Travail Basement Bar

My husband and I finally got to go to Travail after it being on our bucket list restaurants for so long for The Office tasting menu (s/o to Travail for the spontaneous BOGO that put this in budget—never booked something so fast!), and it exceeded our expectations across the board. I typically judge restaurants in part by answering the question: Could I make this at home? A: absolutely not. The chefs deserve their spots, and the creativity in making it align with The Office so flawlessly? Next level. The drinks were delightful, unique, and complemented each bite. The space was gorgeous, interactive, and contained so many easter eggs from the show that were so fun to spot, not to mention the little field trip and activities that kept us giggling like delighted kids. Apart from the food, drinks, creativity, and atmosphere, I have to mention the amazing team. It was our first night out after our baby girl came six weeks ago, and the team celebrated with us in such an authentic and kind way, and they did an incredible job explaining each part of the experience and engaging with everyone. We started on cloud nine and finished on cloud ten! Really hoping we’ll be able to make it back in the future. Pics of some fave dishes and moments. Every piece of this was simply a delight.

My partner KT and I went here for the spooky season event. Everyone was dressed up and used names like Chefry Daumer. All the food and drinks were of some variant of monster related fluid, flesh or bone. Beyond the ambiance and themed accoutrements, the flavor combinations where for the most part unique and well it together. Can’t wait to come back for another experience.

As is expected from the Travail brand, no detail was too small. Seeing their name etched in ice for the toki high ball was just the beginning of an excellent journey through their imagination of whiskey drinks and the delectable selection of bar food. Travail has never failed to deliver an amazing experience everytime I come to visit the Twin Cities.

This place is so much fun! Highly recommend. We visited during the New Orleans theme and loved every minute of it. It was my husband's birthday and they brought him out a fun birthday cake shot. However, unless you can still drink like a college kid, plan to not drive after. It is a lot of alcohol in two hours, even with the food pairing.

We have been to the bar once before and this food wasn't the best. We had hair in the potatoes (waiter kindly apologized and gave us a free drink which was perfect, thanks!) but the the lasagna was burnt and a few other not great food bites here or there. However, that being said the trivia was fun, the atmosphere and acting really gave us a good time. In the past the food was better but I'd still go back because they constantly change their menu and the staff really is kind. I highly recommend any pop up themes they do. Halloween was still better and food more inventive. Overall, please go and have a dinner and show with some friends.

the food is all incredible, the drinks are all creative and delicious. the atmosphere is cozy and charming and fun. but the pace of the meal is absolutely frenetic. the amount of food and drink served is just way too much to consume, let alone enjoy, in 90 minutes. A slowed down timeline of 2 hours or more would've made this a 5 star experience.

I really enjoyed my experience here in the first week they were open. Paid reservations worked out really well - $10 per person, with all of it going toward the bill. Cocktails were the usual prices, $12-$13, but they also had the option of getting mini-cocktails for $6. The cocktails I saw were next level, including a smouldering cinnamon stick as a stand-in for a cigarette. These folks do dramatic presentation really well. I asked for a mid-level brandy to finish the evening, and the bartender brought it to the table and told me a little bit about the history and philosophy of the brandy house. My wife wondered if I had made a costly mistake with my vague request, but it ended up being $10. Food was amazing as usual and fairly priced. The standout for me was the Poutine - it was even more amazing with the sauce from the asparagus fries. I thought the shrimp might have been a little bit soggy, but they were so delicious that I convinced myself that was exactly the way they were supposed to be. I'll definitely be coming back.

What an awesome and amazing experience. The cocktails were delicious, thoughtfully prepared, and unique. The food was so very good. I could eat the seafood roll everyday for a year and still be excited about it. If you can, go, treat yourself, you won't be sorry.

The Filipino Latino menu is the best meal I've had at Travail since coming here on several occasions over many years. Every dish was incredibly flavorful, and the service was so playful and fun! I don't think I can pick a favorite part of the meal. An intermezzo with Mike Brown in the outside front veranda provided some hilarious insight into the concept, finished with a tasty shooter! Really enjoyed this meal at Travail. They truly know what they're doing with spirited dining, and they do it well.

