Alma

Alma is one of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities. As one of the few offering a chefs tasting menu, it offers a unique opportunity to enjoy an ever-changing, curated menu experience. For ~$90 per person (not including drinks), the experience is a steal. The staff are incredibly professional, being polite and well informed about what each dish brings to the table. They even can recommend what order to eat each dish for a single course, knowing how well each one contributed to the sensory experience. If you're worried about portion sizes, you definitely don't need to be. The menu is well paced but still incredibly filling. Both times I've gone my parties have not been able to fully finish the final bites of the main course, and we always have to take their cookies home as there is definitely no room after the main dessert. I've done the wine pairing once, and while the choices were superb, I haven't done it again since. I thought it was more fun to try their rotating cocktails and then select a bottle for the table for the rest of the evening, but that's just my preference. For those who don't know Alma, the ambiance is also wonderful. Exposed brick walls, soft warm lighting and an exposed kitchen make the atmosphere just as good as the eating experience. Alma technically is multiple things -- a small boutique hotel, a cafe and a restaurant -- all set in a small but beautiful brick building not far from downtown and the Marcy-Holmes/St Anthony West neighborhood. Before or after your meal, I'd recommend taking a stroll down to Father Hennepin park and checking out the Stone Arch bridge.

We had the most wonderful experience for my sister's 30th birthday dinner. It was a curated menu where the plates just came out in courses. You let the server know what dietary needs you had at the beginning... We started out with some great cocktails and then a wonderful recommended wine. We loved every single part of this meal and experience. Do not miss this!

It used to be a top notch lunch place in Twin Cities. The quality of the food and service went down. We ordered food and waited for 30 minutes just to discover that they lost our order. The food came eventually but was too saulty and not tasty as it used to be. The manager did not offer any compensation for lost time and spoiled weekend lunch.. And it is too crowded. We will not come back.

This place is truly the only food spot in Minneapolis I crave regularly. I only took 1 star away because 100% of the time I've sat in, they forget my bakery item and then are sold out and can't offer me anything. However, the sesame croissant is to die for so I always take my chances or at least order at the register.