came here for the first day of 70 degree weather in minneapolis post 2012's long winter! great outdoor patio area and perfect place to soak up some sun. i ordered the salad (4/5) and hash (5/5). both were were made with the freshest of ingredients and the colors were so bright. you can tell the restaurant really prides itself on its high quality ingredients and it shines in the food. for dessert, i ordered the vanilla custard with bacon brittle - interesting topping but not a must-have. waitress was very friendly, memorized our orders, and was very accommodating with our group of 8. service 5/5. read more

Wise Acre Eatery - salad - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

Kid friendly, good customer service, and tasty food. Prices are high for the portion size. $6 side of eggs... ect. Be prepared to pay dinner prices for brunch, but keep in mind the food quality. Definitely recommend for the foodies out there! read more

This review is based on three factors : Food (quality and selection), Service and Atmosphere. Food: On the occasion that we were there for dinner there were four entree choices: Happy Pork and Beans, Dill Pickle Fried Chicken, Highland Beef something or other and a Squash Steak. I had the Dill Pickle Fried Chicken. While the chicken was well cooked, the flesh tasted more of vinegar than of dill and the breading was over fried. It was OK, but I would not order it again. Service: The service is OK, but the servers often seem flustered and their pacing could be better. Atmosphere: If the dinning room is anything less than barely occupied the noise level is intolerable. If you have absolutely no desire to hear what your dining partner is saying, this is the place to take them. read more

I have eaten at a ton of farm to table restaurants and hands down this is the best. Matthew's service was spot on, fresh organic, beautiful food all in a comfortable setting. Absolutely fantastic. read more

See all

Tasty local food you can feel good about eating. I ate here for lunch on a late Saturday afternoon and although it's a small space we were seated immediately. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. I ordered the Steak'n Oats - a creative savory way to serve oats and it was delicious. I love the environmentally efficient design of the restaurant too. read more

Wise Acre Eatery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I liked the food here. The free popcorn was a nice start. As many have pointed out, prices here are expensive. With that said, I actually thought that the food quality lived up to the prices. I had the herb-marinated chicken with BBQ sauce + kale chips and I thought it was excellent. I think think the chicken was confited. Also, our server was very nice. Please note: they don't take Amex here. I was going to buy some of their butter, but said, "screw it," after learning they won't take Amex. Who doesn't take Amex in SW Mpls? These clowns I guess. Take note Wise Acre, I was gonna spend an extra thirty bucks at your restaurant and garden center, but it ain't gonna happen when you refuse my CC. I could use another CC, but there's no way that's gonna happen with your establishment's strange CC policy. There's a phrase my grandfather used to say about financially incompetent people. He used the phrase, " penny wise but dollar stupid," to describe people and businesses that think they're saving a few pennies when they're actually losing dollars. I CAN THINK OF NO BETTER WAY OF STATING WISE ACRE'S CC POLICY. read more

We live fairly close and love this place. Menu changes frequently due to seasonality of produce. I typically get the big salad and if I'm with my husband we will get a meat entree and share both. The salad is delicious (mostly because of the bacon) but the vinaigrette is yummy, too. All entrees I've ever tried have been fantastic, though the biscuits and gravy were very meh, pretty dry. They have a delicious gluten and dairy free double chocolate cookie that my kids love. Kids meals are a big hot dog (a real weiner, not oscar mayer type) with fresh carrots. The ice cream with toppings is delicious (salted caramel) and also fun to share the large size. Kombucha is good, too. read more

The atmosphere was fresh, with industrial styles meet garden. The patio and open garage doors flooded the place with a sense of crisp breeze. Though the breakfast menu wasn't exhaustive, the food on it was some of the best breakfast plates I've had. I ordered eggs, ham, herbs, cornbread, and vegetables. I was not expecting the perfect balance of taste that met my mouth. I would recommend this place to anyone who appreciates greatness. read more

Holy free range! I love this place! We had a sweet man serve us. Right away he asked us if we had ever been there. We hadn't, so he gave us the low down. The space was once used for custard. Wise acre is about 4 years old now. There's very little turnover because the owners treat their staff like family, and I could sense that. They joined forces with a local farm (I think, Emersons). They have even created a green house for grass to be able to grass feed the animals year round. The place reminded me of the restaurant that was featured in "the kids are alright" -straight from the farm to the table. We ordered the brie bacon burger. When it arrived there was a thick slab of bacon on top along with brie and some fresh basil. And they didn't have to cremate the beef because their animals are treated so well. We just kept saying, "oh my god," as we ate it. The fries were good, but it was the rhubarb ketchup that made them sing. The pickles were crispy and not salty. I thought "this is what fresh tastes like"! We topped off our meal with the brownie and custard that was delicious, but overshadowed by the burger. The ambiance was really pleasant: wood slab tables, worker lights dropped from the ceiling, lunch was served in a cooking tray, a glass garage door that was opened to enjoy the pleasant day. I brought another friend the next time who was ooohing and ahhing at the burger as well. Go when you're not in a rush, because you'll want to relish it. read more

