01/02/09

Best salad and gnocchi in the Cities!!! BY FAR!!!!

by thembellyfull

If you'd like to eat some authentic Italian food then go visit this restaurant. If you go to this establishment and haven't had the Mama's Antipasto salad, then you haven't experienced the essence of this restaurant yet. This salad is by far the best salad I've ever had with a perfect, simple balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, all mixed in with prosciutto, thinly sliced roast beef, and Italian sausage. Just writing this review makes me want to go back for more. The owners are almost always present and typically stop by your table to see if every thing is good. The GNOCCHI is the best in Minneapolis, and quite possibly the best outside of Italy itself. The only time I have had better was in Venice having lunch at hotel cipriani where the table next to us was having Mimosa's with Dom(personally I thought it was a disgrace to Dom). That's a pretty high standard I would say. I still think that Caffe Biaggio's was better, my wife disagrees, and says it's a very close second. Bolognese...excellent. Everything on the menu...excellent. If they have a special, get it, because it will be delicious. This is true Italian food, people. They have a Montapulciano on the menu that I can't resist, and my parents love the Nebbiolo. I recommended this restaurant to a client and they felt like the portions were small, I've never felt that way though. The decor is great, and the table with the artsy pictures of women is very Euro and chic. The service in the past has been (some good, some bad)...I guess such is life... so doesn't bother me as much. I think that if the owner could concentrate on this aspect of the business more, it would help. Our last experience was fantastic with a man with a really cool accent, who clearly has been many places in his life. I suggest caffe biaggio hold onto him if they can.

Great restaurant, cool owner, amazing food with a history coming straight from Italy. I will go back many times, because I can't stay away

12/28/08

Awful

by canopyred

We had dinner there on a recent Saturday night. The host was miserable. Come to find out the host was the owner. Also, after we were seated, a note on the menu tells the customer there is a minimum order or we must sit at the bar. Going out to dinner is a treat, but when an average restaurant tells me I have to make a minimum order - $20.00/pp, I'm offended. We should be able to walk into any restaurant with open arms. This restaurant needs an attitude adjustment, a personality check, and a modern menu. By far, La Grolla and even Loring Pasta are better dining experiences.

10/03/08

Avoid!

by Jenn0101

I showed up at mid-afternoon when they had 3 tables in the entire restaurant. I wanted a iced latte coffee to take with me on the way back to work. The host told me that the only person who could make it for me was the one waitress who was working at one of the tables.

This Waitress lingered at her table as she was facing me ten feet away chatting someone up for about 10 minutes. I meanwhile am looking right at her because I'm in a little bit of a rush. Once she gets behind the counter rather than talking to me THE CUSTOMER! she asks the host if I've paid yet!!!!! Now mind you I showed up to this place in a very nice black suit its not like I seemed in any way not their clientele. They didn't ask me what kind of milk I wanted and when the Waitress finally came to give me my drink it was 6 oz in size. The bill including tip was $5. When I mentioned this to her she looked blankly at me and said it was the only size as if she had never heard of the word customer service!!! In the realm of things this is a small complaint but I get so tired of wasting my time and money on places that don't cater to their customers. It would have been easy for the host to suggest someplace else or get the Waitresses attention in a timely manner. It also would have been easy for Waitress to actually talk to me before she prepared the drink. She could have easily communicated with me about the drink before making it instead of making me wait an excess of 20-25 minutes. Little things count! My business will not be repeated!

09/21/08

Romantic, Great Character, Authentic Italian

by CityGal79

I've been to Cafe Biaggio several times and each time I go, it's better than the last. You MUST try the tomato basil soup, out of this world. The flank steak is amazing, your mouth will sing over it's seasonings. If you have a sweet tooth, the dessert list is superb. Try the bread pudding...best out of anywhere. Great place for a first date or romantic evening with the old hat ;)

Call ahead, this place fills up fast with larger parties. Great venue for a rehersal dinner or anniversary party. The staff really caters to you. I felt as if we were the only table in the place.

• Pros: Ambience, Desserts, Menu Variety
• Cons: Off the beaten path, fills up fast,

08/09/08

What a GEM!

by ieatoutalot08

LOVE this place! Great location, right off of 94/280. We couldn't decide if we wanted to stay in St. Paul or head over to Minneapolis. The location made it easy for us to decide - somewhere in the middle! Really, fantastic artwork, fabulous food, and engaging service. I'm sorry to hear that the other review had a bad server experience - our servers were sweet, relaxed, and always checking in with our table as the meal moved along. We've been there now both for lunch and dinner. I love the energy there at lunch and for dinner, its a bit more romantic and quiet. Either time, its been great. Lunch portions are huge (the pork/mango salad is AMAZING!) and the price is right. For dinner, the fact that they have courses its a delight. We've been to other area so-called Italian restaurants and Biaggio out does them all. Give this place a try! AND! The espresso and Italian Cream Cake are to die for - FABULOUS!

