Bar La Grassa

Everything we had was amazing -- outstanding food. Highly recommend the Arancini, Charred Red Onion and Goat Cheese Bruschetta, the Meatball, Mushroom and Tallegio Agnolotti and the Dark Chocolate Budino. Genuinely every single thing was off the charts and the service was impeccable.

Bar La Grassa is as iconic to Minneapolis as the Mary Tyler Moore statue on the Nicollet Mall or the Spoon and Cherry sculpture at the Walker.  Always crowded, we feel lucky to find a place at the bar free.

All the pastas are great, and they change frequently.  This trip, we enjoyed the smoked spaghetti and lobster twice, and that doesn't include the leftovers. In addition, the calamarata with raw tuna was unique and scrumptious.  Service is always professional and warm. Bar La Grassa's concept seems so rudimentary, but it hasn't been duplicated in other cities. I have to frequent Minneapolis more often to enjoy Bar La Grassa.  It's the best!

food - very tasty! i enjoyed the bruschettas (the one w/ braised tomato, and the charred onions were so good). def wanna go back and try the braised octopus one

main course i tried:

gnocchi cauliflower orange - 5/5
def lives up to the hype. it's unique and has a hint of orange which makes it refreshing. i could only eat like half of it though as it's a bit filling.

pasta nera w/ mussels and braised tomato: 4/5

service - lovely and friendly service, very quick and attentive with next courses, and boxing up leftovers.

ambience - dimly light, a bit noisy so can be difficult for someone like me where i'd need to raise my voice/shout since my voice is naturally on the quiet side :c

def wanna go back and try other dishes.

Thought it's that kind of place that people are here for ambiance rather than food. Surprisingly the foods are exceptional! Both braised octopus and soft eggs and lobster are really yummy. Desserts are delicious, especially the rosemary olive oil cake, you don't want to regret not trying that.

Cocktails are classic. Bartender Michael is super. I ended up tasting the Pappy Van Winkle's 10 Year. That was the highlight of the evening, love it!

Back again, and giving 5/5 for the chicken liver mousse bruschetta and the tiramisu. Would come back just for those 2 things.
They also have a good *actually spicy* spicy margarita.

Very solid spot. We ordered a lot of meals family style and most things were really delicious! We got the arugula salad, soft egg lobster (very surprising!!! Very tasty!!!), gnocchi with cauliflower (so much flavor!), ziti (has a kick, shrimp was overcooked), t bone steak (perfection), mushrooms, prosciutto, Swiss chard (do NOT order this), tiramisu (absolutely delicious), olive oil cake (dry) and limoncello sorbet (I was not a fan but I also don't love alcohol).

Everyone always hypes up Bar La Grassa so I finally gave it a chance! My boyfriend and I started with the Arancinis and they were so good. We shared the risotto and the raviolo. The raviolo had way too much rosemary, it was like they accidentally dumped too much on because it was all I could taste. I tried to get as much of it off as I could and it tasted way better. For my entree I got the smoked spaghetti with brown butter and lobster and WOW is all I have to say. That was the most addicting spaghetti and lobster dish that I've ever had. I've had a disappointing amount of overcooked lobster at fine dining and michelin starred restaurants so I was very surprised when the lobster was cooked to absolute perfection here, very tender and it tasted so sweet. For dessert I got the tiramisu and I'm so glad that I did, I've surprisingly never had a tiramisu before and I'm obsessed now!

Food is pretty good here.  Ambiance is great.  Portions are a decent size.  Had the Caesar, was good, but fell a little flat in terms of strong Caesar salad dressing flavor.  Could have had a bit more punch to it.  Agnolotti very good, Bolognese flavor was a little off compared to others I've had, but the pasta was very good.  Branzino good.  Service was excellent. Would probably return if in the area.

This is one of the best restaurants on Minneapolis, and with good reason! The ambience is great, very dimly lit and moody. The service is great - the server presents the food to you with a rhyme. And most importantly, the food is amazing! Here is everything we got:

Meatball: 5/5
'Nduja Egg Raviolo: 5/5
Soft Egg & Lobster Bruschetta: 5/5
Marinated Pork Shoulder Bruschetta: 3/5 paled in comparison to everything else
Mushroom and Taleggio Agnolotti: 5/5
Gnocchi with cauliflower and orange: 5/5 my fave of the night
Calamarata with raw tuna: 2/5 I didn't like this. It was warm pasta with cold tuna, texture was squishy all around with no contrast, flavour was spicy and tangy.
Pasta nera with Mussels and braised tomatoes: 4/5
Torchio with Charred Pork and pea shoots: 4/5
Tiramisu: 5/5

Okay. I have to write this knowing I was a full on HATER of this restaurant. I thought it was overpriced and overhyped. I'm also very happy to be proven wrong so went here for dinner with my friend. We spilt everything here for us two

Everything I had was so yummy. Our server was hilarious. He served everything with a little rhyme. I thought that was cute.

Now this is what i ordered.
Started with  the Caesar  salad and the Grilled Prawns.
I think they were just okay. I could have passed on the prawns. But I didn't hate it.
Then got the marinated pork shoulder. It comes on bruschetta. Was yummy. Wish it was a little bit more seasoned but this is primarily a preference. I'd have skipped it with how full I ended up getting.

Next went with two pastas. The crab ravioli and the bolognese
Pro tip. Ask for extra sauce with the crab ravioli. It was heavenly. I still think of her.
The other pasta was also okay but I was too full to enjoy it.

Ended the dinner with the salted caramel crespelle and omg what a revelation . It was sooo good. We ordered it with one scoop of ice cream and was perfect. I'd come back only to eat this.

So yes I won't hate this place again. I think it's still slightly overrated but it ms definitely worth the hype. Make a reservation get cute and enjoy yourself!