Yum!!!! Not all Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food tastes the same if you eat it often like me. I frequently eat this style of food at home as well as dining outside of home. Oooohhhh this place has the flavors I've been looking for!!! I had the falafel combo plate with dolmades (grape leaves) and it hit the spot! I am definitely coming back and recommending among all my social media platforms. Yeah-- it's that good. read more

Trieste Café - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Great lunch spot. I've been here a number of times for lunch and probably never would have unless someone brought me. It's a hidden gem downtown and the food is delicious. They cut up the vegetables fresh when you order your food and the serving sizes are generous. Don't miss out! Picture is the Gyros Greek Salad. read more

Trieste Café - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Very solid lunch spot; good hoagies and baklava, everything done up to order. They cut up fresh veggies for the sandwiches and salads and have fresh-squeezed lemonade and great pasta salads. If you go with one of the daily specials you'll easily spend under $10 but if you add a bunch of things separately, it can get a little spendy. The gyro plate with rice is a real winner and a great value. A cozy place with friendly people. Under-rated and somewhat under-appreciated, since it's off the beaten skyway paths. read more

Trieste Café - inside door - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This place is phenomenal! I had the gyro platter and nothing about it disappointed me. Huge portion of food, the meat is very traditional and has lots of flavor. The salad was super fresh. The hummus was a great texture and flavor. Pita was the perfect mix of soft and chewy. And I added the garlic sauce on the side. Don't skip on this if you like garlic sauce. It's amazing! Also super reasonably priced for what you get! read more

Trieste Café - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Trieste, I can't stop thinking about you. Ever since I switched office buildings, I'm no longer close enough to suggest you for lunch 24/7. The farther we grow apart, the greater my love is. It's just like The Notebook. The lunch combo is fresh and amazing and entirely worth the extra skyway laps you may have to take to burn off those huge portions. Lamb meat with tzatziki, fresh Greek salad, and probably the best hummus and pita I can think of in the Twin Cities. I love you so much. If you're a bird, I'm a bird. Never leave me. read more

The worst part of Trieste is the food coma that will inevitably occur after I finish an entire gyro combo w/ salad. I write this as I am hunched over in my cube completely satisfied for under $10! FRESH ingredients, perfectly spiced gyros and great service (I feel bad for the guy who prepares the food as I always tell "NO SAUCE" while he is prepping my meal). I typically make it here once a month with my team and it has not once been less than amazing. Easily my favorite place to get lunch downtown despite its close proximity to the Pourhouse *shudders* I'm also a big fan of the falafel and the lemonade. Honestly, you can't go wrong there, I just wish there was more seating, but I do like the intimacy. read more

One of the hidden gems in the skyway. It's a great spot for lunch if you're looking to get fresh, authentic Greek food. And I'm not kidding when I say fresh: they chop up all the ingredients for your salad, wrap, etc. right in front of you. It's kind of like lunch and a show as you see lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions flying up from the cutting board. The place is family-owned and seems to have been there forever as they definitely have the service humming at an efficient rate. The lines can get long, but they move quickly. My favorite is the Gyros Greek Salad, which comes with gyros meat and a salad with all the fixings including feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, and warm flatbread. It's a great deal considering all the food that you get. You'll be stuffed if you finish it all. The portion sizes do seem to have gotten smaller the last few times I've been, but it's still plenty that I'm not complaining. read more

I am thankful that I don't work closer to Trieste Cafe, I know that I wouldn't have enough self control to stay away and neither my waistline nor my pocketbook could handle my obsession with this place. It is small and the line is always pretty long, if you are in a rush this is not the place to go. Give yourself plenty of time to get your food and savor it, a little extra to come out of your food coma wouldn't hurt. The gyro salad is my go to dish. It is made in front of you with plenty of freshly cut vegetables then topped with warm pita, gyro meat and feta, I highly recommend it. I also particularly love their lemonade and baklava, unfortunately I haven't had much experience with the rest of the menu but I would be willing to bet that its great. Go now, it's great! read more

I feel bad that I have put of going to Trieste (10 S. 5th St) in downtown Minneapolis for two years. I've known about this place ever since I first moved to the Cities and either walk or drive by this location on a daily basis and work within a few blocks and yet, I had not once stopped in here to grab a bite to eat until this afternoon. I shouldn't have waited. My experience was fantastic. I went with a co-worker who had been plugging this place for quite sometime now. She kept telling me how fabulous their gyro (lamb meat, tzatziki sauce and onions in pita bread) and Greek salad are for weeks. So, after an invite today I finally took her up on the offer and let me tell you - absolutely NOT disappointed. The food, atmosphere and service were great. The place was busy, yet our food came out quickly. Our server was very friendly and helpful explaining menu items to those of us who come from rural Iowa and are not familiar with Greek cuisine. The gyro was wonderful and the side of hummus was to die for. All I can say is this - if you haven't experienced Trieste for yourself you should definitely do so... tonight if possible. It really is that good. read more

