Yarusso Bros Italian Restaurant

We took a spontaneous trip to see what the hype is about, as I try to support small, local businesses as much as possible. Unfortunately, my experience didn’t live up to the hype. Everything on the menu sounded amazing, so I ordered the half-and-half mostaccioli and the famous spaghetti and meatball. When my plate arrived, it was penne pasta, spaghetti noodles, a very watered-down red sauce, and a single large meatball, and everything was unfortunately under-seasoned. Not even a hefty amount of Parmesan cheese could fix. The chicken parmesan was also a miss — it tasted like a pre-breaded frozen chicken breast, and the bread served with our meal was stale. That said, I want to end on a positive note. The ladies were friendly, and the tiramisu was genuinely the highlight of our stop. I appreciate the hospitality, but overall, it wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for. It's not a place decent enough to give it another try.

I've gone here over my whole lifetime it seems. But last night my family threw a surprise party for my birthday at this wonderful restaurant. They had enough seating in a side room to accommodate part of my huge family. They had enough food to please everybody and it was absolutely delicious. I recommend the ravioli. And I just wanna say the two women who were serving our table were absolutely lovely and amazing servers. Thanks for the years of delicious food and family atmosphere.

Yarusso's is the place for your true Italian fare! They've been making the original Italian specialties for over 90 years - you can be sure that it's the best out there! The marinara sauce flows like the lava from Vesuvius, and the Bruschetta (pronounced Bruce-Keh - Tah, with an Italian accent, mind you) is crispy and delicious like the pizzas they make. Just add cheese, Parmigiano of course, and you're about to have a meal of your lifetime. Good food and good people - that's the Yarusso's way. And the Italian murals on the walls add to the Italian atmosphere, so sit close to the Colosseum painting, eating their Spaghetti, maybe a sip of wine or two, and you'll be singing ''O, sole mio'' like Pavarotti! Great place for a Sunday lunch, an Anniversary, or a romantic dinner with the Lady of your dreams.

Last night, we popped in for the first time, and I am so glad we did! We ordered calamari, garlic cheese toast, ravioli cheese and meat with half and half sauce, and spaghetti supreme! Everything was delicious. The staff were all so kind and welcoming.

Classic Italian dining experience. Great food, atmosphere. Will be back! Calamari was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Get the Pasta Supreme!

It was great haven't been there in yrs. Very clean, the gentleman behind bar greeted us said to order with him , they took care of me and my friend quickly, it was about 130 or 2 Not too many people, g Food was good had rigatoni huge meatball came with it . Bread and salad also. The owner had some dean Martin playing , i wanted to dance with him get a little twirl for fun but didn't, parents loved that kind of music , he seemed surprised i knew it was Dean Martin ,😁 overall I will go back again!!!!

Very old school restaurant with absolutely amazing food. Probably the best lasagna I've ever had.

Awesome 👏 sauce! Delicious Italian pasta 🍝

Ok ! This isn't your Cosettas , to be honest it's better sauce !! Super sweet ladies working here and it's your mamma papa place ! Homemade pasta and sauce is fantastic !! I highly recommend if you have a party of five or six order the sampler platter the garlic cheese bread is FANTASTIC !! If I could at more I would have but practically rolled out of there ! It's not super fancy but the price is great and the sauce and pasta is like being in north Italy!

I have been past this place many times and finally stopped in. The meal was excellent. Great plate of spaghetti and meatball with some bread. Fast and friendly service.

A historic Italian staple in Saint Paul. Could it use a facelift? Absolutely. Does it give me nostalgic energy every time I step foot in the building because it hasn't changed? Yes. This is a gem and my grandpa's family photo of 15 siblings is up on a wall mural along with many other Italian families too. Come for your basic spaghetti and meatballs, rigatoni or mostaccoli. Don't forget to add some spumoni ice cream at the end (it's huge fyi!). Unfortunately there are no more table servers (there used to be but it's probably a staffing issue or cost savings) and you order up at the bar / register and someone will bring you your food and drinks. I hope it goes back to a full service someday but I'm simply ecstatic it is still around. Keep it up, Yarusso's! We are so grateful for you.

