When it comes to cafeteria Italian food this place is unbeatable. Yes, cafeteria Italian food. There are trays sitting out as you enter the building. Grab a tray and visit your desired food station to get your food (you'll pay after). The salad line is first, and don't bother waiting in line behind them if you're not getting salad. Skip on ahead to the pasta section, which is my favorite! The Mostaccioli is my absolute favorite. There are so many instances where other items like appealing, but I can't get myself to stray away! Also, don't eat too much. Save room for dessert! When you are finished eating, visit the Pasticceria on the main level. There are a ton of pastries, chocolates, and gelato for you to choose from! It's all on display and makes it very hard to decide. read more

Cossetta Alimentari - Mostaccioli - Italian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

So went there last Saturday had lunch at the cafeteria it was amazing the food was perfect the salad was perfect too.The staff is always great to deal with.Next stop was the meat market Wow is all I can say Perfect everything and then we went to the bakery again Wow.We never made to to Louies or Franks but I know I've been there a few times is always great food What a place to go to.If your with in 100 miles of this great place you have to go I'm lucky I live In Woodbury and I go all the time.I would show you the food but I ate it all. read more

The greenness of this place is the worst! Prices are so high as in value for your money Managers watch over your shoulder as if you're going to steal lunch!! No more. read more

Cossetta Alimentari - Malie and Henry - Italian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

This place has been on my wish list for many days... finally me n my husband visited on a Friday evening... they have a huge parking, but it was quiet busy... This place has a grocery store, Deli and a desert place all under one roof... you can pick up some delicious food from the Deli or grocery and go upstairs and eat... they do have a bar upstairs.. and a patio too... we picked our drinks from the bar and food from the Deli... Their aranccini was the best... also the creamy red pepper ravioli... Finally we picked up Gelato from the bakery... it was absolutely delicious... they had great dessert options as well... I wanted to try their focaccia bread.. but the grocery was closed by 8... so we couldn't... hoping to visit again and try the delicious focaccia... read more

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I love it here. The best place to go before a wild game. The pizza is fantastic and the overall vibe with the buzz of a sporting event is so fun. Also decorated so beautifully for the holidays! A must-visit in St Paul read more

Great basic consistent pizza. If you like your crust chewy and lots of great cheese and tasty Marzano tomato sauce with huge foldable slices this is the place. They are not trying to be hip with new pizza flavor combos they offer great classic darn good pizza. Two large slices and a small salad will fill most people. My wife could only do 1 slice. The dessert in their bakery counter will not disappoint anyone! They are amazing too. Bring a cooler to bring home great foods, meats and cheeses from their little deli too. They also offer pizza crust, sauces, pastas ready to heat at home. They also offer small area of Italian imported groceries items to make your next Italian home cooked meal special. Their bread counter offer various varieties of breads. Try one of their delicious focaccias too. All I have to say is Yum!!! read more

My family has been dining and shopping here for decades and Cossetta Eventi catered my wedding. Mostaccioli and salad is always excellent, the market has a great selection of bread, Italian candies, relishes, etc. My family came from Calabria (same place in Italy as the Cossetta family) and when I asked why they stayed open on 1/23/26, (over 600 other small businesses closed in solidarity with the general strike to support immigrants), they blocked me on social media without providing a response. This business was built by immigrants and started as a grocery store on the east side of St Paul. It's unfortunate that the Cossetta family and management has chosen greed instead of standing with the immigrant community, especially when their business is built and sustained on this labor. I support their employees NOT the owners and management, they don't align with my values. I'll miss the cannolis, mostaccioli and fresh bread, but I'll shop elsewhere from now on. read more

This is not okay someone bought me something from there I looked everywhere on the website everywhere on the website at that not one allergy information i almost died eating it I will be in contact with my lawyer do better read more

Food was very good had a slice of sausage pepperoni and mushroom pizza which was splendid. Great flavor and the crust was perfect. For entree I had the tortellini and that was also superb. Good quick eat cafeteria style with a good atmosphere. Would definitely recommend. Service was good too came and took our trays when we were finished eating. read more

I haven't been here in 20 years and yet it tastes like I remember. This place is an institution, deservedly. The pizza is light while still being greasy (the good greasy). I should have just bought a whole pie to keep on my nightstand. ‍ My husband loved the meatball sub! There is no cheese melted on it, but there is plenty of parm in the building that you could make it rain cheese on top. I didn't find it to be overly expensive. For the hero, two slices of pizza, two pops, mini cannolis, and a little taste of pasta salad, it was like $32. read more

