While staying at the Royal Sonesta hotel for a conference, I dined at the Wood + Paddle Eatery two…read moretimes during my stay. Wood + Paddle is located inside of the Royal, it's their hotel restaurant. On my first night in Minneapolis, I'd arrived to the hotel for check-in around dinner time. Not sure where to go and tired from the flight, I headed down to the lobby and walked over. When I asked if I could get a table for 1, she asked me if I would be comfortable with eating at the bar. It was a Sunday night, so I think she wanted to reserve tables for parties of two or more. I was fine with it, but I noticed there were quite a few empty tables. A few days later, I had lunch with a colleague here. We got seated at a table, and the service was really good. Our waiter was attentive and made sure we kept our lunch within our time requirements so we could get back to the conference without issue. The food was really good. I tried to order or sample local or MN specialties during my trip. Below are the menu items that I tried: - Bison Burger with Fries - State Fair Cheese Curds (w/ house made, smoked ketchup) - Pork Chop (w/ a Norwegian inspired sauce) - Habanero Wings

Food came out fairly quick after ordering, but it wasn't too busy during 5:30-6pm on a weekday…read more You can customize the fries and how well the patty is done. Bison burger patty had a charred taste. The garlic dry rub wings have a good salt and dryness to them. The flourless chocolate torte is a satisfying dessert. Rich, creamy, tangy, and indulgent. I feel like they are missing out on a happy hour menu.

I come to MSP often for work, and it's always a challenge to find a decent, healthy meal late in…read morethe evening downtown. Fortunately, the Earth Bowl at Star fits the bill and will probably be a go-to on future trips. It's a nicely seasoned, balanced, and clean-tasting assortment of greens, other vegetables, grains, and optional protein (shrimp was a good choice). And the generous pour of cab sauv complemented it well. Food aside, the space is very inviting and calming (and geometrically interesting, being circular in design), perfect for catching up on some reading during my meal. Service was also pleasant. The only thing is that there wasn't much else on the menu that appealed to me personally, so I'm hoping the bowl isn't something temporary or seasonal. In any case, I look forward to my next visit.

I've been wanting to hit up Star Bar since it opened. I had a good feeling about the happy hour…read moremenu. It didn't disappoint. The food was great and the drinks were too. They even have hh in Friday. There's a lot to choose from on the hh menu. My friend and I shared wings, crab cakes, Brussels sprouts, and the whipped feta toast. All were delicious and portions are generous. Wings had a nice crisp and were substantial, not tiny. The whipped feta toast is a sleeper though, and prob the one I enjoyed most. Lots of accoutrements, super tasty. The sidecar was great and so was the Benedictine Manhattan cocktail. Strong but well balanced. We were greeted with a warm and thoughtful welcome, esp considering what's happening in our city rn. Staff were friendly and service was prompt. Nice, upscale ambiance and decor. It makes for a great after work happy hour downtown or a great spot for a more formal date night. Located inside the Indigo hotel. Plenty of on street metered parking on surrounding blocks. Will be back.

Noa which is located on the first floor of the IDS center downtown Minneapolis is a great spot to…read morehave lunch or have after work drinks. Every time we have been here the service has been excellent and they go out of their way to please. The food is mostly classic American food. We had a salad and a burger with or drinks. There is seating inside the restaurant but there is also seating out into the common area of the IDS building which is what I prefer.

NOA left me with mixed feelings. There were definitely some highlights, but the service made what…read moreshould have been a quick lunch feel much longer than it needed to. We stopped in for lunch and, despite the restaurant not being busy, waited quite a while before anyone greeted or seated us. Once we were settled, we decided to take advantage of their Lunch for 2 for $40 special, which includes two soft drinks, one appetizer, and two entrées from a small selection of about five choices. It's a solid value, especially if you're looking for an affordable lunch downtown. The star of the meal was, without question, the hummus. It was incredibly fresh, creamy, and packed with flavor and easily the best thing I ate. I would absolutely come back just for the hummus. Unfortunately, my chorizo tacos didn't live up to the same standard. They were noticeably dry and lacked in flavor. On the other hand, my dining companion ordered the turkey BLT and really enjoyed it. It also came with a generous serving of fries, which was a nice surprise. Service was where the experience really struggled. After our hummus arrived, our server disappeared, leaving us without side plates until we finally got up and grabbed them ourselves from the host stand. We didn't see her again until our entrées were delivered. Looking around the dining room, it didn't seem like we were the only ones experiencing this. Several tables were waiting long stretches for service, and multiple guests stood at the host stand without being acknowledged. Ironically, the staff seemed more focused on resetting empty tables than taking care of the guests who were already there. With only a few occupied tables, it was surprising that service felt so stretched. Despite the disappointing service, I'd consider coming back during happy hour. If the hummus is on the menu, it's an easy order, and I'd be interested in trying a few more appetizers since that was easily the strongest part of our meal.

