Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Roadside Pizza~ St. Paul, MN

Cuisine: Italian, Pizza

Restaurant Features: On-Site Parking
Location: St Paul
Address: 296 Larpenteur Ave E (and I-35E) St Paul, MN 55117 (651) 778-8786

Hours: M-F 6am-10pm, Sat 10:30am-10pm, Sun 11am-9pm
Links: Google Map

Atmosphere: Roadside Pizza is located within a strip mall just off the 35E Freeway exit between Wheelock Pkwy and Larpenteur Ave.  The large windows brighten up the two dining areas, which consist of both laminate tables and booths.  Walls are adorned with a variety of photographs and other local memorabilia.

 

Menu: Breakfast items include Breakfast Sandwich (choice of sausage, bacon or Canadian bacon, with eggs and either melted American or mozzarella, served on bagel or English muffin), Breakfast Pizza, and Baked French Toast.

Appetizers include Italian Fries, Pizza Pinwheels, Nachos, Nachos Supreme, Garlic Toast, Garlic Cheese Toast, and Chicken Wings (BBQ, Teriyaki, Bourban, Jamaican Jerk, Zesty Orange and Hot).

Salads offered at Roadside include the Super (chopped greens, pepperoni, ham, cheese, veggies), Taco, Oriental, Pasta, Orange & Walnut, Caesar,  and Chicken Caesar.

Sandwiches include Hot Dago, Meatball Dip, or Deli Sandwich (Roast Beef, Ham, Turkey, or Piled High).

Specialty Pizzas include Special Deluxe, Veggie Lovers, Taco, Oriental Special, Cheeseburger, Chicken BBQ, Hawaiian Special, Buffalo Chicken, Chicken Alfredo, Super, and Meatlovers.  You can also build your own.

Hot Pastas at Roadside include Spaghetti and Meatballs, Mostaciolli and Meatballs, Fettucini Alfredo, Baked Lasagna.  Any pasta may be topped off with sauteed onion, green pepper and fresh mushrooms for $1.50 extra.

Desserts include Cinnamon Fries (baked dough covered with cinnamon sugar and vanilla icing), Apple Dessert Pizza, and Cherry Dessert Pizza.

Price guide: Breakfast $2.50-5  Appetizers $4-10 Salads $8 Sandwiches $7-8 Pizza Slice $2.55 Pizzas $5-20 Pasta $9  Desserts $5-10

Weekly Specials: (Dine in or Take-Out Only)

Saturday- Family Meal Deal (Large Pizza up to 2 toppings,1 side, and 2 liters Soda $19.99

Sunday- Buy One Large pizza, Get One Large Pizza Free

Monday- Free 10" Italian Fry with purchase of Large Pizza

Tuesday- 2 for 1 Pasta Night

Wednesday- Meatball Dip and Beverage $6.95
What I ordered:  I went with one of the Daily Lunch Specials, Lasagna with breadstick and side salad.  The salad was served in a little bowl with fresh lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and shredded cheddar.

The lasagna had several layers of noodles, sausage, cheese and sauce.  It was good, but I've decided I prefer the Pizza at Roadside. 

My companion ordered the Mostaccioli Lunch Special (also served with side salad and bread stick).  The sauce was thick and zesty.

Here is a slice of Pepperoni Pizza from Roadside.   The crust is thin, hand-tossed and covered with a zesty sauce then piled with pepperoni then mozzarella and baked until cheese is golden and bubbly. Not as much grease as one would expect from all the pepperoni.

Service: Everyone at Roadside Pizza has always been very friendly when I stop in for a quick lunch or to grab pizza slices to-go.  Food is prepared quickly and with a smile.  Delivery is available.
Overall Impression: Roadside is more than a take-out pizza counter; the menu and restaurant offer a good place to stop for either a quick slice of pizza or to sit down and have pasta or pizza with friends and family.

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El Loro Mexican Restaurante ~ Burnsville, Eagan & Savage, MN

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Cuisine: Authentic Mexican,

Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking
Locations: Burnsville, Eagan & Savage, MN
Addresses & Maps:

Burnsville- 2501 Horizon Drive (Cliff Road & 13th) Burnsville, MN 55337 (952) 808-0068

Eagan- 1428 Yankee Doodle Rd Eagan, MN 55121 (651) 405-8244

Savage- 4749 West Highway 13 Savage, MN 55378 (952)736-8307
Link:  El Loro Website

Atmosphere:  The Burnsville location is quite large, with several small dining areas throughout the restaurant.  The parking lot wraps around the building and there are two entrances to the restaurant.  The decor is authentic Mexican, with large bright murals painted on the walls and a sombrero hung up here and there.  There are a mix of tables and booths, as well as a small bar area near the back entrance.  There also appeared to be a small patio area for use during warmer months.

