It's been a few years since this little, inviting pub with influence stemming from the northern Minnesota iron range has been open and here I am literally kicking myself that I haven't visited sooner. Owner Tom Forti has something special with this place slingin' hearty northern Minnesota staples from filling pasties to porketta (very similar to Italian porchetta). The atmosphere beckons for you to settle in and stay awhile, and the service is impeccable to the point where we almost wanted to invite our server to sit and eat with us. It made for an amazing date night and wifey and myself decided to split a few things recommended by our server. What we ordered: Spicy Jerk Sandwich ~ slow-cooked porketta, jerk sauce, roasted pineapple, Provolone cheese, red onion, and house coleslaw on a baguette. **I'm the first to say I'm not a huge pineapple fan unless just on its own. Unless it's cut with a generous amount of heat. This sammie does it beautifully with a level that's not quite "MN Nice" yet not an inferno either. The porketta is tender and juicy and the baguette is nice and soft.** Iron Range Nachos ~ Porketta, onion, giardiniera, olives, tomato, green peppers, Cheddar Jack, Mozzarella, salsa, and sour cream. **I'm forever ruined after having porketta on nachos. Especially adding the spicy giardiniera, the combo just steals the show. High points for the super tasty house made salsa as well!** If this delicious food isn't enough for ya, they also just got a full liquor license so you can toss back them cocktails as well. They make a mean Jameson and ginger if you need a recommendation. I was Livin for that. read more

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You never know. Driven by a couple hundred times, finally stopped in tonight. Exceeded expectations. Busy Saturday night; service was friendly and very competent. Had the 3 P iron range plate with pasty, potica and porketta sandwich. Really good, pasty surpringly delicate, bread on sandwich excellent and fresh. Sat at the bar, but there's a great looking patio. Hopefully a Grand Ave mainstay in spite of recent closures. read more

I don't get here often, but I enjoy it when I do. To be honest, it is not a good spot for vegans or vegetarians. But during lent, I will go pescatarian and love fish fries on Friday. We stopped here because they had cod (which we prefer for a fish fry, because most places screw up walleye). I really enjoyed the fish tacos and my companion loved the fish and chips. I do wish there were more veggie options as I would stop by more often. The ambience is cozy and I love all the Range paraphernalia. For meat eaters, this is a great place for a meal. read more

staff wasn't helpful at all, pickup order took 20+ minutes longer than schedule and staff ignored me. food was fine but not worth the price or hassle read more

Great local neighborhood bar and restaurant - grand avenue needs more places like the Ironranger. [[HIGHLIGHT]]You will not be disappointed, good food, great service, and nice atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] And the owner is a gem of a human - Tom Forti is one of the best - he makes an incredible old fashioned! read more

We had a great lunch at this local spot specializing in the hearty fare of northern Minnesota's Iron Range. The menu is chock full of stick to your ribs fare like their iconic meat filled Pasties and luscious porketta sandwiches (slowly braised tender Pork served on soft French bread). The four of us in our group each tried something different-me the spicy version of the porketta sandwich with a tangy siracha sauce, another the standard porketta, another the pesto sandwich and my wife the beat salad with the addition of porketta for $3 on top. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the sandwiches and salad and especially liked the light and crisp cheese curds we ordered as a starter. Prices are good and the interior is nice, although a bit dark-more of a bar feel than a restaurant. Very few diners at lunch on a week day so no problem with seating although they have only a few tables. Definitely unique and very tasty. read more

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Great burger. Bun was also unique and delicious. My mother had some cheese on hers that I've never heard of and she loved it. Great service and drinks. My house old fashioned was yummy. I would go back for sure! read more

Our family enjoyed our lunch there. I believe they had just opened with lunch hours newly again when we came. The service was nice with the waiter being very fun and attentive (the owner!) He joked with my husband and just made a normal outing very fun. I enjoyed my food. I love their fish sandwich which I pick up periodically as takeout for a self-treat (it was not on the menu but the owner stated that indeed it was still a menu item). That day we ordered fish and chips, pesto melt and flatbread pizza -- margarita pesto with IR salad. Even my picky husband enjoyed his food. Really nice variety of alcohol (even good whiskey). Would recommend if you looking for casual relaxed cozy fun atmosphere. read more

