The Cabana Club — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Last night, my friend and I got to try out The Cabana Club, which recently opened on St. Anthony Main. I had been intrigued due to their description of being a travel-inspired haven. The atmosphere upon entrance was very relaxing, big windows filled the room with light, the walls were warm-toned with wood accents, and big plants were throughout the space.

We were greeted immediately after getting seated and ordered the ‘Mini Mart’ off the Happy Hour menu and the ‘Ibiza’ from the Specialty Drinks menu, which is nicely organized by proof. To start, we ordered the Butter Board, which was our favorite, served with focaccia and popovers along with the chef’s selection of butter. On this day, it was Mushroom, Tomato, and Orange, bringing a wide range of flavors. We also ordered the Curry Cauliflower, and it was okay; a nice portion for sharing.

We tried out the Wild Mushroom Fettuccine, which was nice, and had a generous portion of mushrooms. The Caesar Salad was good with croutons that held a nice smoky taste; it would have benefited from more dressing, since some pieces felt dry. The American Smash was juicy and delicious on a soft bun. I ordered an Espresso Martini. It was a little disappointing; next time, I would go with one of their craft specialty drinks instead.

For dessert we went with the Fryjacks, served with a coconut and sesame sauce, these weren’t our favorite, they were plain and the sauce lacked flavor, on the other hand, the Chocolate Mousse Cake was rich and flavorful served with a delicious scoop of vanilla ice cream, a sweet way to end the night.

In the beginning, we were given great service, and all of our menu questions were answered thoroughly, yet throughout our stay, we didn’t feel like the service was the best; it was extremely slow, and we felt forgotten about. We were relaxed, but we were constantly waiting for the next step since time would drag, to get our order taken or to receive items, upwards of 40 minutes at times, making our time there lengthy.

Overall, I would love to give The Cabana Club another try, especially by enjoying the view on their beautiful patio...

Came to Cabana Club for a best friend's birthday brunch, the atmosphere is very tropical and the patio was lovely. I came in with a group of eight and we had a reservation about a month in advance. We had not been seeing very much content about their brunch on Yelp or online so we wanted to come in and check it out for my friend's birthday.

Out of the eight, six of us ordered the Arepa Benedict. The Benedict was fantastic and truly was a wonderful representation of the Cabana Club brunch, this was very hearty, and the arepa added a nice element to the dish. The chipotle hollandaise was the perfect touch with the shredded pork. The side breakfast potatoes were fantastic, very well done and crispy with a nice seasoning, I usually don't eat the breakfast potatoes but these were exceptional. I also had a honey lavender latte, it came in acute glass and was perfect perfectly Instagram worthy. The food and aesthetic of the restaurant in general was very tropical.

This is a 4 out of 5 star review mostly because everything was perfect until we decided to bring out the birthday cake. We mistakenly forgot to bring a serving knife to cut the cake and the restaurant server refused to give us one for some reason, stating something to the effect of it being a Minneapolis health violation of some sort. At other well-known high-end restaurants that I have been to in Minneapolis they have not only allowed for people to bring their birthday cakes for large party reservations but also accommodated by cutting the cake in the kitchen and providing individual servings. That's above and beyond birthday reservation accommodations, but clearly this restaurant is not as elevated as they claim on their website. Definitely noted for future birthdays if you choose to attend this establishment, they do not accommodate people bringing cakes for birthday parties. While the restaurant did give a complementary piece of chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream and a candle, we were all left annoyed that the amazing cake that was brought specifically for my friend's birthday was left unattended to...

I truly want to love Cabana Club. St. Anthony Main has some of the most beautiful riverfront real estate and patios in the city... and it deserves a restaurant that lives up to the view. Cabana Club gets part of the way there: the vibe is fantastic, the drinks are fun, and the view is perfect. But after two dinner visits, I’ve found the food consistently underwhelming.

On our first visit, we ordered the butter board, jerk chicken, and short ribs. The butter board is a fun idea but the popovers didn't quite deliver that eggy airiness. The jerk chicken had a nice balance of freshness and protein, but the way it was plated made the yucca soggy and unenjoyable. The short ribs were bland. For a restaurant that draws inspiration from globally bold cuisines, the flavor just doesn’t deliver.

Our second visit followed a similar theme. I asked whether the papaya salad was true Thai style and was told yes—but what arrived was a fresh, pretty salad that lacked any of the signature Thai elements: little or no lime juice, no sweetness, no peanuts, and no real kick. I sent it back and ordered the brussels sprouts instead, which were pleasantly crisp with an enjoyable garbanzo bean topping. The sauce was tasty, but there wasn’t quite enough of it to permeate the sprouts fully.

I liked the chicken skewers with peanut sauce (slaw was meh). I wished the lemongrass had been cooked longer to be edible, as in traditional Balinese Sate Lilit. My boyfriend had the smash burger with parmesan fries. The burger was tasty enough; we agreed we'd order it again. The fries, while generously portioned, lacked crispness and the parmesan didn’t add much.

I don't drink but it looks like the drink menu is a highlight. I love the virgin pina colada and appreciate the NA options.

In the end, Cabana Club has so much potential to be one of the best restaurants on St. Anthony Main. The atmosphere is already there, and the concept is promising. If the kitchen can dial up the flavor and really embrace the boldness of the global cuisines it draws from, it could...