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    La Mesa

    4.2 (73 reviews)
    Open 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    La Mesa Photos

    Business Info

    LA MESA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Classy
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - La Mesa

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    Chocolate panna cotta
    Shell J.

    It's a neighborhood gem! Delicious food with nice plating impressed me the most. We celebrated a friend's birthday there, so five of us tried a little bit of everything. Obviously this place is known for the Ecuadorian cuisine. Hornado, the classic Ecuadorian toasted pork is my favorite. Exactly what I expected for Latin flavor, well done! Love all the small plates. Ceviche and the Llapingachos are typical and I won't get tired of ordering them every time I come back. The chocolate panna cotta was a surprise. Never had chocolate flavor but this one was great! I love they use the garage doors as the restaurant front. Although most people sat outside, it was very nice to see the Latino decorations inside.

    Shrimp chuzos
    Kelsey K.

    Such a cute little place tucked into the lovely Bryn Mawr neighborhood. Plenty of free street parking. They prefer you call ahead or make reservations. They also request that you wear a mask while arriving. We sat on the patio which was simple but very pleasant. Service was fair but the the server could've had a little more personality. They have some wonderful dishes I wanted to try. All Latin American based, some with ingredients I had never heard of. We started with the shrimp chuzos. The shrimp was mixed with fresh tomato and mote. It wasn't what I was used to but, it was simple and a good starter. For entrees, we tried the mahi mahi and the ribeye. The mahi mahi tasted so good mixed with the mango salsa. It added a lovely sweetness to the fish. But I wanted more flavor from the rice, it was quite bland and dulled some of the flavors. We really enjoyed the ribeye. It was wonderful with the chimichurri and cooked to perfection. All dishes were plated beautifully and we really enjoyed our time here.

    Outside-look for blue neon
    Jim R.

    A neighborhood spot featuring a wide variety menu of Latin inspired food from Ecuador. A buddy and I stopped in for a weeknight dinner to try out their menu which features salads, pizza,, small plates, tacos and wood fire entrees. We were eager to try a bunch of things as everything sounded good. We started off with the Queso fundito, a rich creamy cheesy mix with 6 crunchy chewy crostini (we had to ask for a couple extra crostini to finish it all off. Next followed the shrimp ceviche which was a bit different than others in that the small shrimp were whole (peeled and deveined), not chopped up as is so often the case. Since the server raved about the Roasted corn pizza, we got that too - good but not as special as what we thought. Even though we were getting full, we couldn't leave without trying something from the woodfire menu -Hornado-slow roasted Ecuadorian pork and fixings. We also sampled the delicious, made from fresh lime juice, margaritas. They are heavy on ice, and a little skimpy on the liquid but still tasty. The restaurant has a bunch of garage doors along one entire wall, so I'm thinking when summer comes it will be a great indoor/outdoor type spot.

    Tomato and Avocado salad
    Michelle O.

    Loved it! I've been wanting to get here for months. Finally got the BF to agree. He loved it! Had the bean tacos and the tomato/avocado salad. He had the burger. Everything was great. Fun place with friendly staff. And, lots of options for vegetarians! Can't wait to come back and try that roasted corn pizza. We watched them roasting everything in that wood fired oven. Sit at the counter for a fun experience.

    Slow roasted pork
    Niki V.

    Very nice atmosphere following Covid guidelines above & beyond prices very reasonable I wish I remembered out waitresses name she was very friendly & polite. We started off with a bottle of the house wine, Caprese salad & warm olives for our appetizers. For Dinner we had slow roasted pork was very tasty highly recommend trying this dish & wood oven roasted chicken I can't remember the name of the desert we got it was very delicious could've easily eaten another piece. We will definitely go back again.

    Bob A.

