50 Best Italian Restaurants near Mendota Heights

“It was our first time here and we had such a great experience. Our server Daniel was amazing and thorough at explaining the menu for us. Him and the staff were so attentive and friendly. Food was delicious.“

“I’m working on a project here from Tennessee when a coworker took me to Buon Giorno for lunch. As soon as you walk in, the fresh bread aroma is amazing. On my second visit to the Pasta Bar, Kyle the Chef actually remembered what I got the week before. The made to order pasta is awesome and make sure to get the fresh bread that goes with it.“

“Best pasta in the Twin Cities?????? Cavatelli with Rabbit Sugo was marvelous. We swapped and tried each others and I was equally floored by all of them. Wonderful service. Our server was friendly and helpful. Delicious drinks and cheesecake for dessert (ate immediately, not pictured). Absolutely will come back- hopefully soon!“

“I made reservations for 6 to celebrate my wife’s birthday. We drove an hour to come here after a recommendation and it was worth it! We had great service and all of us loved our food! Definitely will be back!“

“Everything we had was great! Normally we enjoy steak but this was a great change that he and I both enjoyed! Friendly staff also at the bar!“

“Hyacinth is a keeper. Creative food, well prepared, small but extremely well chosen wines. Portions were large, a bit too large in my view. Hyacinth is one of the few restaurants in the post Covid dining world that is daring to show us how innovative dining can be done.“

“Amazing atmosphere and the food was incredible. I had manciotti with the homemade meatballs and they were outstanding. Amazing food and service“

“Thank you for superb service and wonderful food. Best lasagna I have ever had!“

“Absolutely fabulous! I moved from Europe 3 months ago and started to miss some of the European food. This place is IT! We went there twice, 1st time I ordered pizza - legit with fluffy crust! 2nd time I got Croque Madame and they nailed it too! Prices are reasonable, service amazing and plenty of room for parking. My new favorite place when I get home sick! ❤️ Thank you!“

“If you're looking for authentic Italian deli fare, Brianno's is the real deal. The location wasn’t quite where I was expecting—tucked away and easy to miss if you’re not familiar with the area—but absolutely worth finding. I was genuinely impressed with the sandwiches – packed with flavor and clearly made with quality ingredients. The price point felt fair considering the portion sizes; I easily got two hearty servings out of just half a hoagie. The taste was incredible – rich, fresh, and satisfying in every bite. I can't wait to come back and try more from their menu! Highly recommend for anyone craving a true Italian deli experience.“

“My favorite pizza in the cities“

“Amazing food always. Owners are very lovely folks“

“If you need your party catered, this is the place to go. Staff: Easy to work with, on time, good prices, friendly and very accommodating. Food: Gorgeous/amazing presentation , fresh, hot, professionally packed. I ordered from Red Rabbit in Saint Paul for my work holiday party. Everyone LOVED the food and the portions are generous. I was able to easily and beautifully display it. The timing was perfect and everything went smoother than I had hoped. This is your one stop shop for all of your party food needs. Hats off to the chefs and management for making our party wonderful.“

“Great service and food!!!!“

“What a wonderful place. My boys took me here for dinner last night and it was fantastic. Great atmosphere, friendly staff and the food was incredible. I will be back again and again. Thank you!“

“We had a party of 16 at short notice who needed to be accommodated and we were very well attended to. Little Oven Staff knocked it out of the park! Thank you all!“

“Loved the place. Just captures the essence of what an Italian-American eatery/shop would be expected to feel like. Food was great. Cafeteria style service so it was pretty quick. Fun atmosphere (music, decor, etc.). Fun little shop with bakery and butcher and candy/chocolates. Would go again.“

“Food was very delicious, service was top notch. Would definitely go back to try more of the options. Our Waiter was great and very informative.“

“We frequent Yarusso’s and will always be a favorite! Decided to have them cater my girlfriend’s 40th and Jerry absolutely knocked it out of the park!!! First class food and service that is unmatched“

“Had high expectations that were disappointed. Went in for Father's Day with my group of 4. There were several open tables and plenty of staff, but service was disorganized and not attentive. On two occasions we had to reach out for a server ... And we are not high maintenance and were not in a rush. I used to work in restaurants. Food was good, but not great. We'll give it another try, but not rushing back“

“What a treat!! My whole family loved it!!“

“Delicious bread, pasta, and drinks. Good prices at lunch. Free validated parking. Great and friendly server.“

“I am from Massachusetts so I have never had your food before. Placed an order earlier in the afternoon for a kids meal and a side of meatballs. Unfortunately the meatballs were not ready so I left without them. The pesto pasta kids meal was outstanding - so when it came time to order dinner I went back. The same gentleman who took my first order - remembered me and asked if I still wanted the meatballs - I almost didn't get them - but I am so glad I did! Some of the best meatballs and sauce I have ever eaten. I'll now be on the lookout to visit your other locations if there are any where I travel. What a terrific experience and a great way to end my visit! Maybe one day one of your places will open in Massachusetts - what a wonderful day that will be.“

“Outstanding as usual!! Fabulous!“

“Always the BEST Pizza and antipasta Salad!!!“

“BEST FOOD IN THE AREA!!!!“

“Incredible homemade italian and such an incredible, incredible value for the price. Best italian food I have had in a long time!“

“RUN - don’t walk to this place! We are visiting St. Paul and this is one of theee best Italian restaurants we have ever been to (and we have some experience in this kitchen!) Everything was just phenomenal- Highlights: The Braciole app is probably the best we have ever had. The Misticanza salad was light and lovely- Both the Arrabiatta(added sausage) and the Pacchari Pesto w/shrimp mains were to die for! And For dessert the Budino! Service was perfectly attentive and the ambience - was delightful! We will 100% be back if we are in the area“

“Had a very special celebrations here recently and it was amazing. Staff was awesome, food was delicious and ambiance was top notch. Every person in our party commented on what a great find this place was and how they couldn’t wait to come back. Thank you to the Luci Ancora team for making our celebration so wonderful.“

“Date night. Food was good. Wine was good. The waiter could be more attentive. He did not even ask us once how the food was and if we needed anything. Had to get extra sauce from the girl who brought out our food.“

“I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, my server Tommy recommended a breakfast special he created as he also is one of the chef’s, and it was so so so good. An elevated food experience that lives up to the Minneapolis food scene’s reputation. Decor is awesome too. Thanks for the experience and recommendations Tommy, you’re the homie!!“

“i always enjoy the chicken alfredo, salad, and bread sticks. it was all excellent. and they had a chocolate desert that we were only going to have a few bites of because we were so full, but we ate the whole thing it was so good. our waiter seemed pre-occupied. he was not very attentive. i had to ask 3 times for extra alfredo sauce. and what really sucked was that we were foolish enough to play trivia in the little screen on the table. there was $3 dollar charge for using the dumb thing. there was no warning that you play at your own risk and with a cost. lame. the meal was a lot pricier than i expected.“

“The Cave Cafe is one of my new favorite trucks that I’ve had. The Boss Wrap is unbelievable! Chicken and gyro meat is a great combination and it works really well here. The chicken quesadilla has a generous amount of chicken and is grilled perfectly, a high quality quesadilla. Cave Cafe was one of the highlights for me at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Everyone was so friendly too. Afro-Italian fusion makes for incredible tasting food. I need to keep track of this food truck in the future!“

“Base price for pasta no longer includes SAUCE! I ordered pasta with three veggies, chicken and Alfredo. I paid $10.99 for the pasta (a price increase) PLUS $2.99 for the SAUCE! Total over $15.00. Deceptive pricing practice. I normally order the spicy rosa (now $1.99) with sausage, which is delicious and recommend. This time I opted for the alfredo. It tastes suspiciously like jarred alfredo. Not worth the price.“

“Party of 12 had a blast and the fettuccine was not bland at all! The sirloin steak was fabulous! The Strawberry Margarita was perfectly made. Chicken was not soggy. The minestrone soup was excellent and the salad was perfect. Pleasantly surprised with this Olive Garden visit. Servers were so attentive.“

“Great vibes. Good cocktails. Food options are limited but great taste. I ordered a salad which was listed as v for vegetarian but it came with prosciutto. Admitting the mistake, they waived off my 5 drinks from the bill which was great gesture. Also, the manager apologized atleast 5 times for the mistake and assure to make corrections to the menu. They also have a bakery and deliver cakes and pastries to your table at the rooftop which is really awesome.“

“We used to live in Roseville and would get Carbone's often. Now we live out of range - so when we saw the restaurant next to our hotel, we jumped at the opportunity to eat their pizza.
Still good. Didn't like the Christian music videos on the TV, but dug the big fish tanks.

Wheelchair accessibility: My daughter is in a wheelchair and she was able to get around pretty easily.“

“Buca s a really great place to get some really awesome Italian food. Best Italian food I've ever eaten. Remember the portions are really big so make sure that if you're eating just for yourself to get like a children's spaghetti because even the child spaghetti is enough for one person way more than enough. If you want a good meal for relatively cheap you can't go wrong with this place“

“Excellent Italian Hoagie!“

“Our server was first rate. She was attentive and responsive, and she offered menu suggestions in response to our questions. The food was delicious and authentically Turkish. Would definitely go back!“

“I've been coming to Jakeeno's pretty much my whole life. They have the best staff and incredible pizza. I personally love the chicken parm sandwich. Salads are really good too. You really can't go wrong here. We get their frozen pizzas too! Truly cannot love this place enough.“

“Stopped in thinking it was a little Mexican joint, loved the vibe of the place, and staff were great. The decor and music instantly transported me back to one of my favourite bars in the world, over in Glasgow (Scotland) IYKYK.
Was disappointed when we saw the menu and found I had got it wrong and it wasn’t Mexican - that was until we ordered and got to try our food - absolutely phenomenal ??
Amazing American-Asian fusion snacks and plates, and the cocktails were BOMB.

Couldn’t speak more highly of the people working here, who were super nice, really attentive, and made us feel incredibly welcome.

Music choices were also fantastic, contemporary alternative pop/rock/punk with some alt-classics thrown in.

This would be a cool place to go just for the vibes, music and cocktails, but the food and the staff here make this one of my new favourite places here in the Twin Cities.

11/10, would Little Tijuana again ??“

“We’re from out of town and we come up here every year cuz the food (not just the pizza) is SO good. Great atmosphere, the beer selection rocks, and everything I’ve tried on the menu is fantastic. Dan was our server again this year and he gave us phenomenal service. Can’t wait to come back again!“

“Great pizza napoletana and a lovely staff. We have been patrons for over 20 years. Our family is from Campania and having Punch is a wonderful reminder of home. Grazie mille!!!“

“A really nice place to eat. The lasagna was excellent. I'll be back.“

“Stopped in for an early dinner with the family after the game. As always, the staff were friendly, the food was delivered promptly, and the pizzas were delicious.

Vegetarian options: There are several vegetarian options on the menu, though a vegan might struggle to find adequate choices.

Parking: The restaurant has a small lot. If it is full there is street parking on Grand Ave.“

“Very cool spot! Had great reviews so stopped in for dinner with the family. We had the cheesy bread with marinara which was good. We also ordered the grilled vegetables appetizer that we enjoyed.

Then my wife and daughter ordered a pizza with tomatoes, feta cheese, harissa and fennel sausage which they really enjoyed. My son is a basic pizza kid so we split a pepperoni pizza which we also enjoyed. We all liked the coal fired approach which reminded us of some of the places we enjoyed when we lived in CT (New Haven).

Service is going to get its own section here in the write up because it was exceptional! We had an Asian guy (apologies I can't recall his name) who took care of us who was fantastic! Positive attitude, super upbeat and friendly. Very helpful with menu suggestions and beer suggestions as well. Very attentive, refills were timely, never had any long stretches where he disappeared (and they were PACKED). Really stayed on top of everything and provided a great experience overall.

Excellent meal and experience and I highly recommend you give it a shot if you're in the area.“

“First time!! Discovered in the skyway downtown Minneapolis. IT IS SO GOOD!!! 😋“