Little Village Pub — Restaurant in White Bear Lake

I used to be a loyal patron of this restaurant at its old location, and it breaks my heart to see what it has become after the move and change in ownership. The charm and character that once defined this establishment seem to have been lost in the transition.

Firstly, let's talk about the food. The menu has now been reduced to an extremely basic selection. For the price I would expect fries or something other than chips be the included but chips is the default.

The ambiance is another sore point. The old location had a unique and inviting atmosphere, with thoughtful decorations that added to the overall dining experience. However, the new place is practically devoid of any character. The sparse, almost non-existent decorations make it feel sterile and cold. It's disappointing to see the lack of effort put into creating a welcoming environment.

What adds to the disappointment is the fact that the old location was demolished. That place held so many memories and had a distinct identity that cannot be replicated. It feels like the heart and history of the restaurant were left behind in the rubble.

In summary, while the service remains decent, the overall experience has suffered immensely. It's disheartening to witness the decline of a once-beloved establishment. I sincerely hope the new owners take the feedback to heart and work towards restoring the charm and uniqueness that made this restaurant a standout in the...

I liked the Bierstube. The staff was awesome. They happily cooked our food to order every week for a couple of years.

But times change.

We were excited to try out the Little Village Pub! Until we walked in... the previous warm wood motif had transitioned to cinder block gray walls filled with televisions, flashing lights at the pull tab table and a distinct "jail house cafeteria" feel.

While the staff was completely new, our waitress, Teresa, was very engaging and fun!

Our food did not take terribly long, but I was a little surprised. I had asked for my burger to be cooked medium rare and, another 30 seconds on the grill it would have been charcoal. Also, it is rumored that salt & pepper season meat. There was no discernable flavor to the burger.

The upside was that the vegetable burger toppings were fresh!

My sweet potato fries were burnt and cold. I wish I could tell you if they tasted good, but I cannot.

One of my buddies also ordered his burger medium rare and it came out just as well done as mine did.

I really hope this was an anomaly. I would characterize this dinner experience as...

We were weekly customers of their last location for years and have come here at least 12x this year alone often bringing others with us. Sadly, similar to the place off 61, servers often disappear after awhile. So often we've been out of refills or needed a bill and they're at the bar talking w/others. You try to wave, they look away. Now you charge a service fee for using a credit card? Wow. Been there often and even as you had a mention of charging a service fee, it was never added to our bill. So when it's suddenly added, you need to mention. Didn't even give me a choice of cash. Considering I had to get my own refills, I shouldve deducted for my service. We don't live close, but came to continue supporting your small business. You're not super busy there and food is just average but now with service fee, we won't be back. We were tipping servers well too. Many of us are in business for ourselves and we ALL work hard but credit cards is part of...