Every meal I have has layers of flavor. I especially enjoy the things I don't expect and didn't know I was missing, like rhubarb hot sauce. read more

We're used to the local farm-to-table freshness in our coastal Californian home. That said, it wasn't the freshness that blew us away here. Wise Acres serves food with an artistry and passion that goes well beyond the farm-to-table call of duty. Here are some of the delights: 1. Knowledgeable servers who were passionate about the food and drink. She was genuinely excited to answer our questions and for us to eat. 2. Excellent selection of Midwestern beer. Great prices. (Maybe it's more a local scene, but I wish there were sampler flights for us tourists.) 3. Homemade ketchup with a seasonal twist (ours was pumpkin). Do not miss. 4. It was the best pork chop my meat-loving brother has ever eaten, which he mentioned many times as if in disbelief. 5. No snores. Every aspect of the meal and menu was given careful and creative consideration. 6. No same-olds. There are cooks who make great food and then there are chefs who create great food. She (forgot to ask her name) was a true chef. You could taste her Southern roots!* 7. Small, seasonal menu. I'd sacrifice selection for mastery any day. With F2T, I feel this is a must. 8. Clean, on-theme bathroom. Sounds silly, but you can tell they care about the details when even the bathroom is nicely done. *I would highly recommend eating as-intended, allergies permitting. Chill atmosphere, but it's definitely more of a chef restaurant. read more

The website and the sign on the front door said Tuesday hours were until 9 p.m. Arrived Tuesday evening as a group of three people and the door was locked. Through the window, you could see there were several tables sat with people eating and a few other people at the bar. I assumed the door was accidently locked or jammed. An employee opened the door and said, "sorry, we're closed." I said, "um, your sign says 9 p.m. close, as does your website." She said, "Sorry, we stop seating at 8 p.m." I look at my phone and the time is 8:02. CLEARLY they didn't want three people (one child, one teen and me) to eat. We dine regularly at Low Brow, The Malt Shop, and George and the Dragon. Those amazing local restaurants don't have this kind of confusing and, frankly, rude policy. When I got home, I rechecked the website just to make sure I hadn't missed something - Nope. Hours until 9 p.m. PLUS, the website's reservation system was allowing me to book an 8:30 THAT SAME NIGHT. Bizarre. I REALLY wanted to like you guys, but, you just didn't give us the chance! read more

Totally disappointing lunch. I kept wanting to tell staff how to work more efficiently. I don't think being busy = loss of customer service. Had a salad where the plate was Stacked with spinach underneath and not fresh that day. Gave me one slice of baguette for two people because they were late with food. What? My lunch partner ordered a hummus salad and had to dig to find it. 2 salads one cup of soup, which was actually tasty and 2 wines. $47.81. Oh and i forgot they comped us the $4 soup. I am laughing as I type this and I have eaten here before. read more

In a word: Yumarifftastic! Yes, it's a word, look it up. ;-) We had the "If you must." Everything was so flavorful and amazing. The bacon!? Are you kidding me! Service was wonderfully pleasant and helpful to us first timers. Great find. read more

Small place, looks like it used to be a mechanic shop. Service was slow, only beer and wine. But despite all that I really enjoyed this place. The food was so well cooked and the atmosphere very cozy (went after dark). The staff was so friendly, made great menu suggestions. I can't see myself being a regular here, but I for sure want to go back read more

Yum. Yum. Yum. Love this concept so close to my home! I don't normally eat dessert either but I went for the custard - you wont be sorry! Popcorn for a starter for fun - yes please! I try to eat local as much as possible and this is by far one of the best places to do it I've been to! I also love that the farm to table allows the menu to change, keeps it interesting. And the pigs outside - ADORABLE! read more

I've visited WAE several times in the past few months - it's probably my favorite brunch spot on Nicollet right now. I'm vegetarian and they happily switch out sides of meat items for salad at no charge. The food is truly delicious and the specials always look tempted (but usually contain meat). Always have to thrown down for the home-made marmalade for the toast. I've had several flavors and have loved each of them. Hands down my favorite item at WAE is the lavendar honey cookie. They only serve it occassionally but it makes my day when it is in the rotation. read more

