The 87 Best Places to Eat and Drink in Saint Paul
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The best places to eat and drink in Saint Paul, according to the experts: AAA, Food & Wine, and James Beard Awards have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Myriel comes out on top.
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Joan's In the Park and Hyacinth hold the next two places. Minnesota Monthly shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Eater close behind.
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Karyn Tomlinson won a James Beard Award for the cooking she does here, which should tell you something. Myriel is a small-plates tasting spot in St. Paul where the menu changes often enough that nothing is posted online, which forces a pleasant kind of surrender. The room runs cream and sand with European bones, cozy but pulled-together. Tomlinson is also known for her pastry work, so if apple pie is on that night, the answer is yes.
The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- Food & Wine Food & Wine: Best New Chefs · Karyn Tomlinson
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Winner · Best Chef: Midwest · Karyn Tomlinson
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Food & Wine Best New Chefs · Karyn Tomlinson
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Winner · Best Chef: Midwest · Karyn Tomlinson
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The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- AAA Three Diamonds
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
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The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Midwest · Abraham Gessesse
- AAA Three Diamonds
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Midwest · Abraham Gessesse
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
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Rank 5. Cafe Latte
Deli
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: Exceptional Cakes: Turtle Cake · Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
- AAA Approved
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Exceptional Cakes: Turtle Cake · Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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Rank 6. The Lexington
American
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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Rank 7. El Burrito Mercado
Mexican
A sprawling Mexican market and restaurant that has been an old-school institution on Cesar Chavez Street, El Burrito Mercado runs a full deli and bakery alongside a proper sit-down kitchen. The family has been at it for generations, and the mole con pollo and birria tacos carry that kind of quiet confidence. The bakery cases alone, stacked with barbacoa and fresh conchas, make it hard to leave without your arms full.
The awards
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
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Rank 7. Estelle
Mediterranean
The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Eater Eater: St. Paul’s Best Bars
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Eater St. Paul’s Best Bars
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Rank 7. Meritage
Bistro
The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Eater Eater: St. Paul’s Best Bars
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Eater St. Paul’s Best Bars
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Rank 11. Mancini’s
Steakhouse
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Eater Eater: St. Paul’s Best Bars
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Rank 11. Marc Heu Patisserie Paris
French Patisserie
The awards
- Eater 38 Best Restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Marc Heu
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: Exceptional Sandwiches: Italian Hero · Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
- Minnesota Monthly Top 75 Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Exceptional Sandwiches: Italian Hero · Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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Rank 14. Khue’s Kitchen
Vietnamese
Jicama ribs that read as meat are the talking point at this Vietnamese sit-down in Saint Paul, where chef Eric Pham opened his first restaurant as a tribute to his mother, a longtime figure at the family's Minneapolis institution Quang. Most plates land at $21 or under, and the menu runs from bún chay to a crispy chicken sandwich without any of it feeling like a compromise. The New York Times put it on their Restaurant List in 2026.
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2026 · The Restaurant List
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best in St. Paul · Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times 2026 · The Restaurant List
- Minnesota Monthly Best in St. Paul · Best New Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Menu · Best New Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Minnesota Monthly Best Menu · Best New Restaurants
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Top New Twin Cities Dining Experiences
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Rank 17. A-Side Public House
American
A neighborhood bar and grill housed in a refurbished firehouse in St. Paul's West Seventh corridor, which gives the room more bones than most places trying to cultivate a "local watering hole" feeling. The menu runs American comfort, with a French onion steak sandwich doing a lot of the heavy lifting alongside a burger that locals seem to take personally. The bar handles cocktails, mocktails, and coffee drinks without making you feel like you have to pick a lane.
The awards
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Rank 17. Acqua Restaurant & Bar
Italian
The awards
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The awards
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Rank 17. Jensen's Food & Cocktails
Steakhouse
The awards
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Rank 17. Kyndred Hearth
Pizzeria
The awards
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Rank 17. The St. Paul Grill
Steakhouse
The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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Rank 24. Moscow on the Hill
Eastern European
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
- Eater Eater: St. Paul’s Best Bars
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The awards
- Mpls St Paul The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Mpls St Paul Asian Bakeries · Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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Rank 24. Stone Pho Vietnamese Cuisine
Vietnamese Noodle Shop
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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The awards
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: The Best Restaurants in the Twin Cities
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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Rank 24. yum! Kitchen and Bakery
American Bakery
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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The awards
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The awards
- Midwest Living Midwest Living: Best Restaurants in Minneapolis
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Rank 30. Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine
Ethiopian
The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: St. Paul’s Best Bars
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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A coffee shop built around crates of vinyl, Caydence on Payne Avenue doubles as a record store and a small live-music room. The drinks lean adventurous, pairing peanut butter and cardamom in one latte, caramel creme brulee in another. Weekend evenings bring local musicians into the back room, and the first Sunday of the month is a free bluegrass jam, which is either a reason to show up or a reason to plan around it.
The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
- Eater Eater: St. Paul’s Best Bars
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Top 75 Restaurants
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The awards
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The awards
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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The awards
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The awards
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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The awards
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Mpls St Paul Mpls St Paul: Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Mpls St Paul Asian Bakeries · Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
- Mpls St Paul Exceptional Sandwiches: Bahn Mi · Best Bakeries of the Twin Cities
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Rank 78. Ai Hues Bakery & Deli
Hmong Bakery
The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best Overall · Best New Restaurants
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The awards
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best New Bakery · Best New Restaurants
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The awards
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Minnesota Monthly: Best St. Paul Restaurant · Best New Restaurants
- Artful Living The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
- Minnesota Monthly Best St. Paul Restaurant · Best New Restaurants
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The awards
- Artful Living Artful Living: The Best New Twin Cities Restaurants
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The awards