We went for the "Duel" event. I went in with pretty high expectations for the food for the price. The atmosphere was fun and the main host was entertaining and engaging. The food was not great, unfortunately. The halibut was very overcooked. Some dishes were too salty, some put things together that didn't make sense. It's a shame because we would have loved the whole experience if the food was better!

What an AMAZING experience! I was lucky enough to go to the Signature Tasting with 7 of my closest friends for my 40th birthday and it was a perfect evening. The food was delicious. Hands down. So good. Multiple points that we all wanted more, and several of us debated licking the plate! Everyone on staff was kind, fun, and you could tell they enjoy what they do. The energy in the space is fun and upbeat. Everyone had smiles on their faces throughout the night. It was just awesome. And the space in general is just gorgeous. The upstairs bar is lovely and a perfect place to start the evening. The dining room, while large, still felt like we were able to have good conversations and laugh together. It was a magical night. So thankful to the whole team at Travail for being so great!

I absolutely love this place! The staff are friendly - they always treat you like an old friend. They are incredibly knowledgeable about everything food and drink they offer. My favorite part of Travail is their themed basement experiences. I've been lucky enough to attend two so far (Christmas and Friends experience), and both were incredible. The food and cocktail pairings are always spot on. Food is small portions, creative, and delicious. Drinks are creative but tend to be larger (might be a negative for some, but I'm good with it!). This is a place to come back to over and over. Always something new to experience!

Way overpriced for cheap wine, portions of food that were inedible or undercooked, (Costco samples are larger) and a wait staff that poorly communicates.

Omg this is a must do!!! They have an Italian Giglio feature right now that is just so awesome. We booked a reservation about a month out which you have to do as it books out quick! You do need to pay in advance which I don't love but also makes sense and makes it easier at the end of the night. We were in the upper part of the restaurant and we just had a blast. Not only was the food fabulous, the service is quick, witty and top notch plus they have events and small moments throughout the evening to make it fun. We did trivia during dinner but they also had music playing and interactive food stations. For this feature the mozzarella and cacio e Pepe from the cheese wheels are to die for. I wanted to eat just that for my entire meal! Highly highly recommend.

As good as the food was the night we visited Travail I was surprised by the overall experience. What do I mean? Greeted at the door and we were invited to enjoy a drink up the stairs at the stylish retro 70's style bar with excellent craft cocktails. When you come down to start this unique food experience you are invited to four different food stations. Our favorite was the mozzarella balls on your hand indented and filled with honey and sprinkled with nuts. After this interactive opening you are seated at a community style table and entertained by a private chef that skillfully rolls out sixteen small plate courses. We did wine flights with dinner. I recommend the addition of wine. Overall, the food was creative and excellent. Travail is truly a unique interactive social dining experience!!

We finally went to Travail and we were not very impressed. Super bummed, because we had been looking forward to it for a long time. We did the Giglio tasting and were seated on the main floor. The staff was great - super friendly, energetic, helpful, and fun. The food was good, but not great or even spectacular. The environment was pleasing to the eyes, but super loud and raucous - quite the opposite of what we were expecting for an upscale meal. It would have been fun at a brew pub or something like that. Also, the service seemed very rushed - not much time spent explaining the food - partly because the ambient noise was so high that the staff basically had to yell out for people to hear them and go around and shout the same info to everyone separately. There was a wedding reception going on in the upstairs bar, with the dance music filtering down. Then Travail had their own house music on their sound system, along with the host of our meal shouting out over a distorted microphone, kind of like a barker at the state fair. Not much focus on the food, or the experience, or the unique nature of the meal. For the price, we were hoping for a lot more. We probably won't be back. It would have been great to have a Minneapolis version of something like Alinea or Next for special occasions.

Such a fun experience! There are 22 courses, the first few you walk around and get. My favorite was the fresh mozzarella! The service was awesome, and the space was cool. I thought the trivia was sort of random but I had fun playing still!

This is certainly for the adventurous! They have a contemporary twist to anything you can think of like foie gras on a lollipop stick, or painting your own flatbread, freeze during your dessert table side! It's both entertainment for the palette and your eyes! Good food, fast service, and great wine! You can interact with the kitchen team and the sommelier as well and they nicely answer your questions. Definitely worth a try and a place worth coming back to!

