If it has been awhile since you were out and about in downtown St. Paul, here’s a look at some places to warm up and grab a bite to eat.
WEST SEVENTH
If you haven’t yet seen the expanded Cossetta complex on West Seventh Street, it’s worth a stop. There’s something for everyone there — a kid-friendly, carb-laden Italian-American menu in the eatery and a higher-end, more authentic restaurant called Louis on the third floor.
If you have time and the cash for a full, sit-down meal, there are higher end pasta dishes, steaks and an out-of-this-world cioppino at Louis. But if you’re in a hurry, the restaurant has a great happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. Drinks range from $5 to $6, and huge portions of food are priced at $6 to $9. Our favorite happy-hour special is the sausage Calabrese, a pretty good deal at $9.
Cossetta Italian Market and Pizzeria: 211 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-222-3476; cossettas.com.
CENTRAL DOWNTOWN
For the ultimate St. Paul experience, have a seat at the St. Paul Grill at Fifth and Market streets. It overlooks Rice Park, where the ice sculptures will be sparkling. The Grill is the place where politicians, royalty and the occasional Vulcan hang out. Warm up with one of the Grill’s generously sized and high-priced classic cocktails — we’re especially fond of the Manhattan and the Aviation. The food menu is expensive, too, but you can’t go wrong with any of the burgers, steaks or chops.
St. Paul Grill: 350 Market St., St. Paul; 651-224-7455; stpaulgrill.com.
If you’re looking to make a date of it, the most romantic restaurant downtown is Meritage, just down the street from the Grill on St. Peter Street.
Nosh on the best oysters in the Twin Cities and enjoy a craft cocktail or glass of wine from the exhaustive French list at the restaurant’s pretty bar.
Meritage has a good happy hour, too, but it’s available only from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Oysters are 2 for $4, and a few select cocktails are available for $5.50.
Meritage: 410 St. Peter St., St. Paul; 651-222-5670; meritage-stpaul.com.
The young and hip crowd can usually be found at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall, where they’ll be drinking beer and listening to live music or playing trivia.
The menu is limited but interesting and inexpensive. Try the little Dutch sandwiches or the fries, which are topped with chopped onions and served with your choice of addicting dipping sauces. The mussels and frites are a tasty snack good for sharing with pals.
Check the calendar for entertainment. The Amsterdam is not really kid-friendly.
Amsterdam Bar & Hall: 6 W. Sixth St., St. Paul; 612-285-3112; amsterdambarandhall.com.
Another place with a great happy hour and sit-down options is Pazzaluna on the corner of Fifth and St. Peter.
Drinks during happy hour, which runs from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, range from $3 to $6 and appetizers from $6 to $9.
If you’re looking for a sit-down meal, the pastas and risottos are your best bet.
Pazzaluna: 360 St. Peter St., St. Paul; 651-223-7000; pazzaluna.com.
LOWERTOWN
The market at Heartland is closed for renovations, so no lunch options there for now, but chef Lenny Russo has just added a fantastic bar menu in the lounge of his fine-dining restaurant, and it opens at 4 p.m. for happy hour. All the burgers are delicious, and the beef-fat fries are worth the calories. The craft cocktails at Heartland are vastly underrated, too.
Heartland: 289 E. Fifth St., St. Paul; 651-699-3536; heartlandrestaruant.com.
The Buttered Tin offers delectable baked goods and creative breakfast and lunch options for a reasonable price.
The bakery’s Hostess knock-off TwinKeys and Ho Hos have a cult following, and the house-made sausage gravy over baker Alicia Hinze’s herb biscuits are comfort food at its finest.
The Buttered Tin: 237 7th St. E., St Paul; 651-224-2300; thebutteredtin.com.
The pretty bar at Faces Mears Park is another good happy-hour option in Lowertown. Drinks and snacks are just $4 apiece.
Faces Mears Park: 380 Jackson St., St. Paul; 651-209-7776; facesmearspark.com
Newcomer Public Kitchen and Bar has plenty of space for carnival revelers in the classy upstairs restaurant, with its restored, arched windows or the speakeasy-type downstairs lounge. Happy hour is Monday through Friday and includes $2 off appetizers and $6 house wine.
Public Kitchen and Bar: 229 E. Sixth St., St. Paul; 651-348-6456; publickitchenstpaul.com
Other Lowertown options include serviceable burgers and an exhaustive beer list at The Bulldog and creative margaritas and decent tacos at Barrio, both of which face Mears Park.
The Bulldog: 237 E. 6th St., St. Paul; 651-221-0750 or thebulldoglowertown.com
Barrio: 235 E. Sixth St.; St. Paul; 651-222-3250; barriotequila.com
Restaurant and food reporter Jess Fleming can be reached at 651-228-5435. Follow her at twitter.com/jessflem.
Copyright 2015 Pioneer Press.