Cossetta Alimentari - Two slices of pep and the Meatball Hero - Italian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I love Cosettas the selection of impoted Italian meats in the Deli would be enough to keep me coming back. That's not all they have, the patisserie is not only visually stunning but every thing I've tried had been delicious. If your looking for a tasty slice of pizza, or a yummy Italian sausage sandwich this is the place. Not to mention the pasta. You can get all the ingredients to make your own pizza at home from crust to cheese, they have fresh lasagna noodles, and trust me when I say once you've tasted them you'll never want to use the dry stuff again. I get my anchovies there as well. They have free parking, but it can get pretty busy. Especially on days when there is an event at the ecxcell center. They always have an attendant. To direct you where to park. read more

Let me start by saying: I. LOVE. COSSETTAS. Plenty of nearby parking. The staff are always kind and courteous even when the lines are insanely long. I love sitting out on the rooftop on a beautiful sunny day. I've been coming and going to cossettas for food, beverages and sweets alike. My favorite go to is the lasagna. I get pretty much every single time I go (with a breadstick or two of course) as well as a beer or soda with wash it down with. Afterwards I've been tending to grab some sweets on my way out which usually include either gelato or chocolate cheese cake. My favorite flavors of gelato so far are the chocolate, vanilla and dulce de leche! read more

Food is decent but nothing too special. I went to eat with a group of friends and one of the staff said "xie xie" to us as he filled up our water LOL (for context, most of our party was Asian but not Chinese.). I dont think he was being malicious, but didn't really appreciate being racially profiled during our dinner. The desserts were really pretty and yummy! I think if i were to go back, i would go back for the desserts only. read more

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I've been going to Cossetta since I was little. It never disappoints. The service is great, mostaccioli is fantastic, and it has a very cozy environment. Overall, the food is great and I will continue to go there until I die. read more

One of our regular stops when we're up in St. Paul. Something for everyone. The cafeteria style, yet surprisingly good, Italian food satisfies everyone in our family of 6. The garlic bread is awesome! Their chicken parmigiana is probably my favorite, but truly have never had a bad meal here. Easy walking distance to the Excel. read more

There was a huge line of cars for this place whenever I wanted to visit so never went in. Finally today I got a chance to visit this place, and for a min I felt like I am in Italy. They have everything a person need in this place. Food, market, beer , dessert, bread , pizza and what not. They even have a dessert shop inside with amazing desserts. I felt the prices are a bit high but hey it's inflation. We loved the food and bread at this place. You can try so many varieties here. Ambiance was neat and clean. Place is maintained so well. read more

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I believe I've shared this on yelp before. A few years ago, you introduced pomodoro sauce to your chicken parm, which is a change for those that have been visiting your restaurant for many years, such as myself (since 1996). I'm personally not a fan of pomodoro sauce, it's way too runny and ends up making the breading on the chicken parm soggy. That combo is fairly unappetizing to say the least. I've spoken to managers about this a few times in person, asking to at least have an option to choose between the pomodoro sauce and the original sauce. I was told that sure, we can do that, but each time, you need to get a manager to approve it and tell a team member that it's ok to change. Otherwise the request is refused. We've not gotten to the point where my request is just ignored and we get soggy chicken parm. Can you please, for all that is good in the world, please at least allow someone to choose which sauce to use? I know, nothing will probably change and my next comment won't really matter, but I'll say it anyways. We will still visit your business, but we will never order chicken parm again until a sauce selection can be made. For reference, we would usually visit your place twice a month and with each visit, order two chicken parm's. At $20 each, that's $40 per visit, $80 per month, and $960 a year, $9,600 over ten years. read more

Planned a date night here, put in a reservation upstairs however it was too cold to sit on the patio, but the experience was lovely. Sea bass was incredible. Bought some things downstairs in their grocery shop. Absolutely will be back, place is a gem. read more

Cosettas is always my go to. Stopped in before the Wild game with my dad. Best hot beef sandwich I've found in the greater twin cities. We beat the dinner rush but you will be waiting in line either way if you come here before an event. They have fantastic pasta although I always get the hot Italian. Cafeteria style vibes. Great atmosphere. One of my favorite spots so it gets a 5. read more

Cossetta Alimentari - Italian Beef - Italian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I remember when the original location was in a house and we'd line up around the block to get a hoagie, back when hoagies were hard to come by. Today I ordered the exact same Italian hoagie I got (dare I say) 25 years ago, along with a deliciously flavorful Antipasto salad. For $10.50 it's the best sandwich anywhere really. The quality of the toppings and bread is incredible. For the salad, just amazing olives and cheese, bacon, it's a beauty. These are my two favorite things at Cossetta. The market is great as well. I nearly tried a frozen pizza but $10.75 for a smallish frozen pepperoni pizza is a a little high. I bet it's good though. You can buy their sauce and fresh ricotta, sausage, it gets bigger by the year. The dessert section isn't too shabby either. Really an exceptional deli/market overall. read more

