Osteria I Nonni

We went here from a from referral. Its in a different location than you would think, its sort of tucked back near a residential community. The parking lot has a decent size and we went on a Friday night. It was not very packed. We made a reservation but we didn't need to. They also have a big deli /restaurant area on the other side that was closed when we go there. The 1s thing we noticed walking in was the front step was in much need of a repair and in the dark and in heels or dress shoes it was a concern. We were seated right away and the staff was awesome. Our server heather was very attentive and took time to explain all the menu options..best sellers and her personal favorites. We got a couple of drinks, we were told the wine selection was awesome but we don't drink wine. We had a peroni and lemon spritzer. We had to send the lemon spritzer back it was not drinkable. We got the gnocchi and the seasonal sweet corn ravioli. Both of these dishes were amazing. we also had the caprese salad which was very tasty also. They did bring us bead which I am not sure if it usually comes out cold but it was cold and did not add to the food experience. One thing that was a huge turn off with the meal was ...when our entree were presented we asked for more shredded cheese as the gnocchi had some but the ravioli did not. The server told us it would be extra...yes $3 dollars extra for a ramakin of shredded cheese on a $50 dollar per person meal. That is not equal quality if you ask us. The one detractor from this place is it has white glove prices but the decor was not that. The actual room decor and table settings did not meet that of the price and atmosphere they were going for. All and All we would for sure go back to try some other options as it was decent Italian option for MN. It for sure ranks in my 10 ten for this state.

Extremely friendly people! The second we walked in they were having conversations with us and being extremely friendly. Once seated we constantly had not only the hostess checking up on us but also our waitress. Water for us came fast, they explained their favorites and even recommended different customizations that they found to be delicious (and we tried it and agree!), and every time they checked up on us they would hold a small conversation. They were out of certain ingredients for a drink I ordered and let me know within minutes and gave recommendations that were similar. After agreeing they said "Great! We will make sure to take care of you". I enjoyed the drink I was given and even ordered a second one! First one they comped since it wasn't what I originally ordered. Wonderful people and delicious food. It was a great place to take my boyfriend for his birthday dinner! We got seated right away and they even asked us if we liked where we were seated but we did have reservations and it was a Wednesday so also a slower night for them I'm sure. But still awesome service nonetheless!

My friend and I love this place! We try to ask for Daniel's section, but all servers are great. I Nonni has well presented, high quality food that's delicious. Wonderful wine list as well -- with additional shopping area for take-out wine, food, etc. I'm looking forward to summer when the deck opens up as they have a beautiful brook, deck & landscaping. The rounded booths in the dining area are comfortable for indoor seating. I typically prefer a more modern vibe, but the food always keeps me coming back. Check website for happy hour specials Tues - Fri (ends at 5).

We have come here for lunch and dinner and loved all our experiences. The limoncello spritz is strong, so watch out! We loved the truffle and parm fries. I have always had exceptional service and food here.

Let me start off that service is always great, so my rating is for this experience only. We got to the restaurant about ten minutes early and after being immediately seated our server never came to our table for 20 minutes. A different server came to our area and I thought he was our server but he was not, he was for the table next to us. I give him props that he acknowledged us and did take our drink order. Our server did finally come to the table and did apologize for the long wait. I do not order food until I have my first drink on the table. After a few more minutes our drinks came to the table. We ordered a few things that were new and seasonal. Everything we ate was delicious and is freshly made. My starter was the Polpo, octopus, and damn was it good. The arancini is always delicious. The salad we always get tastes great; and for those that want a salad but not too much, ordering one small is good enough for two people. I ordered the large fettuccine that comes with ahi tuna on top and ate every last bite. Cappuccino is always a great dessert drink and the ice cream was delicious. The only thing I would recommend for the restaurant is make the pasta for the ravioli a little thinner maybe 1/16 of and inch. If you like sitting outside they do have a patio, but during the summer days the tables can fill up quickly. I would recommend this place since the food is always and they provide great service.

Delicious dinner. Loved the rotating menu options. Our meal was priced right. Great drinks and wine choices. We’ll be back!

We have been here before and totally forgot about this place. We went there for Friday night and were able to sit right away. The food is delicious and I really liked that they had an option of smaller portion for many dishes. Their bread was good as well!

1st time here. Had a wonderful experience. Our waiter was very professional and helpful with the menu.

Another 5-star experience at I Nonni! But this time, we sat outdoors and ate from the "Bar Menu". Same quality of food, but a much more casual experience. Service was good, but they were short staffed like everyone else and were not able to check on us frequently. But they warned us about that before being seated and I requested to sit outside anyway. Don't worry, the beautiful view more than made up for it. My teen son and I both pizzas and we thought they were delicious! Such a perfect flaky crust. If you like thin crust, this is not the place for you. Our pizza crust was crispy flaky on the outside and soft and a little chewy on the inside; just to my liking.

Here with friends last night. It was not busy on a Saturday night during the holidays. Our waitress was great. Our food was good, but for the cost it should be outstanding.

Friday evening, about 50% full. We had still a reservation and got seated. Avoid the booth unless you are 5' or less. It is low. We had to ask to be seated on a table. Food was nicely presented, very good. And great service.

They need to put a red and white tent over this place. It was a three ring circus! The food was far below average if that's what you need to know. If you have time for a humorous dinner tale, read on. We were not in our seats -in the bar area - for a single minute and a nice young man walked up with a pencil and asked us what we wanted to order for dinner. There weren't even any menus on the table yet. We asked if we could start with drinks he said "sure, I guess." We pointed to the menu for the Italian beers- he admitted he did not know how to pronounce it either. (Two training issues already within 90 seconds). He walked behind the bar, poured and delivered the wrong beer. We are easygoing so, whatever. A wine was ordered and delivered in a lovely appropriate glass for the varietal (Pinot Noir). Wine was nice. For food: One person in my party ordered minestrone soup and a salad to be her meal-specifically requesting they both be delivered with others' entrees. One ordered the bison short ribs. One asked a question about two different pastas, decided on one, with salad. One got the chicken meatball special with salad. And then... in less than two minutes the soup and salad were delivered (wrong soup, but again we are easygoing), the short ribs were also delivered along with the two side salads. What? Oh well. The short ribs were awful. Roasted grapes were served on top - he spent the whole time picking out grape twigs. Also not savory but very sweet. And then.... We waited for a half hour and asked where our two remaining entrees were. Oh the kitchen made an error. Of course. BOTH pastas discussed prior to ordering were delivered and the horrible Pallette (chicken meatballs). Don't do it! So two ate while the other two sat. Argh. When we finally and kindly pointed out all the errors in orders and delivery he offered one person (wrong soup gal) a free dessert. ... but the stemware was lovely.

First of all people will ask was the food good? Yes, absolutely was. My Valentine made reservations for us and we decided to both try some place new for both of us. Walking in you see a beautiful building. Gorgeous entry door. The atmosphere is quite enticing. Smells amazing. Beverages selections were top notch. So what's the reason for less than a stellar review? We waited 15 MN for our server to even notice us. Honestly had my friend not stopped another server to find out server, she may not have come at all. Once we ordered the food, it came very quickly, our guess is the Manager saw my date was not happy. She worked so hard to make this a memorable night. Once the food was delivered we asked for some other things and they didn't arrive until we asked a second time. We did order the Tiramisu. It's one of her go-to desserts. It was really good. Definitely should try it. Food? 4.5 stars. Service? Maybe 2.

This place is a gem.The staff is awesome and very friendly.I have an old fashioned every time I go and this time I had two they are extremely good and always the same taste.The food is out of this world.If your with in 100 miles of this great restaurant you have to go.i Always get the bucatini I was there yesterday and I want to go today for more.

The calamari was good. The salad supposedly had anchovy oil. Except for the pecorino It had no more flavor than any chopped salad from Perkins. According to the waitress the pasta I ordered supposedly had seared ahi tuna. I could find some teensy bits of shredded something along with plentiful very rubbery, barely edible sun dried tomatoes, mixed in with cured olives and capers. All in all without some actual tuna the absorb the strong flavors and textures the dish was barely edible. I don't know how they get away with it. The tiramisu and macchiato were good. I was there years ago and remember thoroughly enjoying my meal. What happened?

Food was excellent, the closest I have had to being in Italy. It is gorgeous inside too. The large hall could use some noise treatment though, it was quite loud and echoey. Service was fast and very friendly.

I have passed I Nonni biking by several times and finally came here for dinner. By the limited reservations available I thought it would be packed, but it was shockingly empty for a Friday night. We got a booth which was nice and quiet. The setting inside was really nice - I appreciated the music-less atmosphere which had a wonderful effect by eliminating irritating background noise. Our server was very friendly. We started with the brussels sprouts and were given the house bread. The bread seemed pre-cut and was thus slightly stale...just cut it immediately before serving. The brussels sprouts were fine but were a bit unevenly cooked and could have had more flavor. I ordered the spaghetti nero con scoglio. There was plenty of seafood on the plate, the mussels and clams were delicious. The sauce seemed more like just tomato sauce, but it was fine. Everything tasted good, and the ink pasta was delicious and unique around here. I would definitely order this again. All in, it's conveniently located and good but not blow you away amazing Italian food in a slightly upscale but still very casual setting.

By recommendation from a friend, we took parents (in their 80s) for a true Italian dinner to bring back wonderful memories from their travels to Italy years ago. It did not disappoint! We sat on the outdoor patio with a lovely babbling brook near our table, beautiful flower planters and welcome locust trees for shade. Our waiter, Ben, was very knowledgeable and attentive, and had great recommendations. We did only a main course and desserts but everyone loved their meal (we all had one of the pasta selections.) The complimentary bread and balsamic-olive oil were amazing and generously served. Ordered the flourless chocolate hazelnut torte and tiramisu for dessert--so delicious! If you have not tried this gem, please do! We can't wait to return!

Returned to I Nonni for dinner after not going from a number of years. Sat in the bar area and had great service by Liam and the rest of the staff. Calamari was crisp, fresh and delightful as was the Verdure Miste Arrosto (grilled vegies). My wife enjoyed her seared scallops, and my lamb chops (three large) were perfectly prepared. Liam selected the wines to accompany our meals, and the Le Creete Lugana (for the scallops) and the Barolo (for my lamb) were perfect. Even without raisins (a personal favorite), the carrot cake was sublime. I wonderful dinner with nice ambiance on a cold winter's night.

If I could give a negative rating I most definitely would! I can't believe the horrible experience we had!! My husband started planning a 40th anniversary party for us at Osteria I Nonni in January of 2025 for our anniversary in June. We visited the restaurant in February and had lunch before we toured the private rooms for our party. We fell in love with the wine room and booked it for June. We asked at the time if we needed to put money down to reserve it and were told no we were good and the room was ours. This past Monday April 21, 2025 we were sent a menu to choose our food options, on Wednesday the 23 of April we were told sorry we gave the wine room to someone else even though we reserved it 5 months ago. I talked to the manager and she said there was nothing she could do about. How does something like this even happen. I have sent out invitations already and have out of town relatives already booked on flights to attend the party. I now need to find a last minute venue. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I would not recommend planning a private party here unless you have a solid Plan B, because there's a good chance you won't actually have a room. By the way when we went there to try the food I wasn't really that impressed. I was hopeful that it would be better for our party. I'm starting to think I dodged a bullet. If they can't even get the reservation right how are they going to handle the actual party?!!

Excellent food and service. The Fruti Di Mare is my favorite. All kinds of shellfish in a great broth served with grilled bread. Always request extra grilled bread - you will need it to sop up the broth. The Bucatini All Americana was a big hit with my husband. For dessert we had the Boston Cream Cheesecake and Tiramisu. Both great. The Tempranillo Royal Rioja was perfect with the Fruti Di Mare. We would dine here more often if the prices were cheaper. But you do get what you pay for.

Food we ordered good (not great )but portion size whether the small or large you chose was perfect. Service exceptional since there were two servers in the main dining room! Dana was ours, I seriously am blown away that she could take care of her side (which is huge ) get everyone what they ordered drinks and all in a timely fashion! Incredible! Outstanding and mind boggling Gnocchi was good, the mushroom lasagna my guest had looked and smelled amazing! Very disappointed with the romanesca salad, very wet dull and boring- The dressing if there was one mixed in with the watery lettuce, not worth 16.00! I wouldn't recommend that salad. Appetizers delicious, and the bread they bring YUM . We ordered the flourless chocolate torte Devine. Thank you dear Salvatore for suggesting Osteria Nonni to me and one more thing THE COCKTAILS TO DIE FOR!! Try the Siciliano so good! Not everything is on the menu you see. Ambience is perfecto! You feel like you're in Italy!

Fantastic place to go for wonderful Italian food. We have been there four times now and each time has been a great time. Let them know also if you are coming for a birthday or anniversary as a tip. The calamari as a starter is a must try for appetizer as it is superbly made. They also serve vegetables seasonally and family style I've had a variety from cauliflower to Brussel sprouts and always enjoyed them (not a huge veggie guy ether so that's saying something:). The pasta is hand made and each dish is made unique and with love (add a protein or eggplant to any pasta dish to really take it over the top), the lamb is wonderful as is the fruit of the sea. The portions are well listed out and I have never left without bringing something home. Great views and a great p

We visited here for a Friday night dinner. We wanted to check out the wine room for an upcoming event. Dinner was excellent. We started with calamari and bruschetta. Great starts. My only suggestion would be to add a dipping sauce to the calamari. I chose the cappellacci deli zucca (pasta stuffed with squash). Pasta was freshly made. Nice hints of sage. Was a lovely fall, comfort-food meal. Others at our table had a tenderloin, sausage pasta, and Campanelle alla sorrentina (this had a distinct smoky flavor to it). All meals were very tasty. We enjoyed sharing. The wine room was absolutely beautiful and perfect for our event. Joseph has been helping us through this process and he's been extremely helpful. Can't wait to write the review on that event. I know it will be great.

Really delicious Italian food. Bread was hands down some of the best free bread I've ever had. Warm and chewy but fluffy at the same time. I'm drooling just thinking about it. This is one of those places where the menu is all in Italian so you will most likely end up googling some things if you want to know exactly what you're getting. For me that's a little intimidating, but I can't blame them. The burrata appetizer was quite good. Only complaint is I think the squash was a little underdone and not as flavorful as we had hoped. The bread paired pretty well with it. Both of our pasta dishes were delicious but we honestly barely ate them because we were so full of bread and burrata.

So goood! Got to sit outside, it was lively and delicious! Half portions allow you to order more dishes to try. Will be coming back!

Sometimes you just straight up FAIL... Came here for restaurant week as we were trying to break out of the normal, popular choices...would never ever recommend or come back. It took over 10 minutes for anyone to even come and greet us after we were seated. Bus boys are the only ones that deserve a compliment. Portion size for the prize is horrible. Flavor is definitely not fresh. We did the restaurant week menu ($35 each) + bruschetta. The bruschetta was $8 and probably the worst I have ever had. The size of my thumb and basically tomatoes and parmesan on a crouton. The first course of salads were fine, we really didn't complain except they were just that...fine: Romanesca salad (Caesar salad) Insalata de prosciutto - worth it but cabbage didn't taste fresh. Second course we can guarantee wasn't fresh pasta like we were hoping for with it being an Italian place: Torchio - good flavor, cold burrata but left an oily taste. Could have made this at home. Rigatoni house made ragu - just okay, again definitely not fresh noodles and could have easily made this at home. Dessert - this is where we really got made at ourselves for even picking this place... : Pumpkin carrot cake - dry, okay flavor, odd sugar type cubes on the top Chocolate torte - super chalky, awful flavor, and IT HAD OLIVE OIL DRIZZLED ON IT...WHAT?? WHY?? I couldn't even take a picture I was so confused, upset, annoyed, whatever you want to call it. It was just an overall bizarre dinner that might take us awhile to get over. Very unfortunate!!! We will not be back, we do not recommend. I rarely leave bad reviews but people need to know about this trap before they sit down.

This is a long overdue review based on many visits over the last ten years. I Nonni has been the favorite go to restaurant for my wife and myself since we arrived in Minnesota. The atmosphere, the staff, management and of course the food make it a perfect location to impress business clients, friends and family on visits to the Twin Cities. I will speak in generalities on the menu, but will try to highlight favorites if possible. The Happy hour menu is excellent and an great value. My wife and I typically start with the Carpaccio, which is excellent in taste, presentation and healthy in portion. We consider it one of the best examples we have found and have introduced many friends to Carpaccio at I Nonni. We typically share the Stinco Maiale, grilled micro pork shanks. They are delicious and always cooked perfectly. our happy hour will include a pasta as well with the bucatini being a favorite. In general the dinner menu includes a stunning variety of seasonal salads that are inventive always well balanced. The pasta dishes are always prepared perfectly and give you the opportunity to spread your wings and leave spaghetti and meatballs behind. Two personal favorites would be the ragu and the risotto. Both are creative in their ingredients and perfectly prepared. I don't say this lightly as I rarely eat Risotto at restaurants.because of poor execution. I have a hard time making it to the "Secondi" course because of my love of pasta, but the dishes I have tried are always excellent. If the lamb is available it is a favorite as well as their duck preparations. I Nonni has a great private room that hosts party's and on occasion dinners with wine producers from Italy. I Nonni has an exceptional wine selection and I rely on the Manager, Tommy, to guide me through it. His knowledge is exceptional and he knows his customers tastes. We typically eat in the bar area, with the occasional business or special occasion dinner in the dining room. Because of the close proximity to the airport we often stop pre-flight and post flight for excellent meals. My wife travelled internationally for many years and as a special treat I would take her to I Nonni before beginning 13 hour flight s to China. She boarded the planes well fed, possibly tipsy on occasion from the wine, and ready to sleep on her long journey... Long winded, but well deserved. No pictures of the food yet, I will add on later trips. I have included a picture of the heart and soul of I Nonni... Tommy and Michelle.

A very consistent good Italian restaurant Good ambiance Staff rotates out a bit as only had same server twice and eat here a few times a quarter

An elegant restaurant with high class, delicious Italian dinners, served in a magnificent room with personable, attentive service. What's not to like? It was so noisy that we couldn't carry on a conversation. I won't be back.

Downtown dining without the hassle! Romantic atmosphere with exquisite food and beverage offerings. Always a pleasure to ring in the New Year with champagne and toasting by all. Visit next door during the day .

Worth every penny! The food was incredible and they were flexible with kid-friendly options! Definitely a crowd pleaser - will be back!

Slow service, with only 3 other active tables, and Gnocchi dish was a bit bland. The made to order sandwiches and pasta in the next door Italian market is so good, I will stick with that next time.

I would highly recommend this place if you are looking for great Italian place. Food and service were great. Best Linguine con Vongole in Twin cities. Tasted fantastic.

Went here for dinner with my in laws for a birthday. The pasta is freshly made in house. Everything on the menu is delicious. Portions are generous. They are not the best place for children, but my daughter is pretty well behaved in adult restaurants. Our server was so kind to her. She ate 2 bowls of cacio e pepe! Extensive and tasty wine list. The restroom location was goofy, but staff were very friendly and guided you where to do. Ample parking

Favorite St Paul area restaurant. We dine there every time in the Cities. Conterno Barbera D'alba is highly allocated but one of the best wines tasted in a decade!

The food was delicious and the service was great. The restaurant had good vibes and a nice view of the pond behind the restaurant. Great date night

We walked in without a reservation. The bartender greeted us with a smile and said the host would be up shortly. She appeared immediately and was also friendly and helpful. We sat inside and felt safe as parties were spaced well apart. Atmosphere was beautiful and comfortable. The waiter took our drink order promptly and was also friendly and efficient. We got the Brussels sprouts to start and they were the best we'd ever tasted. For dinner I had the spaghetti con scolglio, a squid ink pasta with lots of seafood. Absolutely fabulous. My wife got the cappellacci de zucca, pasta stuffed with squash with pistachio and sage. Also fabulous. This is a great restaurant in every way. And the prices are reasonable, considering the quality of food, ambiance, and service.

We were there for lunch on a weekday. Let me start out by saying that out appetizer, the eggplant, was outstanding 10/10!!!! Unfortunately, everything else was sub par. They brought our appetizers and entrees out all at the same time. We both ordered the bucatini entree. The guanciale was burned casting a burned flavor on the entire dish. When the server asked how everything was, we expressed our disappointment and were told they would inform the kitchen, with no offer to remedy the situation. Our server was very friendly, warm and gracious; however, service was very inattentive and slow. After hearing such great things about this place, we were very underwhelmed and considering the prices and reputation, we expected more. I think next time we will skip I Nonni and eat next door at Buon Giorno, at which we've had much better experiences.

Will never recommend again! We were frequent customers to your restaurant. Went to dinner last night and had the WORST dinner ever! Our bad experience started at the front door. We had reservations and it took the girl at least 5 minutes to figure out where to seat us in an empty restaurant. When we were finally seated, by the kitchen door. We asked about the specials and we were told about the 3 course Valentine's special. It sounded good so we ordered it. Our question is - did you make it on valentines day? Only thing good about that whole meal was the wine and salad and our server, Daniel. We might suggest that the chef go to San Francisco and see how to make a real cioppino, because that was disgusting. I took one bite and so did my husband, and it went in the garbage. Unfortunately we will not be coming back or recommending your restaurant to anyone anymore. That dinner should have been free.

I found this restaurant phenomenal! It is tucked away near the river but the location is quite quaint and next to good community. The service was wonderful, attention to detail is a priority from what I can tell and the wine menu was very good. We received just the right amount of attention to ensure all needs were met and wine was available throughout dinner. The Carpaccio Di Manzo was something I had to try and with the right amount of cheese and oil throughout I was happy with that choice. I also tried the bruschette which was not drowning in basil nor was it prepared to mimic a cheese pizza, it was very good. I had the Fettuccine which was of the best I have had so far. The Tiramisu and espresso for desert was the perfect way to end the dinner. The atmosphere is intimate and very pleasant for a quiet dinner, the lighting and decor compliment the atmosphere very well also.

The server was exceptional and the food was fabulous. Very earthy but light food selections. The portion sizes were appropriate and you could chose a smaller portion with most selections. The beverages were well paired with the menu items.

A Perfect Evening: We chose I Nonni sight unseen as the spot to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary (we live in NH but were in St. Paul for a family wedding) and based our choice on the (few) photos of the lovely dining room as well as their online wine list. We were not disappointed at all! Matter of fact the evening was just perfect. When we called to make our reservation we mentioned our preference for a quiet table and also that we would want to take our time dining. Tom, the General Manager mentioned a particular table he thought would work. It definitely did. A few days before our dinner my brother called to discuss some possible wine choices for our group. He is far more educated than I about wine overall and commented at how well informed and helpful the sommelier was. He had as much to contribute about an expensive wine as for a more modest one. Turns out that sommelier is Tom, the general manager who charmed us with his attention throughout dinner, without ever imposing himself on our celebration! Dinner was leisurely. Our waitress never made us feel rushed. And the food was just wonderful. I wish I'd paid better attention to all the varied main courses each of our guests had, so I could comment on them individually, but each one in the group raved about the preparation of their main course. I had veal chop saltimbocca which was spectacular. We all did start with a tempura fried zucchini blossom stuffed with burrata cheese and garnished with a roasted red pepper sauce. That's the only item I was smart enough to take a photo of. So yes, I highly recommend I Nonni. And thank them for making our anniversary as memorable as it was.

Went here for a lovely meal with a good friend while I was in town visiting this past September. It's taken me a long time to write this review unfortunately so I've lost a lot of detail but suffice it to say... I was very impressed. The atmosphere is elegant and the bar knows how to make a fine cocktail. I like my cocktails far less sweet than most women and they really listened to my preference. I started with their variation on a negroni and it was perfect. After time to sip and contemplate we decided on the prix fixe menu with wine pairings. At $39/per person - (exclusive of pairings) this is a hell of a bargain. Unfortunately I can't recall the price point for the wine pairings but I remember that it was quite reasonable. Our meal began with sweetbreads and shaved lardo. Outstanding. Not too rich and just enough for the two of us to share. Next up was veal shoulder tagliatelle. This is one of my absolute favorite types of pasta and the tender, melt in your mouth veal shoulder took it right over the top. Out of the entire meal this was my favorite dish, hands down. Lastly, our main was the hangar steak, which was also delicious, perfectly cooked and well proportioned. I had a fantastic time and would not hesitate to return. It's nice for smallish groups and great for a date night as well.

