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Mickey's by Willy

3.5 (141 reviews)
Open Open 24 hours

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Mickey's by Willy Photos

MICKEY'S BY WILLY ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Divey
Casual
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Mickey's by Willy

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I don't remember if this substituted anything - possibly the salad - but it was good.
Robert G.

Departure day breakfast - restaurant not selected - 1 of 2 It was my last day in the Twin Cities before being dropped off at Union Depot to experience the nostalgic albeit potentially slow as molasses excursion on Amtrak. I was discussing with my friend where to eat prior to my being dropped off at the train station. I mentioned both Mickey's downtown and this locale, Mickey's by Willy, which might have been named Mickey's II at one time. My friend kept on pushing places closer to UMinn which, on a weekend day, ought to have more parking. I lost, wanting to eat here or at the "original" Willy's, but then I didn't push so hard and was open to trying somewhere new. This review isn't for the most recent of experiences but the place is the same, the food is mostly unchanged, and discussion of the service at Mickey's by Willy seems about right. On a previous visit, I had wanted to eat at Mickey's downtown, which is the diner in a "Streamline Moderne" sort of metallic train car that may even be a historic or protected locale by this time. That Mickey's no longer featured the Sputnik burger, a double decker burger, which, based on photos, I really wanted to eat. Eating in the funky diner car and having a Sputnik burger seemed like having my cake and eating it, too. Since that couldn't be, they told me of the other Mickey's. I called ahead to make sure they had the Sputnik burger. They did. This Mickey's is a standard diner through and through. They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare. I got a Sputnik burger with a side and a soft drink. I don't know if the Twin Cities ever had Big Boy franchises, but this was probably the closest thing to a Bob's double decker burger in the area. It was good, but the bun layer in the middle tasted a little "flat" and/or didn't have ingredients slathered on it like other restaurants serving double decker burgers do. Nonetheless, I was happy with my food. I went in at an hour between lunch and dinner and it wasn't that crowded. I remember that the person who was juggling various hats took the time to provide the table service and make small talk with me about the diner, things in the Twin Cities, and the world. That means that the service was good. The pricing was fair. Mickey's by Willy sits on 7th Avenue in St. Paul. They have a parking lot. If at or near the airport, it would be excessive to take the Metro Blue up to Minneapolis and then the Green line over to St. Paul. That's because 7th Avenue acts as a hypotenuse and makes the jaunt between MSP/Bloomington and St. Paul very quick. Also, take note that Mickey's by Willy is open 24 hours.

Breakfast with gyros
Tim R.

Good basic breakfast options. No eggs benedict or what not but they have basic breakfast options cooked competently. Reflecting a change in management over the last decade, they've added stuff like beef bacon and gyro meat in addition to bacon and sausage for breakfast meat options which is cool.

My sister and I enjoying a reunion brunch.
Cindy A.

I've lived in Minnesota for decades and had never dined here before. My sister flew in from Kansas and I decided she was the perfect person to share the experience with. The food was great!

Bacon omelette, add cheese (+$.99)
Ethan H.

This was a rough experience. One of the few true 24 hour establishments in the Twin Cities--and a reimagining of the iconic street car diner in downtown Saint Paul--I was looking forward to coming here. Taking advantage of its 24 hour nature, I went around 11:30 PM. It's not clear when you enter, but you're meant to seat yourself. The space itself consists of a bar overlooking the flattop and four booths. It's harshly lit and smells of cooking smoke. The only empty table was dirty from its last patron, which we cleaned up ourselves before sitting. No big deal itself, but the service was similarly off with a curt server who we never saw again after ordering. They were also out of many items, including ice cream for milkshakes and chili. Understandable for most establishments at this time of night, but as a place billing itself as 24 hours was a little disappointing. All this could've been excused as part of the experience by some deliciously greasy classic diner fare. However, this place is an insult to classic greasy spoons it resembles-- we received the least edible food I've been served in a restaurant. The grilled cheese special was straightforward and fine-- barring the cold soggy fries that accompanied it. The bacon omelette, on the other hand, was scorched. Suddenly, that cooking smoke started to make sense. Blackened on the grilled side, I opened the omelette to salvage what I could, only to find the cheese unmelted. How's that possible? How does someone burn an egg--an impressive feat on its own--while managing to avoid melting the cheese? All said and done, next time I want a ashen omelette I'll know where to go. It seems like others have had better experiences, so perhaps this was an off night. If you find yourself here, I certainly hope that's the case.

