Reviews & Ratings for Nicollet Island Inn

Lawyer and Kleenex Needed Brides.

by MrsHamilton at Citysearch

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

by Verne Wagner at Citysearch

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

Great Hotel BUT...

Contributor at Citysearch

It's a great hotel but if any of you are looking to save some $$ then book it at referer.us/8/GoodHotelDeals They usually have some pretty good deals on there!

Great Hotel BUT...

Contributor at Citysearch

It's a great hotel but if any of you are looking to save some $$ then book it at referer.us/8/GoodHotelDeals They usually have some pretty good deals on there!

Romantic Environment & Incredible Food

by twincitiesman at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: Impressive staff and manager

Great for Escaping the Buffet Brunches in Town

by dnaily at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: Five course menu, unique brunch menu, enough options to come back

Wonderful Brunch experience!!

by Missm15 at Citysearch

I threw my girlfriends Bridal Shower here and I was very high maintenance with 18 women! They couldn't have been nicer. The food was wonderful and our server was amazing!

Everything of the best

by Tevamae at Citysearch

My husband and I went here for our 1st anniversary. We were wowed beyond belief. We got there about 45 minutes before our reservation and thought we would wait in the bar. The bar had excellent windows with horse carriage rides outside( not provided by the restaurant, but availible for a price ). We had the scallop appetizer which was fantastic! All of our drinks were very good and we had a great time. When it was time for our reservation , we didn't get seated for another half hour, but were having a good time so we didn't mind. My husband had requested the best table availible, but we got sat at an aquardly placed table for 4 people even though there were only two of us. We saw an open corner booth and asked if we could be moved. Once we moved over the experience was great. Our waitress was not the best, but she was good enough. We ordered the Chef's 5 course meal paired with the wine tasting and were having a great time experiencing it. When the final course of dessert came out, we were blown away again by the size of portion and presentation of it. We were open to the experience and were just enjoying each others company for our anniversary, but we thought it was a fantastic place to go. Our bill was $190.00 for two people(bar tab included) which was a bit over the top, but the evening was one we both will remember for a long time!

• Pros: Very cozy, parking availible, upscale and inviting, good food combinations
• Cons: Staff did not communicate the best

Good food, horrible waitstaff service

by completelyunexpected at Citysearch

Arrived for brunch at 12:45 with a reservation and was seated immediately. A waiter (Paul) finally came with some water a 2pm (over an hour later). While he provided suggestions on the menu, he didn't wait for us to actually order-- instead referencing that he had plates to clean up and that he'd stop back.

He came back fifteen minutes later, and got our food and drink order.

The food itself (all five courses) was excellent. However, during dessert they opened the blinds and several box elder insects fell down, one of which fell onto me. They also brought out the wrong dessert and incorrect drink for my partner.

I wound up having to refill my own water glass for the meal since we never really saw the waiter again until he gave us the bill. Fortunately there was a pitcher nearby, although I never got the refill on my mimosa. By the time we finally got the bill it was 3pm. We waited for another half hour for him to come get the bill, and finally gave up and left a check on the table.

Overall the food was good, but not good enough to make up for horrific wait staff service. If service isn't important and you don't mind the associated $30/person breakfast tab then this is a reasonable stop. If not, you're probably better off somewhere else.

• Pros: seated quickly, good food
• Cons: horrible waitstaff service, insects

Excellent tenderloin

by chelsealeah at Citysearch

My husband and I went to the Inn for dinner on Fri. night, the day after Valentine's Day. I thought it was very beautiful, romantic, and cozy. My husband thought the steak he had was a little grisly, but my tenderloin was perfect. Also, the wedge salad was delicious. Overall, we had a great time. Can't wait to go back and stay overnight next time!