Restaurants in North Saint Paul

Restaurant establishment is a Kozlak family tradition. Back in 1943, Joseph and Gertrude Kozlak purchased what would eventually become the well-known Jax Café, and in 1977, the family embarked on a massive restoration project to beautify and expand a new large space that would become Kozlak's Royal Oak Restaurant, which has since been voted Best Ambiance, Best Service, and Neighborhood Gem by OpenTable diners.

Well known for its steaks, Kozlak's serves top-shelf cuts such as bone-in tenderloin, roasted prime rib, and tenderloin filet crowned with add-ons of rich blue cheese, Cajun spices, or tiaras made of onion rings. Single tails of steamed African lobster recline on plates with drawn butter, and Australian sea bass receives a stuffing of spinach and crab before broiling beneath a butter-tarragon sauce.

At Dancing Ganesha, a comfortable, modern atmosphere and breeze patio complement a varied menu of traditional Indian cuisine, including tandoori chicken and paper-thin dosa crêpes. Exotically spiced plates, such as lamb vindaloo and saag paneer, arrive at polished wooden tables, which are illuminated by the restaurant's elegant built-in ceiling lights and elephants holding candles with their trunks. Dancing Ganesha also holds its “karma” happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily, during which diners can order $5 appetizers, $2 tap drinks, and half off anything else at the bar.

“Jedzcie pijcie i popuszczajcie pas.” For those who don’t speak Polish, the motto at Nye’s Polonaise Room may seem complex, but its translation is simple: “Eat, drink, and loosen your belt.” In fact, expansion has been the running theme at Nye’s since it set its roots back in the '40s. By 1964 Nye's original form, a bar, provided owner Al Nye with the funds necessary to purchase the space next door. Though he added a dining room, the bar's original features—gold-flecked booths, dark paneling, a curved piano bar, and a portrait of Chopin—remain, creating a vintage and homey feel.

Nye’s lengthy menu dishes up Polish classics, such as cabbage rolls and pierogi, as well as hearty 14-ounce new york strip steaks, cold-water lobster tail, and aged, bone-in, slow-roasted prime rib. Specialty martinis and the eatery’s inherent ambience make it a cozy place to talk, much like a candlelit phone booth. Nye’s also curates a full wine menu with pours from California, Spain, and Australia. All these ingredients come together to create a restaurant that's distinct and locally lauded, earning it a feature on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

At Sweet Taste of Italy, the secret’s not just in the sauce—although they have a specialty housemade red sauce—because everything is made from scratch each day. The chefs whip butter, grind cheese, bake fresh sweet Italian bread, and hand-slice meats to create Italian favorites with an American twist. Customers can dine in or take out heaping helpings of pasta and Toyota-sized pizzas, and catering services are also available.

Beyond its bricked entryway, Sarna’s harbors a cornucopia of comfort cuisine, from succulent steak and seafood dishes to home-cooked meals seemingly plucked from Grandma’s stovetop. Smothered in house-made beef gravy, slabs of pot roast temper carnivorous cravings alongside prime rib platters slow roasted in herbs and garlic, which, like an elementary school dance group, may only be served on Friday and Saturday nights. Tuned to local and national sports, a quartet of big screen TVs glint off a full-service bar cast in the lambent glow of the dining room’s flickering fireplaces. Tufted-back booths overlook an outdoor patio, where diners can clink Bloody Marys and enjoy a Sunday brunch menu as a burbling waterfall trickles to the tune of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Verdant foliage peeks over the stone wall encircling the courtyard, and in the evenings, a crackling fire pit creates a romantic atmosphere for those sipping on any number of daily specials.

Safari Express offers the fine taste of East African cuisine at a fast food pace. It has been adventurous Safari (journey) introducing the first of its kind and the only. We are an in-expensive restaurant out of Africa inside of a mall in western hemisphere.