Little Oven — Restaurant in Saint Paul

I've been here a number of times because it is a nice homey spot with a large menu, but wasn't thrilled with the food this time. I got a hot turkey plate with stuffing and mashed potatoes and cranberries plus a popover. The first popover was stale, but the fresh one they brought after was good. We got fries (decent but nothing special and they weren't super hot), bread sticks with sauce (the texture tasted stale but the flavor was really good. The waitress said they were fresh but they weren't soft at all), and pizza. The pizza was also decent, but the black olives tasted off. So overall, I was happy with the hot turkey sandwich, I think it was 12.99 and was enough for two people really, or leftovers. Would not recommend the bread sticks or the fries, we were a bit disappointed. I would go back again (I've been there 3-4 times and tried different things each time) but I think it really depends on the meal you choose. I've had chicken Alfredo in the past and liked it, and wasn't thrilled with a breakfast combo, it was average. I guess I'll have to see how the next time goes but it wasn't overpriced and they had a bunch of specials and the waitress was nice. There is a decent amount of street parking and a tiny parking lot. It is a small, older space. THEY DO NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS, so bring cash or checks (they do...

We've been going there for many years, & usually enjoyed the food... this time was different. The deep fried ravioli we had for an appetizer had a thick, rock hard, flavorless exterior. Pre-breaded, frozen for sure. Hard to bite into or even cut with a knife. Flavor of interior ricotta was okay. The Lasagna noodle roll up with "mixed seafood" had very little filling, which was unrecognizable as any kind of seafood. The little bit that was there tasted a little like tuna. White wine sauce was pasty & flavorless. Husband had giant hot dago, which was a small, flavorless "Italian" patty, with a gallon of tomato sauce and a large bun that was toasted. We don’t know why they bothered toasting it because the sauce it was drowning in defeated the purpose of toasting it. Same old, tired waitresses with fake smiles on their faces. NOT ONCE did the waitress ask if we liked our food or needed anything. Had to practically beg for drink refills. Lasagna roll ups were returned when the waitress finally noticed I was not eating them. She did ask if I wanted something else, but I declined. Very disappointing for what was once a...

My family ate here when I was little, and now my husband takes our little family here! They have definitely improved upon the food and atmosphere from what I can remember. They have a large menu; I have never gotten the same thing twice because everything looks so good! My husband always gets the baked penne. They have HUGE portions, and some menu items come with pasta AND ravioli (a good pick if you can't decide what to get) The breadsticks are good and come with flavored butter, but they are just pizza dough that has been cut and deep fried. This is not a "fancy" establishment, but if you want huge portions at a reasonable price, this is the place to go!

HOWEVER, the service is very hit or miss. We were pretty much ignored last time, and counted our server visiting another table 3 times before she checked on us. This was a problem because our mozz sticks were under done, and we wanted to get a fresh order before our food arrived. She was also very monotone and never smiled. We were there for almost three (3!) hours because she was so slow to check on us. Not fun to wait around that long with a baby. The restaurant wasn't even...