Whoa - we just had one of the most delicious, fun and by far the most interactive meal of our lives. I've been thinking about travail ever since they first opened and finally took the opportunity to try their Umami experience. It was amazing. The service, the concept and even the ambiance of the basement bar are all unforgettable. Can't wait to get back here on another special occasion. Places like Travail remind me just how incredible our Minnesota restaurant scene is!

"The staff was incredibly friendly and had a great attitude, which made for a welcoming experience. However, the start time was delayed, which I found surprising given the cost--it really should have been prompt. Unfortunately, aside from the soup, the food didn't quite meet my expectations in terms of flavor. Even the wagyu, which came with an additional $60 charge, was underwhelming both in taste and presentation, so much so that I didn't even feel inclined to take a photo. I have a refined palate and am always willing to pay for exceptional food, but I found the flavors here to be rather bland. Unfortunately not worth the $600.

The food was great and I enjoyed all of the eight or nine dishes on the tasting menu. Everything left me wanting just a little bit more, so I really can't say anything negative about the food. I honestly enjoyed everything. The "amusements" part of the experience is where this place was just super disappointing. They were doing a "chef wars" challenge, in which you voted for your favorite team of chefs' dish at the end of each course. That would've probably been enough audience participation for me. Instead, they subject you to two hours of loud shouting over a static-y microphone, along with random games of rock, paper, scissors, a beer chugging contest, and a matchup over Rock-em, Sock-em robots. It was just dumb, and not what I would expect from a $200+ meal (per person) without any alcohol. Then they randomly come around with pieces of beef hanging off of a fishing pole, that you get to catch in your mouth? So random, and not what I would expect from a nice restaurant. The music is incredibly loud, so conversation with your party is almost impossible. Definitely not the place to go for a date, or any kind of special occasion unless the goal is for everybody to get drunk and be loud. I thought this was going to be a little bit more along the lines of an Alinea, but the whole thing just felt sort of silly and tacky.

What a great experience! This was definitely worth the price, we had a 13 course dinner, the signature tasting menu. Wow, we did not leave hungry! The savory entree course were all great sized, no small little amusements. The palate cleansers were delightful and fun. Our favorite course was the chicken course and the steak course. We got the nonalcoholic drink pairing as well, fun to try some new mocktails that were mostly pretty good. I would miss this if I hadn't gotten it, though you do need to keep up with these, at a couple points I was still drinking one and the next drink pairing was delivered. The service here was top notch, they did an excellent job! They are a well oiled machine and they always knew what I needed before I did. The location is super cute too, we were seated in their main area, nice big windows. We didn't get to see the rooftop or basement, but hoping to get back to try them out as well! If you are on the fence about this place, go! You will leave with a memorable experience and a happy tummy!

We went for the basement bar Party to Die For experience and it was amazing! It was a multi course meal that was very clever but also delicious. We also did the cocktail pairing, our favorites were the gin drinks. There were 4 cocktails and 8 dishes. You can purchase additional drinks or food to accompany the meal as well. The place was decked out and involved a few different rooms. The acting and themes were hilarious! The staff completely immersed themselves in the roles. The whole experience is under 2 hours. It is adults only. There is a parking lot option.

Amazing experience and food! I was so excited to go here once I found out they changed the menu to what they call GIGLIO (Italian-inspired menu). It was a 21 course Italian tasting menu and we had an absolute blast. The food was great, the service was even better, and it was such a unique environment. Worth the price, I can't wait to go again!