Eggplant Parmesan is the bomb! It's a St Paul gem You would ne makin' a mistake if you didn't get some MEATBALLS

I miss the bar seating and the lunch buffet. Mmmm!great food but I've not been back since they closed the bar.

I visited Yarusso's this past weekend to celebrate my younger brother and his family being back in town from Ireland. There were 12 of us and it turned out to be a great trip down memory lane. As always, the food was good and the service was excellent. We spoke with Fred Yarusso and reminisced about mutual friends and acquaintances. Overall a wonderful experience. Thank you, Yarusso's!

Great food, great service, definitely should stop in for lunch or dinner. The meatball was amazing. The place feels like you walked back in time 50 years. A really cool vibe.

Tastes like canned food. Odd flavor. If you like Hunts plain sauce then go for it. Otherwise go to Olive Garden.

What a classic Italian restaurant. I had the spaghetti and rigatoni with 2 meatballs and it reminded me of my grandmas cooking. Very reasonable prices, good service nice people. There is a reason it has been around so long.

I've come here twice in the last five days. The first time was because something else fell through and I remembered that a good friend of mine LOVES it here. The second time was because, a few days later, I was feeling indecisive about what I wanted for dinner, so I asked myself, "dude, what do you GENUINELY want to eat right now?" And the honest answer was more from Yarusso Bros. This is an Italian food place on the east side of St Paul. It has the aesthetic and ambiance of a blue collar neighborhood joint that has been feeding contented StPaulitans for decades and will continue to do so for decades more. I've had rigatoni with a meatball & red sauce, and I've had chicken Parmesan Alfredo. Both tasted great, and in both cases I attribute that to the unique and expertly crafted sauces they each came with. The pasta and the meat were all perfect as well, but I think there's some kind of magic about how that sauce goes with their meatballs that keeps people coming back for it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And let me just restate that neither the red sauce nor the Alfredo sauce are anywhere near run-of-the-mill. If you're expecting them to be indistinguishable from what you'd get at Cossetta or Mama's, you will probably be very pleasantly surprised. It took kind of a while for my food to arrive during my second visit. Bread is served right away, but it's room-temperature white bread like you'd use to make a PB&J sandwich. And prices hover in the average-to-above-average range. But I will happily pay that for food that tastes this good.

Mhm mhm mhmmm. That garlic cheese bread though. Just excellent. The marinara grew on me, but there is like brown sugar or something in it. The homemade vignette on the salad was amazing. The manicotti literally melted in your mouth. Overall this place was just amazing. They have they're own parking lot which is nice, it's free to use to costumers. The building is dimly lit and has a warm atmosphere. The closest thing I could compare it to is a speakeasy for Italian food. The bar is older and there are no tap beers, but the beverages are reasonably priced. They have a Tommy gun replica above the bar. It's furnished like something you'd see in an old mobster movie and there are plenty of pictures hanging on the wall of past owners and movie stars. Most notably there is a large painting of Swede Hollow back in the day with a creek running through it. Overall amazing. The food was the best Italian I've had in Minnesota to date.

We love going to places like these. There is something about keeping things the way they've always been. They are like the gems in the world of cookie cutter cafes, restaurants and bars. The device was good and the food was very good! John chose spaghetti and meatballs and I had a meatball hoagie supreme. Mine was piping hot and had wonderful mozzarella cheese on top. I kicked mine up a notch with jalapeños. John enjoyed his but could have stood for a bit more spice in the sauce. Overall, we really enjoyed them and added the boxed leftovers to our inventory of leftovers. Since we are traveling in subzero temperatures will have no problem transporting them home for additional great bites!

I've never cared for meatballs, and haven't ever enjoyed one..that is until I had a Yarusso Bros. meatball. They are spectacular, as is everything else I've tried (pizza is also really good). Really nice ambiance on the inside; one of my favorite restaurants just to walk into and soak in the rich history. It's almost like stepping back in time, but it's super clean at the same time. The price is really good for the generous portions sizes and quality of food. So much better than any chain restaurant.

