Stella's Fish Cafe

10/20/09

Horrible Service - Food Never Came

by T2009

A group of friends and I went out to eat, and we sat down. About 15 minutes later, another group sat down in the table behinds ours. The server took our orders. Then they took the orders of that other table. 2 hours later, the other table had eaten and left, while we didn't get any of our food. So we went to complain, and they said that they would check on the order. They didn't even have any of the food started. We got tired and hungry so we said we were leaving, and the manager tried to convince us that we were the ones who were wrong.

This might just be my experience, but still, this kind of stuff shouldn't be happening so often.

• Pros: It looked upscale.
• Cons: No food came. Forgot our order.

10/06/09

Great patio, average food

by CFMN

I do love this place for the people watching and for the patio. The fish has never compared though even to red lobster, and i have always been dissapointed with their crab legs. Worth a shot though if you want a good atmosphere.

• Pros: View, Crabcakes
• Cons: crablegs, steak

09/25/09

Mediocre Food and Service

by nenechan

Stella's Fish Cafe is basically for Uptown yuppy bar scene rather than for it's value as a restaurant. The food was so-so --- my cioppino was watery tasting bland, the scallops were overcooked in it. My husband ordered the Chef's Select Oyster and not only did the waitress not know anything about the oysters, she didn't even know which were which when we asked. Though our waitress wasn't particularly rude, she wasn't friendly either, not a single smile from our seating to the bill. Really expensive for this Applebee's style food and service. If you really want excellent seafood, a better bet is the Oceannaire which has incredible seafood at similar prices with some of the best service I ever had.

• Pros: meh
• Cons: meh

08/29/09

Good Food, atmosphere

by randyd

We recently discovered Stella's this summer, while driving through the neighborhood. We went on a night where they offered a Crab special. Overall, our experience was very good. We started by going to the rooftop, in hopes of enjoying a drink while we waited for our table. This was a mistake. It was overcrowded, and it took a very long time for us to make our way to the bar and get a drink. Once we did, I felt like a pinball being bounced around through the crowd of people. The idea is good, but it would be better if they accepted rooftop reservations, and limited the amount of people that were allowed up there at one time. The dining experience was very good. My wife enjoyed the crab (an all-you-can-eat special may have been a better offering, but wasn't an option) and I had a very tasty Jambalaya. I was impressed with the variety of food offered for a seafood restaurant. This was a nice change. The service was good, and the atmosphere was very nice. It was also very reasonably priced. Overall, we had a very pleasant experience, and I would return.

• Pros: Solid Menu variety, good atmosphere

07/30/09

Good atmosphere....just Okay food

by helokity

We ordered the coconut shrimp app to share and I ordered a spinach salad to save room for the Red Velvet Cake. The salad was bland and our garlic mashed potatoes were drowning in green butter. Unfortunately the Red Velvet Cake didn't save the experience like I was hoping....over all it was just Okay....Sad for 67$ for 2 people :( If we go back I think the roof top for drinks will be all we'll do.

• Pros: My husband loved the crab legs
• Cons: the rest of our food was just okay

06/19/09

Stella's has always been good to us

by stp28

We've always enjoyed Stella's. We prefer to sit in the bar area. We are both big fish/seafood fans & our meals are always delicious. I think our favorite experience is when we came in on a Saturday for lunch. They had a few food & drink specials, plus the place wasn't super busy. I have yet to experience the rooftop bar but heard it's a good view.

