Capital View Cafe, Saint Paul

As its name suggests, Capital View Café & Catering showcases a magnificent view of the Minnesota State Capitol building, but it's really the Mexican and American cuisine that keeps regulars coming back. The Ramirez and Lucken family brought the restaurant to life in 1993, after a family friend had tipped them off about a small café full of untapped potential that was in need of new owners. The family relied on many years of experience in the restaurant business to open a friendly neighborhood diner specializing in housemade breakfasts and lunches and generous portions. Capital View Café's breakfast menu includes both American and Mexican mainstays, and the lunch menu ranges from salads, soups, and sandwiches to authentic Mexican lunches. Their Mexican lunch roster catalogs burritos, fajitas, and the chipotle red pork dish, served in a zesty chipotle sauce alongside a stack of warm tortillas, a tastier stack of hot disks than frisbees toasting over a camp fire.