Fantastic service and food! It is my first time but I will be coming back. I got the Royal Brie & Bacon Burger. It may have been the best burger I have ever had and definitely the best burger I've had in the cities. The menu is more than just that though. The restaurant is owned by a local farm. The server said that it is the only restaurant owned in this way in the U.S. All of the products come from the and you can taste the difference. read more

Excellent farm to table. This was my 1st visit at the recommendation of my customer. Boutique feel. I came for an early dinner. Had the highly recommended burger with house made bacon. It did not disappoint. The service was excellent. The parking lot is tight. I suspect most park a few blocks away and walk. I am not sure if reservations are accepted. If they are I can see this place getting packed quickly during peak hours. Definitely want to come back and try their brunch. read more

Wise Acre Eatery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

My husband and I are traveling with 2 toddlers and we stopped in here for breakfast. Everything was amazing! From the atmosphere & decor, to the service, the meal presentation, and of course the food itself. Oh and the cold press coffee is really tasty (and very strong, which is always a plus while traveling with kids) We will be back! read more

One of my favorite restaurants in the Midwest. Fresh from their own farm and prepared in casual gourmet style.

Some of the more negative reviews about this restaurant lend credence to the theory that there is a parallel universe to ours. The Wise Acre Eatery my girlfriend and I ate at must be in the good universe. the one not inhabited by reviewers who wished the restaurant had the power to turn down the sun as well as the music. We sat outside on a balmy Sunday evening amid the wonderful planters overflowing with all manner of colorful flowers and plants provided by the nursery across the road. (They also furnished the seating according to a judiciously placed price tag.) It was the perfect setting for what was to come. First up, our libations. Two glasses of a wonderful Sicilian wine listed under the never-before-seen 'Orange' section of the wine list got us off to a fabulous start. Our server, as knowledgeable as she was friendly, highly recommended the chicken nettle walnut pesto roulade for me and confirmed my girlfriend's choice of the tenderloin. My chicken was highly delicious as were the mouthfuls tenderloin so charitably donated to me by my better half. An honorable mention also goes to the kohlrabi salad, a delicious combination of subtle spice and refreshing crunch. A couple of glasses of a lovely Grenache later we asked our server what the Cake of the Day was and we're glad we did. So far, it's the Cake of the Summer. A sublime rhubarb and strawberry creation drizzled with caramel and crowned with a scoop of frozen custard. It was the perfect ending to the perfect meal on the perfect evening with the perfect companion. Thank you, Wise Acre Eatery. Oh and perhaps five stars is an extravagant gesture for such a simple meal, but we've given them to restore balance in our universe, if not the other one. T & J. read more

I would like to call out the extremely rude host/manager at brunch yesterday who told us she needed our table (aka she needed us to leave). We had only been sitting at the table for an hour and 15 minutes and it took about 45 minutes after we ordered to get our food. We had only been sitting for about 5 minutes after they cleared our plates before she told us to leave. By the way - there were two other completely open tables near us and no one waiting in the lobby when she came over and said she needed our table. We had a party of four and one is a full-time waitress for a prominent south Minneapolis restaurant (in the same neighborhood), the other friend of mine owns a restaurant and we were appalled by her rudeness. Thank you for ruining what would have been a lovely experience catching up with old friends and enjoying great local food. I do wonder if she would have done that to four middle-aged women instead of us (20 somethings). Will not be returning. read more

Went with my gal pal for a late lunch. I can see how, if the place had been busy, slower service could have been an issue, but for our visit yesterday the pacing was just right. The restaurant's "farm to table" concept lends itself to a dining experience of unique menu items bursting with flavor and freshness. Presentation is beautiful, and our server was very knowledgeable about the menu. I got a cup of broccoli and black bean soup. It was hearty and savory with a base flavor of black pepper. I also had the wise acre salad with chicken. This is fresh food at its finest. The salad had some fresh dill in it, which really made the flavor pop and complimented the dressing which had fresh mustard seed in it. All and all, a treat. This is a great place to come if you want a leisurely lunch date with a friend or for a date because the ambiance and the menu will generate conversation and reaching across the table to sample from each other's plates. I am excited to go again with my husband. read more