I have been coming to Yarusso's since I was a kid. We normally come on Sunday for all you can eat spaghetti but we were in the area today and decided to stop by. Since the fire a few years back things seem to be slow, however the service and food has not changed. The service here has always been great. Today we used our check in offered for the pepperoni pizza bread (which was so good) without any problems at all. My mom decided to get a sloppy hot Dego with cheese and I got a large plate of spaghetti which comes with two meatballs (that are the size of tennis balls). The food is always great. I have never had anything to complain about and highly recommend this family owned business.

Awesome casual Italian dining downtown St Paul. Nostalgic 40s music. Great food, friendly staff, fast efficient service, at an affordable price ! Local hometown atmosphere! Super casual, so no need to feel like you have to dress up!

The week before our work group flew into the Twin Cities, the boss emailed me and asked me to find a "not Olive Garden" restaurant in St Paul. Using the Yelp filters of "good for groups", open on a specific day, and takes reservations, along with highest rating and a reasonable distance from our hotel, I came up with Yarusso Brothers. We arrived a couple of minutes prior to our reservation and parked in their lot in back. Got in, were seated immediately. They provided us a table in a side room which was a nice deal. Initial service was a bit slow - it took a while for the wait person to take drink orders, then return with drinks. Once orders were taken, however, our meal came relatively quickly. Hoo boy - portions are HUGE! And from the several people in our group that I polled, satisfaction level was high. A special shout out to my portabello mushroom ravioli - full of mushroom and cheese, and incredibly tasty. Good job handling the 13 of us. This is a place we'll come back to.

Ordered catering for a grad party and it was an amazing experience. Everyone raved about the Mostaccioli and Meatballs and the fantastic bread! No question some of the best meatballs and red sauce around hands down! Jerry was extremely easy to work with and provided amazing service. He was at the door waiting for us when we arrived and helped us load it into the truck. Whether you're looking for a great delicious catering option or dinner with family you can't go wrong with Yarusso's! There's a reason they've been a staple in the community in St Paul for as many years as they have been. Thank you Jerry!

Good! I ordered via Door Dash for lunch and got spaghetti and meatballs with a side salad. The salad was fresh and I really liked their homemade Italian dressing. The spaghetti was a nice portion for a lunch special. Their sauce isn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad. The meatball was really good! I would definitely order again!

Haven't been for a while. Really hankering for meatball dinner. Can't wait to get carry out after shopping trip to Morrellis.

We decided to give this place a try with our friends as my wife and I are trying to discover new places to eat in East side St. Paul. The location is nice, especially that they are right across the street from Swede Hollow Park. A nice walk before dinner never hurts. The establishment is very casual and you can tell their is family pride here. Their food comes in huge portions. Everyone I saw walked out with a to-go box. I love that about restaurants that give you so much you can make two meals out of one (or just grossly overeat). You also get a loaf of bread at each table that is basically a weeks worth of bread. They are not skimpy or cutting corners on portion sizes. The food wasn't bad, but I just wasn't digging their red sauce. I know they put a bit of Cinnamon and Nutmeg in it and I just wasn't liking the odd flavors that it brought to the sauce. I had the Chicken Parmigiana and it wasn't bad, left some to be desired though. Overall, if you like Red sauce pastas (I'm more of a white sauce kinda guy) then you would love this place. I don't as much so that is why my ratings are probably a bit biased. Give this place a shot and see for yourself!

Yarusso's was one of my parent's favorite East St. Paul haunts. My father favored the Hot Dago sandwich (like an Italian meatloaf). It's a fun place with Italian and Godfather decor and music. You'll find all your favorite Italian dishes, with lots of red sauce and cheese. One of my favorite things here is their spumoni (Italian ice cream). It's loaded with almonds and has great flavor. This is a local place with some history. It's nice to support a place like this versus a chain.

