Though the capital city of Minnesota is not as well known as its bigger and glitzier twin, Minneapolis, it has its fair share of restaurants in all price ranges and a multitude of cuisines. Visitors to St. Paul will want to try out these neighborhoods in particular, for sampling the city’s variety.
Downtown St. Paul
First, downtown St. Paul is located on a bend in the Mississippi River but, unfortunately, has little riverside dining. Two areas on opposite ends of the city center offer possibilities, however. Rice Park, a verdant square surrounded by cultural institutions and St. Paul’s oldest hotel, is the epicenter of the city’s restaurant life. The St. Paul Grill, Kincaid’s Fish, Chop, Steak House, and Pazzaluna are located in the hotel or across the street. A block or so away are the new funky, Pop!, several bistros and pubs, and two Japanese sushi bars. Within easy walking distance of the park is Mickey’s Diner, a St. Paul institution featured in the Prairie Home Companion movie.
The neighborhood around the Farmers Market a few blocks east of Rice Park offers further choices including an authentic Japanese noodle shop, Tanpopo, a Thai restaurant and an increasing selection of coffee shops and sandwich spots.
Grand Avenue
Grand Avenue is up the hill from downtown St. Paul and over the past thirty years has transformed itself from a quiet residential thoroughfare into a bustling retail and gastronomic ribbon stretching several miles. The intersection of Grand and Victoria, known as Victoria Crossing, has the highest concentration of family-owned and chain restaurants. The most popular is Café Latte, an art-infused, gourmet cafeteria famous for its turtle cake and other irresistible desserts. Other highlights of the avenue, starting on the eastern end and heading west, include Tavern on Grand (former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev savored the walleye here), Grand Old Creamery (ice cream flavors change daily), the Lexington (an old-style supper club), the Uptowner (breakfasts into the wee hours), Everest on Grand (Nepali/Tibetan), the original Dunn Bros (a locally-owned coffee shop that roasts their own beans), and Coffee News Café (full of nearby college students who’ve had enough of dining hall fare).
Highland Park
A little further from the city center is the residential neighborhood of Highland Park with its own shopping area dating from the 1940s. Highland Park has one of only two movie theaters still operating within the city limits and there are plenty of places to have dinner before or after a movie: Punch Pizza where there is always a line (call before you go to get on the wait list – they don’t take reservations), the Highland Grill (upscale burgers and blue plate specials directly opposite the theater), Cecil’s Deli for soups and sandwiches, and for those with a bigger pocket book, Ristorante Luci or its sister, Luci Ancora.
University Avenue
University Avenue runs west from behind the Capitol Building all the way to the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. The eastern end, known as Frogtown, attracted thousands of refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia starting in the 1970s. This strip of University Avenue is now home to myriad Asian supermarkets and Vietnamese, Cambodian, and even Korean restaurants. One of the most upscale is Ngon Vietnamese Bistro, but a citywide favorite, not the least for its reasonable prices, is Saigon.