In my Beer Cheese Fondue post I mentioned that the recipe was based off of the fondue from one of my favorite pubs and Gretchen requested that I share some of my favorite places in the Twin Cities. I was already thinking about doing this so it was good to hear that at least one person is interested. :) I have a lot of favorite places so I decided to split it into two posts: one to highlight the great food & drinks and another for activities & shopping.
So if you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area or plan to visit some time, here are some places that you should check out along with my favorite menu items!
This is my favorite place to stop when I am over in Dinkytown. They have the best burgers around and a great view of the Minneapolis skyline from the patio.
Must-Have Menu Item:
The burgers, of course! I like mine plain with pepperjack cheese.
You also have to get an order of their awesome fries. Just be warned that the fry baskets are huge so you will definitely want to have someone to share with!
Get ready to enjoy an unusual menu and wonderfully tacky decor from Grandma's attic. While you are waiting for your food you can play one of their board games or rent some old school video games like original nintendo and atari.
Must-Have Menu Item:
Beer Cheese Fondue, Fried Pickles
Frogtown's neighborhood favorite! For awhile we lived just a few blocks from this place and it is highly addictive.
Must-Have Menu Item:
Any of the 24 soft serve flavors or a flurry with cookie dough
The food is overpriced and not that spectacular but they have the best selection of mircrobrews on tap.
Must-Have Menu Item:
Dragon's Milk - even if you aren't a fan of dark beers, you will probably like this one. It is really tasty, slightly sweet, and smooth. Just be careful, it has about double the usual alcohol percentage and it really sneaks up on you!
A nice and cozy pub. When we went it was pleasantly free of the college sports bar types.
Must-Have Menu Item:
St. Brigid's Irish Chips which are basically cheese fries. I know it's lame to go to an Irish pub and order cheese fries but these are seriously the best that I've ever had. I see these cheese fries in my dreams. Let me say it just one more time: cheese fries. Yum.
Anyway, they probably have other amazing menu items but I have only been there once and the other thing I had to eat was their bangers and mash which I was not at all impressed with.
This one is kind of touristy since it has been featured in a few movies but it is still fun. The dining car looks cool and this is a great place to go if you are in the mood for a greasy spoon type of diner. The career waitresses are rude, give you dirty looks when you order water to drink (trust me, I've done it), and will kick you out if you take more than thirty minutes to eat. You're just dying to go there now aren't you? Seriously, I should go into sales. :)
Must-Have Menu Item:
My favorite is the California Burger with Bacon & Cheese. Like I said though, it's typical diner food so nothing on the menu is spectacular. The main reason to go is for the fun vintage atmosphere.
Just around the corner from The Happy Gnome which I mentioned earlier. The beer selection isn't quite as good but it is cheaper and the food is better. The Happy Gnome also has more of a stuffy, uptight feel whereas The Muddy Pig is more of a laid back neighborhood bar.
Must-Have Menu Item:
I'm not usually a fan of kraut because I hate the smell but their Sausage and Kraut Bake is delicious and goes wonderfully with some Young's Double Chocolate Stout (the kraut really brings out the chocolate flavors in the beer). Their Turkey BLT is pretty tasty as well.
Awesome little hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant. If you are snobby and looking for some swanky place to eat you will be horribly disappointed by this place. However, if you are looking for some delicious, cheap, and authentic Pho (Vietnamese soup) you will love it. It's a little scary at first - grungy, cramped, and the dining area doubles as storage but once you get past all of that it is a great place to eat. Remember to bring cash since they don't accept credit cards.
Must-Have Menu Item:
Pho. It's pretty much the only item on the menu. I prefer the chicken but they have beef and tofu as well.
This was the first restaurant that we went to in the Twin Cities and we LOVE it! The food is good and the wait staff is covered in tattoos (my kind of people :) ). I loved the tiki bar patio at the old location so I was disappointed when I heard that they moved but my husband went to the new place a couple of days ago and said that it has a great view of the river.
Must-Have Menu Item:
Beer Battered Cheese Curds. The best cheese curds outside of the state fair. I've never been to the MN state fair because it is ridiculously over priced (between admission and parking it would cost the three of us $50 just to walk through the gates!) but I have heard that comparison from a local so I would say it's accurate. Either way, they are the best that I have ever had. They have great tiki drinks too although it looks like the one I used to get is no longer on the menu.
They also have fun things like Deep Fried Snickers and Pickle Roll-Ups (I've never tried those but they call it Minnesota sushi which sounds intriguing).
Deliciously unique Mexican-Asian fusion restaurant. The atmosphere is a little too trendy and modern for my taste but the food is great and they have pool tables if you get bored. The main menu is pretty good but my favorites are the appetizers so instead of going to the dining area we usually just head to the bar side.
Must-Have Menu Items:
Wonton Poppers and Sweet Potato Fries. YUM! That's all you really need to know.
My favorite drink is the Donkey Punch. The name of this one is very fitting. It has a little bit of fruit juices then rum, rum and more rum. Drink slowly and with food or you will have trouble walking afterwards.
This pub is a little too fancy with decor attempting to resemble a castle rather than an authentic Irish pub. I did overhear the bartenders making fun of a customer for ordering a margarita in an Irish pub though so I guess I will let it slide. :) Even though the atmosphere may not be my favorite, the food is amazing!
Must-Have Menu Items:
Bangers and Mash served with a Black & Smith which is like a black and tan only with Guiness and Smithwicks (pronounced Smiticks).
So those are my favorites! Any other Twin Cities people have their own favorites to recommend?
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oh my gosh thank you!! lol :) most of these are new to me (except psycho suzi's.. LOVE that place!) so putting them on the 'date night' list! :) hope everything is going ok for you guys!!! thanks again! :)
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