If you love Greek and mediterranean food, go here. It's everything it needs to be. Probably the best gyro I've had in town, excellent falafel, excellent hummos, great salad acompaniment, fantastic tabouli. Just eat here and be happy. PS, word to the wise: Get the stuffed grape leaves "to go" and eat them when they've had time to warm up. i'm sure storing them chilled in the shop is much better for freshness, but stuffed grape leaves are much, much tastier when they are at room temperature (or a little warmer, mmmm) read more

Ahh, I love places like this. Very similar to one of my favorite places in Madison, WI (Mediterranean Cafe). Simple, great tasting mediterranean/Middle-Eastern cuisine. I work on 6th St., so I come here for lunch quite often. Pretty sure everything's under $10, so that automatically gives it bonus points for being a cheap, non-Skyway place. I usually order either the gyro combo with salad or falafel combo with salad. Can't go wrong either way. You get a big plate of nicely-dressed salad greens, a delicious hummus, pita bread, and either gyro meat or falafel balls. I guess I'm not sure if they're called balls, but they're shaped like them. So I'm going with balls. Everything is super well-seasoned and delicious. They'll even throw in something extra on the plate, whatever they have at the time. Lately it's been a spinach-filled hot-pocket like thing. Not a ton of seating inside, and the line gets pretty long over lunch hour. There's a max of two people working at any given time, so it's not the fastest turnaround. But again, it's a small place in general. Overall, Trieste Cafe is no frills, delicious lunch fare. read more

My favorite type of restaurant, a little hole in the wall place with delicious, authentic food, generous portion sizes and cheerful service. My boyfriend and I both got the gyro combo plate and the cook even gave me a free falafel on the side because I couldn't make up my mind. One of the best falafels I've ever had and the gyro meat tastes like it was good quality and not too greasy like most gyro meat I've had. I highly reccomend this place over all the food chains that seem to dominate the area! read more

Trieste Cafe is one of the only places to get falafel in downtown Minneapolis. For that reason alone it holds value and importance. The space itself is a small, quaint lunch spot in the historic Lumber Exchange building on the corner of 5th and Hennepin. I had a falafel sandwich ($6.50 with tax) which was decent, though it was overstuffed with lettuce and the falafel didn't have enough flavor on its own. But it mixed well with the tomato and tahini and the pita was soft and good. The falafel was not made fresh, however. It was pre-made and then put into some type of microwave/toaster combination and reheated, which was disappointing, but not a deal-breaker (not for me, anyway). The service is fast and friendly and the owner/sole employee is a really nice, earnest fellow. If I were to work downtown, I would probably stop by Trieste Cafe fairly often, as it's affordable and also has those other standard vegan Middle Eastern foods, hummus, baba ganouje and tabouli. Trieste doesn't have the best falafel in the Twin Cities (that title belongs to Mim's in St. Paul), but it's good enough for downtown. read more

Excellent place for fresh and flavorful Mediterranean food. It is fairly easy to find and when you step inside, it is clean, casual and the staff is friendly. It is (almost) an open kitchen and you can see your meal being thrown together as you wait. I had the Gyro combo with salad and I was really happy. The serving size is huge but you will finish it because it is so delicious. There is a generous serving of every ingredient: beef, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, herbs and spices, lemon juice and olive oil that comes together in a perfect blend. On the side are a big dollop of hummus and 6 triangles of pita bread. It will fill you up but won't leave you with an overly bloated belly. My meal, with a drink, amounted to $10.50. Very good value for money. There are a good amount of seats inside, although space is a little tight. I came for lunch and some people took their food to go. I came in earlier so that I was able to get a good look at the space and pick where I wanted to sit. Come here for lunch! Your tummy will thank you. =) read more

The food here is delicious! Handmade everyday so everything is guaranteed to be fresh. The gyro was hearty and filled me up. There was plenty of sauce as well so be careful if you are in business clothes. It might be a better call to get a boxed combo. I also had the Pesto pasta salad and it was fantastic! The restaurant is a little small, but the line is worth the wait. read more

Yummy gyros salad! We arrived during lunch hour and the line was wrapped out of the door. Very popular place. The salad was made fresh while I waited. The chef was chopping so quickly it seemed like a show. read more