• Pros: menu choices, choices of where to sit

04/11/09

Good, but with some flaws

by stevekathg

Stella's was the April stop for our dinner-of-the-month club with two other couples. While everyone generally like Stella's, there were a couple of glitches that I hope were just anomalies as we plan to go back sometime. Stella's has a nice selection of dishes across the price spectrum. Appetizers were very good; huge jalepeno poppers with peppers that weren't mushy like most versions and calamari with a very light batter that wasn't greasy. I also had a bowl of clam chowder that was very good; although not the best I've had in the Twin Cities. Everyone enjoyed their entrees with one exception. My lobster roll was very good with nice size pieces of lobster on an excellent roll. The batter-fried walleye looked very good, and two people raved about the jambalaya (and they used to live where good jambalya is an art form). My wife was the exception because her Shrimp Po-Boy was soaked through (not sure by what) so that she couldn't even pick it up. The other glitches came during happy hour which included the Friday Oyster O*gy (sorry, had to work around the word police). It took over 30 minutes to get my order of a dozen oysters. While the place was packed and lots of people were ordering the oysters, you'd expect a place the claims to be an oyster bar and touts an Oyster O*gy special to be ready and capable of getting the oysters out quicker. I also thought the oysters weren't shucked carefully as most contained bits of shell and other debris. All and all, Stella's had the look and feel of a good coastal seafood stop. Hopefully, the glitches will not reoccur when we return as there are far too few good seafood options in the Twin Cities that don't cost an arm and a leg.

• Pros: Good seafood selection, good service, reasonable prices
• Cons: Uneven execution

09/18/08

Uptown Fave

by addddd

I love Stella's. I have been there a number of times. I've gone for dinner--the sauce with the mussels appetizer is amazing--ask for it spicier. I've never gone wrong with what the servers recommend--stuffed grouper, add on a crab leg to anything. My friend and I this last time had mojitos--perfect for the summer on the crazy busy rooftop. Busy weekend night or not...if the weather is great--be prepared to wait if you really want the rooftop. I think it's worth it for the only great view of the downtown skyline. I had the monster red velvet cake, friend had the fresh berries with whipped cream. I've been there when it's slow and busy...the crowd definitely changes based on what time it is. Earlier you have a more family friendly crowd, late night--you have 20s drinking crowd. Depending on the night, it can be pretty swanky, or it can get too packed and drunk. Service has been a bit uneven, but again--it depends when you go and where you sit--its a completely different experience if you're there at 6:00 or 11:00...if you sit at the bar, dining room, or on the patio. Go for a great night, don't go if you're in a rush--get apps and drinks at the bar--there will be a wait for a table, there will be a wait for the food, but totally worth it for the view, food, and the crowd is fun people watching. End up running into everyone I know there. Kind of expensive depending on what you get, but I go once I find a coupon ($10 off $40...good deal) and sometimes just share a bunch of appetizers and have drinks. All in all--definitely recommend.

• Pros: rooftop, atmosphere, mojitos, appetizers, fun crowd.
• Cons: waitlist, can be rushed or slow service

07/26/08

Wonderful accross the board

by friendlyflower

Myself and some friends went to Stellas on Thursday night. We wanted to sit on the patio but the wait was very long and we were very hungry so we opted for the downstairs. We were seated promptly by the host, who by the way was an absolut doll and very friendly. Once seated we were greated by our waitress almost right away. I ordered there Halibut special, and it was outstanding. One of my friends ordered the salmon which she said was amazing and my two other friends both had the stuffed grouper which they both said was the best thing they had ever eaten. Our server offered us dessert and after dinner drinks. We had the Key lime pie and the creme brulee, both done to perfection (there was no lemon pie even on the menu like the review before me said, weird...?) The manager came over after dinner to see how everything was and we couldnt stop raving. The nice thing about Stellas is even though they were busy, everyone from the host to the server made us feel like we were the only people in the building. They paid a lot of attention to us and everything was wonderful. Kudos to the chefs as well!!!

• Pros: Great food and service
• Cons: long wait on the patio

07/25/08

Outstanding Across the Board!

by lovinlife23

Went to Stella's tonight with a group of friends celebrating a birthday. We sat on the roof (although we had to wait an hour) it was definitely worth the wait. Happy hour every night starts at 10pm every night - even on the weekends.... what a deal!!! Can't wait to comeback.

• Pros: Roof, Happy Hour, Food
• Cons: Long Wait for table