Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Davanni's Pizza ~ Arden Hills, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Edina, Golden Valley, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Rogers, Roseville, Savage, St Paul, Woodbury

Cuisine: Pizza, Delicatessen (hoagies)

Restaurant Features: Catering, Counter-Service, Delivery, Kids Menu, On-Site Parking (at many locations)

Locations: Arden Hills, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Edina, Golden Valley, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Rogers, Roseville, Savage, St Paul, Woodbury
Addresses: (Click here for Maps of Davanni's Locations)

Arden Hills: 3673 Lexington Ave N Arden Hills, MN 55126 651-481-7100

Bloomington: 8605 Lyndale Ave S  Bloomington, MN 55420  952-888-6232

Brooklyn Center:  5937 Summit Dr  Brooklyn Center, MN 55430 763-566-8220

Burnsville: 14639 CR 11  Burnsville, MN 55337  952-431-1500

Coon Rapids: 3430 129th Ave NW Coon Rapids, MN 55448 763-712-1000

Eagan:  1960 Cliff Lake Rd Eagan, MN 55123  651-688-6111

Eden Prairie: 8061 Flying Cloud Dr Eden Prairie, MN 55344   952-941-4444

Edina: 5124 Gus Young Ln Edina, MN 55436 952-920-9090

Golden Valley:  663 Winnetka Ave N  Golden Valley, Mn 55427 763-398-0303

Minneapolis: 1242 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN 55403  612-338-0000

Minnetonka: 15200 Highway 7 Minnetonka, MN 55345 952-938-4243

Plymouth:  3015 Harbor Ln N  Plymouth, MN 55447 763-550-0003

Richfield: 2312 W 66th St Richfield, MN 55423    612-866-3324

Rogers:  14165 James Road Rogers, Mn 55374 763-428-2990

Roseville, 1905 W Perimeter Dr Roseville, MN 55113 651-636-3411

Savage: 14125 Highway 13 Savage, MN 55378 952-440-1200

St Paul:  310 White Bear AveSt. Paul, MN 55106 651-738-6992

St Paul:  41 Cleveland Ave S St. Paul, MN 55105 651-690-4848

Uptown Mpls: 1414 W Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-822-3111

Woodbury: 1905 Donegal Dr Woodbury, MN 55125 651-739-1010

Links: Davanni's Website 

Atmosphere: The East St Paul Davanni's location is just off I-94 and White Bear Ave.  Like all other Davanni's location, customers order at a counter and then wait for their name to be called when order is ready.

There are several different seating areas, each with booths that can accommodate up to four people.  There are also a  couple of tables in the very back section of the dining room.  There are many windows throughout the restaurant, leaving it very well lit during the day.

Menu:  Appetizers include Potato Chips, Breadsticks and Garlic Cheese Bread.

Salads at Davanni's are the Garden Salad, Side Garden, Chicken Cobb, Italian Chef, Oriental Chicken, Southwestern Chicken, Spinach Chicken, Chicken Caesar, and Side Caesar.

Hoagie sandwiches are served on either white, whole grain, or ciabatta roll with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo.   Options include Southwestern Chicken, Chicken Bacon Honey Mustard, Chicken Breast, Turkey/Bacon/Cheddar, Turkey, BLT w/ Cheddar, Club, Roast Beef, Pastrami, Ham, Salami, Tuna Melt, Veggie, and Three Cheese. Hot subs made with meat, marinara and cheese only include Chicken Parmigiano, Meatball, Sausage, and Pizza.

Davanni's Pizza can be ordered with a choice of three different crusts (thin, traditional and deep dish) and two sauces (red and white).  Sizes pizzas come in are Solo, Medium and Laqrge.  Toppings choices are Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Sliced Chicken Breast, Canadian Bacon, Hamburger, Red Onion, Green Pepper, Garlic, Mushrooms, Hot Peppers, Green Olive, Black Olive, Pineapple, Bacon, Gorgonzola Cheese, Anchovies, Roma Tomatoes, Cheddar Cheese, and Jalapeños.

