Breva Bar & Grill

My wife and I made a reservation since we were staying at Hotel Ivy. When we arrived for our reservation, there was no one at the hostess stand. Eventually the bartender had to come over in order to greet us and take us to our table. We ordered the ahi tuna as well as the burrata salad for appetizers, then we ordered the shrimp scampi and the short rib for the entree. The ahi tuna bowl had good flavor, balance of the citrus with the soy and fish was comparable to a poke bowl. The burrata salad had a high quality cheese, but the salad had apples similar to that of filling for a pie which was mushy, would definitely have benefited from a crisp Granny Smith instead. The entrees unfortunately left a lot to be desired. The shrimp scampi honestly tasted like butter noodles with shrimp, you couldn’t taste any wine, citrus, or garlic flavor. The shrimp at least were cooked well. The short rib itself was fork tender, but the flavor was similar to a Mexican molé instead of a classic short rib sauce. The polenta was also old…it had large dry chunks and no creaminess I would expect for this dish. It tasted similar to reheated day old cheese grits. Unfortunately overall this place missed the mark. Convenient if you’re already staying at the hotel, but would not seek out otherwise.

Had a wonderful dinner with a party of 9. Michael the bartender was attentive and sweet, he made great drink recommendations. Food was tasty and drinks were great.

Lovely experience dining for Valentine’s Day. We were visiting town for the weekend and it was important to find a place that could offer romantic atmosphere, good cocktails, and a vegetarian option(s) for the menu - and they had a delicious winter squash risotto as a vegetarian entree in the pre fixe menu! The beets and flowers salad was next level incredible. Their regular menu was also available and appeared to have a few options. Our server Dahlia was efficient, warm, and friendly. We will be back! Thank you!

Liv was our server and she was AMAZING! She took great care of us and made great recommendations. We shared the smoked walleye dip which was delicious. I had the Skirt Steak & Frites. Very flavorful! We shared the sundae which was so good. The best ice cream we’ve ever had. The manager stopped by to say hello before we left. Great experience. Will definitely come back!

We went during restaurant week. We split a 3 course meal and added an additional starter and a carafe of wine. Our server was very nice and for most of the evening attentive except it took an long time to get our dessert and then our check but we were not in a hurry. Our beet salad and the burrata appetizer we would say were average. The salad was very small. The beef short rib was very good. Chocolate cake was also pretty good. The atmosphere was nice. One weird thing was that I had made a reservation for 5:30 and then in the afternoon wanted to change it to 6, but open table showed no openings between 5:30 and 7. The restaurant was almost empty at 6 so I don't understand. We left about 7:30 and still only had 2 or 3 other tables being used.

Samantha was in a word... exceptional. She made the entire time we had here special. She was attentive to every customer, timely with service, and all done with a smile. She is the type of advocate and ambassador every business owner would aspire to have defining their client's experience.

Among the more disappointing dining experiences of my life. I do not understand the review rating this place has, honestly. Some of the food was alright, but the Brick Chicken I got was wildly overcooked and dry. The biggest problem the table service. It was Saturday evening at 6:00, the restaurant was weirdly empty. There were maybe 4 tables occupied, the rest were open. Yet our waiter was absolutely missing in action all night. Took forever to get drinks ordered and even longer for the waiter to return to take our food order. We had to flag down bartenders and others for refills on soft drinks and tea (which, refills of those are not free and that wasn't communicated to us) and to order other mixed drinks. One dish we ordered was just never delivered to the table, but since our waiter was nowhere to be found, we couldn't even ask about it. If it had been busy, I would have been frustrated but understanding, and definitely wouldn't have taken the time to write a review. But again, there was almost no one in the restaurant. I can't say it was the worst meal I've ever had, but given the price and compared to expectations I had--I was completely shocked and extremely disappointed.