Had heard good things about this place so my mom and I decided to give it a try today. It was an awful experience from start to finish. First of all, the place is freezing inside. C'mon, this is Minnesota and we can survive the cold outside, but we do expect a sit-down restaurant to have heat. The place is so tiny that I felt as though I was sitting with the people at the next table. Very uncomfortable. Got nudged and bumped continually as patrons left. It took a long time for someone to come and take our order (15 minutes). Instead of giving our order to the kitchen, the server chatted with people at 3 other tables. Then it took over 30 minutes to receive our food (burger/fries and chili/grilled cheese). We noticed that two groups of people who came in 15-20 minutes after we ordered received their food at the same time we did. What the heck? Couldn't even get a refill on my water. Food was only fair. My burger was ok, but the fries were inedible. They were stringy, cold, and grossly over-salted. The chili was too spicy and the grilled cheese cold. Not even sure what kind of cheese it was. The coffee was extremely bitter and so strong you could stand a spoon up in it. No one thanked us for spending $35+. We will not visit Wise Acre again. The ideas behind this quaint eatery are worthwhile (field to table), but the service is atrocious and the food wasn't worth suffering through that. Think twice before you eat here unless you like sitting elbow-to-elbow with strangers, freezing your feet and shivering, being ignored by the staff, and paying for over-priced mediocre food. read more

FIVE STARS!!! From the food, to the cleanest bathrooms I've seen in a while, Wise Acre Eatery clearly takes pride in all that they do! It is so nice to be able to enjoy a neighborhood restaurant that serves good food, that is...wait for it...GOOD FOR YOU! Everything is fresh and made to order (so be patient), and did I say delicious? I have enjoyed EVERY meal here, and encourage all to stop in. Ontop of the food, the service is awesome. Have you ever had a dining experience ruined by your server? I have, but not here. The servers are knowledgeable and attentive. Detail is important here, and as a former server, I respect and appreciate that. Bottom line, go...Be Wise and just go. read more

See all

The restaurant is cute and I loved the environment. A nice outdoor seating area. The food comes right from the farm and all tasted very good. Wish there would have been a greater selection of options on the menu like more than 1 soup option and more than 2 salad options. We went on a Sat afternoon and it was a brunch menu i really wasn't in the mood for an egg dish which mainly consumed the menu. Our waiter was friendly and service was good but for the spendy prices and limited choices I don't think I would return. I love the farm to table concept but none of the menu items really caught my attention. Food good yes but need more "normal" basic choices. Like maybe a basic burger. Sorry wish I could rate higher. read more

I like the concept, and I really wanted to say I loved the food. The service was great and the ambiance was nice. They seem mostly kid-friendly. The food: -The soup special, a tomato-pumpkin, was delightful. I could have shampooed my hair with it, and I was sad that I hadn't just ordered that as my lunch entree. -The brie-bacon burger was not good. The meat was crazy dry, and with the combo of the thick, difficult to chew bacon strip and bread which was likewise dry, it was a challenge to eat. I was starving, so I finished it, but it was seriously lacking some condimentation (that's a word, right?). I hate to admit that, but it was hurting for a homemade mayo. -The brownie was not chocolatey. Weird, right? It was medium-moist, but very bland. -The kids' hot dog/sausage thing was inedible. The bun was straight-up too dry to eat, the weiner was WAY too dry to bite into, and it was served with a sweet ketchup that was tasty but didn't even come close to moistening the dry-on-dry combo. My kid enjoyed the carrot sticks, but couldn't even take a bite out of the bread or the meat. Pretty awful. The beverages: -Iced tea was pretty good, but over-steeped. -Homemade soda was syrupy and not fizzy. The prices: -$58 for two adults and one child, which I thought was reasonable. I don't begrudge them the prices, even if the food was unpleasant. I'd like to try this place again, perhaps at a different time of year, but I'm nervous that I'll have a similarly disappointing experience. read more

Tried for the third time. Crappy service every time. Also. Be open if your open. Don't tell me you're closed for half an hour. Also don't tell me you'll get to me 3 different times and the go and do other stuff. If you are in fact closed, tell me you're closed. Also, post your correct hours if you close at 3:00 post that on your site and on your door. Wanted to like it. But won't b back. read more

A wonderful place to stumble upon. I was heading to a place nearby and saw this little place called Wise Acre Eatery. We ended up changing are plans to dining here. The outside/insides were very well designed and welcoming. The ambiance was amazing, also the bathrooms are so clean and homely. The service was pretty good, we definitely didn't have any problems. Now to the food. I will for sure be back to try some more of the brunch. We had the CZA hash and it was so good! Very refreshing and delicious. I do recommend this to anyone who enjoys trying new places with a healthy and homely feel. Exclaimer, they don't serve hard alcohol so if you want a Bloody Mary look elsewhere. The place is pretty tight so I hope you don't mind hearing the conversations others are having around you. read more

