Nolabelle Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Mankato

From the staff, to the space and the food, any customer could tell that every aspect of Nolabelle was thought of and done to perfection with love. After traveling for many days this stop was exactly what my family and I needed; we were greeted with kindness and warmth by each employee and the owner herself. You can tell that hospitality is a priority here. Nolabelle sources local-fresh food and every item on the menu sounded inviting - our Arugula Apple Salad, Tomato Bisque, and Walleye didn’t disappoint. Each dish was light, fresh but full of flavor and had a unique twist that made it stand out from your regular American dinner in the best way. If you’re looking for dessert, the chocolate gounache cake is the perfect cherry on top to a wonderful dinner - and it’s gluten free too! We easily decided that it was our best meal on our nearing week long trip and were longing to bring it back home with us... so we went back for brunch the next day! Once again greeted with the same warmth and kindness as the night before - the mornings here have such a bright energy that you can’t help but smile. We opted for Avocado Toast, Pain Perdu and a Classic Breakfast. Needless to say it was jaw dropping - hands down the best take on french toast we have ever had, the touch of citrus gave the dish, once again, a freshness and flavor palette unlike we’ve had at any other restaurant. The avocado toast was topped with a lime aioli that enhanced and lightened the flavors of each aspect of the toast without being overbearing. And the classic breakfast was just fantastic - they took a simple egg and bacon breakfast and turned it into a meal you can’t forget. If you have the chance to visit, please don’t hesitate. And be sure to make a reservation just in case, although they are new in town they are already a hit with visitors and locals alike. We definitely won’t forget our visit here and will be back again the next time we travel...

I used to love going to Nolabelle for brunch! But it stopped being enjoyable about a year ago. One the last two occasions, I felt like the food just wasn’t good. I started with trying the dinner menu and felt like the options weren’t great. I really can’t remember what I got that time but I left feeling like it was very greasy and made need feel ill.

The most recent time, I got my usual of grits and brussels, and my husband got the chicken and waffles. My husband describe the waffle as tasting too savory, with cheese and maybe some herbs. And the chicken was just massive chicken chunks. It’s really a simple dish that really went down the wrong direction.

When they brought the water, the cups smelled like rotten fish, like they had can washed in an unclean dishwasher. It was the most offputting smell and it left me wondering what else was being handled like this.

My grits and brussels, which have been my longtime favorite, arrived at the table looking bland and almost everything on the plate was close to the same color. The Brussels looked boiled, the grits were somehow pooled with grease, and the sausage looked barely cooked. I have never sent anything back to the kitchen in my life but I did this time. I asked for my sausage to be browned and my grits to be seared and I overheard a women at the front of the kitchen say, “Well there blanched…” suggesting they were cooked enough. No one wants a boiled brussel sprout. Especially if this is a take on a southern dish. There should be some brown, some color, some salty crisp. But alas, there was only a pool of grease at the bottom, topped with colorless baby cabbages.

When my plate returned from the kitchen, based off of the conversation I overheard, I didn’t feel much better about it. There was some color on the sausage and the Brussels. But I left feeling ill for a second time.

I think this was my last...

We came here for the good reviews. Terrible experience, do NOT recommend. We ordered the blackened salmon and we simply could not eat it: the salmon was dry and overcooked, the salsa was really salty, the veggies were greassy and slimy. We returned the dish and they made a $6.00 discount! We dinne out a lot, and when this happens the restaurant simply do not charge the dish. The waittress offered to talk with the manager but did not do it. If you are visiting the town, just try something else and save your money for something worth it.

*I am reiterating my review and adding some information after the business response:

After tasting the salmon we spoke with a waitress to express our dissatisfaction with the dish. She offered a new dish or to call our first waiter. We agreed on calling our first waiter. We expressed him our dissatisfaction and we asked for the bill.

Once the bill came, I noticed that you were charging 75% of the dish. I politely asked him if it was possible to remove the charge. He said he would handle it with his manager. WE AGREED ON THIS. We were willing to speak with a third staff member. We waited, waited, waited. The waiter came back, he handed me the bill and the same price was charged. We did not talk with the manager (or the chef, as it is often the case when someone returns a dish) because he/she did not come to talk with us.

In sum: it is indeed very sad not to handle these situations in person. We expressed our discontent to two members of your staff while we were seated at your business, we also agreed with the waiter to handle the situation with the manager, and after that, we still got charged and the manager did not come to talk with us. For the future, please double check the information with your team or the costumer before jumping to an answer that makes disrespectful assumptions about...