Glad to have this staple back open. While I normally reserve this eatery for very special occasions. It's actually a great place for anytime you need to have some of the best Italian food in town. I'm sure Covid has changed the restaurant business. I'm very happy to spend my money supporting a locally owned place vs a national chain. they still bring their A game after reopening. New menu brought me a difficult decision and needed to make my bride promise a return visit in short order.

Offered no wait & told nothing was available for dinner. Hostess stared with a smile until I left, never to return. 0 stars

We have visited this out of the way Italian restaurant on 4 different occasions. Each time the food and wine has been excellent. Our most recent visit in August didn't live up to the other 3 and it underscores what a difference the waiter can play in your overall dining experience. Our first visit (yea Groupon), we had Jay - and his descriptions of the food, helpful tips about portions and wine recommendations really put the icing on the cake for my wife and I. We've eaten at hundreds of restaurants and I'd have to put Jay up there in my top 5 waiters ever! So on our subsequent visits we asked to be seated in his section and had 2 more 5 start experiences. One time we even let him just bring food and wine based on what he thought was good. Probably our best dining experience since our trip to Italy last year. This most recent visit we couldn't get in Jay's section (he was working the great patio and it looked like rain so we opted to eat indoors). The food was just as good but our efficient and impersonal server left us wishing for Jay. Food recommendations: Peekytoe crab salad (yum!), fried zucchini blossoms, Oso Buco, Blood Orange Sorbet (love it!) and whatever wine Jay recommends to go with your food.

Darnit it, I Nonni! I wanted to so soo badly to like you! Walking in, the decor was adorable. Almost felt like I was leaving wintery Minnesota for an Osteria near a vineyard in Italy. The inside decor is just as lovely. High arched ceilings, warm off-white walls, and clean white linen table cloths. We were seated and attended to promptly by a very knowledgeable server. Took us a bit to get the wine ordered, because they are all Italian wines, and cannot simply order "a cabernet sauvignon!" The server brought out some tasters for my two companions and genuinely wanted to find something that each of us enjoyed. Here the dinner begins to go downhill... I came during Restaurant Week with two fellow foodies after perusing yelp and menus at participating Italian restaurants. The bread basket had warm, crusty baguette and cold butter (pet peeve: why serve butter not at room temperature with bread? They did this all of the time in NYC and it just made no sense to not serve butter in a spreadable form!). I ordered the radicchio with prosciutto and balsamic vinaigrette. Salad was WAY OVER DRESSED. Swimming in vinegar, and it was nothing to write home about, definitely a reduced balsamic vinaigrette that I could (and have) made at home. The prosciutto was placed as a big chunk on the plate. Good ingredients, miss on the execution. Furthermore, there was a slice of baguette underneath the salad- it was the color of black since it was just SOAKED in balsamic. And stale, so if the dish concept was for the salad to be eaten with the bread cut through, the bread was chewy and difficult to cut with fork. I would have had more greens and no bread and much less dressing. Next came the entrees, and this was by far the most disgustingly negative portion of the meal for my two companions. They ordered the braised lamb with saffron risotto. The portion was just...pathetic. Itty bitty. Less than 1/2 cup of risotto, and the "braised lamb" was more like a few tiny, thin and shredded meat. It looked like a pile of risotto (overcooked and dried, my eating companions stated) with the left overs of the bottom of a crock pot of beef stew. The meat was chewy and saffron did not come through the dish. Both of my friends finished eating in less than 5 minutes and were still hungry. My entree was a bit more filling, with about 4 pieces of already sliced flank steak. The steak was good quality, cooked rare as I had asked, but the broccolini was NOT broccolini. It was just broccoli. The crispy polenta cake tasted as if it came from a frozen state and was over-processed. Had a sort of...detergent flavor to it... Dessert was just okay. I got the chocolate hazelnut tart and my companions the cheesecake. Tart had a chalky and crumbly texture, not at all the smooth and creamy custard like texture I was hoping to enjoy. The only reason this is a 2 star review and not a 1 star is because the service was great. They were very knowledgeable and attentive.

