Yard House — Restaurant in Saint Louis Park

First, we arrived here by bicycle. Meaning we had to cross multiple intersections of highways and contend with cars (since this place is located in a glorified strip mall), to arrive to have to search around the block for somewhere to park our bikes. At the entrance, it was obvious we were to be presented with the opportunity to either sit inside or outside of the restaurant. There were two corners of the block to sit outside at, one adjacent to cars passing by, the other adjacent to several stores within the strip mall, each trying to play their own, different music over the top of one another, shopping center-style. So the decision to sit inside was clear.

Inside looked like a classic American eatery, one identical to hundreds of other overly-spacious chain American eateries. The unique, memorable features of this place were a giant industrial fan that someone removed the logo from, and a creepy, abstract fresco-on-drywall in the far corner. All the tables and booths were decorated with a tablet that one could order their food electronically from. We sat in one of the booths.

The menu contained exactly the food we expected it to have. Tacos, burgers, French fries, nothing unique at all except a blueberry ketchup burger that I ended up getting. When we ordered, the waiter asked if we wanted any appetizers and made a joke about wanting to make them themselves. When the appetizers that we ordered arrived, they looked not just overcooked, but like they'd been sitting for a while in a drawer to keep warm. And it worried me that perhaps the waiter did indeed prepare our appetizers how they joked they would, or rather that the appetizers weren't prepared (fresh) by someone whose specific job it was to prepare food.

The blueberry ketchup burger that I ordered was similarly bad. The beef patty was very tough to eat, and in the moment it felt as though it might take my stomach acid much longer than anticipated to work its way through digesting it. The blueberry ketchup added nothing to the dish. I really thought the fries were good, but the waiter insisted on trying them with a malt vinegar aioli that tasted oddly like Ranch dressing.

Some post-eating research on the restaurant led me to an article about Yard House's success as a national American chain, but its failure in capturing market share in China. Apparently, its Chinese competitor is one with the exact same name: Yard House. The article leaned heavily into how big of a failure it was to not breach the Chinese market, bordering on anti-Chinese sentiment with possible racist undertones.

Overall, the experience reminded me of America's continuous inclination to destroy culture. It's bewildering to me that such a place as Yard House can exist, and with enough success to establish almost 90 locations across the US, when it gives such a miserable experience to people like myself.

Overall, 5 stars. This is the quintessential...

Yard House is a very large gastropub in St. Louis Park's West End complex. Free parking is available underground, giving access to all the shops. The Happy Hour on the patio is what we came for on a sunny afternoon. The patio is very large, with shade from the building on one side, open sun in the middle, and umbrella shaded tables on the outside. We arrived at 4:30 pm and got our choice of tables. They have a huge tap list of microbrews: local breweries, the house brews, and a larger list of well known regional and national beers. One can't fail to find something of interest. One of our party chose her favorite cocktail, then subbed out the premium local gin for a non-alcoholic gin, making up her own mocktail: haven't seen this as an option in other places. We decided to split three appetizers: chicken lettuce wraps, a sashimi tuna plate, and chicken nachos. The sashimi tuna plate had several nice pieces of sashimi, but overall even for one, it just wouldn't have been a satisfying appetizer. I understand this because of the cost of the tuna, but just a watch out. Sharing the three plates and sharing a chocolate lava cake, which was very good, worked out well. Our server was very helpful and fun. The patio is not bounded by a street anywhere..very rare. By the time 5:00 rolled around, the patio was FULL. Single diners, Moms with their kids, senior, and folks coming right from work. Happy Hour pricing is very congenial, and it's a great place to check out, as is the...

Fun happy hour spot! I'm always on the lookout for new spots before a show at the Orpheum. Downtown bars and restaurants are plenty but sometimes too pricey or too relaxed and slow-- remember I have a show to catch! I've now figured SLP or Minnetonka might be good places to find good food! The Yardhouse was great for my mission because their Happy Hour menu was extensive, and you get all your pub cravings! I got the 4 piece sliders (definitely for sharing!) And cheese curds as well as a cider all for $20. That's great value. My sister ordered outside the Happy Hour menu because the Truffled Mushroom Pizza looked good. And it waaaas. Wow the hand tossed crust was the perfect vessel for the delicate mushrooms of criminals, shiitake and Oysters. The truffle oil isn't pronounced, just adds a hint of extra umami flavor to the pizza. Highly recommended. We also ordered wings-- Korean BBQ, and bourbon glazed (not sure about those specific sauce names). The regular menu has a lot of interesting items that I'll have yo come back to. They have a nice long wall of beer and cider on tap.

As for time, we came in a little before 530 and we were done eating by 630. At that point traffic on 394 was moving along more freely than at 5pm and we made it to the Orpheum so early they hadn't even opened the theater doors.

Parking is free and easy at West End although I always have trouble finding the right door to exit out of. They need clear markers regarding destination in the...