I am someone who frequently visits the Iron Ranger. I stopped in this evening and sat at the outdoor bar. The patio is great. It took over 5 minutes for any staff to even acknowledge me at the bar. A number of staff looked directly at me and continued on their way. I get being busy, however, just acknowledging someone, giving water, and saying they will be back goes a long way. I can overlook the meh food, but that service was disappointing. read more

Waited over an hour for a burger, which I ordered well done. In the end, I got an incredibly underdone burger. read more

Iron Ranger - Sandwiches Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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This was the first time my husband and I been to this place. Tim was our server and he was amazing. The food was excellent and loved the vibe. Will definitely be back!!! read more

Good experience. I enjoyed my fish tacos, wife liked her Cuban, kids enjoyed their cheeseburger and Mac and cheese. Cheese curds were great, my bourbon old fashioned was very good. Disappointed by the lack of fries. Service was efficient but not very friendly. We had a great meal here as takeout in spring 2020 so were looking to try again. I'd say it was a very good experience but not much feels like a pull for me to come back. read more

Last time I was there this place was on point. The food was amazing, the service was wonderful, and the company was fun. This time not much has changed, I came here with my mother because she is from Chisholm, which is an Iron Range town. This time the service was a little sub-par. Which is why I'm knocking it down a star. We had to find our own eating utensils and napkins. We also waited a bit for our server to come back, to assist us with a few questions we had. One being that the ketchup at our table tasted like it had Apple Cider Vinegar in it. We eventually asked for a new bottle, and he was more defensive. "We rotate the bottles every day, they should all taste the same". I decided not to reply, and so all know, I don't know why the ketchup at our table tasted like Apple Cider Vinegar, but the second bottle, tasted how ketchup should. Anyway, I'd still recommend people go here, the food is delicious, and it is still yummy, regardless of the service. read more

Iron Ranger - French fry basket $5 happy hour - Sandwiches Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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We had a family dinner here recently and had a very pleasant experience. It was a cute environment, friendly staff, and both the food and drinks were delicious. I think the only thing the bumped it down a star is that when we were wanting to pay, we couldn't seem to get anyone's attention. Our daughter (age 1) was getting increasingly antsy and my husband ended up having to leave with her while I continued to wait for someone to take my card. Nevertheless, we plan to be back and look forward to trying out the adorable patio! read more

Perfect little gem in St Paul! It's been tough to find a consistent restaurant since moving over here. Iron Ranger is my new go to place! Great food, service, cozy bar and amazing patio! Love this place! read more

If you haven't figured it out yet, the Iron Ranger is the new Sweeneys. #ripsweeneys IR owner Tom greats you, bartends and serves you food. A throwback. Work hard. Play hard. Keep your customers happy:) read more

Great place! Excited to have a place on Grand ave that'll be a new go to. This place has great atmosphere, food was really good, nice patio in back. Only complaint is the beer and wine prices are high. The pork has great flavor and the menu has something for everyone. Definitely worth checking out. We look forward to trying a few more things on the menu. read more

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Great atmosphere. Nice and attentive staff that took care of us well. Food was pretty good and I would go back again. Maybe a bit spendy for pretentious bar food but overall an enjoyable experience. The best part was a very cool patio area. read more

Love the patio space! The Staff are wonderful and the food is fresh and wonderful! Great place for kids, too.

The staff at Iron Ranger was able to accommodate our large reservation last minute. We were seated outside on the patio and the ambiance was beautiful. The staff is very attentive and responsive. We ordered sandwiches, flatbreads, salads and appetizers for our large group. Everything was super tasty. Highly recommend! read more

This place is pretty small and has no parking. We took a chance in the bank lot next door after 5 and it was fine even though lots of signs threatening to tow. Patio was lovely and doubles their capacity. Menu was more limited than we expected but flexible add ins made it accommodate our needs. They were out of the bottled beer we wanted but server helped us select one of their array of taps. Quick service helped us get in and out timely. Overall good experience but not a WOW. read more

This place hits all the nostalgic feels of spending my childhood at a cabin on the Iron Range. The menu had the classics my grandma made - meat & potato Pastys, Porketta, chicken pot pie, and cabbage rolls. The Porketta was thinly sliced and nicely seasoned. I asked for mine with hot giardiniera and it was definitely Iron Range hot, not actually hot. Which made me smile because my grandma used pepper to make things spicy. :) The food was tasty, the service friendly, and the space cute. They had enough Iron Range decor to fit the vibe but not too much to be over the top kitchy. The space itself is small and narrow. They have counter seating in the front, a few small tables, bar seating in the middle, and a bigger table in the back. They do have a parking lot in the back which is great for the neighborhood. I'm looking forward to coming back with my grandma! read more