Walking into the entrance of this place, I could feel the history here! This place has been around for a long time and the place looks it (I mean that in a good way!). I don't know what it is but something about this place made it feel special and unique. I'll admit though I was standing for a few minutes before any of the staff assisted. But I caught the bartender's attention and asked if I just seat myself? She said yes and I chose a booth next to the kitchen. Then my waitress came and after that the service was wonderful for the rest of my meal. I even had the chef (at least I believe he was the chef) come out and offer me extra sauce and inquired on how I liked the chicken. I ordered up the Lunch Special 6 which consisted of Spaghetti and 1/4 Chicken and I ordered an homemade meatball on the side. I was also given a complimentary bread plate. When my food came out everything looked great. My plate of food was simple but still had a special look to it. The first thing I tasted was their sauce. Now I am not an Italian food expert or fan but their sauce I believe was made in house. It had a subtle natural tomato tartness at the back end that you won't get from most generic pasta sauces, at least that I've tasted. The noodles were of the right texture for me, being Al Dente. The chicken tasted delicious, not greasy at all. But the meatball for me was what caught my attention. First thing that cane to my mind seeing it was WOW THAT'S A BIG MEATBALL. Never actually having a homemade meatball I was excited to try this one. And I wasn't disappointed. There was a certain bounce but a very soft easy to slice tenderness to it. Flavor wise it tasted good for my palate. For a special gem of a place I say this place should be a must try. Give their Chicken a try but I'd say definitely order a classic meal of Spaghetti and meatballs!

During Covid shut down, we did take away quite a bit. Always tasted great. Yesterday, Friday night Dec 3rd about 5:30pm we decided to eat in. They changed their routine. Now you order at the bar and you're given a number for your table. I was a bit surprised, it worked well. Food came out in a timely manner, staff was friendly and seemed happy. Food was fantastic. They are also only serving beer and wine now. Been coming for forty years now and will still keep going back.

It's always decent. I myself like more robust, zesty, spicy Italian food and they lean more to a sweeter Italian. Still good food though!!

Our family had dinner here recently celebrating a college graduation The food and service was excellent! We ordered just about everything on the menu! And when we realized a couple of days later that we had left a card with a large monetary gift in it on the table they had kept it for us. What a wonderful family of integrity and honesty. We were very grateful!

If I was in witness protection (and I'm not, cuz I ain't no snitch!) I would totally risk coming back to the neighborhood for a sloppy dego at Yarusso Brothers. Soooo delicious. -John Smith (Totally not Jimmy the Rat)

I was disappointed after years of hearing about yarusso's. I may have set my expectations too high. I wanted to be blown away, i am a sauce snob, and their sauce didn't cut it, it was bland, no garlic, no flavor. The chicken parm itself, was good enough. Meatballs are bland as well. I think the bread is store bought. When we arrived the only employee we saw was the bartender, we waited 5 minutes before we just seated ourselves. The service was fine after that. The chef was even passing out free pizza.

The east side of Saint Paul used to have some great Italian restaurants but they have all now disappeared, but Yarusso Brothers. This place is the real deal. The food is thick and rich and the portions are generous. We go down to St. Louis to eat on The Hill once or twice a year. Yarusso's is as good as the Hill. We love it. I fear it will not be there forever, so try it today.

What a good family Italian restaurant. We come here all the time and love the food! Usually I get the Sunday buffet or order a half and half pasta dish. The environment is casual and the staff is great.

Really expected flavors in our meals since these seemed to be a genuine Italian place. We got inside and we had to seat our selves get our own menus. We sat down and looked at the very very limited menu. Finally decided and then had to get up to order at the bar. We had to take our drinks to the table on a tray. Food came out and there was no flavor. Salt and pepper couldn't fix it. The "marinara" for the cheese sticks and garlic cheese bread was so disappointing. Tasted like a watery Spagetti sauce. Our meals came out and the pasta sauce on the rigatoni was the exact same as the "marinara" we had three bites and left. Never coming back I really recommend Olive Garden

I had been looking for an Italian place that has the rich, slightly sweet sauce. This is the place. We went on a Sunday and the Brunch was being served. All the offerings were great. I would recommend for a hearty, stick to your ribs Italian restaurant.