Cali burger with hash browns
Stacy A.

This place really delivers on a typical American diner experience. Quick made good food, efficient service. I wouldn't make a special drive out here but definitely a good choice if you are in the area.

Dominik D.

Yes! I was worried I wasn't going to find a 24 hour greasy spoon in the twin cities. But here it is, on the edge of Highland not too far from the Mississippi. I had loaded hash browns and a drink for $8. Btw, they don't have decaf, just FYI.

America's Favorite All Day Meal

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13 days ago

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3 months ago

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10 months ago

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9 months ago

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2 months ago

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6 months ago

Average food that is always great on those late nights. Service is decent. Love the vibe.

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Good food taste amazing LARGE pancakes good drinks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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2 years ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

Good food reasonably priced . Super nice staff & open 24/7 . I like the blt add fried egg

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Exactly what you want in a diner! Great breakfast made with real ingredients and not too much grease. Love it here!

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Service was amazing and the food was excellent and the staff and drinks were excellent

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2 years ago

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Went by at 2 am and their credit card machine was down, cash only but they had no ATM. Not worth it for going back and forth (my opinion)

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Chianti Grill Roseville

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First time in this restaurant. We were told it was a 45 minute wait and my first thought was, wow,…read morei can probably go down the road to the Garden that grows olives and get in right away. That's decent food. We went shopping across the road and I think within 15 minutes got a text our table was ready. So that was a pleasant surprise. The ambience was great. This is a clean classy place. It looked expensive but I was.... I mean my WIFE was all in and Happy Wife, Happy Life so yeah..... we're going for it. Service was well.... it was over the top. The wait staff and others all chipped in to watch the tables. Different people filled our water, brought us more bread, brought out food out when it was ready, picked up our dishes. It was a TEAM effort and it showed. Service was outstanding. My wife ordered the Salmon Sofia. Not sure what that is exactly and I don't care. It's salmon. To me, it's gonna taste bad no matter how great you prepare it but she said she loved it and would definitely get it again. I had the Italian Pasta if I remember correctly. Slightly spicy cajun pasta with sausage, chicken, shrimp, peppers and onions. It was amazing! There was quite a bit of it in the bowl. My wife says, "Wow, that's a lot. You'll have some to take home!" But I'm no quitter. If the food is good, i'm finishing it. And i'm happy to report that i did finish it. It was really good. I did not however get to try the mountain sized carrot cake. I really wanted some of that but I was too full. Oh, the bread. The bread was not warm and it was different than what i thought, but by the time i finished my 7th piece, I really liked it. All in all this was a very nice meal, perfect for a date night.

This is the first time we have eaten at this restaurant. We had a reservation at 6pm on a Saturday…read more The place was already very busy. We were seated immediately. Server was great. Positives - good variety on the menu - great wine selection - service - walnut Gorgonzola salad - after dinner drink list - manager took off after dinner drink and dessert due to food problems (see below) Opportunities - hubby ordered the beef tenderloin special. Cooked perfectly, but the tenderloin was a flat piece of meat; interesting cut. - I ordered surf and turf. Very interesting that most of their seasonings are Cajun. I've never been to an Italian restaurant that had only Cajun seasonings on their seafood/fish - my hubby's food was hot, mine was luke warm. I sent mine back. They literally recooked my same plate of food. That's fine; I didn't know you could do that (food safety reasons, etc). Not the best experience for our first time, but we will go back and try again

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Dining room.
Dining room.
Awesome bread and a nice Chardonnay.
Awesome bread and a nice Chardonnay.
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2.1 mi
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Classical atmosphere that takes you back in time. Solid menu choices, the chateaubriand was very…read moregood. The service is pretty good, it would be nice if the manager would take the time to check in on tables like he used to. (For 5-star service, go to Boccio, Baldamar, Mannys, or Acqua). What is very disappointing is this classy restaurant does NOT offer Espresso. Imagine a big beautiful brass Espresso machine behind the bar! They would sell so much they would pay for it in 6 months! Baldamar, Ruth Chris, Mannys, Pittsburg Blue, Acqua, ....I could go on....ALL offer Espresso. The new chef came from the Oceanaire......they ALSO offer Espresso. It's time for the Lexington to up their game and offer Espresso....they are so close to 5 stars!

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Photos
Love the old photos of years gone by . .
Love the old photos of years gone by . .
Lobster & Cauliflower Cheese
Lobster & Cauliflower Cheese
Live music

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Live music

Mickey's by Willy - diners - Updated June 2026

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