My fiancé and I ate here a few weeks ago because we had a gift card. The food was well cooked, but the "bacon" is so thick it's more like a hunk of ham. I like my bacon crispy, and you can't get it uniformly crispy when it's an inch thick. Also it's very cramped in there, way too loud, and cold. The food is more like a 4.5 star, but the eating experience was more like a 2.5 :/. read more

Best burger ever, and the BACON was f*!?Ing amazing!! Great atmosphere and fabulous bartender! read more

If you'd like to eat some great food, in a great space, with gracious service, this is certainly not the place for you. The food was interesting and menu looked pretty inspired, but this place is all style and no substance. The people working there seem to act like they're 'holier than thou', and are unbelievably burdened by any questions a guest might have. Our waitress was condescending, pretentious to the point of rude and really left us wondering what we did wrong. As someone who really appreciates all that is local, fresh, organic, slow food, this place takes it to a place you don't want to go. As out of towers, we had heard great things and wanted to try something local and new. I will say, the only person who treated us like guests was the hostess. She was warm, kind, sincere, and showed us to the benches outside where we could wait since it would be an hour wait. We went to the bar to try to get a drink, and just seemed to get looks from the servers like we were in the way. The bar was full, like the entire restaurant, so there wasn't much other space. After ordering an iced tea and realizing it was a homemade and had more of an herbal flavor than I liked, I apologized and asked if I could get something else instead. The bartender dumped the glass and walked away. I can't imagine I was the first person who thought the tea was different than expected. He was nice enough to let us sample a couple of French wine varietals with which we were unfamiliar. After deciding, we paid and tipped $5 for the trouble. We headed outside to the side of the building to wait. The gardens were beautiful and we we're happy to have a drink and a place to sit and wait. We were sure it wouldn't be a full hour since the waittime always seems to be overquoted. We were wrong. It was just a little over an hour. Again, the hostess came to tell us they were waiting for a couple of tables to get up and leave so we could be seated. She apologized for the wait and told us we would be rewarded with a nice table outside. It was very nice but since we arrived before 8, and it was now after 9, the bugs were put in full force. Luckily, we saw another table just inside the large garage door and asked if we could sit there. The hostess said yes, of course, and led us there instead. After being seated we waited another 5 - 10 minutes to be greeted by our waitress. She seemed nice, told us about the fried green tomato special, and asked if we wanted drinks. We ordered wine and asked for a sample of the iced tea so that my friend's mom could try it. After another 10 minutes we realized our waitress was talking to a new table that had walked in and been sat right away. They seemed to know some of the people that worked there. The bartender was leaning back against the bar. After piling our menus at the side of the table and looking around, the waitress came over and told us the bar had lost our drink order. It didn't seem like the truth, but we gave her the benefit of the doubt. After my friend's mom was able to try to tea and decided it was not to her liking, she just asked for a coke. The waitress made it a point to say the Coke was from Mexico and made from real sugar. "Are you sure that's going to be ok?" she asked. Seemed a little rude to us. After getting the coke we were finally able to order. Two of us had the special, a fried green tomato BLT with a peach cucumber salad, and the Pork and beans, beans, and greens. We asked the waitress what the greens were, and she said she didn't know and would have to ask. She impatiently said it was beet tops or chard or something. Since it seemed like she wasn't interested in asking the chef, and we felt uncomfortable for asking, we just said ok. We also decided to get a couple of starters since we were so hungry and didn't know how long the food would take. As someone who has worked as a waiter for years, you know when a group has been waiting over an hour, they want to eat. We watched two other tables sit down after us and receive their food before us. It took at least 20 minutes to get roasted vegetables and a house salad of Plato, MN greens. The plate of roasted veggies consisted of beans, broccoli,and maybe something else on about a 4" diameter plate. Hardly enough for one person, and we thought we were sharing. They were quite good which was more than I could say for the salad. The greens themselves were great, but the maple balsamic vinegarette seemed to be so light it was missing. The only vegetable it it was what looked like ground carrot. After being slightly disappointed with our starters, we watched another table get their appetizer, salad, and entrees while we continued to wait. This was extremely frustrating and we started to wonder if the kitchen had lost our dinner order too. It was now after 9, and ws had been waiting nearly another hour for our dinner. The waitres brought our food and we were surprised by the slider size of the bun that held our BLTs. It had... read more

