The in-laws had apparently been here before and really liked it, so they took us here on a Friday…read morenight because I love seafood (hubbie doesn't, so I don't get it as often as I'd like). The inside is quite swank, featuring a pretty large bar area on the right when you first enter. We were there for a sit-down dinner, so we proceeded around the left to the counter to get a table. I noticed this place must have a decent loyal following because of the merch you could purchase there at the counter (tee shirts, hats, sweat shirts, etc)! It wasn't too busy despite it being Friday night, so we got a table right away. It was really hard to pick what I wanted off the menu because A LOT of the options looked deliciously tempting (just gonna have to go back), but I eventually decided on a shrimp pasta, and that was the RIGHT choice. Mmm, so good! And a decent portion for the price too, as I took half of it home in a to-go box. I was pleased by the speed at which they got our order ready, as well as how attentive the server was (my in-laws suck down iced tea like no one's business, but she managed to keep them topped off regularly). The parking lot is interesting, as it has above ground and underground parking (probably nice to have the option to go below during the snowy winters around here). It shares the parking lot with a grocery and some other things, which felt a bit cramped, but as I said, we happened to be there when it wasn't too crowded somehow.

Had a great experience at mallards! love their weekday happy hour everyday 4-6 pm, had such great…read morespecials. We got the steak alfredo, which compared to other times lacked some seasoning and was a bit watery, but the steak was perfectly cooked at medium rare. The jambalaya was very tasty as well. The ambiance was calm and relaxed dueing a friday early evening. Jenn provided us great, friendly service, loved our astrology chit chat!

This is such a lovely restaurants with lots of lights and plants and it's busy without feeling…read morecongested. First of all. Second of all, the service is outstanding. Multiple people checking in, offering recommendations, making sure you are happy, etc. I've been here for brunch a couple times and dinner. The shrimp scampi was pretty darn good but as a diva who has lived on both coasts it didn't blow my mind. But it was fresh and nice and no complaints. Their brunch is so good. The huevos were such an interesting spin on other versions and I loved it. Cocktails are great and inventive too! So they get five stars because they nail it on all points!

Really enjoyed our dinner at Hazelwood. The French onion soup was excellent, with a rich, dark,…read morebeefy broth and plenty of flavor. I also had the angel hair pasta with their rotisserie chicken, which was light but still satisfying and very well prepared. The coffee martini was a standout--smooth, rich and a great way to start the meal. Nice atmosphere, good food and an enjoyable evening all around. Definitely a place I'd return to.

Colita has been on of my favorite restaurants in MPLS for…read moreyears now. It's a super cute and picture-worthy location with greenery hanging all over bar. The kitchen is completely gluten free and I don't know if I have had something that I haven't liked. Some of my favorites are: the masa chips (super smooth guacamole and an amazing bean dip), shrimp tacos, elote and the Tlayuda. You also HAVE TO ORDER the churros - sometimes just go there for drinks and churros. The drinks are fun and creative. I believe that most of their cocktails are prebatched, so they are really consistent but I haven't found them to be super strong.

Everything was delicious here! My sis was recently in town so had the great excuse to eat somewhere…read moreI've been meaning to try. My preference is usually to go out for Asian food but heard so many good things about this place that I convinced my sis to try it with me and wow, left feeling impressed and very full. What we ordered: - Started w/ some non alcoholic drinks. I love horchata so had to get that & enjoyed it. - Corn bread w/ caviar - yum & great way to start - Seared scallops - so good - Charred eggplant tostada - loved this & a must-get - Shrimp tacos - I was worried that the tempura would just make it taste like fried but it didn't, it's really light. I liked these but could of used some saucy/ juicy component that feels more satisfying w/ tacos - Carne Asada - was not bad but just kind of tasted like meat I could get other places - Corn elote - it's what u expect but it was tasty & nice to have another veggie - Churro dessert - perfect way to end our meal. This is a must-get even if u are full! Overall the atmosphere is great. The server was very friendly and it never felt like we were waiting a long time for anything. The place feels but open & natural accents. It was def busy in here & it felet like we were close to some tables but it still felt comfortable to enjoy the meal while catching up w/ my sis. I will def be back to try other items!

HAVAN-A-MAZING LUNCH…read more If a top-tier Cuban sandwich is what you seek, look no further than Guava's. Located a mile northwest of Minneapolis Int'l Airport, this quaint Cuban restaurant was highly recommended to us by a friend.  We stopped here after visiting Como Park Zoo and enjoyed a great lunch as well as some A+ plane-watching, since Guava's is directly in the flightpath of landing jets. I started with a Bent Paddle pilsner ($6.50), and my wife got a michelada ($8) which she said was a good value and "made the right way".  There's a decent amount of seating inside as well as tables outside, although it can get noisy at times due to the nearby airport. The Cubano ($18) was one of the best either of us has ever tried: pulled pork, ham, salami, pickles, mustard, mayo, and Swiss cheese on grilled panini bread.  It came with lightly salted plantain chips and a small cup of house hot sauce.  Amazing, no notes.   5/5 The lechon asado rice bowl ($16) was equally terrific.  Delicious roasted pork - including some magical burnt ends that had me in ASMR heaven - came with black beans and maduros (sweet plantains) over cilantro rice.  Fabulous mingling of flavors and textures.  5/5 We got a side of Yuca frita ($7) w/cilantro aioli but these were almost an afterthought; my wife and I were too obsessed with our entreés to pay much attention to these lil' starchy sticks.  They have tres leches cake for dessert but we opted for a flan ($7) instead, and it was OK. * TL;DR * I'm glad that Guava's didn't try anything too clever with the Cubano, preferring to keep it classic and focus on quality. The aesthetics inside are charming, soft mint green walls with a mix of white counters and darker wood.  Staff were friendly and the food came out relatively fast.  They have a nice selection of local draft beers and plenty of great Cuban coffee. I would absolutely recommend Guava's to anyone in the Minneapolis-St Paul area, especially if they're interested in trying one of the best Cuban sandwiches of their lives.

Good - the food is good. Special praise to the Cubano sandwich…read more Atmosphere - not the most comfortable - old dexor. Service - really poor. Person entering our order had zero knowledge of the food and appeared to have no interest to learn. The food ia giving this restaurant three stars, everything else is less than desired. Also wish the juice was fresh fruit juice, not a blend. As a Cubano man, I was not impressed. However for foos, I would give it another go, but not for the service or ambiance.

Orale will definitely become one of my new go-to spots!…read more I got the swimming burrito with carne asada and my partner got the swimming burrito with carnitas. Both were good, I would definitely recommend the carne asada. We also got chips and guac. The guacamole had a strong lime taste and was so unbelievably delicious, I would go back just for the guac. There is a small parking lot in front of the restaurant and a ton of street parking. The staff were very nice and helpful. We ordered at the kiosk and they brought our food to our table. It looked like the bartender also waits on the tables in the back. There's a section of the restaurant that's a bit loud, but we easily found a spot to sit in a quieter area.

The food is pretty decent. I lived in Querétaro, Mexico, and spent 8 years in Phoenix, so I know…read morethe difference between authentic and Americanized Mexican food; this is firmly the latter. It's a bit whitewashed and leans more Cal-Mex than anything you'd find in Mexico, but I'm not complaining. I love a good California burrito and asada fries, so this style has its place (especially in Minnesota). Service can be slow. It took us about an hour to get two burritos yesterday and the restaurant didn't look busy. Maybe they were just short staffed. My main issue is the salsa. They limit you to one packet per person, and it's not the slightest bit spicy. And where are the limes? This place desperately needs a salsa bar with real options and some heat. Bump up the salsa selection and stop rationing it, and this would be a solid spot. For now, I'll keep getting this to go and buying my own salsa and limes.

Visited Book Club twice in one week! First time was with a large group of friends (9 of us total)…read moreand our waitress was patient, helpful, and knowledgeable about the menu items. The kitchen staff did amazing, having our table orders ready in a short time! I love when there's wood fired chicken and I preferred the teriyaki flavor (lemon seasoning on first chicken was a bit salty for my tastebuds). The tri color potatoes were ABSOLUTELY the BEST item of anything I have eaten! SO GOOD! The mushroom flatbread is also absolutely delicious and well balanced! The flourless chocolate torte tasted like fudge -- yum! Will definitely be back with more friends!

