimp and crab risotto (we took some home and it was even better the next day), and the chicken which was over the top good. We finished by sharing an order of crepes Suzette. Every thing was outstanding. Our server, Tyler, was very knowledgeable about the menu and we felt well taken care of. They do seem a bit short staffed however. I loved the clatter and busy atmosphere but my son thought it was a bit loud. During the pandemic I missed being around people and I throughly enjoy being with a group who are having a wonderful evening out dining. All this doesn't come cheap, the tab with gratuity was $520 but as everyone says yolo. I find it very satisfying to have an elegant dining experience and I definitely plan to return. read more

Had the best time and a great meal nestled in a hidden gem. This place is remniscent of a French cafe and has all that comfort of a familiar place. Warmly greeted upon entering, our server was phenomenal. From start to finish everything was spectacular. My friend had the duck and I had the chicken- no dessert, however, craft cocktails to start. If you ever find yourself in this oart of town, please make an effort to stop in! read more

See all

Nice experience for Valentine's Day. FOod and wine were good. We did have an issue with the duck, but management and staff did a good job of making up for it. read more

See all

Every visit to Meritage is like a mini trip to France. The ambiance of the space is just like a Parisian bistrot, the staff are efficient experts guiding you in the dining experience and the food is absolutely fantastic. Chef Russell Klein and his team simultaneously propose a range of French classic dishes and innovative flavors. The wine program led by Desta Klein offers special events, classes and an impressive list of selections from around the world. We are so lucky to have this gem in our community! read more

See all

I dined with a friend prior to a music event at the Palace. Our server was very intense. I felt rushed and perhaps like I was not a 'fancy enough' guest.The food was fine, but overshadowed with the server trying to 'move us along'. the mediocre experience continued after I noticed I was double charged for my dinner and my friends. I called Meritage and I was told by the manager to 'just ask my friend to pay me back'. After I explained that I preferred to go through the proper channels versus just having my friend pay me. I was told 'fine, we will credit you but can't do it now'. I waited a few more days and finally just had my credit card company dispute the charge. a lot of wasted time for a very mediocre experience. read more

How do you decide not to buy this restaurant when you love this place with your heart & soul? Service reminiscent of the 1920's when service was an honored craft. Thank you Grace, for making both back to back evenings beyond our expectations. Raymond runs a professional warm. Inviting restaurant. We are hooked for life... Cannot wait to return to you all... This is the third time we've been here in a year, and that's only because I live in Michigan. The past two times we had Grace as our server, this time we were not seated in her section so we had Jeff. They both set the bar as high as it can go when it comes to service. We enjoyed our time there & cannot wait to return. Highly recommend you take your significant other here. read more

See all

Outstanding service, and incredible food. I'd eat there every day if I could. Great place for a special occasion (or just if you love incredible food!) :-) The food has French flair, and the restaurant is basically two restaurants: One is the formal area, the other is the bar. Even just the bar area serves great food, but it's a different menu. I've been there about six times, (four times in the large dining area and twice to the bar) and loved it every time. I'm usually able to get parking on the street. If you love oysters, that's one of their specialties, but it's only part of what they do...most of it is high-end amazing chef-created meals. Near Rice Park. read more

Food,service, atmosphere all were 5 stars I would highly recommend. Fresh seafood and many other options to choose from. read more

Meritage - Fresh seafood plater. - French Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

We ate there tonight and had an uneven experience. The drinks were good. The smoked salmon appetizer was very nice. I tried to be healthy and ordered the salade Niçoise. Terrible mistake. The waiter checked whether I liked my tuna rare, I said yes, and it arrived medium-well. Absolutely no flavor at all and the texture was terrible. The vinaigrette was quite bland--tasted like oil and vinegar, period. Potatoes were also boiled and not seasoned. This is a classic salad for a French restaurant and they served me one of the worst I've ever had. Fortunately, my husband shared his steak frites, which was delicious, with me. read more

The best St. Paul has to offer. I am always in awe with their professionalism, amazing food, great music and atmosphere. Their wine connoisseur is very knowledgeable, have extensive good wine selection. Simply the best! 1. Food French onion soup- hearty and tasty. Just the way I like it. Oysters- I love oysters to begin with. But finding good ones are hard and the sauce is different depending on the restaurant. I always had good experience here no matter the season. Love their bone marrow. Order it every time they have it on the menu. Never hurts to ask even if it is not on the menu. Burger- I can't believe even their burger tastes so good. Dessert- you can't go wrong here. Macarons are great, Coupe de Mousse au Chocolat.. all of them are great! I can't even choose one to recommend as all are good. If you must pick an issue, their dessert costs at least $10. 2. Wine I can't describe how extensive the selection is and most importantly how knowledgeable the connoisseur is. When the waiter was not sure, he asked their connoisseur to come out to answer a few questions I had. When they did not have the wine I asked, he suggested a different wine, but guess what? tastes almost the same as what I originally wanted. That in my book is called, expert service and expertise in what he does. I'd recommend Meritage to everyone, especially for special occasions or if you just love good food. read more

Ambiance on the patio was lovely. Food was great, service was even better. We were lucky enough to have Kylie as our server on the patio tonight. She was so kind and accommodating. She took the time to walk us through each part of the menu and answered our 500 questions with expertise and patience and made some great recommendations. Some favorites... oysters, steak frites, risotto, roasted carrots, and mussels. Would absolutely recommend trying this great spot. We loved the food and thanks to great service, we felt so taken care of. read more

Amazing brunch! Was transported back to France with the food, atmosphere and service. Great location and indoor space with lots of windows. I wouldn't change a single thing. Perfection... Would love to go back for dinner as soon as possible! If you want more details: the crepes were light in flavor and texture, the espresso was dark & smooth, the eggs en cocotte were rich and earthy with wild mushrooms I spread on chewy toasted baguette, husbo's corned beef was unlike anything I'd ever seen (see photo!) and his eyes rolled back into his head. What more could you ask for? read more

See all

Amazing, get some friends together and order the tasting menu and if you are inclined, the wine paring. It's an unforgettable experience, especially with how great the staff is! read more

My wife and I go to Meritage to celebrate anything neat in our lives. It started by celebrating anniversaries, graduations, promotions, and then we were so hooked that we celebrated days of the week, a fluffy snowfall... Their food is some of the best Minnesota has to offer, and their drinks! Oh my, their drinks! So. Freaking. Good. Just thinking about their Sazerac warms my belly. It's a little pricier than a lot of other places ($$$ vs $$?), but holy moly is it worth the cost. read more