Iron Ranger - Happy Hour Menu - Sandwiches Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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Super cute and cozy spot..great patio. Cubano was good. I got the cheeseburger with bacon. No bacon. It was pretty dark in there I so had to use the light on my phone to see what was on it. I like dark too but was really dark. Very little flavor. It got the job done. Will try something different next time. read more

Excellent place! Casual, cool vibe... Porketta Cuban was very good. royale Burger and both chicken sandwiches also great!

A number of friends and I met for dinner before heading to Stogies for cigars. This place is bigger than it appears from the street. A long, narrow bar opens to a seating area in back. Overall, it has a warm, welcoming North Woods vibe. We started with the Garlic Cheese Curds that arrived as savory, gooey chunks of caloric overload. I ordered the Sunrise Salad (romaine/spinach, porketta, giardinier, tomato, onion, cucumber, croutons, parmesan cheese, house dressing). I found it to be hearty, very flavorful and well prepared. One quibble, the porketta, while very good seemed the odd ingredient out. Next time I may try it in a sandwich. Others opted for sandwiches, all of which received a thumbs up. Iron Ranger is a solid choice amongst a raft of Grand Avenue dining options. read more

Nice outdoor patio, just okay food. I got the fish tacos and while the fish was good, there wasn't much on each taco and the ratio of filling to tortilla wasn't the best. Though others in my group enjoyed their food, so could just be dependent on the dish. Service - kinda average at best, a tad slow in taking orders Parking - street parking, but also they said parking in the bank spots are allowed read more

My partner and I are from out of town and we were staying at a hotel near the MSP airport for the night. We took an Uber to the area thinking there would be plenty of restaurants to choose from (according to the hotel front desk), but this wasn't the case. It was a cold, rainy Monday night (during the time of COVID) and we saw this one restaurant appear to be open. We walked in and learned they were actually closed and only hosting a special event. When they found out we had no car and had just Ubered all the way over from the airport area, Elizabeth turned out to be the most ultimate and gracious host and had us take a table anyway. We were floored at how welcomed we were made to feel despite the restaurant being closed to the public. The food was incredible. It's a comfort food type of place, but anything but ordinary. The jalapeño poppers were perfectly breaded and crisp and not over fried. The pear and Gorgonzola flatbread was so non-traditional sounding that I had to try it. I'm glad I did. Apparently my partner's Cubano sandwich was as equally delectable. Definitely upgrade to the fries. The seasoning was amazing. The servings were huge. We both only ate half of what was served and took the other half with us back to the hotel. The prices were great (especially considering our meals fed us each twice). Plus we were served complimentary walnut potica for dessert. Sooooooo gooooooood! Not too sweet. I wish I could go back and get some more to enjoy over a leisurely coffee. I'm not sure if Elizabeth was the owner. If she wasn't, she certainly took ownership of the situation and made us feel right at home in what could have been a cold, wet, hungry and miserable evening if it weren't for her hospitality. If we ever find ourselves back in the Twin Cities we will certainly return to Iron Ranger. We felt like this place was the place you go where everybody knows your name and you feel like family. Thank you for a truly memorable evening! read more

We had a salad and a flatbread and it tasted great. We also got a couple frozen pasties for later. We wish they had more interesting beers for takeaway. Please order from this restaurant and enjoy!! read more

Iron is such a great place! Also Maria is wrong,Their burgers are very good and when i go there they are busy but thats okay because thats what you do when you have a very good restaurant.10/10 read more

Was wanting to try out a new place with the fam when this popped up on my yelp search. Like many places on Grand it has a unique charm to it. The restaurant is cozy and nice. The happy hour menu is quite reasonable and a good selection. For example the classic porketta sandwich was $6. I ordered the porketta sandwich without the baguette and a side salad. I do wish it had a bit more flavor. It was a little dry and not much flavor to it. I added some hot sauce to spice it up. I also got a side salad with Caesar which was basic. My parents got the pasty which they said was pretty good. Not sure if I'd come here again, but it was nice to try out. read more