I have loved my experiences at Travail but our Filipino dinner was a miss Three in our group had the vegetarian option On prior visits the vegetarian options were equal to and in some cases superior to the carnivore items In one case the pasta in soy was so salty it was inedible Three times I had to ask what the veggie option was and server had to leave and come back with explanation We also shared ahead of time that a 70th birthday was being celebrated. No mention was made May have been off night but this experience was disappointing and not as special as prior visits

Travail is definitely an experience. You're welcomed in and if you're a little early, you can pop up to the bar for some of their one-of-a-kind drinks. Then when it's time, you'll make your way to the communal table where you join another group (unless your group is big enough to take the entire table, I suppose) Be ready for a lot of food. They come in small portions but there are enough courses to fill you up. All of the amusements were well designed; picturesque, if you will. However, the flavor / texture combinations were a bit too adventurous for me. Not sure if this is an every night thing but when we were there, they had a trivia competition for the entire restaurant. That was engaging and a lot of fun. The effects that come with the presentation of some dishes add an extra level of detail to the experience. Get ready for lots of liquid nitrogen All in all, I would recommend others to try this place and I'm glad i did, but I wouldn't need to go back. The wide offering of courses is bound to be hit or miss since you can't appease everyone's palette. There were some dishes I enjoyed and others I didn't. However, for a meal of this price tag, I'd like to guarantee that I enjoy everything.

I had an amazing time at Travail. My sister and I arrived for our reservation for Californication dinner only to realize the person who had gifted the dinner had missed several notifications that our specific dinner service was cancelled. We tried to check in at the host stand and Lilleth was very apologetic. She offered to get us into a later seating of a different menu- the Giglio tasting menu, with drinks added, with no additional cost. We took her up on this and waited at the bar upstairs. Soon we were tapped by the sommelier who offered to give us a private tasting of all the wines we would have experienced at the Californication dinner. The wines were delicious! We then went downstairs and fully enjoyed the full Giglio menu. The ambiance was festive and we enjoyed the interactive aspect of our meal. The food was great! But major takeaway was the service- while we were disappointed to miss the meal we had planned for, Travail went above and beyond to make up for it and the service and attention we received was simply impeccable. We will definitely be back. Thank you Travail!

Anyone below a 5-star review is NOT the vibe. This was probably the best dining experience I have ever had, and I want to permanently move to Minneapolis now so that I can go here again. You have to understand, this place is different. This is NOT your typical tasting menu nor bar experience. It is VERY interactive. You walk in to ROCK MUSIC!!?! And immediately, they start serving you appetizers. There are appetizer stations that you can wander around to while you sip your cocktails. THEN you sit down, and the rest of the experience begins This place is a WELL-OILED machine! They are constantly moving and grooving, and you don't even know what's happening! Delicious, perfect creation after each one comes before you. Everything is perfectly timed from the food to the cocktails (definitely get the pairing, by the way). They also have an alcohol-free flight, which I really appreciate. My favorite was this tropical drink where they burned the herbs so you could inhale while you sipped. They had song trivia, crazy awesome music, and the staff was so engaged. Someone should study this place and write a book because this is what a truly happy workplace looks like. I want to quit my job and work here! We were having a lot of fun, and they could tell, so they brought us shots and invited us to the downstairs bar (shoutout to Samantha, btw) where we karaoked! Needless to say, we were so splendidly happy with the entire experience.

what an unexpectedly amazing experience! Why there isn't a location in Los Angeles that charges twice as much is beyond me! My husband and I made reservations for their basement steakhouse style multi-course dinner. We've gone to a restaurant back home in LA with a similar concept where you don't really know what you're eating until they put it in front of you. It always seems kind of scary, because you just don't know what you're going to get, but the fact that it brought us out of our comfort zone for things we would normally even maybe sort of kind of consider, and we ended up loving everything, speaks volumes. We started with oysters. Neither of us had ever eaten them because they just don't sound good. But they were! This was followed up some sort of salmon on top of crispy potatoes. Also excellent! Textures were fantastic together. Next was a scallop dish. Again, something neither of us would have ever ordered, but greatly enjoyed. A petite wedge salad was up next. My husband adamantly hates wedge salads, but loved this one! A Japanese style omlette stuffed with mushrooms and covered in a creamy, buttery chive sauce followed. A nice blackberry sorbet to cleanse the palette. Home made potato chips to munch on while our main course made its way out. Mashed potatoes made with tallow and charred broccoli accompanied a perfectly cooked steak and chicken breast entree. My husband had a few drinks, one of which was a Monster Eye, which he really liked. The bartender also brought him a free drink in a llama shaped cup that he was piloting and wanted feedback on. And for dessert, chocolate cardamom cookies followed up I'm not exactly sure what, because it was a last minute menu change for the evening, but it was AMAZING. It was some sort of peach jelly layered on top of a cheesecake-style cream with a shortbread sort of soft cookie bottom. It was great. Everything was great from the service to the food to the entire experience. If you are in the area and have a chance to visit this place you won't be disappointed.