Davanni's also has Penne Pasta (with chicken, meatballs or sausage), Lasagna and Stuffed Calzones.

Kids menu items include Hlaf Pasta, Solo Cheese Pizza, or Half Ham Hoagy.

Desserts include Brownies, Rice Crispy Treats, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

Price guide: Hoagies $3.25-7  Salads $4-7   Pizzas $5-20  Calzones $5.50+

What We ordered: My companions and I ordered a variety of pizzas, including this large Chicago-style deep dish pizza with pepperoni and sausage.  Davanni's deep dish is a treat for those who like real Chicago-style pizza and has been my one of family's favorites for many years.  The buttery brown crust is at least 1" deep yet it is light.  The lightness of the crust is deceiving because the pizza is actually very filling.   The cheese and meats were baked directly on top of the crust with pizza sauce spread out on the very top to prevent the crust from getting soggy.  The large pizza had 10-12 wedges.

 

Our party also ordered a Large Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza.  The crust on the thin crust pizza was also pretty good, crispy but slightly chewy.  It was loaded with melted mozzarella and a fair amount of pepperoni (although I personally like more).

c and olive oil)

This is a solo deep dish pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and "pink" sauce.  Pink sauce simply means that it has both white sauce (garlic and olive oil) and red sauce.  If you like garlic, you would love either the white or the pink sauce.  This pizza was also very good, the mushrooms were fresh and there was a lot of pepperoni.  The light and buttery deep dish crust practically melts in your mouth.

 

One of my companions ordered a half pizza hoagy on whole grain with a special request for the sauce to be served on side.  This is a good sandwich but it doesn't have much substance, just a thin layer of pepperoni and a thin layer of melted cheese on one half of the bread.  You better order the whole sandwich if you're hungry!

 

Another companion ordered a pepperoni and veggie calzone to-go.  Safe to say that this thing was loaded with melted cheese, meat and veggies.

Service: You can call ahead for pick up or delicery, otherwise Davanni's offers standard counter-service.  There are typically 2-3 cashiers taking orders during the lunch and dinner rush but you can still expect to wait a few minutes before placing your order. It was fairly busy during my visit and it took about 30-40 minutes for our pizzas, which seems a reasonable amount of time for the deep dish pizzas to bake.
Overall Impression: Davanni's has excellent deep dish pizza and is conveniently located in several places around the Twin Cities.  Service is reasonably fast and menu prices aren't going to break the bank.

Pineda Tacos ~ Minneapolis, Plymouth, West St Paul, MN

Cuisine: Mexican
Restaurant Features: Counter-Service, On-Site Parking (West St Paul location)
Locations: Minneapolis, Plymouth, West St Paul ( MN)
Addresses & Maps:

Minneapolis- 2150 E Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55407 (612) 729-5320

Minneapolis- 311 E Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 825-7466

Plymouth- 60 Nathan Ln N Plymouth, MN 55441 (763) 545-1977

West St Paul- 1304 Robert Street So.  West St Paul, MN 55118 (651) 455-6833

Hours: 7 days 10am-10pm

Atmosphere: The West St Paul location is located right on Robert Street and is very easy to spot from the road, with its unique slanted roof.  The counter is just to the right of the main doors when you walk in, and there is a large menu board overhead. There are a bunch of booths set up around the space, with glass privacy separators around each.  The bright stained-glass windows give the West St Paul location a somewhat festive-feel.

Menu:  Mexican sandwiches include choice of Ham, Cheese, Breaded Steak, or any of the combination sandwiches including the Chilanga, Mexicana, Hawaiiana, Cubana and Three Meat.  All come with your choice of fixings: mayonnaise, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno, cream and beans.  

