Best Authentic Restaurants in Grand Ave

This is a lovely restaurant. Interesting food, good portions and wonderful service. It’s always a celebration at Joan’s!

What can you say about a restaurant that really has nothing to be compared to? When you are rocking original, creative, Venezuelan cuisine, in Saint Paul, the comps are hard to come by… That said, this very-chef-based small cocina is pushing out creativity and quality that belongs in downtown Minneapolis next to the best of the best. This was a place I’d been promising myself a visit for about six months and finally got there. The menu is eclectic, inspired and wholly-original. Crasqui delivers and Ms. Ramirez is a true chef. Her vision of bringing the cuisine of Venezuela to has been realized and we are lucky that she decided to grace us with her art. The pulpo (octopus) appetizer is a great treatment and fun. If the idea of it throws you; just try it. The entrees, the Conejo (rabbit) and Lomito (tenderloin) were excellent to the point of licking the plates and demanding more. To add to drama, Soleil (Ms. Ramirez) has created a cocktail program that also delivers creativity, novelty and with a serious nod to the powers far-south of the border with citrus, liqueurs and exotics that are unique and well-crafted. Her wine list is also unique and exciting, featuring wines that are uniquely sourced and well-suited to the menu. Ms. Ramirez has relationships with the importers that provide unique bottles that are worth the trip. If you go: enjoy a few of the tapas and the secondi (shareables) knowing that the mains are just what they are. Mains are clean and unadorned with sides, and as such you either fill in with the before or add-on with sides for the entree. In other words; like the rest of the culinary world, you construct your evening and eats, you don’t get an entree with meat/veg/starch. So don’t expect that. In terms of postres (after dinner/dessert) the menu offers unique pieces as well. Lots of fruit-centric yums and as decadent as you like. A companion menu of bevvies for that is also presented including very nice Cherry Wine (think heavy tawny port)

Our server Sophia was excellent! She was super knowledgeable about the menu & in the Christmas spirit. She helped us decide on portions & gave great advice so as to not order too much. There were 5 of us for Xmas dinner & shared the small chicken parmigiana, spaghetti & meatballs & a pepperoni pizza & we did still have some leftovers. Plus a great bottle of red wine to share between 3 of us. It was becoming quite busy as the evening went on but they had enough help & food came out very quickly after we ordered. Thank You Buca St Paul for a great way to celebrate Christmas! Sophia caught us before leaving to give us discount cards to use up until Feb & we for sure will come back by then.

This was a great experience for our 8 person turned 9 person table with no notice for the restaurant. Loved that it was a large circle table for conversation in our group. Would definitely do my holiday lunch for customers at Boca Chica again!!!!

Thursday night dinner before show at the Xcel. For a Thursday night at 6, we were the only ones there. Food and service was good. Due to traffic to St. Paul, we ended up needing ti change from 5:30 to 6. Was able to order quick, and we had no issues to get to show in time.