Iron Ranger - Sandwiches Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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We came here for a late lunch on a Saturday. It's a smaller restaurant, didn't seem to have too many table options. We were first seated at a window booth with full afternoon sunlight. We moved to a different table, right next to the door but the cold air didn't bother us because of the heat of the sun. We were here with our two kids, who just wanted chocolate milk, but they do not have milk here, so we got them root beer. The older kid kept asking why they didn't have milk, I guess I should be happy he prefers that. I'm a pop drinker myself! And beer. We put in kid orders immediately, chicken nuggets and Mac and cheese, which came out quickly, with apple sauce and carrots. They ate the apple sauce. Just the apple sauce. Oh well. I tried. I tried a nugget, it was pretty good to me! My husband and I got the the porketta nachos, just the half size which was perfect. They were a good appetizer for me. I got the porketta sandwich (without the giardiniera salad, i probably should have gotten it but was worried about spiciness... I'm a true mn) and my husband got the pesto porketta sandwich. They were good. I tried a bite of my husband's, and I think I liked it a little better, a little more flavorful (because I didn't get the giardiniera salad). The table behind us got bone in and boneless wings and seemed to really like them. It was a casual restaurant but nothing special, but I am glad I got us out and about, even with crying/whiney kids, it felt awesome being out! My younger kid loved playing with the hockey puck they had on the table. Oh, we also loved their decorations, photos of the city water towers up in the Iron range. read more

Iron Ranger - Pesto porketta sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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Sat with family for dinner today, ordered two flat breads, curds, fries and salad. Told they were out of vinaigrette dressing so we skipped the salad. One of the flat breads had pear, but we tasted no pear. Had the texture but no taste of pear, like an unripened pear. We inform staff and requested different flat bread (a few pieces were gone, family of four). We were informed the bad flatbread wouldn't be taken off the bill when alternative was delivered. Family ate everything else, it was good. No credit on the bad flat bread? That's where the question arose from one of the kids, how could they be out of vinaigrette dressing if both of the flat breads had balsamic vinegar on them! The kids were tipped for their service. read more

Stopped by for a cocktail and burger and was blown away. The Old Fashioned was excellent and food delicious. Great service and really comfortable environment. Came back the next day and it did not disappoint. Extremely consistent experience and other menus items were equally delicious. A new favorite for sure! read more

What a great spot. I love porchetta enough to have called my hometown Italian market and have them send me a ziplock bag of their seasoning so I can make it at home. Tom's porchetta is delicious. I wish I'd had stomach space to get myself into a Pasty. (Next time, for sure) Good beers on tap, and it has a good "neighborhood" feel. If I lived closer, I'd have a stool that I'd call my own. read more

Iron Ranger - Sandwiches Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Wow! Good , clean and comfortable ambiance. And then the food -- cheese curds were perfectly light but crunchy with insides chewy but not gooey. Harvest salad was fresh with a poppy seed dressing that had a slight citrus bite and just the right amount of light sweetness. The bourbon burger and classic porketta stood on their own, but the delicious bun/bread put them over the top. Delicious and not overpriced. Next time, will definitely try the traditional pasty! read more

Great food, conversation, and evening last night. Our party closed the place down! We were celebrating a special birthday with friends. Our service was wonderful, as was the food. Being a true 'Iron Ranger', I could hardly wait to have a pasty! Thanks Tom and staff for making our evening special for us and our friends, who by the way had never been to The Iron Ranger before. Lisa Diehl Foreman PS, we enjoyed the newly remodeled/expanded adjacent space, which is great for private gatherings. read more

Fun, beautiful vibe. Great food, environment, and service. Patio is awesome! Music a bonus!

This place was awesome! Super friendly and inviting! We only stopped for a beer at the bar but the food looked great and we'll be back! read more

Iron Ranger - Sandwiches Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

-Incredible food -Warm atmosphere -Kind service -Reasonable prices -Solid beer/wine selection We will definitely be back soon! read more

It my gods...get the Classic Porketta sandwich! Wonderfully tender pork roast, seasoned just so, with giardiniera, but just spicy enough to compliment the flavor. It was messy to eat (for me, I have braces) but oh so good. Service was friendly, a nice smallish place. read more

Iron Ranger - Classic Porketta & a shandy. - Sandwiches Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota