Neighborhood Cafe — Restaurant in Saint Paul

Hands down, Neighborhood Cafe is on my Top 3 list of favorite places to eat breakfast. My partner and I LOVE this place- we used to come here all the time when we lived in St. Paul, only a couple miles down the street. Now, since moving, we don't get out there quite as often as we might like to but get very excited when we can! When the pandemic closed its doors, we were very worried they wouldn't open again; despite the constantly packed dining room and lines out the door for a table, we knew they were a small, locally owned business and those were taking the hardest hits amidst lockdown. We would have been so sad to see them go. Thankfully, they have since reopened and the day I learned of their reopening, I immediately called my partner to share the good news with excitement and we made plans to go for breakfast that weekend... And it was wonderful. So so happy to have this gem back as I cannot say enough good things about it!!

The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the staff are always so kind and have been there forever; you can tell they truly love the place. The service is always 10/10 and feels homey. The food is fantastic- while I haven't yet explored their lunch/dinner menu (as we always come here for breakfast) we have yet to have a bad meal so I can only have faith that their non-breakfast foods would deliver the same sentiment. The food comes to your table quickly, but without compromising amazing quality; a trait that I feel many restaurants have yet to master.

Truly we love this cafe and are so excited to have them back- in fact, as I write this review, we are on our way there now! Whether you are a long time resident of the city, or visiting from out of town, this place is a must-stop-by and definitely worth writing home about. Whenever we have friends/family visiting, we make a point to take them here because we...

And there’s a DISCREET and secret dog café patio in the back! This restaurant is female owned and has been here for more than 20 years.

There is a reason the most popular item is the Cajun omelete and with the world class love affair that Minnesotan’s have with hollandaise sauce- is well represented on these plated items!

A hearty breakfast that is easy to split with a friend and they understand a flavor profile, we had the Cajun omelet, and you could taste the andouille sausage, finally ground, so that it was married with all the other flavors in every bite! Yes friends, you will get that robust Cajun flavor in every mouthful without being overly spiced!

Fresh squeezed orange juice was our surprise and you really have to order the extra corn pancake. They serve it with honey butter and while you can put syrup on it it doesn’t need the syrup. It has a sweetness and a little crunch with a little soft. It’s kind of a miracle.

This is totally a bring your dude kind of place and at the same time sit with your girlfriends, or go alone and hang out with your dog it’s that versatile. Its an awkward hunt for parking so if your bringing grandpa or a family drop them off.

You can get a walker into the bathroom and it has a wide hallway so you can also swing in a wheelchair. The front dining area absolutely can accommodate wheelchairs. And weekdays are really easy to get someone who needs a little extra care in and out. Dogs have to be outside and it’s an oasis so they are going to love it , plus there’s a rumored...

If you only have one place you're eating in Saint Paul while you're here, you need to stop and eat at your Neighborhood Cafe. Family-owned, and all Minnesota vibes.

Greeted right away, and when the host realized there was an open table she seated us right away.

The server was prompt to take our orders and to bring our drinks.

The first thing I noticed when our food arrived was the single loose hair highly visible on top of my Cajun.

I pointed that out and the waiter apologized right away and fixed the issue.

That being said, these things happen, I worked in the restaurant industry for half my life. A pro tip to anyone who dislikes hair nets. Before your shift, trim up and then shower to make sure you get all the loose hairs off your body.

The Cajun was amazing! Eggs were prefect, hashbrowns were crisp and light, sausage was surprisingly great with a kick, and the veggies and holiday sauce 😋.

The plates were cleared as fast as we were finished. The waiter asked if he could comp my meal because of the hair.

TL;DR

Fabulous food, excellent service, worth every penny. If you have only one place you're going to eat during your time in the twin cities, you need to stop here.

Visit #2

Well, the wait was not enjoyable, but dang those cinnamon-swirled pancakes are...