You know not to mess with someone's coffee, right? Few things -- martinis, eggs, and coffee -- are so specific to the personal preparation that a systemic failure like the one at Wise Acre is nearly unforgivable. You go to Wise Acre. It is hip, new, local, fresh, CSA, great name, great interior, the summer is finally here and you miss Liberty Custard, but, heck the doors open up onto the patio and few things are greater than a warm late weekend morning breakfast in Minneapolis in the summer. It's a strange morning, though. You sit for 15, 20 minutes for a seat, but you look around and the place is empty, except for a couple tables outside. The employee-customer ratio is over 1:1, but everyone that works there, including the cooking staff, is standing around. They are nervously trying to look like they are looking for something to do, but are failing to manage to actually look busy. People pile up behind you. No one is talking. Everything is silent. Music would be good. Maybe you should leave. If only they would offer you coffee. Eventually someone takes charge and takes you to a seat and coffee is ordered. You have been thinking about it all morning, and it is late. The coffee is Bull Run Coffee and, like almost everything here, is local, and so you smile. You get your coffee, it is dark, rich, and in a thick glass mug. And you are asked if you want cream and sugar. The cream arrives a bit later -- why didn't they just bring it with the coffee? -- and after dumping it in, something isn't quite right. And then you focus your pre-coffeed eyes to those around you and notice a dining room filled with glass mugs with a sickeningly dark brown brew -- everyone, like you, is putting in milk rather than the universal American standard of half and half , trying to get their personalized coffee and half and half Pantone color, only to learn, too late, that it can never happen, will never happen ,and now you've added so much milk that your coffee is too cold. And so there you are, drinking cold coffee, with a Pantone-color that is just all wrong. You could go to a bar and ask for a gin martini and they could, you suppose, make it with vodka, a few juniper berries, and finish it with a black olive, but it doesn't make it a gin martini. You could, you suppose, have slightly runny egg whites, just dyed yellow, but that's not the same. The same goes for coffee. Cream in America universally means half-and-half, while some places might present an expanded offering including any variation of whole milk, 2%, 1%, skim, and soy. Unless you are Wise Acre. If you are Wise Acre, they give you milk, call it cream, and then when you bring it up, they will look at you with a puzzled, judgy look when you point out their error and say, you are stunned to hear, "No, that's cream." It makes you second guess why they call the eggs, bacon, and toast option the "If You Must" - are they being smuggy and snarky? And, what's up, you wonder, with the one slice of bacon, just cut in half? It makes you wonder, why is there no butter for the toast? Is this breakfast plate a lecture? And yet, you so want this place to succeed. read more

What a disappointment! I thought this place might be fun for a spontaneous date night, I was wrong. The atmosphere is certainly unique. The decor was fun and fresh, even though it did not fit the garage theme of the building. The place is BEYOND CROWDED! the management just has far too many tables in this place. I should not have to ask other customers to slide in their chairs so I can get by and go pay my bill. Now the food. The menu looked promising. It is a small menu but that style fits this place. My date and I started off with the Bacon Steak Crostini. Why don't they just advertise it as stale bread with a chunk of dry bacon? That's all it was. Oh and my favorite addition, grass on top. There was more garnish than substance. For an entree, I ordered the Royal Brie and Bacon Burger. First of all, on a burger, more than 1/2 of a slice of bacon is needed...not even a full slice was given!!! And 1/3 burger? ...yeah right! And please do not ask me how I would like it cooked if you can't cook it like that. Medium rare means medium rare, not medium well. The wild rice slaw was tasty, a little bland though. The fries were actually quite delicious! That's sad considering they probably buy them from a vendor. Definitely not worth $14. The custard for dessert was standard, nothing special. The rhubarb caramel sauce was though, absolutely delicious! Only bad part was the candied nuts in the sauce were so hard they could chip teeth. And lastly, the service. To my waitress (who's name was never uttered), please find a different job. When a customer asks you about wines and appetizers, do not say "I don't know." Honesty is appreciated but it makes you look sloppy. And try checking back every once and a while. I was ready for another glass of wine (wonderful selection) halfway through my appetizer, but you were no where to be found. Sad. read more

Had a truly lovely experience there last night for a birthday dinner! The food was delicious, the atmosphere was warm and inviting and the staff was kind, knowledgeable and delightful. Also, I would like to praise them for their willingness to accommodate so beautifully for people who are plant based or restricted by food allergies. Repeat customers?? 100% YES! read more