• Pros: Fantastic Food

02/29/08

Inconsistent food, dreadful service

by bracboy

Came here last night for the third time in as many months. No more. Liked the food the first time, service was okay. Both were ordinary the second time and the third, we didn't get to sample anything, not even water. Arrived to a half empty place and were seated. And seated. Clusters of staff chatted at the bar, others hovering here, there, everywhere but at our table. Fifteen minutes and not a peep from anyone. A simple explainer, like "we're busy, be right with you" would have sufficed...except they weren't busy.

The three of us got up, retrieved our coats and walked out. Like the large (St Joseph?) statue we passed, the staff at the bar watched us exit without a word.

Utterly bizarre behavior in a place we wanted to like. Curiously, a waitress at the next place we went, Muffeleta (fantastic!) had worked in Biaggio and was not surprised to hear about our service experience. There is nothing worse than inconsistency in a restaurant. This one's off our list.

• Cons: inconsistent food quality, terrible service

02/12/08

Best original food with great flavor profiles

by thom0658

I was disappointed to read someones very negative review of this place. I've not had a single bite that was bad at this restaurant and that goes a long way with me. Each dish has its own set of flavors that work together with simple Italian basics.

My favorite is the grilled calamari, which I would compare to Greek grilled octopus, as it is done on a flame grill and gets charred beautifully. Another favorite of mine is the Cafe Biaggio lunch menu, for only $9 you get a fabulous sandwich with your choice of salad or soup. Or you can order heavier fare with the main lunch entres or go the other way and have a fantastic salad. Other appetizers that are great include a goat cheese torte and bruchetta that is very tasty.

The ambiance is quite romantic but the crowd tends to be a much older crowd than I'm used to (I'm not even 30 yet), the hostess stand even has reading glasses for those who can't read the quite normal sized font on the menus. I'm happy to pull up at the small bar they have and have a solo meal and the staff is more than happy to accommodate my preference to do this rather than sit at a table.

I think Cafe Biaggio is a fabulous find and have enjoyed each meal I've had there.

• Pros: Off street parking, rotating seasonal menus, and great beer, wine, and liquor selection.
• Cons: Different lunch and dinner menus, you can't get your favorite item anytime.

06/08/07

The Worst Place to Eat in St. Paul

by kristen8

This is and was the worst place I have ever gone to. The restaurant displayed poor taste in art, service and food. I was sat in a corner table with my family and two young children surrounded by pictures of breasts. The pictures were hung and eye level and I had to explain to my three old why the woman wasn't wearing a shirt. The food is grossly over priced for the quality of food you receive. My dish came out room temperature with the oil and grease from the sauce separating on the bottom of my bowl. The service was terrible. The place was not busy and yet my server couldn't find the time to help us. The host was dressed in ripped jeans and purple Hanes t-shirt and sat with her back to the door so she didn't see our party when we arrived, a server told her we needed to be sat. The owner of the restaurant was also working that night and I have to say I was appalled at the way he spoke to the employees and the way he greeted guest. I was shocked to find out he was the manager and owner and was embarrassed for him. As I sat there trying to finish my meal as quickly as possible I noticed other guest were not happy with their food and/or their server and even saw a women send back her dish, she had ordered the same dish as me. As stated before the restaurant displayed poor taste in art, food and service and the manager needs a crash course in customer service. DO NOT GO HERE!

• Cons: Ambience and Poor Display of Service and Management

03/05/07

very romatic

by chris_the_b

uncrowded, relaxed atmosphere. the menu is unique in it's classifying of 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th course offerings, but as our waiter pointed out, there is no rule that says you have to have one of each, or not . The portions are generous. we shared one appetiser (the stuffed mushroom - delicious!) and then each had an entree & it was plenty. I had the swordfish. I love swordfish & can honestly say this was the best I've ever had. My date had the risotti & ribs & they too were awesome - unique flavorful, the pasta was perfectly al dente.

For drinks we had the Merlot & an Italian beer. Both were superb.

My only regret is that we didn't have time for dessert, as I am sure they are very good.

Our waiter was very professional - helpful, to-the point, attentive yet not all over us. I thought this place was fabulous. I will be back!

• Pros: everything
• Cons: no mixed drinks - wine & beer only

02/28/07

Don't do it!

by krecreane

Very disappointing and way too expensive.

The Grilled calamari (which was really pushed by our waiter) was cold and non-discript, save for the burnt flavor. Don't get me wrong, I'm a burnt popcorn and toast lover. But this dish was, well...not tastey, and though I like 'rubbery' in it's place, this was not good-rubbery. It was boring-rubbery/irritating rubbery. Anyway, that wasn't the disappointing part. I ordered the Shrimp Scampi (at $22 ala carte) and was disappointed to receive SIX medium sized (ie U24ish) grilled shrimp with mushrooms (in scampi?) in a nondiscript sauce.

But that wasn't the disappointing part. Two of the three shrimp that I actually bit into (I stopped after 3) were Bad...rotten... even the waiter agreed that they smelled bad. They did take the dish off our bill, which was nice. I must say, the two salads we tried were good and the bread pudding was very good. But still, the prices were way too high for the inconsistancy and the couple of dishes that were out and out yucky.

I would not suggest it to people like.

• Pros: Good salads, good deserts
• Cons: Too expensive!