Herbst Eatery & Farm Stand — Restaurant in Saint Paul

2025.04.06 Had to go try brunch again this weekend. Ben and Grant were in the kitchen again, they recognized us and greeted us warmly. I went with the Avocado toast, Doll went with the waffle.

The Avocado toast was decked with ricotta cheese, pretty radishes and smoked salmon, and pickled shallots. Great flavor and texture, should have had them add an egg too.

Doll had them add in a scrambled egg to the waffle, duck confit and citrus, she loved it! What's not to love?

I don't normally order avocado toast, but with the addition of smoked salmon, it sounded good. And it was. Again, the food is top notch, the conversation with Ben & Grant was great. And also got to talk with Noah, pretty sure that's his name. He also recognized us and welcomed us warmly. Oh, and the hashbrowns, they are a big slab of potatoes that are to die for!

I have driven by this place multiple times and could never figure out what it was. Driving by all you can see are some heads behind the glass and not much more.

I did a search for a brunch place and this came up on the list.

I typically don't give a first visit a 5 star rating, but this place hit all the notes, food, engaging conversations with the chefs, ambiance, great space.

We sat at the kitchen table and was immediately engaged by the two chefs, Ben and Grant. I ordered the waffle with duck confit and citrus, Doll got the breakfast sandwich and asked to swap out the pork belly for the chicken maple sausage, no problem. And we got a slab of their hashbrowns! The food was all fantastic, great mix of flavors with the waffle with duck and a mild spicy maple syrup. The focaccia that was used for the egg sandwich was soft and not crusty. The egg souffle was topped with a savory herb aioli, which Doll loved. Interesting take on the hashbrowns, they form a rectangle slab of potatoes and fries them first and then finish them off in the oven, mighty tasty. Really good vibe to the place and engaging chefs. The experience is always better with a friendly staff. We did talk with our waiter, just no so much. Nice man, didn't catch his name, he was attentive and always there when he was needed.

Can't wait for...

I decided to see what was new on the craft cocktail scene, and Herbst Eatery and Farm Stand popped up. This was news to me! So we went! I couldn't get reservations, but they keep about a dozen seats at the bar open for walk-ins. I love sitting at bars, so that worked for us.

The restaurant is big, bright and airy, which makes it nice for dining but rather noisy.

Their cocktail menu is interesting. They have five main cocktail types: mineral, earthy, funky, bitter, and seasonal. For example, you can opt for "Mineral", where you have "high proof", which was jasmine-infused gin, gentian, and vermouth. Low proof is vermouth, gentian, and jasmine-infused gin. Finally you have no proof - an alcohol-free cocktail based with the same flavor notes. The bartenders were very good at describing these drinks . The cocktails were excellent, and apparently designed by the cocktail genius at Meteor Bar (which is sensational!). I highly recommend the funky one. Very interesting, with a complex flavor profile.

With the cocktails, we had the chicken liver mousse. It is really delicious. It is served with honey, pepper, and sour cherries with the right amount of toasted bread in the side.

The grilled seppia with the eggplant puree was delicious, as was the roasted corn pastina with taleggio. Great corn flavor. Very summery and lovely. All the pasta is fresh and house-made. The spaghetti amatriciana with tomato, lamb bacon, and pecorino was tasty but too spicy for my taste. My husband thought it was great however. My main course was lamb with beets, feta more like a feta cream, and chili crisp. The lamb was great. I could not eat the rest because it was so so very spicy. I just couldn't eat it. My husband said it was okay. If you don't like really spicy, skip that dish.

Dessert was a lovely blueberry peach shortcake with whipped mascorpone substituting for the whipped cream. It was a rather savory dessert as a result, and salty from the mascorpone. Interesting and unusual. I guess I like a bit more sweet for dessert.

The waitstaff is attentive, there is easy street parking, and the ambience calm albeit loud.

Come for the cocktails and stay for dinner. You will have...

2025.08.31 Still coming for Sunday brunch, as we did today. Grant, now Nick are cheffing the brunch. Got to meet Angie today! One of the owners of the place. Brought a bunch of sweets from Max & Sandy over at Savory Bake house for the crew. They treat us so well, want to treat them back. Grant asked what we wanted and I came up with a Denver Omelet. Grant said 'On it'. Doll said the egg sandwich but with the chicken sausage, not the pork belly. Too fatty for her. Excellent meal and great conversation with the whole staff. And you have to order the hashbrowns!!!

If you haven't made it here yet. Bee line to it.

2025.07.29 We've been visiting Herbst for Sunday brunch for awhile now. Gotten to know Grant and Luke in the kitchen, Brooke in the wait staff. All great people and a pleasure to interact with. Food is top notch, we have mostly been for Sunday brunch, but have had a couple of dinners, which are also top notch in flavor and presentation.

Highly recommend.

2025.07.06 Stopped by today for brunch, been back for a number of brunches. Really well made dishes from Grant, Ben, and now Luke. Today I asked Grant for something off the menu, their omelette but with some duck. It was their stracciatella cheese omelette, herbed vermouth sauce, arugula. Really good flavor mix, I would order it again. Doll got the ricotta toast with a scrambled egg on top of it. And if you like hash browns, you gotta get theirs. Big oval disks of hash browns deep fried and finished in the oven. Thank god they cut the potato's in half, it is as big as a dinner plate. Really good food and it has been consistent since the first visit. Oh, and really good scone.

Finally got a chance to come by for dinner. Ben did not disappoint. Ordered the Dorade and the Focaccia. Got to try the grilled prawns and the tempura asparagus. Dorade was served with white asparagus, an interesting carrot, and peas. Crispy skin and a nice white fish filet. Interest asparagus side, green goddess dressing and parmesan cheese and a cured egg, not sure what a cured egg is?

All really good, can't wait to try...