La Grolla

Have you ever looked at a cookbook from the 1980's? The grainy photographs, the bad interior design, the plates that look dated? That is EACTLY the impression I got from my first night at La Grolla. Even the bathrooms were like a time capsule, going back to that era. La Grolla is a very compact restaurant. The tables are packed so tightly that the waiter can barely access the table, and must do so from afar. I wasn't even able to see his face, since the only way he could address out table was from behind me. Not only that, but you'll be overwhelmed by conversation from all sides. I hope you don't get to sit next to a group of LOUD obnoxious women like i did. La Grolla's compactness and hard brick walls mean that all that noise really has nowhere to go. It's loud. La Grolla is also, in my opinion, very overpriced. Expensive entrees do not come with salad. My brother got the salmon risotto ($18). It was a smallish plate of rice with two stalks of asparagus and literally a few flakes of salmon. It was mediocre to say the least. I thought the portions were small for what we paid. Dinner for 4 and a $20 bottle of wine came to $140 (not incl. tip), and only one person had meat. We did get the $10 calamari, which promised to be tossed with deep-fried zucchini. When it arrived, on a tacky platter from the 1980's, there were three tiny pieces of zucchini. What angers me is that zucchini costs nothing, and still a restaurant like this chooses to serve me three TINY slivers of it. I am glad we didn't sit in the front area, as the tables seem to be very close and not very romantic. Our service was capable, but there's no room or time for any rapport to develop, and i think they know that. They just try to do what they can in the tight area they're given. the busboy was phenomenal, and the bread we had before the meal was very good. overall, we would never go back, opting for a roomier, less expensive place which is quieter and allows for better service. Pros: selby ave location Cons: crowded, loud, overpriced more

Last night we went to La Grolla for the first time to celebrate our 6th anniversary and our awful waiter absolutely spoiled it. After dinner, my husband got up to use the restroom and I was left sitting on the patio by myself. A few minutes later, a waiter (not ours) dropped off a desert at our table and I assumed my husband had it sent out to me as a surprise so I started eating it. Well, a minute or so after that, our waiter came out, saw me eating my desert, and said loud enough for everyone on the patio to hear and turn around, ""Are you seriously eating that even though it's not yours!?"" It turns out it was for the table right next to us and had been delivered to our table by accident. I was so embarrassed I could have cried, and then I was getting dirty looks from the people whose desert I had been eating and snickers from others on the patio. Our waiter never apologized, and I am so embarrassed I will never go back. Even before this happened, I found the food to be very underwhelming and overpriced. La Grolla is not worth it! Your money would be better spent at Kincaid's or Forpaugh's. Pros: Nice lighting Cons: Extremely bad service, overpriced average food more

We went there for a small family gathering for a graduation type party. The seating was prompt and the service was exellent. With the group of about 12 sitting outside was great. The food was exellent. Pros: good food, street parking, ambience more

We arrived on time for our reservation. It was raining, so walk-ins and patio goers were given reserved tables. Not Cool!! more

I think the food here is so good! I am always pleased with my selection. Sometimes the service is a little slow when it is busy, but they gave us a free glass of wine when it took our server some time to return with the fresh pepper. But the place is great. more

La Grolla has it all. Ambiance, creativity, knowledgeable staff, location, lobster cream sauce. The first time I dined here I knew I was hooked for life. They've never given me a reason to feel otherwise. Capesante is more than worth the price of admission. I don't know if you could call this comfort food, but everything I've tried sure feels that way to me. That's not saying the food is brainless though - quite the contrary. Pros: capesante, lobster cream sauce, accommodating staff more

I ate here several months ago and still can't get over how fantastic it really was. One of the highlights was that their special menu was a voluminous as their normal menu. Great Experience! more

Went to La Grolla with a small group of 4 and truly enjoyed it. The food was excellent, if you like great Italian or fish, this is a place to try. The specials were wonderful, with a ton of options. Can get busy, so do make reservations. more

I went to la grolla last week. Pros: quality, price, service more

The food and atmosphere here is great! I went with 3 others and loved every one of our dishes, definetly try the specials. They were all wonderful!!! However, I suggest that if you go to go at an ""off peak"" time, perhaps before 6 or after 8:30. We went around 5:30 and had excellent service for the first half hour but around 6 the place becaome very crowded and uncomfortable and the servers were Very busy. We didn't get much attention after 6pm from our server. But over all I recommend it, if you go when its not extremely busy! Pros: food, atmosphere, romantic Cons: crowded more

After seated for our 5:30 reservation, my date & I ordered some Crab Cakes, and then ordered our main entrees along with a bottle of wine. After our meal we proceeded with some so-so pie along with coffee. Couldn't have a pre-dinner drink since they didn't have their liqour permit. No drink after dinner, so we ended up having some coffee with our pie. While relaxing having pie and drinking coffee we were asked to pay the bill, which I promptly did. After the bill was paid we were asked to be moved to the overcrowded bar to finish our pie and coffee! Yes, they had another reservation that was waiting for their table. The food was good, but noisy atmosphere along with terrible service makes it a non recommended place to eat especially for spending $$$ and asked to be moved from your table. Pros: Menu Specials, Food Cons: , Service, Noisy more