See all

If you can taste the garlic on your breath 4 hours after lunch, I'd say that means you had some scrumptious hummus at Trieste. Trieste has the best greek/mediterranian lunchy eats in Minneapolis. It's too bad they are only open for lunch- I would grab takeout from there in a heartbeat. I like to get their Falafel platter- you get a couple falafel balls, a giant greek salad, a giant glob of hummus, and a few pieces of pita bread. It's about $8, and TOTALLY worth it. Try their baklava for dessert, you wont be disappointed. The downside of Trieste: it's so popular, there's usually a line out the door at lunchtime. I understand, tho- the two guys behind the counter manage to serve everyone pretty rapidly. I don't think you could fit three people back there! read more

Located inside the Lumber Exchange building. But keep looking and don't let the small size deter you. That is actually one of the benefits. Run pretty darn smoothly by the two owners who cut up the sandwich ingredients right in front of you and tastes like it was made ONLY for you ! No prepackaged fare here. With both Sammie and Omar treating you like family the very first visit Place is NOT a secret though and plenty of downtownies crowd the place at lunch. I like going in around 1300 when things have quieted down. Downtown and looking for a FABULOUS meal ? This is it ! read more

Love coming here every Friday. Chicken Combo with Salad - phenomenal. Everything you would expect: Chicken skewer, hummus, garlic paste, pita, salad. The guys working there always friendly and love being able them put together all the orders. read more

This place is, bar none, the best 'ethnic' place downtown. The food is fast, fresh, visually attractive, and very inexpensive. I usually get the gyro combo with olive oil salad and a meat pie. Only $10 with a can of coke. Could easily be twice that. The thing I really love about this place is that it feels like a Greek joint. I grew up in the Ohio Vally, and most Euro-ethnic restaurants had an ethnic-American feel to them. Pizza places with brick walls, fat guys making food, and black and white pictures all over the place. German places with soccer on TV, fat ladies serving food, and a few great beers. You walk into this place, and it feel Greek. It's a little small and cramped. The two guys who run the place both look of Mediterranean dissent. It's in the Lumber Exchange, which gives it a bit of old world feel, too. This is a pretty low key place serving high quality food. You could go for that reason alone and it'd be worth your time. the only real complaint I have is that the seating is a little cramped, and on one or two occasions there were no open seats during the lunch rush. read more

After reading some favorable reviews online for this place the Wife and I decided to give it a try. We were in town for a Twins game and it was along the way. It is within walking distance to the park. We both ordered the special of the day. Everything was great, cooked perfectly and the portions are spot on. I would definitely recommend Trieste Cafe. read more

Trieste Café - Special of the day. - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I can't say enough good things about this place. I think the layout for seating could be better (knock out that "tunnel" unless it's a weight bearing wall), otherwise, excellent! I love watching these guys make the salads in front of me with fresh ingredients. Splurge on the baklava - it's sooo good! read more

The. Best. Skyway. Food. Seriously. It's so fresh, delicious, and well portioned. Considering how crazy some of the skyway prices can be, this place is amazingly reasonable. I can't recommend it enough. My coworker and I went together and they gave us both free Baklava! Very generous of them. read more

I don't want to pee in anyone's wheaties, and I don't want to hate on a well-run institution that everyone should definitely go to. BUT - with competitors that MAKE shawrma popping up here and there (and I know, I know it's not the SAME as gyros) it's hard to five-star a joint that uses Kronos. ...Which everyone does. I'm reasonably sure this is Kronos, anyway - I could be wrong, but if it tastes like gyro and it's good, it's Kronos. If it tastes like gyro and it's horrible it's Greek Delight. It's like the vienna beef or hebrew national hotdog, you will definitely find some people who are artists with it, and others who are not. Trieste knows what they're doing and it's above par. If you're going to stake lunch downtown on one place using Kronos meat, this is the one, for sure. read more

Amazing food. Never disappoints. All the salads are chopped and assembled to order right behind the counter. Everything is always fresh - and delicious. I really can't go anywhere else for lunch now because nothing is better than Trieste. I always get the "chicken combo" - it's $9.50 for greek salad (romaine, tomatoes, olives, feta, red onion), a chicken breast, pita and hummus. I can rarely finish it all at once, but it seems healthy and I don't feel bad after eating it. It gets busy during lunch, but the line moves fast. read more

Great Food, Great Service. What actually inspired me to make this rating was a disappointing trip to a place nearby. I'm making it a point to stop back in soon! read more