This place probably doesn't even need my review. Their location is good enough to keep them in business, and there are going to be plenty of positive reviews to offset my somewhat negative review. But I just thought I would mention a few things they can work on, if they care about me returning anytime soon: 1) Please don't tell us that it will be a 20 minute wait when it's really going to be 40. That is a surefire way to make your diners grumpy. 2) Your host needs to be on top of things, even on a busy weekend. I felt like I was doing half of his job- he would disappear, and I would inform people who just walked in that they needed to wait for him to come back to get their names on the list. Vanishing host- not an asset for a busy restaurant. 3) Do not EVER favor one party over another. I had a party of three; behind us was a party of four. He sat them first! It was unbelievable. They even told him that we were ahead of them, and he sat them anyway. And no, this isn't the sort of place where you can just pull a third chair up to a two-person table. It added at least 10 minutes to our already long wait. The host was easily the weak link among their employees. 4) My mom's dish arrived at least 10 minutes before mine and my brother's. At first we were impressed that she got her food so quickly... but then it just got weird. Almost like they were searching for any way to make our experience negative. I haven't even mentioned the wait for the bathroom and the fact that we had to be seated at two separate two-person tables. (Then, when a table for four opened up, we asked if we could move to that table, and the waiter had to check first! What?! I believe the correct answer is, "Yes, of course, please move to a more comfortable table so that your party can sit together!") 5) Just... not very friendly at all. It seems like they're all stressed, like half of them don't like their jobs, and that your experience isn't that important to them. What a bummer. It's not hard to give your customers a good experience when the food is good to begin with. Make an effort to smile and say, "Thanks for coming!" (Seriously, it's easy- I work in service too, and even on my bad days, it takes minimal effort to just smile and thank someone for keeping you employed.) So I probably won't go back, unless I suddenly start seeing a bunch of reviews that say that their service has gotten much better. Unfortunate, because I think the brunch options are quite tasty. Yummy eggs, toast with fancy pear marmalade, plenty of vegetables (a very nice option for breakfast, I think), lovely chai lattes, and perfectly-sized portions (not too small or big). I also love that their food is "farm to table." It's a wonderful concept that can take them far if they just improve the basics. They've got the food pretty much down- now they just have to improve their service and maybe change their seating arrangements. Until then, I'm avoiding them in favor of better restaurants or my own cooking. read more

Like others, I was excited to hear about the opening of this new restaurant in our neighborhood, especially now that Blackbird is not so close anymore. It was surrounded by gorgeous gardens outside, as you would expect. However, our night was tainted by some pretty damn bad service. Firstly, I agree with a previous reviewer who said it's confusing when you walk in - you don't know whether you can seat yourself outside, whether it's table service, whether you order at the register... some signage would be helpful to explain. We wanted to sit outside on the side that serves the full menu - the other side out the front is limited menu only. So we waited about 15 minutes - not bad. We then got a good table on the full menu side on the patio. It took about 20 minutes just to bring us our drinks. Worse though, we arrived there at 7pm and it was 8.30pm before we were served our dinner, and that was after asking about it twice. As a hungry pregnant lady, this is less than ideal for me. It shouldn't take 90 minutes to get from parking your car to eating food at a small local restaurant. We were told that they'd run out of fries and had been inundated with a big rush of customers just before we got there. Because we were obviously not happy campers, the waiter gave us free dessert, so that was nice. But really, how about getting it right the first time? I love the concept, and I do support local dining, so we will give this place a few months to sort itself out and then try again. A comment on the food - the black bean burger is great. Not the most generous of servings, but very tasty. As a vegetarian though, I found the other entree options extremely limited. It was a lot of beef, chicken, etc - even 1 of the 3 salads had meat in it. More options please! read more