This had been a long time coming after 3 cancellations due to various COVID circumstances since 2020. Upon arrival, you are warmly greeted by various members of the Travail team. Tables are somewhat communal, but not overly so and allow great visuals of many prep elements of each dish. Every dish that came was spectacular with some favorites being the breakfast in a cup, the scallop dish, and finally the apple doughnut which was a great way to close out a fine meal. We only had one hiccup when a steak dish delayed the restaurant's cadence due to some issue in the kitchen. They did a great job of adding some entertainment and offering a glass of bubbly to make up for it! The food was great, there is some entertainment from the staff via trivia and karaoke (on this occasion anyway), but the beverage flight was a major disappointment. Of the 6 cocktails, we enjoyed maybe 2 of them while the others were a bit dull. However, that was really the only detractor to the experience. Would definitely recommend - it's not the best tasting menu we've ever been to, but it holds a very high batting average with the dishes and provides some entertainment on top which is unique for this type of meal/restaurant.

Travail was a really fun splurge,m. We enjoyed the signature tasting menu over Valentine's Day wkd and had a great time trying everything! Lots of different types of foods. Lots of the assembly and even cooking happened in front of us, so it was fun to have a chef's table without actually having a chef's table. The ambiance is really festive and fun, and so much better than a white tablecloth type resto (at least for us). We decided to reserve the cocktail pairing, but in hindsight that would not have been necessary... all of the cocktails were amazing and we could have ordered a la carte and gotten exactly what we wanted. We'll be back when we have a good excuse!

UMAMI in Travail's basement bar was such a fun dining concept! Between the awesome staff, chill atmosphere, hearty&tasty coursed dishes, unique drink pairings, shots, sake bombs, and karaoke, it felt more like a big party than a tasting menu. I thought the overall experience was very much worth the price. My only critique is about confusion around the reservation system. Some establishments that have this high of a surcharge (21%) remove the tip line or mention something about the charge replacing the need for tipping, but this online system just defaults the gratuity to 20% and says it's optional. I don't want to unintentionally stiff the staff by assuming the wellness surcharge replaces their need for tips. Otherwise this was my first time at Travail, and it left a great impression. I would 100% return for an UMAMI comeback.

My friends and I were able to finally dine at this popular resturant. I've heard great things and couldn't wait to see for myself. The resturant has a main level serving dinner and games. The upstairs has a bar for folks waiting for their table or just hanging out. Our dinner was in the lower level. I really enjoyed the decorations throughout the resturant. They really took their time and made sure to have a festive ambience for the dinners. The service was very good. They were responsive and super friendly. If you haven't been here before, it's a tasting menu that the chef puts together for the parties each night. I enjoyed most of the dishes. Especially the ones with some heat! Now, even though the service and food were nice, I don't feel the price is justified. My meal was $200 with the non alcoholic choices. Alcoholic would have brought it up to $225. I would put this dinning experience closer to $75 with drinks. The food was nice, but it wasn't like we were served scallops with caviar or lobster bisque. Two of the courses were shared with the person seated across from you, which again, at these prices you shouldn't have to share. It was shrimp, not bluefin tuna. While I enjoyed the decor, it wasn't what I would expect from a meal of this price. The entertainment portion was the group pretending to be on a plane. Again, cute, but not what I'd expect at this price point. In summary, the staff was great, food was good, but the whole package is much too overpriced for me to return.

The ONLY reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it is VERY expensive and I might have expected too much, but I was expecting/wished a few things were done better based on the price: - It's Loud!: Pretty difficult to have a conversation with anyone. For the price point and it being a "special occasion" place, it would be nice to have some space to converse. - Service: while a few of the servers were awesome. There wasn't continuity throughout the evening. - Innovation: while there were some cool cooking techniques, nothing out of this world. Maybe molecular gastronomy is on the way out but I was hoping for some very unique "experiences"

LOVED our friends experience this weekend. Food was great, staff amazing and ambience was a blast. Definitely recommend.

