Restaurants in West Saint Paul

In 1962, Lawrence William Yanz opened Hastings Bierstube, where he dished out German delicacies such as bratwursts, Reubens, and 6-ounce sirloin steaks. After his passing in 1983, his sons, Jim and Mike, started two new locations before forming a fourth with a family friend. The sons expanded Hastings Bierstube’s already extensive menu, introducing the Taste of Deutschland sampler platter, which features a selection of wienerschnitzel, sauerbraten, and house-made spaetzle.

Along with slinging authentic cuisine, the owners send lucky diners on vacations to Germany during giveaways, which fall on special occasions such as Oktoberfest and David Hasslehoff’s half birthday. For visitors remaining on American shores, the restaurants host weekly events, including bingo, open mics, karaoke, and live music.

Chefs at New Woodbury Cafe add inventive twists to classic breakfast and lunch dishes such as topping the caprese benedict with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil-pesto hollandaise or scooping portions of signature cashew chicken salad on crunchy beds of greens. Their house specialties include the walleye breakfast of blackened or panko-crusted filet, farm-fresh eggs, and side of house-made hash browns. Servers flit about the warm atmosphere, delivering fresh-baked corn bread and chocolate shakes to diners seated in cozy booths.

Brothers Brent and Brian Pilrain pay homage to the prevalence of the Roman Empire in Europe during its heyday by combining Italian fare with cuisines from France and Germany, using ingredients and premium meats including certified Sterling Silver beef hand-selected by chef Brian himself. Inside the kitchen he gets to work by firing pizzas in the wood-burning brick oven and baking tender beef wellington. Mirroring the chef, the dining area's mural depicts a stone carving of cooks flipping disks of pizza dough in front of fiery ovens, and the nearby bartenders pour glasses of red and white wine, and pass out cold bottles of craft and imported beers. Adjacent to the dining area stands a dark timber archway, which opens to a European deli's glass display cases stocked with Boar's Head–brand gourmet meats and cheeses, lobster cannelloni, and hand-tossed calzones.

The cooks at New Louisiana Cafe craft American diner fare accented with a Cajun flair. In the morning, diners can unleash their inner child with malted-caramel apple-crisp waffles or chocolate-chip cookie-dough pancakes. And the kitchen can whip up savory breakfasts, too, like steak and eggs or biscuits and country-style gravy topped with crumbled italian sausage. In true Louisiana style, the eggs benedict comes with andouille sausage, while the blackened catfish is paired with two locally sourced eggs. At lunch, patrons can tear into the El Cubano sandwich, which is piled with pulled pork, or a BLT, which in Louisiana stands for bacon, love, and tomato.

After modeling their first eatery, ROMA Restaurant, after the Roman Empire, Chef Brent Pilrain and his family opted to try something new, setting their sights on a colonial American theme. So when the family was greeted with the opportunity to open up a new kitchen in Liberty Village, the birth of Patriots Tavern seemed like kismet. Today, Chef Pilrain keeps up the colonial theme in both cuisine and décor, churning out a menu of New England–inspired fare and wood-oven-fired pizzas within a whitewashed mansion. Rich mahogany and stone details create a warm yet spacious interior dabbled with American flags and historical knickknacks, such as lanterns and George Washington’s original set of wooden press-on nails.

As journalist Charles Kuralt once said, "You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a navigator uses stars.” The chefs at B-52 Burgers and Brew strive to ensure their place on the celestial map shines brightly, dressing up the classic American staple with a lineup of sauces, cheeses, and bacon strips. Live music, contests, and a host of libations keep the interior abuzz with constant action, where daily specials bring excitement to weekdays more effectively than unleashing a convocation of bald eagles into the office on a Tuesday morning.