The Buttered Tin — Restaurant in Saint Paul

Astoundingly mediocre food. I got the walleye fish cake benedict. It was $15. I also got the strawberry lime donut puff thing. It was 3.50. In the end with the living wage fee (20%) and taxes I paid $26. Both items excited me reading the descriptions on the menu, however there was nothing exciting about what I received. The walleye fish cakes were so underwhelming and not even cooked long enough to be crispy. Otherwise it was the usual poached eggs with hollandaise, then a side of breakfast potatoes. Not a single thing worth praising. The food was so mediocre I was shocked, mouth agape, jaw on the floor shocked. I expect mediocrity from gas station sushi, not a cute little brunch spot in lowertown. It wasn't that bad, but it's the kind of meal that leaves you feeling bad about having paid for it. Also, for a breakfast/brunch spot the portions were quite small. I usually share with my husband when we happen to go out for breakfast/brunch because portions are usually so large. Expect a single serving here, an expensive single serving that leaves you feeling disappointed and mad you didn't go somewhere else. This is also a counter service spot, you grab and refill your own waters, and there is really very little interaction with the servers. I'm all for this style of dining, in fact it often streamlines the whole process, but not at Buttered Tin! Expect slow, awkward, disorganized service. Depending on when you stop by the wait is long, like 15 minutes just in line. So imagine me walking in seeing the long line, and the fact that there's an automatic 20% charge on the bill, and still thinking to myself, "Oh hell yes, this is all going to be worth it." And it wasn't. Lots of restaurants have long waits and 20% charges now, and I still love going out and supporting my local restaurants. Don't think I'm complaining about those things in general, or else I'd be better off shutting myself inside and never going out. Let me once again specify, The Buttered Tin wasn't worth it. It wasn't at all. It could've been a one minute wait and cost me $5, and I'd still wish I had gone anywhere else but the Buttered Tin.

I usually don't write bad reviews, in fact all of my reviews are 4-5 stars, but I ate there three days ago and still can't process my regret and misery about having eaten there in...

Edit/Update: We've been back more often than we expected, something or the right combination of somethings brings us back. The weekly rotations have been good with things like bulgogi beef bowls and braised lamb benedict. The cinnamon rolls are as good as we suspected and we highly recommend trying them. We've bought some extra to go for people to try a couple times. As we mentioned before you can try to keep the total price reasonable, sticking to an entree each should keep you just under $20 a person but that's rather tough to do with beverages and all the extra stuff available so expect to spend $55+ for two. Other things to note, it does get busy on weekends and if you're getting a to go order we recommend double checking it yourself before leaving.

Original: A good quality, little breakfast place with some deli/grocery items available. The take home stuff is very good as well as the weekly rotations. The normal menu is much more average but there are still some standouts like the pancakes. As a heads up there is a clearly stated 20% liveable wage surcharge and may not entirely go to the staff. It is unfortunate that applies to take out and togo grocery/baked items as well though, and it would be better if the 20% was part of the prices listed. We had the huevos rancheros breakfast and the pig's eye breakfast. The rancheros was good but next time I'd try the biscuits and gravy meal or pancake meal instead of the pig's eye. The ham tasted really good, but was a bit hard to cut apart. Some of the hash browns were burnt, and a few blueberries had gone bad but still made it on the plate. We got a single side pancake to try and the maple bacon butter really adds a nice touch. Get there early if you want some of their drinks or bread loaves to go. Cinnamon rolls looked great as well, things were pretty picked over and out by 1pm. Unfortunately it is pricey by the end of things, it is pretty easy to rack up a bill over $40 without even hitting the take home stuff but it's a nice breakfast treat. As it was we ended up around $66 after the 20%. You can keep things pretty reasonable if you just grab a loaf/slice of bread or cinnamon roll on your way past though. While not often, we do plan to visit again. Most likely for some take...

For what I paid? For pancakes, two sets of scrambled eggs and bacon, smdh. The service and service area was subpar. I've eaten better and in a better and in a cleaner atmosphere at Perkins, than here. I know it's busy, it was Sunday so I get the brunch rush, but they were working and serving meals like they were in their home kitchen. Flies everywhere inside(with open pastries all over the counter space, where people were ordering talking and coughing over this stuff), dirty tables. The drink buffet should be expanded to add juice, instead of the girl at the register pouring me juice out of a juice gallon. Nobody wearing gloves, no serving trays. Plates coming out leaning against the waitress' clothes. If they can't handle the indoor and outdoor crowd, especially on Sunday, then half the restaurant should be sectioned off to make room for the wait staff to make plates to serve(almost like the set up at granite city). Especially if people are going to be waiting anyway, might as well maximize the space inside to get orders out faster, and to have it be more streamlined where the cooks and wait staff aren't walking on top of each other. Put speakers out side to play a nice brunch mix and create more of an atmosphere. I have wanted to eat here for the last couple of years, and today was my first time. Just mad this poor experience cost me 50 bucks. I usually try to tip well in most instances. I didn't even leave a tip. And I don't feel bad. Food....