Sat at the Bar Edera, my Bartender Samantha was an absolute delight and pleasure to have serve some of the best drinks the first night. She was so incredibly attentive and read the room like a professional. No matter what went on that Monday night, she handled with grace and true passion and professionalism. That was the reason why I returned today. Again copy exact performance from the previous night. She went above and beyond to make all of us feel we are the most important person in the room. But that is her signature. She treats everyone with respect and makes you feel she got you. I had the skirt steak, medium rare, what an amazing dinner, and Samantha recommended the perfect wine, so I ordered the Aviary Cabernet which was perfectly paired with my steak. The only thing this establishment can improve on is hire more Samantha’s. Cheers Norbert

Food is alright . Could be better . Service was great ! And I'll probably will give it a second chance

(This review is from April but it's taken me a while to actually submit it) Our party of 6 dropped by on a Saturday night and they were luckily able to accommodate us for dinner. The service was great - our server was attentive and kind -- and when we asked her about her preferences she was direct and to-the-point. For our appetizer, we opted for the tuna crudo. It was a nice balance of flavors. Not too salty or citrusy, and not too fishy either. The avocado, burned bits, and fish paired well together. For my main, I had the guajillo short ribs on a bed of polenta (I don't think this is on the menu anymore though). This is a RICH and filling dish. The short ribs were well braised, and the sauce was thick. The first few bites were super flavorful and enticing, but after a while it was a bit much for me. I didn't end up eating it all -- but a few of my coworkers finished theirs. I am a big believer in always getting dessert if you're not quite full - and boy was I glad I did. The affogato was delicious (though admittedly a bit too melted for my taste). Seemed like a skimpy scoop of ice cream, but I was okay with that! This restaurant is tucked away, and sort of dim lit but I really enjoyed it. If you're in Minneapolis and not sure where to go, I'd encourage you to give it a try!

Enjoyed a simple appetizer, sockeye salad with crackers and Tamarindo margaritas. Sat at the bar as the restaurant was packed. The bar staff were friendly. Easy atmosphere. The only drawback us that there are two entrances and if you come in from the street you can see the host stand.

Amazing food! The downgrade is slow service due to lack of people. Two stars of the evening- chicken wings and the tuna (Crudo?). Both off starter menu. The mains we had the chicken and bolognese pasta were outstanding as well. Shout out to cocktails! Creative and flavorful! Yah gotta fix the service!

We initially came in the front door to this restaurant on our way to Masa and Agave which is located downstairs from Breva (Where we had reservations for dinner). When we initially came in we were greeted by a very pleasant young man who first asked us which restaurant we were here for we told him and he directed us downstairs but first handed us a menu after he heard a say what a beautiful place we thought this was. He explained the layout of the restaurant some of the menu items and then welcomed us back after our dinner reservations. So immediately we decided we would circle back after our dinner. Our dinner reservations downstairs were for 5:45 p.m. We were there for at least a good 3 hours, at which point we headed upstairs back to Breva. When we came in and sat at the bar we were not greeted, the bartender looked the two of us in the face a handful of times never said hello and continued speaking with the two people that presumably were friends of hers or a couple that she had struck up a friendly conversation with. Nonetheless we sat there for almost 10 minutes before she offered us a menu but that was only after the friend I was with Saw another employee who came behind the bar and was washing glasses, asked her if the bar was open, if they were still serving and what time they closed. At that point the bartender then gave us an after drink menu and then a food menu. We saw at least three other parties come in with reservations and being sat at their table So that let us know that they were still actively serving alcohol and food. With that said the bartender finally came back asked us what we liked she was pleasant enough but seemed extremely disinterested after we asked for our drinks and got them she went back to cleaning the bar and talking to the couple that was next to us until we finally had to ask for the tab. We quietly paid and went on about our way We stood outside for about another 45 minutes and just chatted as we saw multiple people still coming through the doors. The service and the lack of interest / attentiveness was a little disappointing because we expected so much more from our initial entry several hours later but that won't deter us we will definitely be back We likely won't sit at the bar if we see this bartender there. Everybody has an off day but this seemed like her typical demeanor. The spicy Paloma however was amazing and the menu looks just as fabulous as they're adjoining restaurant Masa and Agave(as we were told by the first gentleman that they are owned by the same company). Besides this brief unfortunate encounter the ambience was lovely, the menu boasts several great items that we are looking forward to indulging in next time.

*Breakfast Review Only* We did a staycation at Hotel Ivy and needed a quick breakfast before an event. Unfortunately, the service was quite slow, and the food came out just barely warm. The coffee was also harsh and bitter. I felt bad for the one and only server working. She seemed like she was making the best of a bad situation and was very friendly. It's possible this was just an off day - we all have them. I'd be willing to give them a try for dinner.

It's a beautiful spring evening, perfect for an excellent meal in a beautiful setting. Breva fit the bill perfectly. Located in the Hotel Ivy, this restaurant is bright and inviting. With neutral colors and a lot of natural materials, the space is calm and contemporary. Think casual elegance. Big windows and mirrors let in lots of light, and the gorgeous bar makes for a lovely focal point. It's a really pretty space. It would be fabulous for a pre-show meal, date night, or special family dinner. My dining companions raves about the smoked walleye dip, and I thoroughly enjoyed my tomato basil bisque. It had a pleasing acidity and silky-smooth texture that was set off by Parmesan crisps and butter croutons. It was also topped with fresh herbs including--bliss--fresh dill. What a lovely treat! For the mains, my companions chose the short ribs and brick chicken, both of which they loved. They also shared the Brussels sprouts, which also earned rave reviews. As for me, I ordered the roasted cauliflower. It was absolutely gorgeous thanks to the multicolored cauliflower and the beautifully golden romesco sauce. Crispy and chewy oyster mushrooms added umami. Crushed red pepper flakes provided a pleasing heat that built slowly. More fresh herbs (including the joy that is dill)? Yes please, and thank you kindly. This main was truly a delight for all of the senses. For a side, I had the sautéed greens, which were Swiss chard. They were seasoned with garlic, chili, and lemon and cooked to perfection. For dessert, my companions had the cobbler--rhubarb and strawberry. It came topped with a generous scoop of ice cream. I enjoyed the ice cream sundae. Giant scoops of gelato came nestled among artfully arranged chantilly and brownies, all topped with hazelnuts and amareno cherries. It was so good. I did my best, but I only managed to get through about three quarters of it. I would also be remiss to not point out the fun drink options. In addition to a respectable wine and cocktails menu, they have some great zero proof options. I had their non-alcoholic margarita, which was perfect for the warm weather--tart and refreshing. I then had their NA mule, which I liked even more. A little bit spicy in addition to the tart and sweet, it was just what I wanted. Delicious! Add in excellent service from Connor, and you have a great experience overall. We found that we could easily carry on a conversation, but we did come in right as the restaurant opened. It might get noisy later on.

I've now been lucky enough to eat here a couple times and it's in the top 5 places that will be on my repeat! Along side the Hotel Ivy and with an added twist of Masa&Agave below here is the witty Breva with a fantastic dinning room full of light and just great vibe! My kick off and what i want to have almost everyday is the Ahi Tuna Crudo. I know I could never recreate it Ahi Tuna, Citrus, Radishes, Rhubarb, Avocado and with Maple Tamari... This time i was hankering for a burger and fries... i got that and sssooo much more! The seasoning on the truffle fries can i have that on everything??? They are the it of truffle fries for me and mini me cause well shes a snob for truffle fries plus she killed hers and mine! The Breva Burger- cooked perfectly with the pairing of bacon-onion jam and ellsworth aged cheddar. Made my hubs jealous that i got to have it for Mom Daughter Date Night! Mini did the Skirt Steak & Frites with chimichuri and she chose truffle fries...she was the winner of the clean plate club which is huge cause girl has chicken tender tastebuds! We brought home our cheesecake (frcxen sooo good) hands down the best - ever had a blueberry compote and pistachios cheesecake... ya me either.. a combo you wanna try! I wont get into all the other things cause id hate to ruin the surprise but this a spot to try over and over again!