Was looking forward to the Travail experience for my wife's birthday. When went to make reservations and pay the $310 for the meal, Travail had added another 21% Health & Welfare fee. Adding a tip on top of it, our payment would be in excess of $400s. Someday maybe and -- maybe not.

I've been pondering this one for a few weeks now, teetering between 4 and 5 stars. It's times like this I wish I could give a half-star! Alas, here's why I'm between the two: 5-star aspects: - I love the concept: multiple courses, all a surprise, all unique and prepared at your table. - I've been on their newsletter for a while and love seeing the seasonal or themed dinners they do as well. - The space is cool, with a bar upstairs and large, multi-party tables downstairs - plus an open kitchen. - The serving team was plentiful and clearly enjoy their jobs! - They are accommodating to allergies like ours: gluten free and no shellfish. - We loved the extra unique courses like the passionfruit dry ice lollipops and deconstructed French onion soup. - We thought their strong suit was the meat courses and dessert: it ended on a high note! 4-star aspects: - Maybe I had hyped it up too much in my head, but I was expecting a kooky place with super unique foods and "amusements", as their name suggests. There were definitely some unique dishes and presentations, but as far as the "amusements" went, that fell short for me. A bit of dry ice and a round of seemingly random trivia left me desiring more. - I would have loved to hear about the dish as the chefs prepared them at the table - the thought behind it, the ingredients, how it came together, etc. I felt like the chef preparing things at the table took a backseat sometimes, when it should have been the star of the show. - I know this sounds crazy, but I kinda wish there were less courses - or a few brought together. The 14+ courses were served so fast that often we'd be finishing one and have to hurry to receive the next one. It's wild, but a 2+ hour meal felt rushed. We didn't drink, but the couple that got the drink pairings were only partially through each one when another would arrive. - Some of the courses fell flat for us. Especially in the beginning, the shrimp/rice krispies/apple juice and the beet/salmon courses were a pretty big miss for us, leaving us a little underwhelmed to start. It was still a memorable experience for my partner's 30th, but I'm not sure we'll return in the near future due to the steep price. Definitely a special occasion kind of spot!

Must try place!!! We just did the haunted basement and what an exhilarating experience complete with entertainment, delicious food and amazing drinks! Staff was top notch amazing. The food was prepared in small play style with lots of variety: the flavors of both drinks and food left your taste buds wanting more. The price is worth the experience for a special night out.

This review is specifically for the Umami experience in the Basement Bar. My husband and I went to the Basement Bar a couple years back for their Simpsons experience and really loved it. The food and cocktails were delicious. We still have our little Buzz cola glass! With that visit in mind, we excitedly booked the Umami tasting experience again in the Basement Bar. We are both big foodies and were excited to see how this kitchen would experiment and explore the concept of "the fifth taste." I have to say, we were just expecting to enjoy a thoughtful meal, but hoo boy was that just part of the show. Throughout the service we had rolling servers/DJs trying to hype up the "crowd." Multiple times were we required to cheer to exclaim how good a time we were having. To hit home how strange and hilarious this was: in the middle of dinner my husband and I were having a serious conversation about the AAP's new guidelines on childhood obesity, when one of the servers insisted we needed to leave our table to go into another room for a sake bomb challenge. I just started laughing at this point because apparently, instead of going to dinner we ended up on some weird cruise ship. At the end of the meal, the host exclaimed we were all going to do karaoke! For.... exactly fifteen minutes. And then we had to leave. I think the servers were very nice and they truly tried to keep the mood up, but the song and dance routine definitely distracted from the meal. (Having said that, my husband definitely got up and rocked some karaoke.) The real reason I'm giving the Umami experience three stars is for what should've been the main event: the food. Honestly, the menu was baffling. I would definitely not call this an Umami tasting menu, it was more a general "Pan-Asian" menu. There were several courses like lamb meatballs and chicken wings which felt vaguely Asian, but I wouldn't say they highlighted umami flavors. Also, the progression of courses was very strange. Our first two dishes were very heavy, somewhere in the middle we had a soup course, and towards the end of the meal we had a piece of hamachi sushi with mushroom. Huh??? Why weren't we going from lighter to heavier? Why weren't we starting with cleaner flavors and then going more pronounced, which would make sense with a menu focusing around umami! Also, the menu was waaaay too heavy on proteins. I was dying for more vegetables, which is really tragic as there are sooo many umami rich veggies! The only one really highlighted over and over again was mushroom. Please, give me a bruleed tomato, roast carrots, smothered cabbage, parmesan potatoes, the list goes on and on. I actually think this meal could have shined if they HADN'T stuck to Asian flavors. If the chefs highlighted how umami touches multiple cuisines, that would've been more interesting. Instead I think they thought "well, it's an Asian word, so we have to make Asian food." There were definitely a few highlights: the dashi broth with squid had a lovely, rich and deep flavor, the hamachi sushi was light and very fresh, and we loved the fermented/pickled veggies that were offered on the table. I hate to add another critique but it must be said: the zero proof cocktails were astoundingly misbalanced. They were as sweet as a Hi-C. I think part of the problem is that they were trying to make zero proof versions of their alcoholic cocktails, and that wasn't working. It would be better to just have a nice variety of non-alcoholic beverages to choose from. I would've been much happier drinking Topo Chicos and jasmine tea all night. I'm still curious to try the main dining room at Travail, but I think we'll take a break from the Basement Bar's shenanigans.

