Snelling Cafe — Restaurant in Saint Paul

On a whim dropped in and really loved their Philly steak and cheese sandwich served with fries and strong East African coffee. Was so good came back another day for the same and gradually began ordering more items from their modest menu, all excellently done.

Counter and table service available, tables and chairs are sturdy and adequate, few sofas also and a large screen tv. The decor is plain and business-like, service a tad slow but accurate and with a friendly smile, they'll recognize and greet familiar faces. The quality of their food and drink however is redeeming and so good i cant have enough, can keep coming back here. So refreshing to find high quality regular and ethnic dishes at reasonable prices.

The operators are east african would be my guess Eritrean or Ethiopian perhaps, friendly smiles, very welcoming and warm hearted, English speaking with an accent, you should have no difficulty ordering. A selection of American style burgers, sandwiches and even meatballs and pasta available and an excellent Chai tea. The highlight for me is their range of meat and vegetable dishes served within a wrapper of injera, a famously delicious and nutritious soft, fluffy pancake-like bread.

My taste buds assure me only the most fresh ingredients, vegetables, spices and oils go into their pots, cooked and marinated in its juices over a low fire but cooked thoroughly and slowly to perfection. Beef, chicken and fish are typical meats here not pork. Highly recommended establishment and don't hesitate to strike up a conversation or...

Wandered in this place around midnight because all other restaurants were closed. Came in with low expectations given the circumstances. Was a little intimidated at first given that the clientele appeared to be solidly Ethiopian-Somali-Eritrean(?) men, and communication was a little difficult with the manager/owner(?)/cook, but had an excellent culinary experience. We got 1 order of the lamb dibs and it was enough to serve two people. Only 14$+ tax. Probably the best Ethiopian I've had. My girlfriend agreed. Not too spicy, which I was grateful for. Found out afterwards that the cook made it especially light on spice given that we were gringos haha. It was much appreciated. Also, we found out they play hand billiards in the back which we thought was pretty awesome. They apparently have a whole billiards space in back which we were not aware of. Admittedly, it's not the vibiest restaurant, but if you want great food in big portions at a reasonable price this is the...

Just moved to the neighborhood and this place is incredible. The folks are super friendly and everything has been delicious. The first time we went, we sat in the dining room and they have a back room with a table of billardettes. It was super cool to see folks playing and learn how it works. My partner is Eritrean and the Awaze Tibbs and a veggie platter were a smash hit. Since then, we've had cheese steaks and espresso drinks. Both were delicious. They roast their own coffee beans and even sold us some. We are also looking forward to the upcoming Eritrean community events they have advertised. Only critique is the bathroom could use some love. It doubles as a storage closet/shower full of...