Date night with my husband ended with dinner at Yarussos. This being our first visit, I opted to go online in advance to view the menu. I selected the 4 meatballs spaghetti dinner. Wow! The portion was huge. The sauce was delicious. We've travelled to several countries, many, many states and our favorite fun to-do at restaurants is to order their Tiramisu and rank it as top 5, not a contender, oh dear what were they thinking. We'll, hands down we had a top 2 Tiramisu last night. Deliciously light and gloriously rum-soaked lady fingers topped with fine mascarpone and cocoa powder. We've decided that a monthly date night to Yarussos is a must.

This is an Ok place to have an Italian meal. The red sauce is very simple and reminded me of campbell's tomato soup. The meatballs are totally homemade as are most items on the menu. You will certainly get your moneys worth but it is not MaMa's place if you know what I mean. The place is clean and the service is good. Lots of old pictures on the wall which are cool to look at. You will spend some time browsing into yesteryear! I wouldn't go out of my way to return but it was a nice quiet meal.

Great food! Ordered takeout for the family and guests. I thought I may have ordered too much, but everyone devoured and loved it. Great portions, even better flavor. We ordered nearly one of everything and it was all great.

Michael Corleone: "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in." Three or four? Tough call. Although I do not have a drop of Italian blood in me, my family has been getting together at Yarusso's maybe more often than any other restaurant and for longer than I can remember now. Much more often than any German, Irish, Scottish, French or Polish place I can think of (I am a mutt). Given the lifetime of memories and the value for the money, I am going with four stars. Had initially set out to go to Ward 6, but came across Yarusso's on the way there. Thought...yeah, why not...seems like it has been a couple years since last there. Got a Free Pepperoni Pizza Toast appetizer for checking in on Yelp. Heavy on the bread and light on the cheese and pepperoni, but hey it was free and normally goes for six bucks. I'm not complaining. Just wouldn't go out of my way for the freebie. Was planning on getting an entree this evening, but with the free app decided to just get a couple meatballs at $1.99 each. They are good size, but the sauce is a little too Chef Boyardeeish for me (kind of on the sweet side). It is the same sauce that comes on almost all of their other pasta dishes as well, I believe. While it might not be my favorite sauce, it is not bad if you are not expecting Pazzaluna. However, the prices are much cheaper and the portions far more generous at Yarusso's. There is also plenty of free parking here in a private lot and on the streets. In addition to the pizza app and two meatballs this evening, had one bottle of Peroni and one mixed drink. Grand total? $11.53 pre-tip. I will be pulled back in at some point, and gladly go along for the ride. #tradition

The food isn't really that good, but we went back again just on the off chance that it would improve. I'm not saying Yarusso's is what you'd normally think of as bad, but it is definitely American-Italian. the prices are right. Ok, there is no room to be polite, apparently. I'm glad everyone in Minnesota loves this restaurant. For me? Not so much. Not even close to the authenticity you can get in some other cities with a sustained Italian population. There, I said it. Bring on the hate.

We are always looking for good places to eat for brunch. Found another place to add to our rotation. Nice variety of choices: -Lettuce w (pepperoni, cheese, croutons, black olives) -Cold pasta salads -Scrambled eggs -Bacon -Ham -Waffles -Chicken -Pizza (really good breakfast pizza w a very good thin crust) -Chicken -Meatballs -Italian Sausage (very good) -Soup -Desserts (Personal size tiramisu, chocolate bars) Very reasonablly priced. Great service and quaint atmosphere with nice tables or booths. They have all kinds of deals during the week. I will defintely be back to order some of their to go food for an upcoming party and would absolutely go back for their brunch.