Yeah, that's right. Five stars. For the price - around 7 or 8 bucks - it is very difficult to beat the Trieste's primary offering, i.e. Gyro plate with rice. Decent vegetables, a warm pita in the side, and hot sauce on every table. Generally speaking yes there may be better specimens of some of the food offered, but not at the same price. Even the coffee. Damn fine dollar cup of coffee. Salads also do not suck. Notable is the complete absence of iceberg lettuce. Yes, you get the real stuff. Romaine, and not bad romaine either. Chicken used on salad with chicken appears to be actual chicken breast, not vaguely chicken colored white protein from freezerville. Highly recommended. Caveat: get here early or late. They are open relatively late, too. Place is tiny and gets PACKED during peak times. read more

Great polite owners and the food, my my... Exquisite! The price was as described $* would definitely recommend it! read more

Trieste Café - Dining area - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Everything was fresh and delicious. Very friendly service too. Would definitely come back if I will ever be back to Minnesota. read more

See all

Amazing food that's freshly prepared in front of you by a dude who really knows what he's doing. The atmosphere is a perfect compliment to the food: intimate, authentic, and varied. Everything served here is super legit. Try their lemonade. Man, I forgot what real lemonade tasted like. Oh yeah: the portions are extremely generous and the prices are extremely reasonable (~$9 for an enormous plate of fresh food). read more

Great place. Fresh Mediterranean food. The salad is chopped right in front of you. The portion is large. The decor is nothing special, Excellent spot for lunch. The bread isn't what it should be. Shawerma seems like it came from an over rather from a genuine rotating thing so it's not crispy and frankly is not very tasty. Still only removing one star as other dishes are great and service is excellent. read more

Small hole in the wall place which is open for.lucnh. It has been around forever. Great fresh food. Truly a delight.

Yelp, you do not disappoint! wow, what a huge and delicious lunch for the price, $9.50 with tax. read more

Trieste Café - Gyro and greek salad combo - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Oh...em...gee! After all the hype, this place is for real. Yeah, it's not in the skyway and yeah, there's usually a line. But wow: is it worth it. I visited Trieste this week and got a Greek salad and a small order of dolmades. The dolmades were delicious and had lots of lemony flavor. The Greek salad had a perfect ratio of vegetables to cheese to dressing and it came with stacks of pita bread on the side. I went with a large group and everyone else's food looked fantastic as well. Next time, I will save room for the gigantic pieces of baklava. They looked amazing. Added bonus: I was totally captivated by witnessing the food prep behind the counter while I was waiting for my food. It was like a performance. read more

Trieste is in the same building where I work, so I eat here quite often. For some reason I haven't written a review for it until now. I love this place, and have recommended it to friends who want to meet for lunch. They've all loved it, too. I usually get the same thing every time (gyro plate with hummus, which also includes rice and a salad, plus pita for the hummus) but have had and enjoyed a few other items on the menu, too. Their pasta salads are also good, and the garlic butter that comes with the chicken kebab is amazing. (Also, if you like baklava, they have pretty dang good baklava here.) This place always hits the spot, and it always tastes fresh. The only two employees are the co-owners. One works the register while the other prepares the food. It's fun to see that it's just two guys running the whole operation. There is often a line out the door during peak lunch hours, but it's worth the wait. read more

This lunch hot spot is a place I will definitely be returning to! The food is fresh and made to order. Best gyro meat I've ever tasted. The food platters are like works of art...seriously. Food is amazing. read more

Trieste Café - The best Mediterranean food ever! I could eat this all day. - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

YES! YES! YES! This tiny place is home to the best gyro in the city! I always get the gyros salad (simply because pita is just not my thing). It's huge, delicious and LOADED with everything you want! There is one guy standing in "back" chopping away, throwing everything you order together as fast as you can imagine. Freshly squeezed lemon, freshly chopped veggies, tons of gyro meat.... how can you go wrong? If you go during the lunch hour, you will wait in a deceptively long line (only looks long because the place is small). I recommend getting your food to-go because seating is at a premium. Even if you decide to dine in, expect your plate of food to take up all the space on the table. You will not regret the $5-10 you spend because it will be the best $5-10 you spend on lunch downtown. Easily. read more

Fresh ingredients, delicious product with very friendly service. Would definitely come back in future visits.

Outstanding gyro salad! A bit of a line, but completely worth it. I'm certain the guy preparing my salad saw I was a big guy and gave me extra meat "just because". read more

Best lunch spot in downtown Minneapolis. Very fresh food. Gyros platter with Greek salad is amazing, and a ton of food. Really fresh vegetables that you watch them chop made to order. Would highly recommend this place. I wish it was open on the weekends! read more

Trieste Café - Gyros platter with salad to-go. - Delis Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota