Local Rumor — Restaurant in Saint Paul

I had the opportunity to check out Local Rumor located on Selby Ave in Saint Paul, and the spot was truly amazing. I sampled various menu items, and they were all really good.

The cheeseboard looked great, and I enjoyed the various cheeses and the jam, which was quite amazing. Although I’m not a fan of nuts or olives, the cheese, fruits, jam, and crackers were fantastic. The mashed potatoes were pretty good, but I felt like adding some cheese would take the dish to a completely different level. The cornbread was flavorful and filling; I had to fight myself and lay off it because I'm already thick man and not trying to get thicker!

The Smashburger was also pretty good and heartwarming. My favorite, though, was the chicken sandwich. The batter was cooked to perfection, making for a nice crunch with every bite. Lastly, I tried their shrimp cocktail, which was super good. It gave me ceviche vibes with the lovely house-made chips.

Although this place is still working on their liquor license, they did have a mocktail menu with tasty drinks. The experience was great, and the service was a 10 out of 10. Make sure you ask for Meg if you're there—she is the best!

Parking can be challenging. There is a small parking lot on the side of the restaurant, but otherwise, there is street parking, which can be busy at times. One cool thing about the spot is that it has a patio, so if you're looking for that outdoor vibe, this is a great spot for you.

All in all, this spot is beautifully designed and is an ultimate vibe for a date night or an outing...

While there’s promise, unfortunately our dining experience at Local Rumor was disappointing. Perhaps in the future after some of the issue are resolved this will be a good spot, but currently I cannot recommend it as a restaurant, though the ambiance was good so it may serve as a decent higher end bar spot. Our drink was also good so that’s a point in favor of it as a bar spot.

As for food, we ordered carrots, cauliflower, mac and cheese, and the cornbread. The portions and quality of the vegetables were side quality, even though their prices were far more. The flavors + textures were very subpar and I was left feeling I would been better off having spent the evening in since my own rendition of the dishes would have been far better. The mac and cheese was as expected and good, but sadly the cornbread had an odd fishy taste.

Additionally, we were told that the hot dish was not vegetarian so we did not order it, while the table beside us who had a different waiter were told it was vegetarian. For some people this could be a big issue, so it’s a bit disappointing it happened.

Overall, if you want a drink in a fun spot or perhaps based on other reviews just a smash burger this may be your spot, but otherwise the quality of the non-meat options means it’s not worth it, as the $60 dollars we spent resulted in a poor dinner that didn’t even fill us up. I was excited with the varied menu that offers lots of veggie dishes, but the quality is just not there right now. Maybe...

A bit flummoxed by the universally positive reviews for this total mediocrity. Awkward seating, disinterested service, overpriced and underwhelming fare - this place has it all. It seems Local Rumor is looking to coast on vibes and no substance. We'll see how long that good will lasts.

When you are the only two orders in the kitchen and your sandwich arrives almost 10 minutes before that of your dining partner, you know the staff are either ill-trained or the management is not enforcing basic service standards. I've never had that happen in a party of two under any circumstance, let alone for simple, a la carte menu items that could easily have been griddled and presented together. Dive bars with half-drunk servers can get this correct and yet this place has no clue.

Even more insulting was the poor quality of the meal, which dripped its film of griddle oil and tasted eminently cheap beyond that. The menu is an uninspiring recombination of ingredients attempting to create every dish imaginable - no daily or weekly specials and no sense that Local Rumor is clued in to any kind of elevated customer experience. Better food without the pretense and price tag can easily be found almost anywhere else in St. Paul, making Local Rumor a boring and utterly pointless visit. Don't...