Lost Fox — Restaurant in Saint Paul

Beautiful restaurant! Great calm vibes on the café side, nice upbeat energy on the other side. Same music throughout but the way the restaurant was set up gave it a bit of distinction. We came in around 8 pm last night and sat ourselves per the sign. It took a few minutes before someone greeted us but once she acknowledged us everything else came swiftly. She seemed like she was one of two servers working during an extremely busy period where everyone came in at the same time so kudos to them!

We ordered the Fox Fries and Fried Pickled Cauliflower to start. They were both good. The shoestring fries are pretty standard. The pickled cauliflower and sauce were delicious, although lukewarm. As for entrées, we each got the Chicken Sandwich, Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Rice Bowl, and Esquite-Chorizo hotcakes. The guys stated that the sandwich and rice bowl were not hot and both too spicy. Maybe the server misheard over all the noise and thought my partner wanted the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. I did taste them both and although I like a lot of heat, I agreed the pepper was a bit heavy on both. I didn't really like the appetizer I got as my meal. The hotcakes themselves were good. I just didn't like the dry, crumbly texture of the chorizo. And, the lime crema was so acidic and there was so much of it that it overtook the entire dish. I definitely felt like they were heavy-handed with the citrus which is weird for me to say because I usually ask for extra. It was just too much for this particular recipe.

Another factor in my rating was the feeling of being rushed. We kind of raced to finish our tepid food because they were starting a drag show (that we didn't know about) a little after 9. Although, I really love those, it's not something I enjoy with my husband and old roommate. I was also introducing them for the first time so they weren't able to really converse over the loud music or emcee. We felt like we needed to buy tickets to stay in our seats to properly finish our meal. They were about $10 each if I remember correctly, but we hadn't planned on that expense and also wanted to get somewhere where we could talk. So, we hurriedly boxed up our food and left.

I wouldn't hesitate to try them again during the day--when they're not so busy and would order different food. Not sure if I'll get the chance though because I'm a contract worker and not sure how long I'll be in the...

I live downtown and I wanted to try out new restaurants, so my friends and I gave Lost Fox a try. However, I left feeling completely disappointed. I am very understanding and empathetic when it comes down to businesses and hard working people, but I won’t be coming back.

When my server Danny came around with waters, he was very patient as my friends took a while to come. He’d come ask me if I needed anything and I told him I’d wait for them to arrive first, so I appreciated that. But when I was drinking the glass of water, I noticed that something was on the left corner side of my mouth. I thought perhaps it was a piece of crumb or something — even though I haven’t ate anything yet and I didn’t eat anything upon arrival. I touched it slightly with my finger until I looked closer and saw… that it was a piece of glass.

I couldn’t believe it. This is the first time I have ever experienced this. I could’ve swallowed it and would’ve had to go into the ER right away. So when Danny came around, I told him about this, and he quickly took the cups back and brought us new ones. I’m not someone who makes a big scene out of anything so I quickly got over it, and I was pretty nice about it too, because I assumed he would do a kind gesture like offering a discount. Plus, I know it’s not “his fault,” why would anyone do this on purpose, right?

When he handed me the receipt, I didn’t see any discount, or an apology that could make me feel like I was cared and seen for. I want to feel valued as a customer so I could return again even if it almost could’ve been a terrible accident. It was as if this one piece of glass had just been forgotten about, like I just almost didn’t swallow it.

I gave him $40 in cash and he asked if I needed any money back, and I just told him to keep the change. Regardless, I still tipped and I didn’t cause any scene or make it a big deal.

With that being said, I don’t think Lost Fox is a terrible place, but the restaurant and the team there left a bad impression on me, so I won’t be coming back. I wouldn’t recommend this...

We happened into the Lost Fox for supper before a St Paul Saints baseball game (minor league). It was a short walk from the park. The venue is warm and inviting. I love the high ceilings and the art on the walls.

As there was no “wait to be seated” sign, we found ourselves a table against the wall. Tables are tightly packed into the space so as more people came in it began to feel a bit crowded. But the vibe remained friendly.

Service was good, but clearly in no hurry.

The food was creative, fresh, and tasty. I had the chicken sandwich. The chicken breast was perfectly cooked and the portion generous. The kimchi was somehow so mild I barely could taste it. It was a bit on the dry side and could use some kind of complimentary sauce to add some zip. However, the chicken itself was extremely reminiscent of “huhnerschnitzel” (chicken schnitzel) in Austria (I lived there for more than two decades). If they offered it as such with a wedge or two of lemon and a side of potato salad it would be the closest thing I’ve found to authentic schnitzel in the Cities. I’d return for a plate of that!

I appreciated that there were no distracting TVs in the space. It’s a great venue to meet up with friends for food and conversation.

It was a bit of a surprise to find the restrooms were locked with a numeric keypad. I had to ask the bartender for the code. I went back and entered the code, but the door still didn’t open. I went back and asked what I was missing. He said to click the check mark button after entering the code. The men’s and ladies rooms use the same code. Probably good to know if you go there.

In short, it’s a nice space with decent food at a reasonable price in the heart...