All tacos, burritos, tortas, and chimichangas come with choice of meats: Chopped Steak, Barbacoa, Mexican-Style Steak, Steak with Onions, Lengua, Tripas, Chicken in Tomato Sauce, Chicken in Green Sauce with Potatoes, Chicken in Chipotle Sauce, Roasted Pork, Mexican Sausage in Chipotle Sauce, Pastor, and Spicy Pork.

Taco options include soft Corn or Flour Tortillas, Hard Shell, Tostada, Nachos and Quesadilla.

Burrito options include Bean/Rice/Cheese, Regular (one meat), Burrito Gordo (two meats and avocado), Veggy (cheese and avocado) and the Birrote (two tortillas, two meats).  Any burrito can be made into a chimichanga, served enchilada-style.

Meat Plates come with rice and beans and include Meat Plate, Beef Fajita, Chicken Fajita. Alambre,  Quesadilla (choice of meat), Carne Asada, Green Sauce Enchilada, Red Sauce Enchilada, Chimichanga, Stuffed Poblano Pepper, Garlic Shrimp, Devil's Shrimp, Breaded Shrimp, Shrimp Fajitas, and Flautas (chicken or potato).

Price guide:  Sandwiches $6-8  Tacos $2-5  Burritos $4-9  Meat Plates $9-10
What I ordered: I had previously tried a burrito at Pineda one other time and really enjoyed it.  This time I wanted to try the burrito chimichanga-style.  I ordered it with spicy pork, Mexican rice, pinto beans, cilantro, and hot salsa.  The outside was slightly crisp and flaky from being fried, and topped with a light amount of enchilada sauce and melted Mexican cheese.  Lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole were served on the side.  I enjoyed the chimichanga quite a bit.  Despite the fact that both the chimi and the burrito I had tried before were filled with nearly the same ingredients, it was a completely different experience to be able to add the cold condiments to the hot ingredients instead of having them all mixed in.

One of my companions ordered four tacos: one chicken in tomato sauce, one spicy pork, and two steak.  Each taco was served on two white corn tortillas and topped with the customary cilantro and chopped onion, with wedges of lime on the side.  They were all very good, especially the spicy pork.  The chicken was tender white-meat marinated in a light tomato broth, mild but flavorful.

 

Another companion also ordered four tacos: two chicken and two spicy pork.

Service:  Pineda has counter service that seems to go pretty fast, as they make the tacos and burritos directly as you order them.  Free soda refills
Overall Impression: Pineda offers a wide range of delicious meats for tacos and burritos, with generous portions for the money.  They have some of the best burritos I have had.  The spicy pork is my favorite. 

Dino's The Greek Place - Coon Rapids, Edina, Lakeville, Roseville, Plymouth, West St Paul, & Woodbury MN

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Restaurant Features: Counter Service, On-Site Parking
Locations: Coon Rapids, Edina, Lakeville, Roseville (Falcon Heights), Plymouth, West St Paul, and Woodbury, MN
Addresses & Maps:

Coon Rapids- 3179 Northdale Blvd. Coon Rapids, MN 55433 (763) 422-2003
Edina- 6539 York Ave. S Edina, MN 55435 (612) 866-6363
Lakeville- 17701 Cedar Avenue (Cedar Avenue & Dodd Road) Farmington, MN 55024 952) 431-3466

Roseville- 1700 Snelling Ave. Falcon Heights, MN 55108 (651) 645-8800
Plymouth- 3355 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 (763) 553-2040
West St Paul- 1221 South Robert St. West St. Paul, MN 55118 (651) 450-6976

Woodbury- 10060 City Walk Drive  Woodbury, MN 55129 651-738-9757

Links: Dino's Website
Hours: Daily 10am-10pm

Atmosphere: Dino's offers counter-service and is about the same size as a typical fast-food restaurant.  The entire restaurant is furnished with your basic hard-top tables set close together, without a booth in sight.  There is a beverage station near the front counter with two large soda dispensers.  A couple of TVs hang from the ceilings and there are also some paintings adorning the walls.

