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    The Sample Room

    4.0 (395 reviews)
    ModerateNew American
    Closed 10:30 am - 10:00 pm

    The Sample Room Photos

    Business Info

    THE SAMPLE ROOM ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Sample Room

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    Amaretto marscapone dessert
    Darren L.

    First time at The Sample Room and we went for a cute date. I didn't make the connection until we got there that perhaps the name comes from all the flights they offer?? Lots of options on the menu! this time around, however, I went with a classic cocktail instead of the flight. I got an old fashioned, which was a little on the sweet side. For my entree, I decided to be adventurous and ordered the meatloaf! It came with a turnip purée. A little small for portions but very delicious and would get again. Not on the menu, but we also ordered a side of fries as an appetizer. It came with Parmesan cheese and because of the size of my entree, I was glad to have the extra food. Finally, for dessert, we ordered the Amaretto crepe cake with cherry mascarpone. Beautiful layers and has a slight coffee taste, like a tiramisu. So good! Overall, we had lovely service and the aesthetics of the restaurant were very cute and cozy. Truly felt like a neighborhood staple, and I look forward to returning.

    Peterson limousin Flank Steak
    Kelsey K.

    I feel like the name "Sample Room" is a little misleading. It is related to the history of the building itself and maybe the drink menu? Surly, not the food menu which I sorta thought that's what it meant. The inside is small and historic feeling with the old brick and tin ceiling. It's gives off a vintage/speakeasy feel. Going off the speakeasy feel, the food offered didn't really match that. The food choices were upscale, a little oddball combos, and didn't really match the vibe I got from the ambience inside. The chicken wings were the only dish that tasted good. The flank steak was overly salted and the chimichurri was off and needed more punch. The flat bread had sweet potato and goat cheese and extra arugula on it. The goat cheese overpowered any other taste and needed something sweet, like a balsamic to balance it out. I was hoping the sweet potatoes would help that but I didn't taste them at all. They offer various liquor and wine flights - that come with three different samples and amount to one drink. They have a nice cocktail/drink menu we enjoyed. Service was wonderful. Overall, we enjoyed a nice dinner here but felt the food was trying too hard.

    Burger and salad
    Bob M.

    Really like the ambiance of the building and have always enjoyed my food and service here. Tonights waiter was not as good as past but got our food ordered correctly and delivered hot which is always a plus. Wish they had some of their past menu things on the menu but I understand changes. Didn't get a picture of the fries but they are home made and delicious. Hate having to ask for salt and pepper, is it because of covid that they are no longer on tables at places? Food was good and I will be back many more times.

    Mary Y.

    The burger was super good, the half sandwich and salad goes well and healthier together. The burger was juicy and the hashbrown was crisp. The pickle was not my favorite. Overall a good local neighborhood place to enjoy some river view or outdoor dining. The services was good!

    Walleye + Wild Rice
    Lauren M.

    Food is 10/10. Very original and homemade flavor. My boyfriend also had the carbonara - wasn't his favorite carbonara but the walleye and trout were FAB. Great drinks. Great service. Coming back this week to try the shrimp + grits!

    Joanne E.

    How have I not been here before?! This place was great! I am already wanting to go back. Great mocktail options. We split three appetizers as our "meal" and were not disappointed. The Brussels sprouts with the miso glaze were delicious. The beef tartare was so good, frankly I'm mad about it. We had great service. Cute, relaxed vibe in there. Small onsite lot tucked behind. Would be fairly accessible if you have mobility challenges.

    Menu
    Matt W.

    The Sample Room has the allure of being a dive, kind of what I was thinking it would be, but the atmosphere is definitely a step above it and the place is really clean! (Not saying dives aren't clean, but you know what I mean lol) I went with friends and split the Bottineau Burger topped with pork belly, cheddar cheese, brandied onion, and smoked tomato aioli. The burger was seasoned well, I ordered it medium but it was much more medium well which was still fine for me, but something to be aware of for others. Also the pork belly was almost negligible? The burger was a bit small compared to other places and the pork belly matched but again, seasoned well, overall good burger. Just felt a bit off portion wise. It came with some killer fries that were also really well seasoned. Also tried the Miso Black Garlic wings and Garlic Dill Pickle wings which were both killer. Loved the miso black (didn't take a picture :'( ) Overall solid experience, service was top notch, and will check them out again!

    Cheese Curds and Fried Brussels Sprouts
    Amber S.

    I visited The Sample Room on a Friday evening after work. They had a small but decent selection of wine, a list of cocktails, and a great selection of NA drinks. I ordered one glass of their Nebbiolo and one glass of their Cabernet Sauvignon and both wines were good. The pours were generous, too. The glassware was one of those thicker glasses, but that's just a preference thing for me. My friend and I split two appetizers, the cheese curds and the Brussels sprouts. The cheese curds were good, but needed a nice hit of salt. The ham that is served alongside was ok, but I would have loved to get some spice in the jam. It would have added some good flavor. The Brussels spirits were great. They were big and crispy and the pickled red onion gave a great vinegar flavor and nice crunch. The pickled onions were on the sweet side on their own, but went well in the dish. My friend ordered the kale soup that was the daily special and she really liked it. I ordered their pasta with poblanos, sweet corn cream, and oaxcan cheese. I thought this dish wasn't well put together. It was sort of buried in cream and cheese and had a weird flavor profile. I've overall, our food here was good, our server was friendly and very fast, and the wine served was good. I would recommend this for a casual dinner

    Amusement Board

    The ambience was nice and on a sunny day, I would be on the patio. We had a delightful girls' day with the Amusement Board. The food was enjoyable and unique. Pâté - yes! We enjoyed multiple drinks and were greeted with kind hospitality and were not feeling forced to leave even with limited seating. Amazing ambience, good service, would definitely come again.

    Steak tartare..: yes fuzzy pic, I couldn't wait to eat!
    Ann Marie F.

    Solid 4.5 stars! Date and I decided to sit at the bar (good decision), although I'm guessing the wonderful servers would have answered all of our questions. Date gave me the reigns, as he didn't know what some things were. The steak tartare... FABULOUS! Soo good, but the squished bread didn't help get the deliciousness into my mouth! Lion's mane mushroom cakes. So good. THAT could have been my meal. Definitely an interesting texture, but delicious! The sauce it comes with was definitely spicy... so let that be known! But my fav... was the smoked trout cake with ritz crackers. C'mon now. Get this in your mouth and enjoy! We both had the Old Fashioned. Damn. I mean damn it tasted good!!

    Bottineau Burger
    Mitch A.

    Super friendly service and a fun spot for dinner or drinks. We found the menu to be a bit pricey, but the food was also more than a bit tasty. We did a wine flight as well which was fun. Will definitely come back!

    the outside of the restaurant
    Rachael M.

    The Sample Room is a small restaurant located in Northeast Minneapolis. There is no parking lot - but street parking is available. It was a quiet Holiday weekend, so finding street parking was easy. I am sure it can be harder when it's dinner hours. They do have a side patio and it looked like a back tent set up as well for outside seating. The inside reminds me of many older bars in Milwaukee/Chicago. They have various booths, a bar, and some tables as well. I definitely like the vibe. I had a Sangria to drink which was nice. I saw they had wings and I had to have them. They are full wings that come in two flavors. I went with the Garlic + Dill Pickle which comes with a side of dill aioli. The wings were nice and crispy, tender, and seasoned well. I definitely liked the flavor but would not mind if they were a bit juicier on the inside. The menu has a lot of things I want to try again. I was to enjoy a Whiskey Flight, and many other food items. Their desserts even sounded good. I will absolutely be returning.

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    3 years ago

    Awesome atmosphere and great food. The burger was melt in your mouth delicious and the wine flight was great. Our server was so nice!

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    This place is great, really intimate and a northeast staple. Definetly a must try. We love this place

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    9 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great cocktails and homemade concoctions. Plus, the best tasting and most innovative food in NE! Never disappoints.

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    Richard F.

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    Vinai - Double Cut Pork Chop

    Vinai

    4.6(149 reviews)
    0.6 miNortheast

    Finally made it here & had a great meal. My friend from Hawaii was visiting & she texted me a…read morecouple weeks in advance asking me if I've been meaning to try any new restaurants. I immediately replied Vinai & she told me she booked us a reservation & I was excited for 2 weeks until we arrived. AMBIANCE: It feels like a more upscale trendy Asian spot but still felt warm, airy, and welcoming. Folks were both dressed up and casual. Our server was nice, but did think it was funny how she explained "family style" to a table of Asian folks but I guess it's safer not to assume. FOOD: It was all delicious but my fav was the Laab Carpaccio-that's a must get! We also enjoyed the Fun Fun Egg Noodles & Hmong Cucumbers for something healthier & then the pork chop. It was def worth paying extra for the green hot sauce & for some extra sticky rice. We also enjoyed our cocktails and mango sticky rice dessert. Yes it's a bit spendy but I would say it's worth it & can't find any of these dishes at Hmong Village :) Lastly, I saw the owner of the restaurant join the table next to us. I was so close to leaning over and giving him a high-five but resisted embarrassing my friend, but maybe next time!

    Food: 3/3 Overall, the food we chose was very good. I…read morehighly recommend the double cut pork chop. The flavors were familiar, yet elevated by the chef in a refreshing way. I'm sure lots of you are wondering what this means. Well, IMO there are lots of Asian restaurants in the Twin Cities that try to elevate the food for what is typically considered cheap Asian street/home-cooked food so they can charge a premium price. Most of them do it very poorly. This place actually hits the mark on most of their dishes. This is not just a trendy place for less familiar Caucasian patrons, but can be enjoyed by those familiar with the flavors. Service: 1/1 Staff was attentive and provided excellent service. I was seated in a busier spot, and the servers always made an effort to give me plenty of space. Ambiance: 1/1 The seating was clean and spacious, and the lighting was not too bright or too dim. It is street parking, but it is manageable with the nearby neighborhoods.

    Photos
    Vinai - Another seating area

    Another seating area

    Vinai - Nutty Green Beans

    Nutty Green Beans

    Vinai - Crabby Fried Rice, Grilled Lamb & Grilled Carrots

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    Crabby Fried Rice, Grilled Lamb & Grilled Carrots

    Spoon and Stable - Ravioli with duck ragu

    Spoon and Stable

    4.4(1.4k reviews)
    1.7 miNorth Loop
    $$$

    Was in town for work and came across this restaurant. We talked in Saturday for dinner and sat at…read morethe bar as they had an hour long wait for walk ins. We had a great time at Spoon and Stable and the bartenders were super friendly and gave us great recs! We enjoyed everything we ordered. Highly recommend this place :) Will come back when I am in Minneapolis!!

    How on earth is this place still open. The food here is overcooked, tastes like spoiled food, &…read moreterrible service all around. Especially their desserts tastes really old. Everytime I've tried something here, I get a stomach ache for couple days, especially their old tasting desserts. 1st time stomach I thought it was just a fluke. Third try & 3 stomach aches later from the same place here & you're out of my books lol. Never again, No clue how this place has any business. I'm so glad more places have opened up in NL. Especially the Bellecour restaurant, the desserts there are 1000x better than the days tasting old crap that is served here at SnS. The interior is gorgeous, however, the entire establishment is a 0/10. I would not recommend this place to anyone. What an embarrassment this place is serving bad food to patrons. I recommend spending money at Porzana, Bar La Grassa, Bellecour... anywhere but here. This place is a joke for food. So embarrassing!

    Photos
    Spoon and Stable - Atmosphere

    Atmosphere

    Spoon and Stable - Butter was one of the stars. Whipped and light.

    Butter was one of the stars. Whipped and light.

    Spoon and Stable - Seafood Spaghetti Nero

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    Seafood Spaghetti Nero

    Alma - Buckwheat Crepe; Wild Mushrooms, savoy spinach, foie grass butter

    Alma

    4.3(719 reviews)
    2.1 miNortheast
    $$

    My wife and I spent a weekend at Alma's Inn and had dinner there on a Saturday night in late March…read moreand it was simply fabulous from the minute we arrived to our departure on Sunday. Our dinner on Saturday was superb -- we opted for wine pairings with each course and they were spot on. I don't think you can go wrong with any of selections on the menu, but our highlights were the celery root soup, the toasted rye & buttermilk crepe and the roasted duck breast & confit. As good as our dinner was, the service was every bit as good -- the staff at Alma was a highlight of our dinner and of our stay.

    Wow! Restaurant Alma(not the cafe)…read moreCan't believe it's taken me years to visit here, I had an amazing 3 course dinner here with the wine pairings All the dishes were fantastic and my friend and I shared all of our dishes so we could experience most of the menu The service here was truly excellent from coat check to our server Miles who was super friendly and knowledgeable Everyone we encountered was so passionate about the food it made me feel good especially as the quality was so high! There wasn't anything I didn't like except dessert was not included in our meal so for extra $ we did split one and was delicious They did send me home with some mini coconut macaroons which was a nice touch Ambiance - was lovely sitting at the counter, restaurant was full but not crazy loud for a Saturday night! The menu changes seasonally so I'll be back in the fall to try that Parking- free street parking If your looking for a high quality tasting menu book here

    Photos
    Alma - Excellent room 5 with the terrace and extra sitting area.  Love this room!

    Excellent room 5 with the terrace and extra sitting area. Love this room!

    Alma - Something lighter to eat - so good

    Something lighter to eat - so good

    Alma

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    The Sample Room - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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