Review for breakfast only!! Stayed at hotel Ivy and they have breakfast not in the actual restaurant but in the bar section of the hotel- very expensive for lukewarm food and very slow service - I felt sorry for the poor lone server Coffee was bitter and not great- would have preferred going out to eat at a different place for breakfast but was in a rush to get somewhere else I'd be interested in trying their dinner and new wine menu as that looks pretty decent

I visited Breva during restaurant week & they did not disappoint. We arrived before our scheduled reservation so they seated us at the bar to grab a beverage during happy hour. We ordered the Tamarindo Margarita & it was very good. The restaurant is setup beautifully & is a perfect spot for date night or to meet up with friends. If you are going to order an appetizer you MUST get the smoke walleye dip. It's DELICIOUS! I got the Guajillo Braised Short Rib with creamy polenta and pickled radish & would order it again! 10/10 service & food! There is plenty of paid parking near the restaurant but it's pretty spendy. I'd recommend driving around to try and find paid street parking before paying $16 plus paid ramp parking.

Had a great date night at Breva! The food was outstanding and exceeded our expectations. The burger is one of the best burgers I've had in a long time, great beef blend and accompaniments. It was cooked perfectly to my expectations. Husband had the short rib and it was super tender with a great smoky sauce. Also enjoyed the burrata as a starter - it had roasted pepitas on top instead of being served with bread, and it was a delicious change. The pepitas had a nice nutty flavor that paired well with the burrata and blackberries. Split some gelato to finish off the meal and dear lord it was some of the best chocolate gelato I've ever tasted. The restaurant itself has a cozy cafe/bistro vibe and a nice bar area. Perfect place to grab a drink before catching a show at the Minnesota Orchestra. My husband enjoyed the wild rice negroni (nice nod to Minnesota) and the woodsman, which came smoked at the table. I loved my Amalfi Spritz - it was light, citrusy, and effervescent. Good service, everyone was friendly and attentive. Water was refilled at a good pace throughout the meal and our server made some wonderful recommendations. Per her excellent advice, do not miss out on the truffle aioli with the truffle fries. It was to die for!! You can see the bits of black truffle throughout the aioli and it had such a great flavor. There's a few options for parking - if you spend $75 or more at Breva they will provide complimentary valet parking. There's a parking ramp across the street and limited street parking on the block Hotel Ivy is on. Protip: there is more street parking along 12th st between Marquette & 2nd Ave S and the meters are free after 6pm - only half block away from the restaurant.

Excellent dinner at Breva during restaurant week! Went in planning to order 2, 3-course meals but ended up ordering 3! Our waitress was amazing and knew the menu inside and out to make recommendations. Appetizers: honey chicken wings, walleye dip, and beet salad. Star appetizer was the walleye dip! Smoky, creamy, delicious! The accompanying chips are like extra thick tortilla chips. The chicken wings were falling off the bone tender -- must be stewed and fried -- Yum! Mains: chicken, pork chop, and burger. The chicken was fried well, it was a nice, thin cutlet. Overall, the dish had a bit too much salt where I couldn't finish the rice. The pork chop was cooked a beautiful medium. The chop came cut off the bone and was a nice compliment to the beans. The first bite totally had me deceived that it was something other than a pork chop! The burger was nice and greasy like a diner burger. The bacon-onion jam was excellent and would take a jar of that home! The only improvement I could recommend is to cut the onion pieces smaller to make a more smooth jam. Desserts: cheesecake, sundae, and affogato. Cheesecake was tall and fluffy with a nice layer of vanilla bean whipped cream and well-balanced thickness of graham cracker crust! Could've had a bit more blueberry sauce -- that was delicious and I wanted more! The sundae was well-balanced with flavors and textures -- gelato, whipped cream, cherries, brownie pieces. The star dessert was the affogato. That coffee was superb! Simplicity done well! I'll be coming back for more!

First of all the best parts of the restaurant week experience was that the atmosphere, vibe, and staff were wonderful. Our server was very attentive and had knowledge of the menu and the restaurant week items. Now found out after that they comp parking. Would have been nice to know as well 21 dollars for parking is ridiculous in my opinion. Now for the food we started out with the tuna tartare and burrata. The tuna was ok but it was on basically guacamole and did blow me away. The burrata was good with the blackberries, however the cabbage was bitter and I would not recommend eating the cabbage with this item as rich, sweet, and very bitter, not a fan. The salmon was a great cut, fresh (not fishy), and I like that let you know how it will be cooked beforehand. The side of potatoes was very small and my wife is not one to complain on size. This even for her was wow they cheaper out. I had the short ribs was good and very tender. Probably the best item of the night. The parents was good and not overly salty as I have had at some places. Was a 4 star dish, would be five but I expected more spice with it and did not really get it. The pear apple cobbler (could honestly tell you it tastes the same as an apple cobbler you could not really taste any pear) was ehh. Definitely a great size and can be shared by two to three. The flavor is just average and I make this dish at home quite a bit. They clearly used more apple than pears as you could not even tell if a pear was used. So disappointing on that aspect. Overall was a good night just nothing really blew me away. As an avid chef I like places that give me a unique experience in food that I'm not often going to make at home. Nothing hear would be that hard to better or replicate making it a good solid 3 star, but lacking the woes to get 4 or 5.

I went to Breva for a happy hour with a friend. I have a gluten allergy and wanted to get the guacamole with chips. They ended up giving me the tostadas they had because they knew they were gluten free and the other chips were in a shared fryer. I am glad that they took the time to look in to it and give me a safe option! For a drink I got the Amalfi Spritz and it was good. The downside is they didn't have many gluten free options for happy hour and it easily on the more expensive side but a fun place to try! Parking is street parking or the parking garage across the street. The waiters were friendly and the inside was very nice. I liked how it was decorated and the ambiance.

Came here for restaurant week and had a reservation for 5. We could not be seated until 5. The food was delicious especially the braised short ribs and truffle fries. It was a cutely decorated restaurant and service was fantastic. The other nice touch was the completely night cap downstairs after dinner.

My friends and I came here during Restaurant Week. It was super fun to be able to try so many apps entrees and desserts! Our favorites were the walleye dip, chicken wings, braised short rib, and cheesecake. The ambiance was cozy. Would definitely recommend especially if you're staying in Hotel Ivy! We ended the night with a margarita downstairs at Masa and Agave.

Came here with a friend for restaurant week. Great vibe and service. All of the food was really good. They do a 3-course tasting menu with smaller portions for RW. A bit pricey, but overall worth it.

Hello Kathleen I appreciate your 5-star rating. We are happy to hear that you had a great time during your visit and that our whiskey selection and service met your expectations. We can't wait to see you again soon!

I went for a yelp event and liked the tuna so much that I had to bring my husband back. We stopped in for Ahi Tuna Crudo (which is amazing) and a drink before meeting up with some friends. Love the space (so light and beautiful) and food / drinks were lovely

We had reservations and were seated right away. Our initial waiter had some friendly banter but it grew uncomfortable when literally everything we ordered he had to tell us was out of stock. Finally we asked him to tell us what he DID have left and give a recommendation on those items since no one was going to get what they really wanted. One of the few items left he said don't pick that because he didn't like it. He said he didn't get a discount on his food so he hadn't tried everything so was unable to give a good recommendation. We finally settled on an order but we asked him to hurry and get it in including the desserts before they sold out too. That's the last we saw of that waiter. We were handed off to another and she came by 15 minutes later and thought we had already eaten and were deciding on dessert. We told her we were still waiting to eat but that she should check that our dessert orders were in because things were selling out and we were very excited about the strawberry rhubarb dessert and had been told there were 2 left. We eventually got and ate our entrees. Almost 2 hours after we sat down we asked for our desserts. Guess what? They did not have 2 SR desserts (only one) because they had not put the order in when they said they did. There was never a "I'm so sorry" from our waitress. Instead it was a "it's not my fault" we ran out of everything. We agreed to split the SR dessert and asked that the other one that we weren't getting be taken off the bill. The strawberry rhubarb dessert was a big disappointment as the rhubarb wasn't even cooked. It was a fiasco trying to get the one dessert off the bill to the point our waitress said she obviously couldn't explain it in a way that we'd understand and stormed off to get manager who was able to explain it perfectly fine. The menu is extremely limited to start with so you should be prepared to serve those few things without running out of half the menu. You're across the street from a convention center so common sense or at least history should tell you that you'll probably have more business during conventions. You need to forecast better for that. The booths were comfortable so I added back a star for that.

This was...ok. The drinks were fine, nothing overly impressive and a bit sweet. The food was mediocre. We got the roasted red pepper hummus with very burnt bread that was hard. It would be nice to have other items to dip like vegetables. The rigatoni was ok, not a ton of flavor but it was fine. The noodles seemed like whole wheat? Very chewy and a bit grainy. The service took a long time, for 2 drinks and 2 meal items it lasted over 2 hours. We arrived around 630pm and it was not busy, yet we were sat in the back with a 2 person small table. There are booths and bigger tables available but we had a small table. Then other couples arrived after us and were sat next to close us in extremely close proximity. We could touch the other table and could barely walk in between. We could hear the conversations next to us quite easily. I would understand if the place was packed and these were the last seats, but there were plenty of other tables to spread people out a bit for comfort and privacy.

We had a wonderful dinner at Breva on 8/9/24 prior to the Minnesota Orchestra The ambulance was peaceful & comfortably separated the guests. We started with roasted red pepper hummus then moved on to chopped salad with the most tender chicken for me & skirt steak & frites for my husband Everything tasted great & was served with just the right timing. The dessert menu showed us several dessert choices - all very tempting. The service was excellent - thank you Jeffery! We will be back soon

Liv was our server and she was AMAZING! She took great care of us and made great recommendations. We shared the smoked walleye dip which was delicious. I had the Skirt Steak & Frites. Very flavorful! We shared the sundae which was so good. The best ice cream we've ever had. The manager stopped by to say hello before we left. Great experience. Will definitely come back!

In town for a conference and looking to get dinner and came to Breva. When we walked in they said they were booked with reservations and had no tables available but we could sit at the bar which we did since there were 3 of us. (Had about 5 tables open that only 2 groups showed up). They have $27 dinner when you can get a starter or dessert with a pasta or main. When it came time to order they proceeded to tell us they were out of almost everything on the menu??? From the 'mains' section only the Cobb salad and burger were available and the steak for an additional $14 to the $27 special. I ordered a starter and my friend's ordered dessert. Waited for a while for our food and they bring out all the food at the same time. The starter, main and dessert!!! An ice cream sundae to sit?? It was very odd. The drinks were great but we were not offered a 2nd drink. I don't think they were prepared for a conference crowd on a Sunday.

We ate at Breva for the first time on 12/2/23. It was a great dining experience! The ambiance is quite pleasant -- warm lighting, comfortable seating and a layout that made the place seem cozy and intimate. We greatly appreciated that the noise level was low; carrying on conversation with my dining partners was easy and unstrained. The staff were friendly, welcoming and very attentive. My entree (braised short rib) was delicious -- and the serving size was generous. My dining partners also enjoyed the pork chops and the chimichurri "steak frites". My biggest suggestion is that I wish that they had more sharable appetizers. We enjoyed the smoked walleye spread. There was also a hummus appetizer, but those were the only two I remember that could be shared. We look forward to coming back soon.

3.5 stars is probably better but not an option here. We went here on a date during restaurant week - the pricing was very good, $45 for a three-course meal. Drink menu and drinks were good, and service was good too (despite some annoying patrons arguing about the small upcharges for certain items on the restaurant week menu - c'mon people). Portion sizes were VERY generous - we did not finish our entrees or our desserts. Food quality seemed pretty average - for example, the beets in the beet salad didn't seem very fresh, and the quality of the chicken in the brick chicken entree was a bit disappointing (rubbery despite being seemingly cooked well). The burrata was good (but cabbage very bitter and peaches clearly not fresh). The rigatoni was really good. Overall, fine, not great. "3.5" stars.

We had to go back the second day of the tournament we were in town for cuz the service and the spicy Paloma was so awesome good!

Food, Service and ambiance were all in point. I y is a great hotel. Will be back and look forward to visiting Masa and Agave for drinks as well.