St. Paul's long West Seventh corridor. Cossetta's, Cafe Astoria, Mucci's, plus the historic Schmidt Brewery complex.
A West Seventh cafe with an Irish lean, fresh organic ingredients, and a kitchen that does soups, salads, and paninis worth ordering. The room is small and warm and feels like it belongs to the neighborhood, because it does. Good for a quiet meeting that runs long.
The Italian sub at the deli counter inside Cossetta’s is what every other Italian sub in the metro is reaching for. Cured meats, sharp provolone, oil and vinegar, the right bread. Order at the deli, take it upstairs to the cafe, do not overthink it.
A small West Seventh Italian-American restaurant whose lunch sandwiches deserve more attention than they get. Meatball subs, Italian beef, and a roasted-pepper-and-mortadella that is one of the best sandwiches in St. Paul on any given Tuesday.
The Parlour Burger built a national reputation at the original Minneapolis location, a thick dry-aged patty with caramelized edges that lands on best-burger-in-America lists. This West 7th sibling brought it across the river to St. Paul. Get it at the bar with a cocktail and do not skip the fries.
A St. Paul institution that has been on West Seventh since 1911. The cafeteria-style slices are big and a little sweet and exactly the right thing on a winter Saturday. The market upstairs is a separate small joy.
Sunday brunch at Mucci’s reads like a love letter to your nonna. Fried calzones, breakfast pizzas with farm eggs, Bloody Marys that should come with their own zip code. The patio is one of West Seventh’s best.
St. Paul’s first proper ramen-ya, working entirely without pork. The chicken-based broths are the point, and the small room means a wait is normal on weekends.
Northern Thai street food in a small West 7th room, with the kind of menu that trusts you: khao soi done right, grilled meats over rice, and heat levels that mean what they say. Counter-casual, quick, and one of the reasons the West End eats better than it used to.
The pastry and gelato side of the Cossetta complex, with an imported Tuscan marble bar and a rotation of about a dozen gelato flavors. Pair it with an espresso and one of the big plate cookies.
The piano-bar happy hour at the upper bar is a uniquely St. Paul kind of evening. Half-price antipasti, the city's most generous pour of red wine for the money, and a bartender who has been there longer than you have lived in town.