Best food best service good drinks ambience is nice and quiet. Definitely my favorite bar in…read moreMinnesota.

We came in on a weeknight to enjoy the happy hour on our way to a show. Our waiter was super…read morefriendly and though the place was busy - we were able to get a table. There was a fish sandwich special that night that I decided to have and immediately regretted. It was a sad fish stick with a piece of American cheese and lettuce that smelled - not fresh. The fries were okay but not good enough to save the meal. My husband had a Buffalo chicken gyro and it also fell flat. Not enough sauce, just a chicken tender in a pita with a quick sprinkle of sauce. Because it's so close to where we live - we might be back but I think this is a "order a burger or chicken strips" type establishment

We had a great time here. The decor is so much fun! It's like you've walked inside a newspaper…read more You also really have to visit the bathroom and check out the mirrors and the newspaper wall decor in there. I won't say more because it will spoil the surprise. They really just went all out with the newspaper theme, table tops, walls, menus, etc. It was surprisingly not crowded for dinner time. The service was quick, the server was friendly and attentive, and our meals were delightful. We got the brie curds and wow, I think these were the most amazing curds I've ever had. I could have just had a pile of them as my meal, but that didn't really seem wise. They come with a blueberry 'ketchup' which was more like a jam but really made the dish! My meal was the mushroom gorgonzola penne which was cooked just right and had piles of mushrooms, and yes, more cheese. This place was a lot of fun. I highly recommend it if you get a chance.

I've been coming here for many years. The food is always good…read more The last time I was there, only myself and one other person were there. A lady was working the bar. She had a personality of a Styrofoam cup filled with distilled water. She never asked if I wanted anything else when I was done eating (like dessert). There was no conversation or engagement. I was bored. I left. I'd go back I suppose since the food was good, but at a bar, the bartender should at least have a personality?

Stopped here for Happy hour with a friend. It was my first time checking it out. We ended up making…read morereservations & sat out on the patio. The patio is dog friendly. We ordered a few apps from the HH menu - cheese curds, potato waffles and she got the salmon tartare. Overall the food was good. The cheese curds have a cheddar powder on the them which was interesting. I also got a N/A cocktail - The Louie which was really refreshing. The staff were nice and attentive. Pretty good dining experience.

I had been meaning to try Dexter's and I'm so glad I finally did! Truly everything on the menu…read morelooked good. I wanted to order one of everything - especially in the snacks section of the menu. We stopped in for happy hour with a reservation on the patio. I really enjoyed I could reserve a spot outside, a lot of places won't guarantee that. We enjoyed the happy hour selection, including the tini flight, wine, margarita and spritz. We also enjoyed oysters, caviar, rock shrimp tempura, tallow fries and the dexter burger. All was fantastic, and I would love to come back and truly try everything else on the menu! One note of caution, while we were there a gust of wind blew an umbrella out of its stand and almost landed/punctured a guest at a nearby table. It was quite the commotion and very scary. I'm guessing that doesn't happen often but a good reminder to be aware of your surroundings all the time!

My experience at the Lyons Pub was pretty uneventful. We stopped in the first time on a Saturday…read morenight to watch the NBA Finals. The bar was packed and a loud (in a good way) environment. Bartenders were just kind of meh. Whole experience was just kind of meh. It is connected to the Embassy Suites but I found much better alternatives during my stay in Minneapolis.

Cool bar and one of those downtown open into the later hours. Came here after dinner for a round of…read moredrinks. There was a game on that day so it was on the busier side but we still were able to get a table. I had some cold ones and chose a few local drafts recommended to me (blonde ale) and enjoyed them. Casual bar with some good energy - nice spot to come watch a game or just chill with some drinks.

We made reservations for a Wednesday at 5:45 as we were attending a show at the Orpheum at 7:30. We…read morewere able to get out within a hour leaving us ample time. We each ordered a drink and my husband ordered the pizza and I ordered the wings with the house rub. The house rub was really good. The pizza was reported to be good as well. The vibe in this place should be awesome with the decor, however the service lacked as our server was MIA for long periods of time and a table that was a mess when we arrived, remained the entirety of our stay. I had been scoping out the menu for this location for a while and was set on ordering the stuffed meatball, only to find out the menu online was not reflective of the one at the restaurant and despite a bunch of people asking for it, it had been "retired" from the menu but they were anticipiating it coming back.

Beautiful space. Moody, warm, date-night energy. Service was very slow, though our waiter himself…read morewas genuinely kind and trying. The "break bread" was outstanding and absolutely worth ordering. The margherita pizza was a split decision. The crust and cheese were fantastic, but the sauce leaned more tomato paste than tomato sauce. Thick, heavy, and a little too generous. Overall, the ambiance alone earns it another shot. We'll be back... and maybe the sauce will loosen up next time.