Best Casual Restaurants in Grand Ave

We really enjoyed Bennett’s Chop & Rail. The food and service were outstanding! My wife fell in love with their Walleye Sliders😋 I highly recommend them!!!

This place is a hidden gem worth discovering. When you wish to celebrate, then choose this white tablecloth small dining room. The food is so fresh and tasty. The service staff engaging attentive and knowledgeable. STRONGLY recommend.

What can you say about a restaurant that really has nothing to be compared to? When you are rocking original, creative, Venezuelan cuisine, in Saint Paul, the comps are hard to come by… That said, this very-chef-based small cocina is pushing out creativity and quality that belongs in downtown Minneapolis next to the best of the best. This was a place I’d been promising myself a visit for about six months and finally got there. The menu is eclectic, inspired and wholly-original. Crasqui delivers and Ms. Ramirez is a true chef. Her vision of bringing the cuisine of Venezuela to has been realized and we are lucky that she decided to grace us with her art. The pulpo (octopus) appetizer is a great treatment and fun. If the idea of it throws you; just try it. The entrees, the Conejo (rabbit) and Lomito (tenderloin) were excellent to the point of licking the plates and demanding more. To add to drama, Soleil (Ms. Ramirez) has created a cocktail program that also delivers creativity, novelty and with a serious nod to the powers far-south of the border with citrus, liqueurs and exotics that are unique and well-crafted. Her wine list is also unique and exciting, featuring wines that are uniquely sourced and well-suited to the menu. Ms. Ramirez has relationships with the importers that provide unique bottles that are worth the trip. If you go: enjoy a few of the tapas and the secondi (shareables) knowing that the mains are just what they are. Mains are clean and unadorned with sides, and as such you either fill in with the before or add-on with sides for the entree. In other words; like the rest of the culinary world, you construct your evening and eats, you don’t get an entree with meat/veg/starch. So don’t expect that. In terms of postres (after dinner/dessert) the menu offers unique pieces as well. Lots of fruit-centric yums and as decadent as you like. A companion menu of bevvies for that is also presented including very nice Cherry Wine (think heavy tawny port)

Our server Sophia was excellent! She was super knowledgeable about the menu & in the Christmas spirit. She helped us decide on portions & gave great advice so as to not order too much. There were 5 of us for Xmas dinner & shared the small chicken parmigiana, spaghetti & meatballs & a pepperoni pizza & we did still have some leftovers. Plus a great bottle of red wine to share between 3 of us. It was becoming quite busy as the evening went on but they had enough help & food came out very quickly after we ordered. Thank You Buca St Paul for a great way to celebrate Christmas! Sophia caught us before leaving to give us discount cards to use up until Feb & we for sure will come back by then.

Our server Sam was amazing! I know it can be loud esp before a hockey game, but we started early at 4pm, and had fabulous food and drink. Favorite: wild rice chix POT PIE. I do wish the restaurant would post on website which days the Happy Hour is canceled due to Xcell event days.