Book Club has such a cute theme and vibe, as a reader I love all the little book related nods in…read morethe menu and decor and my kid loved to go back and forth to the little bookshelf they have while we waited! And thankfully that bookshelf was there because we were waiting for awhile. When we first arrived we waited about 10 minutes before anyone who worked there even made an appearance, which seemed odd for a Friday at 10 am. May have been understaffed because the same person was seemingly the only person serving the full restaurant, which is so difficult. We waited patiently, understanding that that happens. However, unfortunately the food was only okay too. I ordered a broccoli and cheddar omelet and it was sadly not really an omelet at all. Full florets of steamed broccoli with a flat egg blanket wrapped around them... see photos to understand, this was a bummer and just not an omelet! It seems like the quiche is the way to go here, I had a bite of quiche that someone else ordered and that was very tasty and they have a rotating quiche menu or quiche of the day! Would definitely recommend going with the quiche for breakfast.

2nd time here and was very impressed! We had our choice of…read moresitting inside or out on their patio. We chose to sit inside, in their cute, retro diner interior. I ordered the biscuit and gravy which came with eggs and hashbrowns. The portion was plentiful and the flavor was wonderful! My wife ordered the chicken biscuit with hashbrowns and is always a fan! Their coffee is very delicious as well! The service was great as always!

Pros: - Food is so good! The menu is huge. But I feel like…read moreeverything on it is done well. There are some standard brunch items and many unique items you don't see all the time. I had a blueberry matcha latte and the Hawaiian bowl. My husband got the pork belly biscuit. It all was tasty and I'd order any of it again. - Service and accommodations! You're able to make a reservation online. Availability was good. Though we had some more family wanting to join. I gave the restaurant a call and they were super helpful in increasing our party size. Our server was also wonderful. Very patient with our large group, especially the kids. - Space is big and airy. Lots of cool, colorful art. Cons: - A little loud. Definitely not an intimate brunch spot. - Bathrooms could have been a little nicer. The toilet seat in one of the stalls was crooked. And the sink area was a little disheveled.

Ordered a southern fried chicken sandwich & a nashville hot chicken sandwich from doordash at…read morelunchtime on a Saturday. The southern fried chicken sandwich was great, perfectly fried chicken and beautiful toppings. But the problem was with the nashville hot chicken... the chicken was severely undercooked, taking a bite felt like biting into 100 tendons (very unsettling and made me nauseous), had to throw away the rest of the sandwich. Very disappointing because the seasoning was great and same with the slaw. Sad...

I've been wanting to check this Smack Shack location out for a while now. Finally got the chance to…read morecatch a happy hour with some friends. The happy hour menu had some pretty solid choices. I like that this location does hh in the entire restaurant vs the Northloop one only does it in the tiny bar area. I got a hurricane for my drink. We shared chips and guac which was actually pretty good. I got the chicken sliders and a side of fries. which were interesting. They were sweet and savory. The fries were seasoned well. Overall I like the food and would definitely come back. Our server was attentive and nice. We were able to grab food fairly quick and make it to our next stop in time. I can definitely see why this location stays packed.

I ordered delivery service of the linguine and clams and had it delivered to my hotel in…read moreBloomington. Delivery was reasonably fast, as the restaurant wasn't far so the food arrived within about 35 minutes. The temperature was moderate, so just heated it up but the dish itself was fantastic; moderate amounts of clam meat and thankfully half shell clams were included. They had the clam broth on the side in a separate container which I appreciated. This allowed for you to add as much broth as you wanted to your meal. I highly recommend and am looking forward to ordering this again when I'm back in town.

Food was delicious and very well seasoned. Fish was fresh. Better than some other options around…read moreEdina for Poke.

I love their Poke. It's customizable and a lot of options to choose from. I order from the kiosk…read moreand it's usually ready in less than 5 minutes. Parking is plentiful and easy.