Very expensive if your going the tasting menu from my opinion..It has been a few years since my husband and I went but sheesh..Definitely a good time and experience!

Eating at Travail felt like the closest I can get to travelling. The New Orleans menu was fun, creative, and delicious. Even my less favorite parts of the meal felt like an adventure.y favs of the night was the amazingly smooth clarified take on a hurricane, the oyster po boy slider, and the scallops!! We got there early and accidentally entered the wrong door but the staff was awesome let us through and offered some drinks while we waited! This was my first visit and can't wait til the next!!

A hidden gem in Robbinsdale. It's next to a gym across from a bus stop with a small shared parking lot. There's free public parking across and down the street. It's in a chic looking black building that can be mistaken for a warehouse. I was there for the tasting menu. I've been told, one can order off of the menu upstairs. When one gets in, the dining room is open and well, though minimally decorated. From the moment one walks in, there are people checking in and greeting customers warmly. The tables are set up family style for each course to be served. The diners are served together and told what each course contains. The long descriptions are surprising when you look at the small portions/tastes in front of you. However, when you taste each course, it's so full of flavor, I understood the lengthy descriptions. You're surprisingly full by the end of the meal. A fun experience with tasty food. I look forward to the return of the basement tasting experience.

I've come back twice and had a great experience each time. The menu is so creative and thoughtful, and I love that it's a high-effort tasting menu with none of the pretense. Servers are personable and funny, welcoming eaters in on the creative process. I got the drink pairing the first time as well and thought that they did an excellent job pairing flavors with each other! One of my favorite places to go to in Minneapolis and also such a reasonable price to pay for what you're getting.

We go here for the experience. Such unique dishes, you're always in for a treat. We did the Valentines Day menu in the room upstairs. It was an enjoyable evening watching them prepare our food and competing against other couples in trivia for a chance at wining a bottle of wine. The food didn't disappoint, especially the Chocolate Torte. I will say that I liked the vibe of their old space more. It definitely had more amusements back then.

My expectations were probably too high walking in. The food was good, not as outstanding or as interesting as I would have thought. The grilled sea salt oyster on the way in was tasty. They brought us well prepared chicken, some sushi small bite, and other things I can't remember a month later that were enjoyable. The cake was dry and not worth the calories (or cost). The dietary restriction I indicated was missed but they were able to adjust in the moment. The atmosphere was lovely upstairs. We ate in the covered outdoor area at a shared table.

We've been here before several times. We had yet another incredible experience tonight. I had the owners reserve wine tasting with our meal and hubby had the cocktail pairing. The staff was top notch as always and the food was grade A! Whenever we can fit Travail into our schedule (we live two hours away) we definitely do.

