Restaurants in Saint Louis Park

Over the last 50 years, The Park Tavern has perfected the convivial trifecta of eating, drinking, and bowling. A menu of gourmet burgers and traditional pub fare mingles with a drink menu of domestic and imported beers and wines for between-frame refueling. On Mondays, the alley fills with high-energy tunes, and bowling balls careen all night during the $5 all-you-can-bowl nights. The Park Tavern rolls out its varied bowling buffets for corporate events, birthday parties, or the anniversary of the end of bowling prohibition during the Nixon administration.

Fresh ingredients from local suppliers abound at Crave, where patrons can create their ideal plates by hand-selecting from an array of all-natural and organic eats. The buffet table sports an elaborate ensemble of tongue tempters, with items such as fresh baked goods, seasonal fruit, applewood-smoked bacon, and egg strata orbiting a chef's selection of fish. Toppings of maple syrup, whipped cream, and berry compote eagerly adorn freshly-toasted checkerboards at the gourmet waffle station, and the chef's carving station showcases a selection of fine meats whittled to look like bars of soap. Champagne, mimosas, and bellinis give brunch a cosmopolitan flair, and Crave's low-lit ambience provides an intimate backdrop for shadow-puppet Civil War reenactments.

A modern take on the classic movie-going experience, ShowPlace Icon Theatre takes the legwork out of dinner and a movie by pairing comfortable sophisticated theaters with upscale, on-location dining, and advanced reserved seating. With digital cinema projectors capable of displaying 35 trillion colors and premium digital surround-sound systems, each stadium-seated auditorium is equipped to showcase buzz-worthy films exactly as the director, assistant director, second-assistant director, and second second-assistant director intended. Patrons to the theater pick their viewing spots ahead of time, eliminating the usual frenzied, darkened search for ideal seating and guaranteeing guests find seats together.

McCoy's extensive menu pairs updated comfort fare for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch with more than 55 barley pops, including Fat Tire, Boulevard Wheat, and Belgian-style Ommegang Hennepin Saison on tap. Complement a flagon of Rogue Dead Guy Ale with a starter of three soft, Bavarian beer pretzels ($6.49) sprinkled with rock salt and served with a “blue ribbon” cheese dip, or snorkel through a plate of crispy lobster spring rolls ($10.59) with Thai peanut sauce and plum chili. Herbivores and herbivoyeurs, meanwhile, will take heart in McCoy’s large selection of supper-sized salads ($4.99+), while inventive brick-oven pizzas such as the roasted vegetable ratatouille pie ($10.99) reimagine the classic disced dinner in a more rustic light. Entrees at the eatery are as decadent and diverse as the UN General Assembly's annual rave, and include the excelsior grand ($12.99), a smoked chicken-, bacon-, and green pea-loaded mac 'n' cheese. Hearty handhelds such as the 12-hour Reuben ($10.29)—corned beef brisket-, Swiss cheese-, and sauerkraut-filled beauty toasted between slices of marble rye bread—vie for your attention with the bleu cheese-encrusted beef tenderloin filet ($19.99).

Gorge on epic-portioned cuisine with today's Groupon. For $10, you'll get $20 worth of grub and guzzle at Fishman's Delicatessen and Bakery, a full-service delicatessen, grill, bakery, food store, and source of disappointment for gawkers hoping to spot fish-men.

Thom Pham, the founder of Thanh Do, Azia, and the Caterpillar Lounge, first learned to cook as a child in the Vietnamese village of Qui Nhon. As a youth, he helped his grandmother, Bo, run her catering business. After a Minneapolis family adopted 14-year-old Thom, his culinary sensibilities began to shift, creating the mix of local Minnesota flavor and Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai influences found on Thanh Do's menu. When not digging into cranberry curry, diners can chew through spare ribs that chefs have marinated overnight, then cooked over a gentle flame for six hours while reading Goodnight Moon aloud. Pham's team can also cater to vegetarian diets with tofu or mock duck. Sunny-yellow walls and fiery orange lanterns infuse each meal with a sense of warmth, preventing diners from kindling campfires with chopstick friction.