Hell's Kitchen

i read a few reviews below me, and i don't know what happened to them, but i can't get enough of this place! i went in for brunch the other week and there was live gospel music which was, to say the least, a great surprise! i had lemon ricotta pancakes and bison sausage. ALWAYS fantastic, i wake up craving that stuff. Then I went back again last thursday for breakfast, it wasnt as crazy busy, so that was nice. service was good, food was hot, i've never really had a problem with any of that. I had manohmin (sp?) porridge with eggs and toast so i could eat some of that peanut butter (YUM). And i'm always happy when my over-medium eggs actually come out over-medium!\r I'd recommend this place to anyone, really. Pros: Food food food! Nothing tops it! Cons: need reservations on the weekends more

I was not sure that I would like the new Hell's Kitchen location, but it is quite nice. Now it is not at funky as the old location, but it is good.... more

Just as the previous poster indicated, the wait is ridiculous!! And it's been like that ever since they opened. The hostesses are rude and make you feel like you're a nuisance for even coming into the place. Their excuse as to why so many tables are open (and told us we had an hour wait) is because they didn't want the kitchen to be so backed up. What does that tell you? They're more concerned about their kitchen not following through, than they are with serving their customers. Their place is so huge, they should accommodate us! There were no apologies, and not even a ""thank you"" from the manager when we left. \r This place doesn't live up to the hype it's received. The food is average. Definitely never going back unless they make some changes. Pros: Cool Decor and Bloody Marys Cons: Bad service, Long wait, Average Food more

Reservation for lunch at noon; was sitting fairly quickly; however, left restaurant at 1:15 when our lunch had still not arrived and our waiter could not tell us how much longer we would have to wait. Their only comment was that they were ""backed up"" and busy. There were plenty of empty tables! Would hate to be there when all their tables are full. Do not go unless you have HOURS to wait. more

We went at about 7pm on a Saturday night and waited about 30 minutes for a table, which was expected without reservations. The place was full but there was definitely enough service people running around. Long story short, we had to ask twice before we got refills, server never brought a side of salad dressing after being asked twice and they never sent out more chips for the appetizer. We started with the chips and beans which came out with about 10 chips on it for the 3 of us. Oh and the salsa for the chips was about 4 tablespoons. I had the bison burger which was decent but nothing special. All I can really say is that the food was very average for the whole party.\r It was definitely one of those meals where you leave very frustrated that you just spent $18 for a burger and fries. Pros: Cool art on the walls Cons: SERVICE more

Went to HK with family last weekend and had a very poor experience. We had been to the old location several times before for breakfast and every time the food and service were great. We were excited to have breakfast in the new location which, appropriate to the restaurant's name, is below ground level in the old Rossi's location. My husband called the day before and asked if they took breakfast reservations and he was told no reservations. We got there Sunday morning and were told we would be behind several reservations (um, we thought there were no reservations) and the wait would be 45 minutes. The hostess desk staff seemed overwhelmed and disorganized. After waiting 45 minutes, we were seated and waited another 10 minutes before anyone came over to give us menus. We then waited another 15 minutes before our crazed server with too much going on took our orders. We were an hour into the wait for our food and noticed several tables seated after us had already received their food. At that point, our server came over and told us our order had been lost due to a glitch while they were resetting their credit card system. He asked if we would like to re-place our orders or talk to a manager. We asked to speak with a manager...and waited 15 minutes before my mother-in-law went to find the manager herself because no one had come over. The mgr had not been informed of our situation but came over to speak to us in a bratty tone about how this technical glitch had happened before. We were informed our food order was indeed entered in again. I had to ask for bread because we all had the jitters, including my diabetic father-in-law. When the food FINALLY came out, it was fantastic (including my wild rice porridge, fruit plate and sweet potatoe fries) and they comped the whole meal. When you go, be prepared for good food but a long wait and a ""whatever"" attitude from the staff. Pros: Great food, fun concept Cons: Long wait and poor service more

I am now depressed and cannot eat breakfast anywhere again and be happy. This place is rediculous: Pancakes, buffalo sausage, shrimp cakes, cinnamon rolls, whatever. It's all unique and special. Their homemade peanut butter is sooo good. It is huge and you better have reservations on the weekend. The wait staff wear pjs and are great. Very, very highly recommended. Pros: every bite of every food, service, ambiance. Cons: it's in Minneapolis and I'm in Houston. more

Was it the move? Last time I was at Hell's Kitchen in the old digs, the coffee, food, and experience were fantastic. This time the front of the house seemed intimidated by the crowd, which at no time overwhelmed the space. The coffee tasted burned. The waitress was one of the worst I've ever had. She left us for an unusually long time before we even ordered, and then we waited almost an hour for our food. She was inattentive, distracted, and unapologetic about the wait, and we practically had to beg her for water. She handed us as many plates and cups as she could, and the ones she did set down she placed carelessly close to the edge. My vegetable frittata was tiny and underwhelming. The French toast was only okay. It was extremely disappointing, and I doubt I'll be returning to what was once one of my favorite spots for breakfast. Cons: terrible service, tiny portions, mediocrity instead of the greatness I remember and expect more

Jane and Michael Stern haven't been through Minneapolis for a while if they rate Hell's Kitchen's ham and pear panini as great road food. Mine came with a burnt French fry imbedded in the bottom, and the pears were canned--as were the pears in my out-of-the-bag house salad. Plus if the ""brioche croutons"" were ever anywhere near a brioche, I will sell my house and emigrate to France. My companion's Reuben was described as ""okay,"" and the sweet potato fries were also right off the food service truck.\r \r The room at the new location is stunning; more Christopher Moltisante's dream of hell than its previous Tony Soprano-esque incarnation as Rossi's. And there's lots of potential here, but the food is a slightly elevated version of Applebee's fare. Our server was pleasant and efficient, but what he brought was pretty sub-par.\r \r And on a Sunday evening, no one had bothered to pick up the DIRTY disposable diaper from the floor of one of the ladies' room stalls. Or emptied the trash. Or replaced the paper towels. \r \r I'd like Hell's Kitchen to succeed in this ambitious new space--and maybe even have live entertainment. But based on my first visit, it'll be a cold day in Hell.\r \r Pros: Great ""spooky"" decor, good service Cons: Food from Hell (at dinnner, anyway) more

We went to the new location for brunch this past weekend, and I was disappointed by the poor service, expensive prices and small portions. My portobello mushroom Benedict, while tasty, cost $12.50 and consisted of a single egg atop a single mushroom cap with a slice of ham in between, covered in hollandaise. A small serving of hash browns and some fresh fruit completed the plate. I went away hungry and disappointed. The service was slow but not because they were too busy -- rather none of the wait staff seemed to have any sense of urgency, nor displayed appropriate attentiveness to our table nor those nearby. That may be a bad and unintended side effect of the wait staff wearing pajamas to work. Two tables near us waited an inordinate amount of time before being approached by anyone. One of those tables only got service after flagging down a bus person clearing a table. I pointed out the other table to our server, who told me it was not her section.\r \r To the restaurant's credit the bloody marys were spicy, the food was very tasty (albeit small and not filling), the space is interesting and atmosphere fun. The live music was also a very nice touch. \r \r If you enjoy reasonable to large size breakfast plates for the price, your money is likely better spent elsewhere. Otherwise if you're looking for tasty small portions, delicious bloody marys and a unique and fun atmosphere this might be the place for you, if you don't mind the wait for service. Pros: Spicy bloody marys, fun atmosphere Cons: Slow service, overpriced and undersized menu options more

I love the new location! Much more spacious and you can see all of the steadman art collection. I love the breakfasts here. The sausage is uniquely sweet and spicy. The portions are perfect. Every time I go here I like it more. Now with the new location I think I might just be heading there for dinner instead of just breakfast! Pros: Unique decor, original artwork, friendly staff, great atmosphere Cons: Service sometimes could use some work more

We went here for a Co-workers birthday lunch. Breakfast for lunch - Awesome! I had the lemon ricotta hotcakes, and as they tell you on the menu, there is no syrup needed. We made reservations and got a great table. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, and everyone in my party loved their food. We plan to visit again soon. Pros: Great food and value Cons: Not open later more

I gave it a try twice. Why is this popular?\r \r Breakfast was passable, but slow to arrive and small. Soooo many better breakfast restaurants in town. Lunch was small and not that good. Waiter got order wrong even though I said it twice - I could tell he wasn't listening!\r \r Two others with me had same opinions.\r Pros: Decor amusing the first time Cons: Lines, overrated, overpriced more

I ate lunch at Hell's Kitchen on June 24, 2008, and perhaps the name alone should have kept me away. I ordered the Porridge and the Huevos Rancheros. Half way through the Rancheros I felt something sharp in my mouth. What did I discover? A STAPLE in my food. A staple, can you believe it, bent and twisted, one swallow from heading down my throat. Management couldn't explain it and offered me a gift card for a return visit. Needless to say, I declined the offer and will NEVER return. more

Don't confuse this with the TV Chef Ramsay namesake. This place is certainly much better!! \r \r I am from San Francisco, a place that serves up a decent restaurant or two, and I eat here every time I am in the MSP. It is my favorite restaurant here. From the bison benedict to the huevos to the bloody marys to the home made peanut butter to the awesome cinnamon buns to the sausage bread to the walleye and chips to the . . . well, let's just say I am pleasantly surprised every time I come.\r \r Despite the casual appearance of the decor and the gothic attire of the staff, this is a place that obviously pays attention to the details. The menu is fantastic, and foodies like me agonize becasue everything on the menu looks so good! And while a great menu sets high expectations that many restaurants can fall short on, Hell's Kitchen has a back of the house serving up plates that manage to exceed those expectations. Every plate looks great, and every dish I have had has been perfectly prepared.\r \r Best of all, the wait staff has been very attentive every time I have eaten here, and it is obvious that they are proud to work here. You can see it in the way they carry themselves and in the way they interact with their customers. This is a very professional operation that deeply cares about its clientele -- a very interesting juxtaposition from its heavily tatooed, black, gothy & tattered devil-may-care exterior.\r \r Props to you, Hell's Kitchen!!\r \r UncleBad says -- I'll be damned: if eatin' in Hell is wrong, then I don't wanna be right. \r \r Pros: great menu, great kitchen, great service Cons: not open for dinner more

Walked in, (remember they MOVED to 80 S 9th St) and the people next to me whispered ""it's worth it no matter how long."" Oh god was he ever right. Joe had the huevos rancheros and could have died happy...i tried the lemon ricotta hotcakes and they DID melt in my mouth...server said ""try them first without syrup""...after one bite i never even put syrup on! Menu made me come back for more...and boy did we ever...3 times in our 4 day visit to Minneapolis. Go go go! We don't even have a place lthis good in LA! Pros: Food Food Food and a fun edgy place to boot Cons: Wait out the door but they take reservations more

I think when a restaurant is as busy as Hell's and can always pack them in regardless of bad service - they learn to not care. The food is excellent, no doubt. But, it is hard to enjoy a meal when you can't over the poor service. The 3 times I have been there the service was lousy. I was a waitress for many years, so I understand how hard a job it can be. However, all 3 times I was there, the waitstaff was rude. I understand when a place is busy, that the waitsfaff, through no fault of their own, is unable to come to your table often. However, that was not the case here - they just didn't care. I always tip 20-25% and ended up leaving 15%. It is management that allows this to happen. Until it starts affecting their business, I assume they won't take any steps to change this. Pros: Excellent Food Cons: Indifferent staff more

We just tried Hell's kitchen out today for the first time. We read on the website that it's a good idea to make a reservation so we did. We were sat right away in a room with great lighting and a fun decor. I had the fresh squeezed orange juice which was delicious! Their pancakes are a buttermilk/corn mixture and had a unique and flavorful taste. We're excited to go back and try out their lunch options. We'll definitely be back. Pros: Great food, good service. Cons: Parking. more

We were so excited this morning to finally try Hell's Kitchen. We've heard about it, read about it and drooled over it for about 6 months and this Saturday morning we got our butt's out of bed early and drove from St. Paul's east side just to go to downtown Mpls' Hell. Of course there was no free parking anywhere to be found which I expected so I paid 5 bucks in the paylot knowing it was well worth it. We went on inside where there were about 5 people milling about the door and drinking the free coffee while they waited and we thought ""hm, not so bad of a wait."" The servers were bustling around in their cute little pajamas amid the packed tables in the long, narrow restaurant but there was no one at the front for the first 5 minutes as we waited to get our name on the list. Finally a woman showed up in street clothes and spent another 5 minutes taking orders to go. Finally, she turned to us abruptly and asked if we'd been helped. We told her we'd like to put our name in for a table and she said ""Ok but it will be an hour and a half wait."" to which my husband exclaimed ""There is no food worth an hour and a half standing here waiting!"" and we promptly left. That was a very short trip to Hell. We walked away hungry, disappointed and a little wiser. If I can ever talk my husband into going back we'll be smart next time and make a reservation. Hell is a very busy place. Pros: Interesting and fun atmosphere Cons: Parking stinks, service is cold at best for such a hot place. more

Everything is homemade and awesome. Must try the toasted sausage bread and their porridge-esque house specialty, which looks bizarre and is so different. Homemade jams are so good I bought jars to take home with me and for my family. In the 9 days I stayed in Minneapolis, I ate here 3 times. A great find! Pros: Food, atmosphere, coffee Cons: slow service more