Cossetta Alimentari - Italian hoagie and small Antipasto salad - Italian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

This restaurant is cafeteria style where you go in and choose what you want with a tray in hand. I've been here twice - once for lunch, once for dessert and both times, there were long lines. It's a popular place for a reason! I tried the pasta with white sauce for lunch and it was amazing. Lots of sauce and the pasta had a lot of flavor. One thing I didn't like is that there weren't many non-sausage options. I guess that's to be expected at a Italian restaurant. For someone who doesn't eat pork or meat, there isn't a huge selection. Something I did love is their dessert collection. Their dessert case is huge ! So many options, I had trouble narrowing it down. I ended up getting their macarons and their chocolate covered ice cream. Both were sooo delicious! Some of the best macarons I've ever had and the ice cream was so creamy. I want to come back here just for the dessert because I loved it so much. read more

Cossetta Alimentari - Dessert case - Italian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Great place for a quick meal by the Xcel. We sat on the patio facing the street. There was shade and a nice breeze. The lines are a bit confusing for getting food. The cannoli wasn't all the way full, maybe it's not supposed to be. I wish there were smaller sizes of cake. The meal was reasonable priced. This is a staple of St.Paul, but a few improvements would make a big difference. It would also be great if they used less plastic containers. read more

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Cossetta is a twin cities classic! I grew up coming here with my dad, and have seen it expand over the years. It was pretty busy when we went. I was pleasantly surprised; it's good to see businesses doing well. Unfortunately the line moved very slow. Since it's cafeteria style, I'm not sure if this was due to the customers or the employees. I felt like the staff did a good job. At one point, someone directed us to skip ahead in line to get to the pastas. The person serving us asked an appropriate amount of questions to make sure we were ordering what we wanted but not overwhelming us or slowing down the line. (Also without expecting us to know how to order). The meatballs are SO GOOD. The pastas can be kinda average, without much of a unique or complex flavor. My eating partner noted this about the featured pomodoro. The bakery is another key feature! The desserts look as great as they taste. My favorites are the fresh cannolis! Certain dishes are priced fairly and some things are definitely overpriced (like drinks). read more

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I'm not one to leave reviews (especially bad ones), but I felt like I had to for Cosetta after having dinner there. I was looking forward to eating here because of all the good reviews but I was left extremely disappointed. I got the penne arrabbiata and it was awful. The pasta was over cooked and mushy, but the real problem was the sauce. The tomato sauce was essentially water, and it was flavorless. So I basically paid $15 for microwave/airplane quality pasta. Anyway, I really hope I just went on a bad day. Or that the owners see this and either fix the dish, or remove it entirely from the menu. Despite the awful pasta, the items at the bakery and gelato were good. read more

The best part of this restaurant is the desserts. It's still a popular family restaurant. It also gets very busy during the lunch rush hour in the middle of the week. The Italian store is also a nice touch. There's a large variety of pastas and sauces in there. As for the lunch here, it's nothing special. The prices and portion sizes are decent though. My favorite part of lunch was the garlic bread. I also got a lemonade from the desert area. The tiramisu was delicious. read more

I've been coming here for 30 years. I no longer live in town but always come here when I do. Over the years I've brought My friends from out of town, my friends here in MSP, my family and have always recommended it to people. Today I asked for a to go box for 2 slices I ordered to go as I was going to shop in the grocery store and they put them In a paper bag. I asked 4 times and was told that they had to conserve the boxes and unless I ordered 3 they weren't giving me a box. The paper bags already had grease bleeding through as well. So I set the slices down and had to leave. Wow. I've spent thousands and thousands of dollars here, my favorite restaurant. Disappointing to say the least. Guess I have to find a new place. read more

A nice and authentic Italian restaurant, serving up many different kinds of good and simple food, plus they do buffet. The restaurant itself is very big and has a lot of nice memorabilia hung on the walls as well. read more

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I've been going to this place since i was a kid and it always delivers pretty tasty food but my last visit they just slapped a couple unmelted pieces lf mozz on my chicken parm...a little disappointing. read more

Italian market, restaurant, bar, & pastry shop all in one. All the food at the cafeteria style restaurant is available for sale in the market. Fun atmosphere. Manicotti, chicken parm, mostaccioli, and garlic bread are all delicious. read more

A treat if you're ever in St. Paul (and even if you're not, it is worth the trip!). The Mostaccioli Con Ricotta with garlic bread is my favorite but great pizza, salads, gelato too! It is high quality and authentic Italian food with a casual feel as you walk through the line and order what you want. read more