My wife was running the Twin Cities 10 mile and needed to pick up her race packet in St. Paul and we had a Living Social coupon for $30 that we needed to use so , cool, it all worked out. We entered the restaurant and it looked like a basic Italian restaurant, my wife informed me of. (She went to Italy 2 years ago) I ordered a homebrewed beer they had, the caramel lager and it wasn't bad. We ordered two dinner salads, they were small, but what do you want for $2? I got the hot dago supreme and my wife got a pizza with no toppings with no cheese. Our waitress was fantastic, and super nice. My wife's salad came out with cheese and she noticed it and brought it back. My salad came with dressing on top, even though I asked for it on the side, but I am a guy that never complains about mistakes, because I know it isn't on purpose. The dago sandwich came out and it was more than enough for two people, any entree here is easily sharable. The salad was okay, just basic iceburg lettuce with some additional toppings, but not bad. The dago supreme had lots of sauce and great toppings on it, it was good, not great, I would have liked more of a meat taste to it, but it seemed like more of a filler to me. The plate was a slab of bread with meat and a ton of good toppings like peppers, cheese, and other good things. I had two pieces of my wife's pizza, it was awesome. I put hot pepper corns on there and some parmeson, my wife thought the crust was pre-made someware, but I though it was fantastic. The sauce was sweet and succulent. I really liked it. I brought home half a pizza home and half my dago sandwich home, so I have a lot of Italian goodness waiting for me tomorrow. Great service in a quaint Italian place. I would have liked tap beer, but they did have Peroni, so I tried one of those. Compared to Buca, I would say the servings are as large, but I liked their sauce better than Buca. The prices are reasonable and good people.

Lived in this area for close to 20 years and decided, today, Lasagna Day to get some Italian food. The portions were made for a football team. We also got some spaghetti for the non Lasagna eating crowd. I'm the kind of Italian food guy who loves my foot to bite me back a bit. No go. The food was average. For a family owned place the price and food was great. The Spaghetti eaters gave it an A+. I'm not Italian, but my mom made a killer Lasagna and I gauge all others to her so maybe I was just let down since I do that, but I will for sure try something else from there before jettisoning the joint fully. Spaghetti seems the logical next step since I was told it was great. I'd try it once, but would not recommend the Lasagna if you want something spicy.

This is a very nice classic Italian restaurant. The fact that it has been around for so long speaks loudly about the place. Italian art, family & celebrity photos decorate the walls. Plenty of booth seating and long tables for big families. The server was really nice and the food came out in a very timely fashion. There was plenty of parking in the lot behind the restaurant. There's only one entrance so be sure to enter through the front off the main road. Overall a great visit and will be back.

I love the atmosphere and history in this place, definitely a mom'n'pop classic Italian-American red sauce joint. However, their red sauce is a little odd, it's a little sweet, almost with cinnamon or brown sugar in it, and it's not really for everyone (not for me at least) and was kind of offputting on the eggplant parm.

Awesome food, had the meatball hoagie and the fried ravioli, cozy environment, great atmosphere.

Stopped in for dinner tonight, really good meal--huge--and good service. Not horribly busy but tables taken nonetheless. I had rigatoni with two meatballs, and I had to take half home because it's so massive. My wife had a dago which came out piping hot just like mine. She enjoyed hers as well. I had a side salad that I ordered late that the server accommodated and of course they serve some white bread with butter. The Peronis were reasonably priced. This is our second time there and we've enjoyed both experiences.

Love this place and I love that you can order large amounts of food for a great value! They have save me lots of time and work for holiday gatherings.

The lasagna is the best I've had in my life. Love the old fashioned and family generation feeling of the restaurant. My all time favorite Italian restaurant!

Came for Italian.....GOT Italian! Great authentic family restaurant. Good vibes! Good food!! Going home full and happy.

If you're looking for authentic Italian in the cities for a good price this is it. We've been here several times and haven't been disappointed. My go to is a hot dago. The meatballs are huge as well. I love the cozy atmosphere, even after the fire. Think family style when you go here, the portions are huge.

Great Pizza. Nice atmosphere. Met Fred while we were there. One helluva guy. If you do get the privilege of going there for dinner or a drink, you will not regret it. Have been there before a few times, but this is the first time I tried their pizza. Everyone there was kind and very attentive. Good old school restaurant

B+. Spaghetti HQ of Saint Paul! Baseball-sized meatball served on a bed of fluffy spaghetti, copiously doused with their red gold - a complex sauce that is simultaneously spicy, seasoned, and sweet. A kaleidoscope of taste in each bite. Goes straight to your soul and gives it a tight embrace. Great supper here. YB's is also a shrine to Marlon Brando -- The Godfather!