I'm guilty of a lot of 4 and five star reviews on Yelp, but I say it right in my bio, you should trust my reviews because "I celebrate excellence and loathe mediocrity." Frankly, it's hard to muster the energy to write a three star review. And one or two stars? Well, if you can't say anything nice... Hubby and I had never heard of Wise Acre Eatery until we drove past last weekend. I loved the look and location, so I put an entry into Evernote to remind me to look it up. I was thrilled to learn of the background and that the restaurant is owned by a farm in Plato, MN. We were back in Tangletown the next day to give it a try. I'm perplexed by the lukewarm to negative reviews. Our first visit was a Monday evening, which was a nice time to avoid crowds. Loved the building and the grounds. Beautiful plantings and porcine sculptures. The interior is simple but not too sparse, lovely small vases and flowers at each table. After sitting and listening to the wait staff debrief us on the restaurant's mission, hubby remarked that it's the happiest serving staff he's ever seen. I agree. They believe in and care about their product. (I did snicker when the waitress thanked us for "making the trip from Eagan". Um? It's barely 10 miles. Not even a one tank trip!) I had the Duck a L'Rhubarb and hubby had the Country Comfort. We started with an order of bread with bacon butter. I'm still thinking about the goodness of that starter. Hard to decide what was better, the bread's crusty perfection or the bacon butter. Mmm. Bacon Butter. We both loved our entrees. My dish came with broccoli instead of asparagus as advertised online. Normally, this would have been a real disappointment. I'll eat broccoli, but I'm not a fan. This broccoli though had a light butter sauce, no sulfuric taste, just good flavor. The wild rice was a great side and in spite of the summer heat, this wasn't a heavy dish. The duck was served two ways-one leg and a sliced breast-and the rhubarb sauce finished it just right. Hubby had a glass of their fresh whole milk (sold in bottles at the register) and I sipped on my favorite Reisling. We shared the custard of the day, and it was as good as my own homemade. Dinner was $95 without the tip, and it seems that cost is the biggest criticism others have with Wise Acres. I have no difficulty justifying that price.The older I get, the more I appreciate the craft of cooking. And a big part of the craft is caring about how the food gets to your table. Wise Acre Eatery is excellence at every level. I can't wait to escape the far reaches of the suburbs for another visit. read more

Overview: - Don't expect to be fawned over as you arrive - Don't be afraid of long waits - Go on a nice night and your experience will be unforgettable - Portions seem to be directly related to price of entree - our special of the day ($13) was a bit chintzy, while the most expensive dish ($19) was loaded *** My husband and I joined another couple here for dinner last night, and I'm glad I read the Yelp reviews first. When we came in, we looked like the people who show up to a party and know no one. We awkwardly stood by the counter for a few minutes with no sort of greeting (again, I anticipated it thanks to fellow reviewers) but were eventually put on the wait list - which was running at an hour. It was a great night out, and it looked like there was seating in front for folks who were waiting, so we plopped down at a little patio table. As my friend and I grabbed drinks from the bar (I got a Lift Bridge in the bottle; guys got one of the few tap beers, Fulton, which they loved, and our pregnant friend got a great peach-ginger soda that they make right there), we were told to find another place to sit - on the side of the building - because where we'd settled was meant for families and booze wasn't permitted there. At first this seemed annoying, but it turned out to be great, as the seating on the side of the place was made up of a four-some of Adirondacks, a couple of benches, and another little Adirondack/side table combo. At last, adult seating! We nestled into the Adirondack quad, caught up, and enjoyed our drinks so much that the wait - which I don't even think ended up being a full hour - was over in what seemed like just a few minutes. We were seated at a table out front, which was pretty close to the other tables that lined the area between the restaurant and parking lot. Our server came within a few minutes and was friendly (and at times, a bit smug or cheeky), and seemed genuinely proud of what the menu - and the place as a whole - had to offer. He came back in a timely manner to take our order. Our friends ordered the fries and soup (a roasted red pepper variation, I think) for starters. The fries were great in flavor but a little wimpy and soggy; the rhubarb ketchup was a nice change, but after awhile I wanted some plain old Heinz. Our meals also came out in good time. Our friends ordered the Fried Green Tomato BLT (the day's special) and Pork - both looked great, but the BLT and greens seemed smallish, and it's worth noting that the Pork dish had both a piece of pork as well as a sausage link. We ordered the Black Bean Burger and Garlic Beef Skewers. The burger and fries seemed to be a very Wise Acre take on the American Classic, and the skewers were accompanied by wild rice, some grilled vegetables, yogurt sauce, and a fried egg. The meat was a tiny bit tough, which I will tolerate with skewers, and the rest of the items on my plate were a really yummy medley of flavors and textures. We all finished things off with the custard, which I'd never had before and didn't expect to taste like ice cream that had been diluted with milk. However, I kind of dug it. I wasn't as in love, however, with the Sesame Walnut Toffee topping we chose (along with Hot Fudge, which was fine) - it looked a lot like bird seed, and I'm guessing it tasted like it, as well. All in all, though, a great visit. We are excited to go again and again, since the menu changes about every month. The open-air set-up was really great to see, and I wish we lived in a climate where more places could do this - and stay that way all year. Also worth mentioning: We split the tab (a few drinks not included because they were purchased during our wait) and it came out to $44 a couple. I thought that was really great for a Saturday night out! read more