Menu: Side Items include French Fries, Seasoned Fries, Pita Bread, Pita Chips, Hummus, Greek Olives, Pepperoncini Peppers, Falafel, Spanakopita, Onion Petals, Spinach Puffs and Greek Meatballs.

Dino's offers a Greek Salad ( lettuce, feta, Greek olives, cucumbers, peppers, onion, pepperoncini peppers, and Greek dressing) with choice of meat.

The Sandwiches at Dino's are served on fresh pita bread and include the Gyro (meat with raw onion, tomato and tzatzini sauce), Jr. Gyro, Spicy Gyro, Chicken Gyro, Jr. Chicken Gyro, Greek Chicken Breast, Greek Philly (sauteed peppers and onions and melted Swiss), Greek Meatball, Falafel (deep-fried patties made of a mixture of ground chick peas and seasonings), Steak Souvlaki, and Chicken Mushroom Swiss.  **Any sandwich can be mega-sized for an additional charge.  Any sandwich can be ordered as a Value Meal, which comes with soda and either fries or side salad.

There are also a couple of Wraps including Greek Chicken Caesar, Hummus, and the Gyro Bacon Cheddar Wrap.

Entree Plates offer meat choice with Fries, Greek Salad or Rice, and Grilled Pita.  Meat choices are the  Gyro, Chicken Gyro, Steak or Chicken Souvlaki (kabobs), or Spanakopita (spinach, onions, feta and ricotta cheese wrapped in filo dough and baked).  Combination Plate includes each of the meat choices.

There are also two Family Packs available.  The Family Pack comes with 1 lb gyro meat, sauce, toppings, and 5 pitas.  The Mega Family Pack is the Family Pack with an additional two orders of Fries and 1 large Greek Salad.

Desserts include Baklava, Cookies, or Ice Cream.

Price guide: Side Items $1-2 Sandwiches and Wraps $5-6  Value Meals $8-9 Salads $6-9  Plates $7-9
What I ordered: The Greek Chicken Breast Sandwich with Spicy Feta and side of Seasoned Fries.  Normally this sandwich comes with regular feta cheese, but I LOVE the spicy feta and have them substitute the regular feta for the spicy.  This particular sandwich came with both, which was a little too much.  The chicken breast was marinated and tender, cut into strips.  The sandwich was big and messy, so I opted to eat it most of it with a fork.  The onions were plentiful, sliced thin and the spicy feta had a nice kick to it and was full of flavor.  The Seasoned Fries were delicious!  Dino's adds their own Greek Seasoning which is pretty salty and garlic-y, but so so SO good!

One of my companions ordered the Spicy Gyro Sandwich.  It is similar to a regular gyro except the spicy comes with the spicy feta instead of tzatziki sauce and also has romaine lettuce.  My companion enjoyed it but prefers the traditional gyro.

Another companion ordered the Souvlaki Plate, with one chicken and one beef kabob, Pita Triangles and Onion Petals.  The meat was very good, but there were just five bites of meat on each skewer.  The Onion Petals were crispy brown and the portion was rather large.

Service: Ordering is done at the Counter and it usually takes less than ten minutes for the order to be ready, at which point they will either call your name or bring the food out to your table, depending on how busy they are.  There are often staff members who will walk around to bus tables or ask you if you'd like a drink refill or anything else.  Definitely a step above most other fast-food type restaurants.
Overall Impression: I really enjoy Dino's, it is fast and the food is good (especially anything with spicy feta!).  The seasoned fries are AWESOME.  Dino's is more expensive than other fast-food restaurants but less expensive than most sit-down restaurants.  I wish there was a Dino's in Hugo or Maplewood!