    This place is awesome! Had a family dinner here and all five of us were highly satisfied with our experiences. This is an urban bistro that specializes in Ecuadorean-and-adjacent cuisine. Two of us had the Mahi, one of whom had been here before and loved it, and consequently our table echoed with pervasive praise for that dish. I had pan-seared steak with its tangy chimichuri and I loved it. That plate was way, way full of flavor. Our servers (we got attention from several) were very attentive and speedy, and the whole atmosphere, with patio and bar seating in addition to the dining room, was inviting and comfortable. We got a round of tres leches cakes for dessert that ended our visit on a really happy note. Such good food. Go here and get some food, you.

    Avocado and Tomato Salad
    Jessie V.

    Ordered an $11 Avocado and Tomato salad and it's about 2 bites. I have never ordered such a weak, expensive "salad." I called thinking it must be a mistake, but I guess not. This is a joke. Never felt so ripped off. We're all still starving.

    Hot tea made with Ecuadorian flower.
    Aravind R.

    Bio: Vegetarian, who loves different cuisines and want to have a good gastronomical experience. Tried: Llapingachos: Potato with queso like filling. Tasted ok but not extraordinary. Pricey I would say. Margherita pizza: Good wood fired pizza. No surprises on the taste. Standard. Verdura pizza: This was different. Arugula topped and goes well with overall pizza. Tastes unique. Worth a try if you are new to place. Also tried a hot tea be beverage. Tasted nice. Unique ingredient used to make this tea: Ecuadorian flower Service was really good, and a quiet nice ambience.

    Delicious pork- love the sauce

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    7 years ago

    Great atmosphere. Just the right amount of food. Everything was fresh and flavorful. Definately coming back. Desserts were amazing!

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    7 years ago

    I love this place. As a neighbor an regular I find something new that I love every time. The green sauce with the mahi mahi is the best

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    7 years ago

    We had a wonderful meal tonight the wood roasted pork and the tostadas were delicious. Margaritas were also excellent. We will be back

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    7 years ago

    Great ambiance and delightfully fresh delicuoua food. Reasonable.prices. I will go back.

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    7 years ago

    This is a pleasant surprise tucked in a quiet corner of Minneapolis. The ambience is warm and friendly, and the food is excellent.

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    7 years ago

    menu has well chosen small plates and entrees, spiced just right, local beers and international selection of wines

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - La Mesa

    Hi, Are many of the dishes spicy? I can’t do really any spicy. Thanks in advance!

    None of the dishes we had (4 people) were spicy.

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    Boludo - Argentinian-style Pepperoni pizza

    Boludo

    4.2(269 reviews)
    2.2 miDowntown Minneapolis

    Probably one of the best parts of my Twin Cities trip. This place was so good that I ended up…read moreeating there two days in a row first thing in the morning. It's a humble-looking spot inside, but it doesn't lack in its food. Most is a self-service situation where you're choosing your table to sit at, grabbing your own water, and bussing your own table if you have the time. Casual spot with some interesting pizza. Boludo seems to be Argentinian-owned and family-run. I ordered the Porteño and asked for extra parmesan because of an Instagram reel I've seen with parmesan covering the crust. Due to a small misunderstanding, they ended up giving me something even better.... A fully parmesan-covered pizza. It was probably the best thing I've eaten that entire trip. Truly a great blend of salt, acid, fat, and heat. The second day I tried the Campo and tried to ask for the same cheese covering but ended up with the style I saw in the reel with the crust covered in cheese. It was still good, but not as good as my first order. They have a pretty solid Caesar salad as well! I would genuinely fly back to try this place again.

    Came here for dinner. The "open" sign was not lite and I thought it was closed. It was not crowded…read more Sat down and table was dirty. Asked for it to be wiped. There seemed to be one guy taking orders at register and cleaning tables. A lot was self serve- order at counter, get your own utensils, water, napkins, to go box, etc They were out of red wine. Out of Malbec. How? Why? While ordering a few people came, picked up pizza, and went. The locals like the food but not a good dine in experience. I got the margarita pizza and my friend got the porteno pizza. We got the Jamon y queso and Messi empanada. The empanadas were the best I've had outside Argentina but they were not hot temperature wise. The pizza looked amazing but I found the sauce too sweet for me. My friends pizza was better because he had so many toppings to mask the sweetness. Missed opportunity on the wine sale!

    Photos
    Boludo - Interior

    Interior

    Boludo - Espinaca and Carne Empanadas

    Espinaca and Carne Empanadas

    Boludo - Entrance

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    Entrance

    Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza - #4 Meatball, Ricotta & Garlic

    Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza

    4.0(711 reviews)
    1.8 miNorth Loop
    $$

    Uber eats is trash! I'm from Los Angeles on a work trip and have been wanting to try Black Sheep…read morebecause of Dave Portnoys pizza review. I was extremely excited. I ordered thru Uber eats and the delivery driver decided to take his sweet time to deliver the pizza. As I waiting in the lobby of my hotel for him, I saw him pull up to my hotel and he sat in his car for nearly 10 minutes doing God knows what as he left his vehicle. He slowly walked towards the entrance of the hotel holding my pizza while on his phone laughing. I'm pretty sure he was on Instagram. Seen a very funny post while my pizza is getting colder and colder. I contacted Uber eats and they told me it wasn't their problem. I would have to contact the restaurant. So I did and I got in contact with Emily. She was so helpful. Very respectful and showed so much urgency for my concern. I told her I'm pretty sure this pizza is delicious. However, Uber eats told me it wasn't their problem. It was a restaurant's problem. Emily helped me by calling Uber eats herself and they told her I should call Uber eats myself so they can refund me well, Uber eats policy is if the food is cold it's not their problem. Even though I didn't get a hot pizza, with the amazing customer service Emily delivered, I will absolutely be coming back to try a hot pie from Black sheep. Thank you so much Emily for being awesome!

    Black Sheep Pizza is a great spot in the North Loop, especially if you are dining with a group. The…read morespace is absolutely huge with tons of indoor seating and a great amount of outdoor seating as well. It has a lively but comfortable atmosphere that makes it easy to settle in and enjoy your meal. The staff was friendly and service was impressively quick from start to finish. We started with the app bread, which was super good and a great way to kick off the meal. I decided to order two pizzas and split both in half, which let me try four different varieties. It was definitely the right move. The bacon and golden pineapple pizza was one of my favorites. It was refreshing, had a nice little kick, and further confirmed that pineapple absolutely belongs on pizza. The lemon ricotta with goat cheese was also tasty, but the cheese was so rich that it started to dry out my mouth after a couple of slices. The meatball and ricotta pizza was a classic done really well. The meatballs were especially flavorful and clearly high quality. My favorite of the four was the hot salami and chili pepper pizza. It was absolutely divine with just enough heat, and the salami was perfectly crisped. The only downside to the pizzas was the crust. It was very thin, which made it difficult to hold all the toppings without them sliding off. There also was not much sauce, which made some bites feel a little dry. Overall, Black Sheep delivers creative and delicious pizzas in a fun atmosphere with fast, friendly service. Despite a few issues with the breading of the pizzas, I would definitely come back to try even more of the menu.

    Photos
    Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza - Bar area

    Bar area

    Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza - #5 Fennel Sausage, Hot Salami, Onion & Cracked Green Olives

    #5 Fennel Sausage, Hot Salami, Onion & Cracked Green Olives

    Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza - #11 Persian Beef With Tomato, Feta & Harissa (our favorite!)

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    #11 Persian Beef With Tomato, Feta & Harissa (our favorite!)

    Young Joni - Finally! Tasting my favorite Old Fashioned from my favorite bar tender Adam Gorski!

    Young Joni

    4.4(1.2k reviews)
    2.7 miNortheast
    $$

    I knew that I had to come because the Korean Chef was crowned a James Beard award. So, I had fairly…read morehigh expectations coming in. When my friend and I walked in, we came into a fairly spacious dimly lit space with loads of people inside. We were immediately informed that there would be over 1.5hr wait for a walk-in table. We were given the option to wait for bar seating as it would probably be quicker - and surely, it was. We did have to wait quite a bit, but it was a tolerable amount of time and definitely less than what it would have taken for an actual table. My friend and I decided to share 2 pizza pies as we wanted to get a taste of two different flavors, so we eventually settled on Korean BBQ & Perfect Pickle Pie. KOREAN BBQ As it was created by a Korean chef, it definitely had true authentic Korean flavors. As a Korean myself, I was very familiar with this soy vinaigrette and have tried this on many salad before - so, it was hitting home for me. Also, you can't go wrong with the bulgogi/beef short ribs known to all those who had Korean BBQ before. The combination of the sauces that they use for this pizza is definitely very rich, full of umami. I personally enjoyed it. PERFECT PICKLE PIE This pie was a totally different flavor to the Korean BBQ. It's less rich and maybe can be overpowered or considered more bland compared to other pizza flavors. But when tried together with the BBQ, it balances out the richness of the BBQ with the more subtle/less umami flavors. This pie gives more of a tangy/sour taste that pickles provide and more of a crunch due to the chips that are added on top. The dill is present, but not overpowering. It's a nice low-key kind of taste that people who like pickles will enjoy. Overall, the flavors were very rich in every pizza pie that we had that our mouths were bursting with flavor. It was definitely the most unique pizza toppings that I've had and can see why it's so highly regarded. I can tell that they really are meticulous with their every process and that their pizza guy by the wood fire oven is expertise in what he does. My friend and I walked out quite satisfied and I was honestly more full than I expected.

    We were in MN for 2 nights and someone highly recommended Young Joni. I am so happy we made the 20…read moremin drive and took a chance since we did not have a reservation. As soon as we arrived, they offered the community table which was perfect. I have been raving about the food since we left. The flavor profiles of everything were simply amazing. Every dish felt like an over achiever. Even the gem salad. We had the prawns which are not to miss and the thai sausage. The korean bbq pizza lived up to the hype. Really sad to hear this place is closing. I just hope the chef comes to LA one day!

    Photos
    Young Joni - With Ann Kim, Adam Gorski, and my wife Cheche

    With Ann Kim, Adam Gorski, and my wife Cheche

    Young Joni - Brussels sprouts (cipollini onions, pork belly, parm)

    Brussels sprouts (cipollini onions, pork belly, parm)

    Young Joni - The Royale in the foreground and Margherita behind

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    The Royale in the foreground and Margherita behind

    Sanjusan - Verdi - MISO PESTO, BURRATA, WALNUTS, PARMESAN (9.1/10)

    Sanjusan

    4.4(339 reviews)
    2.0 miNorth Loop
    $$$

    Loved our experience at Sanjusan! We sat outside and it was a really pleasant evening…read more Across our group we shared a few appetizers, a seasonal pizza, mentaiko pasta, and some grilled skewers. Everything was delicious! I particularly enjoyed the mentaiko pasta - great flavor and the noodles were the perfect texture. Great service to cap it all off! They offered blankets since it got chiller through the evening. That was a nice touch. Definitely recommend for a date night or night out with friends!

    After having eaten a here a few more times I'm adjusting my rating. The pizzas are still the…read morestandouts here in terms of value and quality. The service was, as always, impeccable. The inside of the restaurant feels open and you have full view of the kitchen which I always appreciate. But just about everything other than the pizzas that I've had just feel very overpriced for what you get. On my last visit I tried the tenderloin yakitori, which ended up being rather disappointing - no more than a couple bites of a single piece of beef that was rather underwhelming in both flavor and texture for $12. There was no char, which defeats the entire point of Yakitori and really does not bring out the flavor of the meat. I also ordered the pasta dish off the seasonal menu, and it was underseasoned. The appetizers are good and several have a unique fusion, but these are small plates which feel like you're getting half as much as you might expect for the cost. I'll go back but at this point only for the pizzas.

    Photos
    Sanjusan - Dining room

    Dining room

    Sanjusan - Arancini - ENOKI, ONSEN EGG, TOGARASHI FURIKAKE (9.5/10)

    Arancini - ENOKI, ONSEN EGG, TOGARASHI FURIKAKE (9.5/10)

    Sanjusan - Back patio

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    Back patio

    La Mesa - pizza - Updated June 2026

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