Black Dog Cafe

Address:	308 E Prince St, St Paul, MN 55101, USA
Phone:	+1 651-228-9274
Site:	blackdogstpaul.com
Rating:	4
Working:	7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–11PM 7AM–11PM 8AM–8PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 7

A Private User

Black Dog Cafe is a sleeper cell in lowertown St. Paul. This weekend I needed a coffee shop that would caffeinate, feed, and relax me as I trudged through a backlog of laptop work. Black Dog was like (wo)mans best friend in delivering all of that and inspiring me to power through my backlog. Another added perk, day long parking is available for $1 or $2 on Saturdays by the building and the farmers market is happening every weekend (in Goldens Deli during these chilly months.) Arriving in the morning, I wanted a jolt of caffeine and an enjoyable breakfast to set me off on my productive path. The coffee was suitable, not outstanding. The breakfast quesadilla, well, that was the stuff of memories. The tortilla was crispy, airy, yet somehow still also soft. The scrambled eggs and cheese were fluffy and cooked perfectly. The black beans, so deceptively simple yet just the right texture. Now the salsa took this exceptional quesadilla to another stratosphere for me. Its March and Minnesota is emerging from the dulldrums of winter to the slushy drear of early spring, yet this salsa sang of summer freshness. Each bite was like eating summer clouds in the muddy chill of March. While this quesadilla wasnt packing the big flavors tex-mex can, it was so good in its simple and perfect execution I had to give my regards to the cook. Thanks to that quesadilla I was off and running because as soon as I got my work done that salsa was screaming to me that good weather was waiting. For lunch, I ordered the special - a cubano sandwich with pulled pork, ham, cheese, pickles, peppers, and mustard/mayo on ciabatta. It was a great sandwich. While Im a fan of big and bold flavors, again, Black Dogs delivery is more subtle but right on the notes it does hit. We ended up finishing slightly ahead of schedule and decided not to partake in the beer/wine menu, but having it there in case things werent going so well was comforting and a draw. The cafe/coffeeshop is pretty spacious as places like this go and there were open seats the whole time I was there. The one complaint is that there is VERY limited access to outlets for the working crowd.

Danielle Brehm

Nope. We went there for an event and part of that is where we each got a meal, which was a hot dog (said it was a bratwurst). They asked if we wanted everything on it (onions, mustard, kraut), I said I did not want mustard, my fiance wanted all of it. When they came out the server said "heres the one with no mustard" I bit into it and it had a TON of mustard on it. My fiances had onions and mustard on it. The bartenders were less than friendly, no smiles on their faces and seemed to not know what they were doing. Our meal for the event was small, so we also ordered wings to go along with it. For $9.00 we were served 6 less than desirable wings and there was a very long BLONDE hair fried into 2 of them (I have short, red hair). I called the server over, and sent them back and said I did not want another order of them. We were not offered a refund, nor were we offered an apology. Nobody asked if we wanted another beer either. We were there with a beer event, to drink beer.. Definitely wont be back, and will be informing others of this experience. Less than delightful.

Your Majesty

This place is disappointing to say the least. 1) They have no sign on the door, when you enter you are left wondering if you are walking into the correct place. 2) The place was empty at lunch time - this should have been the first red flag. 3) I ordered coffee to start, I got a cup of coffee that had this blue/green oily film at the top which generally happens when equipment is not cleaned or the coffee has been sitting around for hours on end - No cream, sugar, or spoon were offered nor served with the coffee 4) I ordered the french dip as I figured it was a safe bet - the roast beef was comparable to old shoe leather and it had zero taste, the Au jus was tasteless as well, I needed to order a side of horse radish just to make the sandwich bearable. (Arbys puts this menu to shame - the cook staff should be embarrassed) St Paul is now accustom to good quality food and excellent customer service - this place has neither and the lack of care is extremely noticeable when dealing with the staff.

Chaunce Stanton

The Black Dog is one of my go-to "offices away from home," and I am there at least once a week and have been for the past two years. As an independently owned coffee shop, the Black Dog is NOT like Caribou or Starbucks. Adjust your expectations. Regardless, its in a cool building, its got cool people, and its right next to the Farmers Market and soon to be neighbors with the new Saints stadium. Oh, and the historic and recently renovated Union Depot is just three blocks away. Because its located in the heart of Lowertown St. Pauls vibrant art scenes, the walls feature works by micro-local artists and the music and dance of local performers. Go for the experience and have some coffee while youre there. They also have Bells Two-Hearted Ale on tap at the moment. (Thats a good thing.)

Carolina Margaria

This is one of those places I will have to try again before I form a full opinion. Let me start with this, if you are a french fry lover this is THE place. The fries were perfectly cooked to crispy perfection and the bearnaise aioli really take them to the next level. Do yourself a favor and try them. The rest of the food was ok, nothing bad, nothing great, so essentially I need to go back (for more fries) and to try out the rest of their menu. Ambience wise every time Ive been there, even if its full, there is a very relaxed atmosphere and its not too loud. Perfect place to grab a beer, wine, coffee, or whatever you are in the mood for if you need to study/work or hang out with friends.

Jacqueline Nowak

This may have been a result of the combined chaos of a Saints game and the Jazz Festival going on, but we found the service at Black Dog to be very poor. We waited at least 20 minutes for drinks after ordering them (even for simple things like beer and wine). Additionally, after being here for an hour, we still hadnt received one of the dishes we had ordered (we ordered 3 appetizers at the same time). For the dishes we did receive, portions were incredibly small for the price (especially the cheese plate). Its possible that Black Dog would be pretty good on an off peak time, but we were unimpressed while it was busy.

A Private User

My husband and I stopped in Friday night to have some drinks and dinner before the Kooza show. We had never been to the restaurant before so didnt know it was serve yourself. That was ok. What wasnt ok was the rude guy that served our drinks. We ordered a glass of wine and a beer and asked for a glass for the beer. He proceeded to slam the glass down on the counter. There were all of 3 people in the place on a Friday night...and I can see why. Between being treated rudely and having to fight off flies - we left and found another spot for dinner.