Nicollet Island Inn

Lawyer and Kleenex Needed Brides.. We looked at this venue two years before and had it booked 2 years prior with a large deposit. I hosted my wedding here on the 22nd of October 2011. The EVENTS MANAGER made me CRY on my WEDDING DAY! She came in screaming at me, harrassed my guests and tried to charge us for things not in our contract to include a $650 extra charge for the day of my wedding because I was in the rooms decorating for my ceremony and reception! The extra charges were eventually dropped after a contract lawyer was involved however I never recieved an apology for her behavior. The venue is beautiful, all other staff were wonderful, food was good but my wedding was a disaster because of this one person and her horrible attitude. BEWARE! You definately can not judge a book (the Inn) by it's cover.…

Not A Good Dining Experience. This was going to be a very romantic weekend. I had googled the top 10 most romantic restuarants and the Nicollet Island Inn was on the Top. We were seated overlooking the parking lot. The waiter never introduced himself and seem intent on hurry us along. When we did not immediately order a bottle of wine, he later told us they were giving a discount on wine this evening. The wine was bitter and $70 a bottle.

He came out with a complimentary bread plate. Four thinly sliced pieces of french bread, Oh Wow!

The Cheese Plate was good.

My wife ordered the Five Beet Salad, she said was good. I ordered the Lobster Chowder. Was very bland.

For our main dinner we ordered the Grouper it was recommended by the waiter. It was very bland and boring

The waiter apologized a bit, but you could tell he was use to hearing these complaints. Never did the Manager come by and ask us about our dinner.

You can tell that the staff is use to poor feedback.

Romantic atmosphere perhaps better then some, but for a $230 dinner certainly not worth it.

As I said, the Cheese plate was the highlight of the dinner…

Romantic Environment & Incredible Food. Went with my fiance for a nice evening on the town. I have lived in the Twin Cities my entire life and always wanted to try the Nicollet Island Inn Restaurant. I have heard wonderful/positive comments from family and friends. Its reputation was true and upheld. It has a very nice quiet/romantic atmosphere. The music playing fit the environment perfectly - Ella Fitzgerald along with some other nice light jazz. The food was excellent. My steak was cooked to perfection and my fiance's chicken melted in her mouth. To top the nice evening off, the manager came by introducing himself, and made sure our experience was pleasant. And it was! Growing up in Minneapolis/St. Paul I have been around and this establishment is tops. I highly recommend this to anyone. My only regrets is that it has taken over 30 years for me to eat at the Nicollt Island Inn Restaurant.…

Great for Escaping the Buffet Brunches in Town. My wife and I are Sunday Brunch diners. Like most brunchers in the cities, we have had countless buffet-style from "fine dining" restaurants down to the chains. This past weekend, we wanted a brunch that was neither a buffet or a typical breakfast menu. Our search revealed the Nicollet Island Inn and its five course brunch, and I am pleased to say that we've found a new brunch to add to the rotation.

I made reservation for 12:30, arrived on-time, but not early, and found a smooth transition from the host to the table. ("Smooth" as in - I told the host my name and within seconds I was following someone to my table.) If you haven't been to Nicollet Island, the scenery is tops among dining locales in the Twin Cities, and seperates itself from other scenic restaurants like the St. Paul Grille in that you have a view of the water and St. Anthony Main outside your window. A waiter came to us right after we were situated, asked if we had the Sunday Brunch Menu, when we said we didn't, he gave us a brief overview of the menu and the process, we chose courses, and he was off to get my wife a mimosa and me my coffee and OJ. The first course (pastries) arrived, they were fresh with a decent variety, I chose the Creme Brulet French Toast for my second course, the syrup had a full flavor and tasted more like the fruit (raspberry) than any other fruit-based syrup I've had in recent memory. I chose a flan for the third course, which seemed to prime me for the fourth. For the fourth course, I went with the salmon. The salmon flaked properly, was cooked to the right temperature, and the accompaniments added excellent flavor. For desert (fifth), I had the cheesecake, which capped off an nice dining experience.

The courses were well timed. Nothing came too fast and we didn't have to wait for the next course. The portions are well done so that you don't get full on the journey from beginning to end. This visit makes me want to test the rest of the options. We'll be back.…