Decided to give this place a shot because of the high accolades it received on its food. Needless to say, my girlfriend and I were extremely disappointed. This place is about as Italian as Chef Boyardee. The Bruschetta was a joke. It literally was diced canned tomatoes served on rock hard bread (no oil, no balsamic, and all 4 pieces were the size of a quarter... not kidding). Salads were meh- definitely forgettable with once again no flavor. The Torchio pasta was straight from a box that they tried to mask by adding a plethora of Olive Oil and once again canned tomatoes... could honestly make something more appetizing blacked out drunk coming home from a bar. The piece de resistance would have to be the desserts we ordered. The carrot cake came with literally sugar cubes on it as they forgot one basic ingredient in it... sugar! I thought I was eating a three day old donut from the gas station. The attempt to use buttercream frosting with it, was an epic fail. My girlfriend had the chocolate hazelnut tort. Sounds good right? But who the hell dumps a half liter of olive oil on a piece of chocolate tort? The torts texture resembled sand and honestly after this meal, I'd of probably rather eaten that. Service was garbage with a wait staff that knew virtually nothing or could make any solid food recommendations. Do yourself a favor. Save your money, save your time and you will thank me later.

One of my favorite Italian near St Paul. Food and service is fantastic! I have never had a bad meal yet. Everything is always full of flavor and cooked perfectly!

Everything was so delicious. I am looking forward to coming back as soon as I can. The gnocchi was delightful! Thank you!

I was very impressed with this restaurant. The service was exceptional and the food was exotic and incredibly delicious! We ordered lamb chops and the raw beef appetizer which was elegantly plated and equally divine. There wasn't a whole lot of people there, I wonder if people know about this place! Upscale look with good prices as well!

It's in a strip mall. Admittedly, my expectations were fairly low walking in. I was so glad to be wrong! Food was exquisite, atmosphere once inside was lovely. Dim, but not too dark. A few alcoves got smaller groups of tables. Best mussels we've had in the twin cities. Seriously- amazing. Giant portion of mussels drowning in this spicy, tomato based sauce. So good we were tempted to ask for a to go box for the sauce to pour over pasta at home. We had extra bread for dunking. For mains- my husband has the vongole- a white wine sauce clams over linguine. I had the polpetti do vitello- pappardelle with veal meatballs, spinach, onion in a toasted garlic vodka sauce. Mine was delicious!! We would go back again and again.

This is my favorite Italian restaurant in St. Paul/ Mendota heights/ Lilydale area. The food is great and the menu is always growing. The patio is amazing overall great ambiance year round.

Overwhelmingly sub par. Admittedly things get a little rushed during restaurant week, but truly most of our food was undesirable. Highlights: When they were out of the bottle of wine we ordered the manager made a delicious recommendation. The pumpkin carrot cake was delicious. Lowlights: The risotto (hashbrown???) with the hanger steak tasted severly of plastic. The steak itself was tough and over seared on the outside. The rice with my lamb was under cooked and bland. The fruit with the scallops (it might have been pineapple?) was obviously canned. We were never asked how are meals were. Not for any of the three courses. We were only asked if we were finished after our plates had sat untouched for a few minutes. They did however ask about the wine. This implies they are aware of issues with the food and specifically attempt to not address. When we told our server about the issue with the food we were told we would be taken care of. They "forgot" and we had to address it again after the bill was presented.

I Nonni is a nice restaurant. Unfortunately, they have very little vegetarian food. But the are a nice place to go for happy hour. They have a creative drink menu. The old-fashioned is "Milwaukee style." I'm not sure what that means exactly, but it's wonderful, and one of my husband's favorite drinks. I personally prefer some of the other cocktails that they have available! There are drink discounts for happy hour. They also have a nice little store attached to the restaurant. There is a good selection of wine, desserts, and even a pasta bar.

Coca-Cola was awful even after they tried to fix it (surprised no one else complained - fast food restaurants never really a problem as well as gas stations), sausage was way way way to salty, should not have been served, small size is really small (I had the large which was a fine size, but my wife was hungry after her small size), tiramisu looked fine but was the worst I have ever had (Hyvee which we recently had was way way way better), and with a bill of $131 and some cents after tax and tip makes this a restaurant we will never return to visit. Too bad because the deli side is incredible, and we have always wanted to eat on this side. 5 meals/visits on the deli side is the equivalent cost to this one.