Cossetta Alimentari - Mostaccioli Con Ricotta - Italian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I had wandered in here Summer 2019 while here for a conference and put it on my list of places to remember for the next year, but then Covid came, and I wasn't able to come back until just this week. I love this place! It has everything you could ever want... excellent cafeteria style Italian meals including rice balls, all of the San Pellegrino flavors, and a nice selection of salads. But wander further and you find the bakery and gelato shop and then wander further and you get a full on Italian grocery that would make South Philly or the North End proud. A gem for St Paul! read more

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What an experience!!!! My partner has raved about Cossetta's and while visiting his family, we finally made it there. I should have known from the wait for parking spots at 2 p.m. on a weekday that this was going to be as good as he had raved. We walked in and it is stimulating to the senses. There are lines at each selection area for pasta, pizza, salads, etc. The bakery is sensory overload and I am glad we visited it after we had finished out meal. This is two stories of a food Disney World. The decor is fascinating and feels very homey for such a vast space. I can't wait to go back and try other foods. We settled for the pizza and sodas, but I am eager to try some of the delicious looking pasta dishes. read more

I've loved Cosettas since I was a kid! Mostaccolli is the best! Their pizza is also surprisingly great! Seating can be a huge pain if busy. Desert room is heaven. read more

Food was ok. Our kids had pizza and my wife and I had the chopped salad (good) and the mostaciolli (ok). This would be a four if the price was better, but it was $80 for us. That's not terrible but definitely a premium vs other comparable restaurants. I'll go again in the future if the kids want to but I wouldn't choose myself. read more

I came the market and man that was the best experience ever in a market Wonderfully overwhelming displays and selections Staff was so helpful made me feel Pretty good for getting in here finally Well worth it read more

I have been coming here for decades, but I was treated quite poorly today. Also, the food used to be better (most reviews are old) and each time I come here the quality diminishes. I ordered what ended up being a mediocre caesar salad. When I went to pay, the total rang up with 12%+ more than the list price. I asked why they were charging me extra and the guy challenged my math. Seriously, I know how to do math. His manager then told me there was a surcharge. I said why? They said because it's a surcharge. I said why? They said the city mandates it. I have worked in St Paul for over a decade. I understand that some restaurants with true wait service have added living wage surcharges - but just raise your prices, and especially don't lie to me by saying the city mandates it because I know better. The atmosphere is still good except what only appeared to be employees who generally didn't want to be there. I have choices on where I can go, and with the decline in food quality coupled with lying to me, I will take my dollars elsewhere. read more

We ate at Louie's. I had lasagna and it was really bad. It was the worse I have ever had. There was 6 of us. 4 of us had the lasagne and we all agreed, it was really bad. And to make things worse, our waiter David was the worse waiterI ever had. read more

JUST AMAZING! I was visiting from out of town and was looking for lunch. I'm almost sad I found this place because I'm so far away. Nothing like it in Chicago that I know of. If you know of a place near Chicago, message me. First off, it has 4 sections. 1. A drool worthy, extremely authentic Italian market. If I could have brought home all that stuff on the plane, I would have. 2. A bakery.. same thoughts as #1. 3. A tavern on the 2nd level. 4. A cafeteria style restaurant. I was with some folks who opted for Italian sub sandwiches that were enough for maybe 3 people. Giant, beastly-looking sandwiches. I'm not even sure how one could take a bite big enough. I was in the mood for some Italian favorites, so I got garlic bread, meatballs, and arancini. OH. MY. GOD. Are you kidding me? Is this real life? It was like something I've had in Italy. Hands down the best since my visit to Italy. If you follow me on yelp, you know meatballs are my thing. These meatballs almost made me cry, they were so good. The perfect texture, not too soft, not too hard, moist, and not crumbly. Just perfection. The arancini was perfectly cooked, and not overstuffed (thank you), so I could still make out the individual components and taste them. When I walked out the door I was trying to figure out reasons for me to come back to St. Paul just so I can eat here again. What are you waiting for? Get to this place and enjoy! read more

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I just want to run around in circles in Cosetta's giving out dramatic chef's kisses and screaming "BELLISIMA" at the top of my lungs. Is that really too much to ask for? Man, where do I even begin? It's Cossetta's, and anyone who says this place is overhyped probably has something against incredible food. Everything here is amazing. It's real Italian fare, which is VERY hard to come by in the states - especially the Midwest. I lived in Spain for a while and spent plenty of time in Italy. Honestly? Cossetta's rivals the best. It's legit. Their market is stunning, and if I could afford to do all my grocery shopping there I would. And their BAKERY? Art. That's what it is, it's an art gallery. I want to take their tiny little adorable perfect cakes and mount them on the wall of my living room but they're delicious so that'll never happen. I love this place. It's lively, beautiful, unique and the grub is top-notch Italian street/comfort food. read more

This is a twin city's classic. Have been going here since I was a kid and hope my kids can do the same. Kind of miss the old decor, but still an amazing place to eat and shop. I would recommend everything. read more