Jake's City Grille ~ Eagan, Eden Prairie, Maplewood & Plymouth, MN

Cuisine: American, Pizza, Steak, Chops & Ribs, Steak, Chops, Ribs

Restaurant Features: Bar, Patio Dining, Sunday Brunch, On-Site Parking

Location: Eagan, Eden Prairie, Maplewood, & Plymouth, MN

Addresses & Maps:

Eagan: 1288 Promenade Place Eagan, MN 55121 (651)287.8784

Eden Prairie: 12365 Singletree Lane Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (952)930.3742

Maplewood: 1745 Beam Ave E  Maplewood, MN 55109  (P) 651-366-6440  F) 651-366-6441

Plymouth: 3005 Harbor Lane North Plymouth, MN 55427 (763)559-1595

Links: Jake's City Grille Website 

Atmosphere: Contemporary with warm, rich colors;  very relaxing and inviting. Large dining room split into two sections, with additional seating on large patio.  I found it interesting that the wall between patio and restaurant is a clear-garage door; not sure if/when it is opened. There is also a nice view of the kitchen and wood-fire oven in the back of the restaurant, you can watch your pizza being baked!   

Menu: Jake's has a very large menu! Appetizers include Buffalo Wings, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Dumplings, Lettuce Wraps, Seared Tuna, Bruschetta, Nachos, and Walleye Fingers. There are a variety of Burgers and Chicken Sandwiches and Specialty Sandwiches like the Prime Rib Dip, Walleye Sandwich, Lobster Clubhouse, or Smoked Turkey Melt.  In the mood for a good steak? Choose from Ribeye or Prime Rib (3 sizes to choose from), or Ribs and Beef Brisket.  Other entrees include Glazed Chicken, Pork Chops, Shrimp, Walleye, Salmon.  Tex-mex selections include Smoked Chicken Enchiladas, Fajitas and Tacos.  Pasta selections include Cajun Chicken Fettucine, Spicy Garlic Shrimp Linguini, and Baked Penne with Sausage.  There are also wood-fired pizzas with many choices of toppings.

Jakes also offers a Sunday brunch.  Items include Mesquite Beef Brisket, Peel-N-Eat Shrimp, Eggs Benedict, Huevos Rancheros, Scrambled Eggs, Jumbo Sausages, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Smoked Gouda, Au Gratins, Southern Fried Chicken, Made-to-Order Omelettes, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Pan Gravy, Ciabatta French Toast, House Smoked Salmon, Fresh Fruit, Bagels and Cream Cheese, Caramel Rolls, Cinnamon Roll

Price guide: Appetizers $7-12  Burgers/Sandwiches $8-12 Entrees $15-21 (More for large prime rib)Pasta $11-14 Pizzas $9-11 Sunday Brunch $14

What I ordered: Smoked Chicken Enchiladas (Herb seasoned shredded chicken, onions and pepperjack cheese wrapped in corn tortillas with ancho chili sauce, pico de gallo and sour cream).  I have to say I thought this meal was really good, better than I expected for a non-Mexican specialty restaurant.  The black beans must've been marinated in spices because they had really good flavor  The rice was also excellent.  The enchiladas themselves were very cheesy, but had chunks of white meat chicken.  The portion was modest, I was actually able to eat the entire thing.

One of my companions ordered the Fire Grilled Chicken Ciabatta
(Caramelized onions, cheddar, Jake Sauce and chipotle mayo). She liked it so much I ended up ordering the same sandwich on a  separate visit a few days later with a different companion.  I was blown away by the amount of french fries that were on my plate!  The sandwich was very good, it had a sweet sauce that was similar to BBQ, but more sweet and not as thick.  Loved it on the ciabatta bread. 

On my second visit to Jake's, my companion ordered the largest Prime Rib (22oz).  Huge steak for the money! It was very tender and cooked perfectly.  The au juis at Jake's was very good 

I was too full to consider dessert on either occasion, but they all looked really good, as you can see from their dessert tray.

Service: Excellent on both occasions.  The servers were very knowledgeable about the menu and made recommendations, or answered all questions.

Overall Impression: Great atmosphere, huge menu of excellent food, prices a little high but comparable to similar restaurants.