J. Selby's — Restaurant in Saint Paul

hard pass ! i love supporting local shops & this one just missed the mark. please note, i am just writing based off my own experience. take what you will from that, try things on your own accord. i placed an online pick up order through toast, there was never any check in updates through the app. i waited a little bit longer than the estimated pick up time because i didn’t want to just be waiting around. the food was actually ready when i arrived, but the boxes were soggy from steam and so was the food. there was never an update that the food was ready through toast so i thought maybe they had been busier than anticipated and wanted to give them a little grace. had i known it just meant my food was sitting out…they just didn’t bother to update.. i would’ve arrived much earlier. with things being the way they are in this economy, i was still determined to give it a try. not gonna let money go to waste. i had been so excited to try j selby’s after hearing nothing but great things. the cauliflower wings were sad and soggy cold. the chicken sandwich was okay ish, definitely not worth a $20 price tag and the animal style fries were actually the only real good thing i had out of my entire meal. sometimes you bite a loss and something isn’t as it turns out like you’d hope. that’s okay. that’s understandable. my issue — not long after eating part of my meal, i felt INCREDIBLY nauseous. i threw up literally everything i had just consumed. i ended up throwing the second half of my meal away and was really kicking myself for not just picking up something from whole foods or kowalskis for lunch like i had originally planned on. waste of time, money and i was left still hungry for something actually satiating… and disgusted by throwing up what part of my meal i did eat. another thing i feel that is worth noting — i thought maybe i was reading too much into it myself but after seeing some of these reviews — prepared to be JUDGED the moment you walk into this establishment. nothing but pretentious holier than thou glares. it is severely unwelcoming.

not a fan of the automatic gratuity service fee. i love tipping, i love supporting those that provide good service, doesn’t even need to be excellent just good… rolling your eyes and glaring at me isn’t that lol. the fact it isn’t even disclosed either is wild. i bought a coffee and cookie inside the store before picking up my order and it was $2 just for me to take my stuff to go? like you are already charging me nearly $7 for a subpar cold brew and $3 for a dry cookie..

update - they were decent enough to issue me a refund due to my poor experience here. this is about a week after my visit, but ever since i ate my meal here, i have felt incredibly unwell. i don’t know what kind of food poising i contracted from here but it’s definitely not like anything i have experienced before. the stomach pains are a solid 9/10.. i feel like throwing everything i do eat, up. honestly has me a bit freaked out that it could be something real funky and.. parasitic. i have just never felt so disgusting before. thus, keeping my review to what it is. i would not recommend this place to anybody.. not even my worst enemy,...

We visited on a Friday around 2pm for lunch to grab takeout that we preordered online.

Food: We visited this restaurant frequently before it was taken over by the owners of Herbivorous Butcher and, unfortunately, it is a completely different restaurant with much lower quality food. We ordered the Fried Mushroom appetizer, Mel’s Chicken Wrap, and the Peanut Butter Salted Caramel Shake. The fried mushrooms were drowning in grease and soggy. Mel’s Chicken Wrap was always a favorite of ours, with diced up fried chicken and bacon and heavy on delicious ranch dressing in a huge tortilla-now it is just one chunk of chicken with a couple of full slices of bacon and barely any ranch the size of a small burrito. The shake just tasted like peanut butter, with no discernible caramel flavor. We paid $50 for this meal, which is incredibly overpriced for the food that we got, both in quality and quantity.

Restaurant Atmosphere: The atmosphere in the restaurant has also changed; previously it was a more neutral atmosphere catering to all types of individuals, whereas now it has much more of a hipster alt vibe that many might not find very inviting. The tables are tight together and there isn’t much room to stand to wait for your order.

Service: The service was incredibly slow and dysfunctional. We showed up at an off hour and it took 25 minutes to get our small order. Multiple workers were on their phones instead of tending to the orders of drinks and getting food served. Food was sitting up on the bar ready and no one was tending to it getting it out to customers. The employees they have seem to be hired more for a certain vibe and look than actual ability to run a restaurant efficiently and effectively. It was an incredibly disappointing service experience with no concern shown for the customer in general.

Parking: It is only street parking and it’s always been a hassle. There is very little parking in front of the restaurant, and you need to understand city parking rules to ensure you don’t get towed if you park on any of the side streets. Definitely very inconvenient parking.

Overall, this place now serves incredibly overpriced junk food in an environment with poor customer service. We once loved this place, and after years of patronage, will never be returning again and cannot recommend...

Walked in side door was nor sire if it was locked. Saw cashier and people waiting to order food to go. Was not sure where to wait for a table to dine in. Finally people in line let us know you need to order your food then pick your dine spot. We had a four and two year old so this was a challenge to read menu and decide what to eat. Next cashier explained some bowls and other meals on menu were not available. We had not choose the items so all was well. Next we we up to order and my two year old needed to potty. Husband instead on all of us ordering before using restroom. This was not fun. Very excite they had almond milk options. Gluten-free items were available too. We finally sat down at a nice clean table. Bathroom was beautiful and everything at this restaurant was brand new and very modern. Bright and you can see cooks preparing food dishes. First our appetizer arrived to our table. It was delicious fries chilli and cheese. Meatless and dairy free. SO GREAT! !! Then our children meals were put on our table. Next my husband's meal and lastly my meal. Four year picked at his herb hamburger. Two year wait for not dog to cool off and eat fries. When he eat his not dog he loved it and say yummy and danced in his booth. He loved greeting people as they wait in line next to our booth. People seemed to enjoy his warm welcome. Hello with a huge smile. I tasted my four humberger. It was excellent favor and taste. Worth every penny. If he does not eat it tomorrow....I will. Chilli great. I was not trilled about my PhI'll sandwich but my hubby liked it so we traded. Coleslaw was fantastic (; Fresh fruit was wondering in the children's meals too. Over all we all loved Selby's and we will be back. Dessert can be order at bar server told us. We were too full but thought I pass that on incase you want dessert but did not order as front cashier. P.S. My two year eat leftovers in the car . He liked...