I've always been a big fan of Travail and can now say I have enjoyed their amazing food and experience in their new location. We enjoyed the rooftop Cantina menu and had an amazing time with another couple. So much food and well worth the wait to get in. Menu will change depending on seasonal availability. We did the add ons of the king crab and the tomahawk steak and I highly recommend adding these if available. Can't forget the drinks! You have the option to add wine or cocktail flights but we opted to order what we felt like. We definitely indulged on a few but highly recommend the old fashioned and the mango slushie with added tequila. The team is so creative and you can't go wrong with anything they serve. Make sure to let them know if any allergies and they will accommodate

I've been to Travail 4 times, twice in the main dining room and twice in the Basement Bar. All 4 times have been a truly wonderful experience and each one was very unique - it's never the same. The pictures included in this review are from their Halloween Basement Bar. I love their themed experiences, they really go all out with memorable cocktails and food (as you can tell by the Slimer mugs). I would say Travail is definitely the most experience-centered restaurant in the Twin Cities and the first place I recommend to friends from out of town looking for a unique dining opportunity.

It's been quite a few years since we lived in MN, but this is one of the greatest restaurants I've ever been too. Amazing food, great service, etc.. you would expect. But the entertainment value and creativeness of the experience is just incredible.

Came for our 16 year marriage anniversary. We go out to eat a lot so I wanted to do something different. This definitely was different. Total 13 courses. Unfortunately we somehow missed the nitro fluff. :( but the 12 we had were all prepared well. Not all of them agreed with our taste buds but the ones that did were amazing. The chefs plate everything in front of you and it is fun to watch. Each dish is explained to you. Dirty dinnerware is promptly removed and your water is kept full. I do feel it was a bit rushed, I would have liked to be able to savor each dish a bit more. My husband thought the speed was ok. We went on a Thursday so each person was $120 on weekends the price of $155. You can order a beverage package, $75 for alcoholic, $50 for non alcoholic. They do offer a few a la cart beverages (the spirit free cosmo is heavenly). We ordered the caviar (sturgeon) as an accompaniment that was $100. Came in a cute little fish with crackers and several different spreads. We did not finish it so took it home with us. They charge a health and wellness fee of 21% that is not a tip. When all was said and done we spent a total of $532 and some change. Quite the splurge. Do I think it was worth the cost? No. Will I go back? Maybe... I definitely think it is a must try at least once.

Tasting menu is large. Top notch service. Can be very pricey. Worth the price if there is a special occasion.

What a fabulously fun and tasty experience. The tasting is so creative. Everything is filled with unique flavors and entertaining presentations. I can't pick a single dish as my favorite because everything and everyone was exceptional. It os alway fun when you get to watch the food genius's prep your meal.

Minds blown, expectations exceeded. We visited Travail for my birthday dinner and it was absolutely delicious. We were stuffed by the end and loved the entire experience start to finish. We've already been taking about going back with friends. 10/10 can't even really begin to describe how amazing it was.

Excellent food, but a very unfriendly to customers. We arrived for our seating and it became immediately clear that we were not there to leisurely enjoy our meal. The pace of the meal was rushed, and they actually told us we had to leave! For the amount of money we spent on that meal, I would not go back ever again.

Great place for a very special occasion. We loved the entire experience of watching each course prepared and the tasting of all.

Heads up, the restaurant is a little hard to find because there isn't a large sign that says travail, and it is very subtle. Sleek, but subtle! From the moment, my husband and I walked in, we were greeted with a smile and a starter bite before the host walked us to our seat. The restaurant is clean, modern, and simple. We were blown away at every dish, even the dishes that I thought that I wouldn't like, I ate every crumb! The servers checked up on us quite often, our glasses were never empty. They even checked to see if I enjoyed my wine because it took me a little longer to drink my glass of wine! I really appreciate the attention. Not only were the dishes delicious, the skill set as a chef really shined with each and every dish. This restaurant most definitely is not cheap, but worth every penny! I highly recommend anyone to come here, at least once in their lifetime.

First time going to Travail and it was amazing! The staff was really helpful and kind. The food was all incredible and well-explained by the servers. I was worried it wouldn't be enough food for the price, but it definitely was. There was a great variety of food and the presentation was really nice as well. Overall, this was part delicious dinner and part just really fun, unique experience and I can't wait to go back!