Trio Plant- Based — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Meat lovers. Come and gather around. Let me tell you a story of a vegan restaurant that made my meat-loving heart waver. If you want to try a vegan restaurant that would make even the most stubborn person love it, this is the place.

The atmosphere of the place clean and almost too quiet (in a good way!) compared to the hustle of the street outside. The bathroom was clean and well kept. I ordered the Lemon Pepper Cauliflower Wings with the Trio "Ranch", the Fiesta Burger with a Cajun Fries, Buffalo Mac, and the Vanilla cake with Strawberry sauce.

The wings came out first and I was skeptical of the ranch that came out with it. I mean, how do you even make vegan ranch? But gosh dang it, one dip of the sauce and I was hooked. Tasted just like ranch but not heavy at all. You could drink the sauce and you wouldn't have a stomach ache. The tangy bbq sauce was good too, but it was not as impressive comparatively. The wings themselves were crunchy, not soggy. Nicely seasoned and not dripping with grease or "water" from the Califlower. Huge portions too. 9/10

The Fiesta Burger with Fries came next. I looked at the burger with another skeptical eye. I smelled it. "Smells like a burger." I expected to take a bite out of it, give it a "not as good as the real thing" review and write it off. Well; as you can see from the photo, one bite and I could not stop. You know what it tasted like? Five Guy's. Yeap. I said it. The burger is the vegan equivalent of Five Guys (and I love that place.) Juicy, meaty, and without that wierd "vegan" patty taste. Wow. I had almost forgot that I needed to take a photo due to it being so good. 10/10.

The Mac came out after. Personally, it was not the best Mac I've ever had. For vegan Mac though, it was pretty good. If you did not know it was vegan, you wouldn't notice a thing wrong. I wish it had more cheese in it, but maybe it is a vegan cheese thing where you can't use too much or the consistency might be wierd. Tangy and that buffalo heat that everyone knows. The noodles were cooked thoroughly and al dente. 7/10

Lastly, the desert. The cake was soft, smooth, and not too sweet. God dang it, finally. I hate cakes that are so sweet, your dentist would cry. The strawberry sauce though was a bit underwhelming. Though it was good, it seemed to not be a "sauce" but a sweet watery "syrup". Reminds me of school strawberries that I loved. 8/10

Overall, a great experience. Service was bomb-diggty and even the chef came out to check on us. Now that's some home cooking stuff you only see in the movies. The only thing I would see people being reluctant to come would be the price. I only say this because I know a lot of people feel differently about food. Personally, you get what you pay for.

And you will definitely get your money's worth here.

That's...

I visited this place as it had been in my list of places to visit for about a year and a half. I am NOT a vegan or desiring to be one but I am very supportive in trying new food and eating healthy. My experience, from the entrance amazing greeting. The decor is so green, calming and artistic. I thought the artwork was absolutely beautiful. Love to see us on display. So I was a fan of that for sure. The food! Now again! I am NOT a vegan. So don't beet me! I had the Mac and cheez. I tried the jackfruit for the first time which was something I had been desiring to try for so long. Baybay! Lemme tell you! I love Mac and cheese and though this Mac and cheez was vegan it was alright. I tell you what! I ate it all. So that should speak volumes. Now would I eat it again....maybe NOT! BUT that is because I am not into the adjustments that vegan diet makes for some products. I then had the jackfruit roll with fries and a strawberry lemonade with mint. It was very impressive. To say I had never had jackfruit, I would definitely eat it again. Now the jackfruit was sauced in some bbq sauce that has a sweeter taste to it so forewarning to those who prefer a stronger base. The French fries were finely cut and delicious. Now it was slightly busy but not too bad. The woman who worked the front was doing a lot (she did not have help) and was swiftly navigating thru it all. While dining, there was a moment that the cook, chef, sous chef, owner (forgive me...I don't know ya title) came out to deliver a plate and honey I was impressed because I watch a lot. When he returned to the kitchen he washed his hands and then resumed cooking. That was the golden nugget there. Now...as I stated I watch. The only issue I experienced (that was not communicated) was the woman working the front (as mentioned was working a lot) prepared a drink with mint, Sis did not use gloves. Keep in mind as a front worker, she was wiping tables. She was touching menus others had touched and she was touching payment methods others had touched. So that was a bit unnerving, also at one point she repositioned the recycle bin or trash bin and then wiped off a table and within moments and never washing her hands touched a plate to deliver to a table. I would just suggest, I know you busy and I know the moving swiftly it can be easy to forget but some people watch and it impacts their possibilities of returning. Oh and lastly cause I had no idea MN does this so to any travelers, there is a 20% service charge. I know some places can charge varying percentages. This place charges the 20%. I do not know if there was a disclaimer for that information available at the...

I love and support any and all new plant based resties in town, but i also feel like honest reviews can only help them get better so...

Pros: -Light, open atmosphere -Very clear, easy to read and attractive menu -Not too many choices -Cornbread w maple butter yessss -BBQ sauce -They have PERFECTED that Taco Bell seasoned sour cream chikn quesadilla filling thing -Friendly & cool staff

Cons: -Cost: for three people to try three dishes and two desserts and one soda it was over $36/person including tip. While the portions were generous, for the style of food, service and atmosphere (what i would consider fast casual) this is too much. I can share multiple plates w friends and have a cocktail at many fine dining restaurants in town for this price. Its hard to tell where this pricing comes from because there doesnt seem to be heavy use of expensive things (brand name products, expensive nuts etc). I do know that choosing to get all the options on the soul food plate drives up the price. But again... were talking greens, cornmeal, seitan, sweet potatoes, these are not expensive foods. Maybe theres a lot of add on prices for burger toppings? the quesadilla was SO good inside but soggy outside. Quesadillas must be crispy! -mac n cheese was mostly mustard flavor -sweet potatoes had looooots of added sugar and too much cinnamon to the point of bitterness -strawb cake has defrosted strawberries on top? Which is a soggy gross texture. Fresh or compote or nothing would be better. Cake was dense and dry -peach cobbler was good but its so hot when they put the whipped cream on it that it just melts into a weird puddle. Ice cream or nothing would be better. -staff seems a little green and this overall is also what gives it a fast casual vibe. Again, this isnt bad, but the price point does not reflect it.

Conclusion: i would go back for the quesadilla but probably wont try it again for a while due to the hit or miss dishes and the price point.

If you want a decent quick casual vegan meal it hits the marks.

If you want value for your money and something you couldnt make at home fairly easily and inexpensively, its not quite there.

I wish...