Menu: Appetizers include Nachos, Queso Fundido, Chicken Fingers, Jalapeno Poppers, and Guacamole.

Salads at El Loro include a couple of different Taco Salads, Tossed Salad, and Chicken Salad.

Special dinners (entrees) include Fajitas (Shrimp, Beef, Chicken, Seafood), Carne Asada, Steak Ranchero, Carnitas,teak a la Tampiquena, T-bone Steak, Burritos Mexicanos, Burritos Rancheros, Enchiladas Rojas, Enchiladas Verdes, Enchiladas Poblanas, Quesadilla Ranchera, Enchiladas Rancheras, Pollo Asado, Pollo Loro, Pollo Monterey, Pollo Veracruzano, Chori Pollo, Yolandas, Burritos Deluxe, Burrito Ruleta, Chilaquiles Mexicanos, Taquitos Mexicanos, Shrimp Quesadilla, Shrimp Chimichanga, Quesadillas Veracruzanas, Quesadilla Rellena, Chimichanga, Enchilada Suprema, Chile Colorado, Chile Verde, Combo Special, Special Dinner, Loro Loco, Seafood Enchilada, and Camaron a la Diabla.

There are several combination plates and smaller-portioned lunch specials at reduced prices.

Desserts include Tres Leches Cake, Sopapilla, Flan, Fried Ice Cream, Cheesecake, Churros, Bunuelos (puffy pieces of pastry covered with honey, butter, and chocolate sauce) and Xangos (cheesecake wrapped in a tortilla and fried that dusted with cinnamon and sugar).

Price guide: Appetizers $4-7 Salads $6-9 Lunch Specials $5-6 Special Dinners $9-14  Combination Plates $8-9
What we ordered: We started with the complimentary chips and salsa.  The chips were freshly made; warm, crispy, and lightly salted.  The salsa was slightly spicy and had great flavor, I especially liked the fresh cilantro.  We also were given a side of "Loro" house dressing, which was a thick, sweet and tangy ranch style sauce.  I also ordered the Texas Margarita, which I believe to be Jose Cuervo Gold and lime juice.  Very good but very strong!

For my entree I ordered the Special Combo, which was a chicken chimichanga and a shredded beef taquito covered with nacho sauce and served with rice and beans.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the Nacho sauce when I ordered, but it seemed to be made from melted Mexican cheese, spices and chile peppers and had a lot of flavor.  I thought it was pretty good.  The chicken in the chimichanga was shredded breast meat that was very tender and seemed to be of excellent quality, and the flour tortilla was fried to a nice crispy golden brown .  The beef taquito was also very good, made from a  fried corn tortilla. I also ordered a chicken enchilada a la carte, but substituted salsa verde for the enchilada sauce, which I think turned out to be an excellent idea! The chicken was great and the salsa was also very good.  Beans and rice were also both very good.  The consistency of the beans was on the thicker side, and the rice was flavorful and slightly dry (which I like!).

 

One of my companions ordered the Special Dinner, which was a chicken burrito, shredded beef enchilada, beef taco, chile relleno, chalupa with guacamole salad, and rice & beans.  Everything was very good.  The chile relleno was a spicy poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and deep fried.  The enchilada sauce was okay, kind of sweet & tangy.

Another companion ordered the Carnitas Dinner, which was delicious! The hefty portion of pork was very tender and moist and came with three flour tortillas, guacamole salad and rice & beans.  There was definitely enough meat to make several tacos, but I think corn tortillas would have been better with the carnitas (more authentic!).

Service: Our party of four arrived at El Loro on a very busy Friday night when all but one table near the door were already taken.  I was disappointed we did not get a booth, but we were hungry and did not want to wait for one to open up, so we sat at probably the worst table in the place (which wasn't really too bad).   Food and drinks arrived in a decent amount of time considering how busy the restaurant was.  One thing I noticed was that all of the servers in the restaurant were Latino Males.
Overall Impression: Very good, authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices.