Relish — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Update 1/22: Unfortunately, I have had to reduce my rating due to the changes and inconsistency of the food at Relish.

First let me state that I’ve been to Relish around 10 times now, so my review is well informed. Since my last review, they’ve cut their menu almost in half, and have changed it regularly. The food has had issues the last 3 times we’ve visited- the spinach artichoke dip had what seemed to be raw garlic permeating the flavor, and the fries changed from delicious golden crispy shoestring fries to brown soggy, greasy fries that were also over-seasoned. The burger is $17 and measly. The meatball sub is good but only worth the special price on Mondays at $8.

I get that Relish is mostly a scratch kitchen but the inconsistency of the food and high prices are frustrating. On the plus side, the drinks are good and I do like the ambience. The deviled eggs are also great but we shall see how long they remain on the menu!

Original review: We visited the new-ish relish on a Thursday night. It was well populated without being busy. We ordered the relish snack plate for $3, (which is just pickles and olives) fettuccine, and the veggie Sammy with fries. Everything was good although the portion size of the fettuccine was on the smaller side. The veggie Sammy was great- fresh veggies, a perfect amount of hummus, toasted bread and good cheese. I’m not normally a fan of shoestring fries, but these were yummy. The perfect size and very addicting. The dill aioli was a little sweet but went surprisingly well with the fries. We wanted the carrot cake for dessert but they were out. They were out of a few things we initially tried to order, and we overheard mention that the owner is stretched a bit thin between this and their other business. We got the cinnamon roll instead which was good, but VERY sweet. The old fashioned was excellent and we really enjoyed the atmosphere and overall vibe. It’s cozy, clean, and very welcoming, with daily specials and happy hours. The food all seems fresh and mostly made from scratch. I hope relish sticks around for the long haul because it’s really a...

On the cusp of being acceptable, but with service like this, even acceptable isn't enough. With over an hour and twenty minute wait for food, there's no way I can recommend it.

We arrived early enough there was still seating at the bar, although the rest of the restaurant was full. It took a full ten minutes to get water (from server #1), followed by another wait before we had somebody stop for a food order (server #2). After inquiring about breakfast pastries the server then disappeared for another ten minutes before returning to inform us they were 86ed. Except after going up to the counter to look at day old's we discovered they weren't out. It was only then (maybe 30 minutes in) that we had our order taken. After about an hour our server changed (server #3); she at least had the wherewithal to acknowledge that service was slow (although it fell fairly short of even a simple apology). In the end it took an hour and 20 minutes to get the food (a full 50 minutes after ordering). Looking around it was clear they couldn't keep up with a restaurant their size as the kitchen was clearly behind on every table.

Food was acceptable but fairly simple. The coffee was fine, but we were very surprised by the arrival of it iced vs. hot. My sandwich was good, the breakfast potatoes were well seasoned (and by well seasoned I mean borderline over-seasoned), but the rest of the food was simply acceptable.

There's no way...

I’m giving it a one star because of service. It doesn’t matter how good the food is, I will not come back because of how my mom and I were treated.

I had a reservation at 12pm for 3 people. I called at 11 to let them know it would only be 2 instead of 3 - as a fellow manager in the food industry I understand the difference it makes in reservations, seating and sections to have a 2 top available as opposed to a 4 top. The guy at the host stand greeted us with a big smile and was very nice.

Our server was a tall guy with glasses that seemed to be bothered by me and my mom. My mom has an accent and that immediately seemed to make the difference on how he treated us and the rest of the tables around us. We watched him be attentive and even explain the menu to the 2 blondes next to us. He took his time with the table on the other side of us and proceeded to roll his eyes at my mom when she ordered her meal. Not once he checked on us until it was time to bring the check and a box. I understand he was busy but his poor attitude seemed directed at only us. I can only take this as racism. My mom left feeling very self conscious and upset.

Putting your bad day, attitude and preference in clientele away is what you’re supposed to do when you choose to work with people everyday. Being kind and patient is...