The Local - Minneapolis — Restaurant in Minneapolis

This was the second time my husband and I ate at The Local. Our meals have been terrific! My husband and I personally liked the personalized attention we got on a Thursday evening versus a game night in Minneapolis. Three managers checked in with us and chatted, it was very welcoming. Our server Veya was wonderful. Our meals have been The Pot Roast & the Steak Salad on a game night- on that extremely busy night the food was delicious but the potatoes happened to be instant ( that is Not the norm) and the veggies were crunchy . The desert - the chocolate Mouse was deliciously decadent. Then last night ( Thursday, non game night). The food once again was delicious!!! We started with artichoke dip and a pomadom crisp, the artichoke dip was the best I have ever had anywhere!!! And the pomadom crisp ( I had never had one before and it was phenomenal!) I had the curry with vegetables - it was nicely hot from the oven, not too spicy but full flavored and the veggies done to a nice softer, perfect bite), my husband had the Salmon with a glaze on it that he said was very tasty. We will absolutely go back and recommend The Local to friends and family . We will opt for weeknight/nongame nights because the service is second to none and it just is way busier on a night with multiple games in town understandably .But it also goes to show how popular this eating establishment really is. Try it out you will love it. Oh I forgot to mention we were seated in a lovely little room with charming decor and clear etched windows that looked out onto Nicolette Mall. The restraunt was abuzz with people chatting and it was loud as an Irish Pub would be but in our space we could easily enjoy conversation. Next time I go I want to try their tomato soup, I have heard from multiple people...

We ended up here quite by accident, but certainly did not regret it. Our initial plan was to watch England vs USA in the FIFA World Cup at Brit's Pub just two minutes walk down the road. But, when we arrived at Brit's Pub, we found they were charging $25 per person ($150 for our group of six) for 'tickets' to watch the game in their establishment - on television (we've been to live games in actual stadiums for less). Absolutely disgusting - and stupidly short-sighted - price-gouging from Brit's Pub. No such shenanigans at The Local, so we went there instead. There, we found an authentic experience within an unusual - yet well considered - layout and a great atmosphere. After enjoying the game, we decided to stay for a meal. I really like the semi-private booths they have here. Wonderfully designed, providing a near perfect compromise between largely undisturbed privacy and enjoying your surroundings. We had a damn mighty experience that day, thanks to The Local. And we plan to return for more of the same. One final point of note, are the superb staff. I can barely believe how they kept up with everything going on, but their energy levels and awesome attitude never dropped. Fantastic. I only fall short on giving a five-star review as the fish and chips, while still decent, were not quite as good as I expected. Hailing from the north of England as I do, I have high standards in that regard. Though I do have to say The Local is...

Our waiter was very nice, and so was the rest of the staff. But the food was underwhelming. My wife got the steak and mushroom pie. Hers was good, but nothing gourmet considering the price.

Mine, however, was bad. I got the corned beef and cabbage dinner. It was the worst corned beef I've ever had. Normally there is some fat on the outside, but the meat is otherwise fat free and easy to pull apart. There should be a lot more good and edible meat compared to fat in the portion served. What I got was almost entirely fat. What meat there was, it was intertwined with the fat and nearly inedible, especially if you're like me and hate the texture of fat and can't eat it. Why the chef thought those chunks of corned beef were suitable to send out is beyond me. On top of that, they added a parsley sauce over everything. Not that it tasted bad, but it just didn't go well with the corned beef. Corned beef doesn't need any additional sauces, it's already full of flavor. Plus, the white sauce made it even harder for me to dissect the intertwined fat from any morsels of good meat. The veggies were good, though.

I mentioned the poor quality of the meat, of which I didn't eat much of it, and the staff was very courteous about it and took my meal off the bill. So, considering how professional they were, I'd go back. I wouldn't discount this restaurant based off of one dish. There are other things on the menu that...