Large menu selection of pastas, chicken, veal, seafood, beef, lamb. Good dessert selections creme brulee, chocolate moose, chocolate souffle, tiramisu. The crab cake appetizer was unique and tasted excellent. We had two of the specials lobster sauce pasta with three of the largest prawns Ive ever seen ($22) and a superb rack of lamb. The lamb was simmered in a wonderful cabernet reduction sauce and topped with fresh rosemary very tender one of the best Ive ever had. A bit pricey at $36, but it was the largest rack Ive ever had as well 8 chops. Nice selection of moderately priced ($25-$40) Italian wines. We ate dinner on the patio which was very pleasant and quieter than the main dining area. Service was good although we waited a bit for our wine to arrive and our appetizer had already been served. Overall, a great meal. Pros: Great Menu Selection, Excellent Food, Wine Selection Cons: , Noisy more

I was so excited to finally visit La Grolla. It was a beautiful restaurant, unfortunately our waitress was incompetent and rude. Our six top, ordered a bottle of Shiraz. She came back with a Cabernet. When we informed her of the mistake, she argued that this wine WAS the ""petite syrah"" we ordered, even though it stated Cabernet! She explained that she was ""taught"" that a Cabernet Sauvignon is the same thing as a Petite Syrah! WHATEVER, crazy lady, but we didn't order either! We asked for the Shiraz! Which much ado she finally brought the right bottle. The polenta mushroom appetizer was mush with salty gravy and my dinner of veal stuffed pasta was an unappetizing plate of congealed butter. The waitress threw away my friend's food that she asked to be boxed up. Another downfall was that they were out of SIX dishes! Pros: building Cons: waitstaff, poor food more

This restaurant is an absolute gem! Great wine, ambience and out of this world delicious specials! I recommend this place to anyone and everyone and will definitely be back. We decided to go at the spur of the moment on a Friday night and the host was gracious and kind and found a way to sneak us in. Pros: great wine, great food, great service more

This is the kind of restuarant I love. No too big, privately owned, good food at good prices. Love the atmosphere - very romantic. The Twin Cities needs more places like this. Service was shaky on the follow-up but all in all competent, and everyone was very friendly. Can't say enough good things about the food and the overall value. I thought the bathrooms were fine - contrary to another reviewer. Pros: Atmosphere, Value, Food Cons: Choppy Service more

My friends and I were impressed with the style of this restaurant. We were thrilled with the outdoor seating area. However, our server did not visit us for at least 10 minutes, hardly paid attention to us after the initial visit (not that we needed someone to hover, but drink refills would have been nice), neglected to bring us an appetizer we had ordered and didn't even offer us anything to compensate that fact. I will go back, though, because I'd like to give the establishment another shot. more

I went here on a Monday night with some friends for my birthday and I would definitely go back! The service was wonderful: very attentive without hovering. The crab cakes were excellent as was the bruschetta. The specials menu was almost as large as the regular menu, which worried us at first: how can a restaurant have so many options and still provide great quality food? We did not need to worry. Everything was great. The fresh fruit and mascarpone dessert was my favorite part of the meal. The atmosphere is very warm, although, it was a bit loud in the dining room. The bar seemed very cozy and would make a great date destination. Pros: attentive staff, warm atmosphere more

Visited on a Saturday night, promptly seated but waited about 10 minutes for first contact from server. Otherwise everything was great from service to food. Will definitely recommend and go back. Pros: Menu Selections, Food & Service, Wine Prices Cons: wait for service more

My husband and I were sorry to see Tulips leave this site, but our sadness was quickly whisked away after trying La Grolla on Friday night. We ate on the patio, which was fantastic, but walking through the interior of the restaurant made me feel as if I had been taken back to Florence. The ambiance was magnificent, but it pales in comparison to the food. My husband and I ordered the capasante appetizer with shrimp and our friends had the crab cakes. Both were divine! All four of us could not pass up the special lobster fettucine with jurassic shrimp (when they say jurassic, they aren't kidding) and we were not disappointed. The prices were incredibly reasonable and the food and service impeccable. We will be back again and again! Pros: Great food, Great atmosphere, Reasonable prices Cons: No hard liquor served more

This is a promising addition to the Saint Paul scene. The service is exceptional, and I was shocked each time I was prepared for attitude, and I received warmth and graciousness. The food was very good and though I will not jump to conclusions after the small meals I have had there, I can say that the charm of the setting and the service will guarantee you a pleasant evening. If your night plans include alcohol, call ahead: their license is in process. Pros: service, charming setting, food more