Joan's in the Park

Truly a dining experience like no other. The food is delicious - I eat the steak every single time I go because it is my favorite food in the world. I'm pretty sure everything on their menu is made from scratch and every flavor is perfect. They take such care and pay such huge attention to the details. The wine pairings are out of this world, and it's such a luxury to turn off my brain and just know that every sip will be perfect. And the service is the warmest, most competent and most genuine service I have ever experienced. You will feel cared for without feeling smothered, and they will go above and beyond to make sure you are enjoying every moment.

Our evening at Joan's in the Park was exceptional.
Our waiter was personable and helpful, and the food--every bite--was wonderful. We enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and the unobtrusive, but melodic, playlist. It was nice to be able to savor our meal without feeling rushed and, the restaurant is small enough that it's a great place for conversation too.
If you are looking for a special and memorable--but not pretentious-- meal, you can't go wrong at Joan's in the Park.
If you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary, be sure to let them know when you make your reservation. We were at Joan's for a special occasion, and they added special touches which made us feel celebrated and right at home--all in the best ways.

This was was such a delight! I absolutely love the food and how appreciative the chef/cooks were with the ingredients. Waiter Dan was so warm and provided exceptional service. Definitely would come back

The service was excellent for a birthday meal (don’t hesitate to tell them about a special occasion). The food was good—more elevated comfort flavors than modernist cuisine (though I thought the fish courses were just a bit over). The wine pairing was well chosen and the cocktails excellent. Overall, the experience was top notch for a special occasion dinner. Highly recommended.

Atmosphere was relaxing. Service was prompt and kind. The food was different if you’re not a fancy eater… but great. Really enjoyed the experience and food. Thanks for the photo, the birthday greeting for my girlfriend and smiles. My girlfriend was very satisfied with our experience and impressed.

This is my partner and my favorite restaurant. We look forward to dining here seasonally and talk about the experience afterwards for days! Such a cozy space, attentive and kind service, and the food/wine pairings are always a delight. We feel so lucky to have such an amazing restaurant in our neighborhood.

This is my 5th visit in less than a year!
The family atmosphere is apparent. Between Joan, Susan, Dan, and Jen, it's clear that they all want you to have the best experience. They work together well as a team, super caring. Family feeling for sure. We went first on a chance, we searched for the best restaurants in Saint Paul, and Joan's in the park came up. I took my mom and were treated with superb food, amazing wine pairing, bare in mind though, they have one set price for food, then you add, if you so choose, a wine pairing. I recommend doing so. They are so good at pairing the wines.
The food is out of this world, don't expect huge portions, when you leave you feel perfect, not hungry, not super full, just perfect.
We liked it, and my mom, 80 years old, coming in from Sweden, here to experience Joan's in the park. She liked it so much that she wanted to come back 2 weeks later! She was so taken by the service, the friendliness, and the atmosphere. It's a great place to spend a couple of hours, eat, talk, and just be.
If you have a special day that you are celebrating, they will take your picture, not for social media, just for you, and give you a printout. A printout! How cool is that?!? A great memory for your fridge.
Do you have a birthday, anniversary or just a special day for you, like a sunny Tuesday, go there!
I highly recommend this little place to anyone who wants to experience Saint Paul at its finest. The menu changes often enough, so there is always something new!
Although I don't want them to remove the filet mignon.
(I just left, and I want to go back already!)

This sounds so cliché that I kind of hate myself for writing it, but it's the most accurate way to describe my experience: they treat you like family. From the minute I walked in the door until I left I was taken care of in the most professional and friendly manner: the service was second-to-none. It was, however, was slightly overshadowed by the amazing food. Delicious food. Fantastically delectable food! Oh my gawd the food. I cannot stress enough how meaningful this statement is coming from me, but every opportunity I get to dine out will henceforth - when under my control- be at Joan's. I cannot wait to go back, and if you're on the fence, frankly you're wasting valuable time when you could be drinking beautiful wine and eating gorgeous handmade delicacies with genuinely warm, smart, friendly people.

This was truly the best meal of my life. My husband and I went for my birthday, and they made it so special with complementary Prosecco, confetti, and a photo to take home. The food and the wine pairings were beyond incredible. If you are looking for, a special meal out, I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. I cannot wait to go back for my birthday next year!

We have been huge fans since the opening, and can think of no other restaurant more deserving of not only 5 Google Stars, but as many Michelin Stars as we could give. The commitment to quality ingredients, amazing cuisine and consistently superb service earns them all that and more.

This place was absolutely wonderful! The staff was incredible! Our server was Jen who was phenomenal, and the other was a delightful man who even took our coats when we were seated and also took the time to compliment my hair that I was earlier questioning to my boyfriend. :) The food was delicious! I don’t have a very sophisticated palette but I still really enjoyed my food! The filet minion and the brown butter pudding were both to die for! The drinks were great as well. But I would go back for the service alone. Every person we encountered was wonderful and attentive. All in all, we had a fantastic date! 10/5 stars! Highly recommend!

Everything from the cozy ambiance, the service, and the flavor combinations were spot on. What a great meal and anniversary celebration!

What a GEM! We have dined at Joan’s in the Park a few times over the past couple of years. This is by far one of the BEST restaurants in the Twin Cities! Always superb service, mixed with excellent dishes prepared with love. Charming, intimate space. Perfect for a birthday, anniversary, or a celebration. Photos from a dining experience in June 2020.

My husband and I recently celebrated our wedding anniversary at Joan’s. Our food, drinks, and service were phenomenal. We especially enjoyed the savory eclairs, beef tartare, duck breast, and brown butter pudding along with the intimate atmosphere. Highly recommend Joan’s for special occasions or just to enjoy an upscale dining experience.

Food was fantastic.

First course: we had the onion knot and English muffin Pate. Only note was the ricotta could have used a pinch of salt, but given health concerns for some people I understand limiting sodium.

Second course: we had the Speck Ham and Beef Tartare. Usually Beef Tartare is a winner everywhere but the Speck Ham absolutely blew it out of the water. Which is not to say the Tartare was bad by any right. The Speck Ham is just to die for and will certainly have me coming back. I should note we checked with our server as fish allergies are important for us, the Tartare does contain Worcestershire Sauce so if you are allergic to fish be aware.

Third Course: we had the Pumpkin Tortaleni and the Green Oak Leaf Lettuce, both were so fantastic we forgot to take pictures. Definitely take you server's advice on the Oak Leaf and mix the salad with the fig cream beneath as it makes the dish absolutely wonderful.

Fourth Course: we had the Oxtail Spätzle and the Porck Chop. Both were fantastic entrees. My only real note is I wish I had some bread for the pork chop since the juice from the pork chop mixes with the demi glace /au jus and I just want to have something to wipe it up so I don't have to lick the plate clean.

Our server Dan was absolutely fantastic, he help accommodate our time constraints to the best of his ability. We put in our note we need to be somewhere at seven, the realized we needed to leave earlier. 10/10 service for sure.

Wow. 100/10. I'm having trouble writing this review because I have so much to say and feel simultaneously speechless.

I knew I wanted to treat my partner to a coursed dinner for his birthday this year. I did a quick Google search and saw that Joan's in the Park was a highly rated restaurant in St. Paul that served a coursed menu. St. Paul is a short drive for us so a quick glance at the menu and reviews and I was SOLD.

We arrived at this quaint, local, corner restaurant early for our reservation in hopes of being able to grab a round of drinks at the bar top while waiting to be sat at our table. The building radiated warmth upon walking up and we were greeted promptly and enthusiastically by a lovely woman at the host stand. We were lucky to be able to be sat right away and were so happily surprised to see that the host read our reservation notes (that it was my partners birthday and our shellfish allergy, etc.). They sent us a complimentary round of champagne to celebrate while our server Dan welcomed us in and answered any initial questions we had.

Service, from start to finish, was a proper experience in real hospitality. We were so attended to the entire time. Dan did an exceptional job, we can't say enough. It is so refreshing to receive such care as a guest. It was refined, upscale, and truly fine dining, but it felt as cozy and loving as being in mom/dad/loved-one's dining room. The dining room was full, which is always a delight to see, and the energy of the space was upbeat and lively. The way a bathroom is kept says a lot about an establishment and the bathrooms were clean, they smelled nice, and were clearly well maintained.

The menu was absolutely divine. First of all, it was SO fun to look through each course and see dishes that we've never had before, think about what we wanted to try, what we might share together and what we were most excited about individually. Then to receive each course and to be completely blown away by the flavors, textures, plating, and overall harmony of all of the ingredients... It is *abundantly* clear that whoever is leading the BOH/Kitchen is creating from a place of love because we could feel it in every bite of our evening. Each course was such a beautiful experience; however, my particular favorite was the poached shrimp for my second course. We shared a couple of desserts and a bottle of wine and had (EASILY) the best meal of 2023 at Joan's in the Park.

The only TINY thing that came up for us, not worthy of knocking down any points or stars, was that when we first sat down at our table, because the dining room was so full, it was quite loud and very difficult to hear each other across the table. After a party or two left it was much easier to hear but some kind of sound proofing might do this intimate space some good :)

There's a saying in the industry that goes something like, "guests will go to a restaurant for the food, but they will come back for the service." and I am thrilled to suggest that Joans in the Park will have you enthusing about both, for hours, possibly days or weeks, after leaving. We cannot wait to go back and we cannot wait to invite our friends and family to come with.

Please do yourself a favor and get here ASAP.

We went to Joan’s with our dining group, Haute Plates, and left there not only fully sated, but euphoric. From the astounding service (Dan) to the overseeing by Joan herself, and all the prep by Jen for our group, we were already blown away. Then the food arrived. Each bite sent us into reverie. Are they magicians??

Recently went for our anniversary, and let me tell you, this place continues to overdeliver! Absolutely fantastic experience! The service is amazing, the food is good, and you really feel like the staff love their jobs and love having you. The setting is incredibly intimate. Highly recommend to anybody looking for a quiet and low-key (but still special) celebration! The filet, pork chop, heirloom tomatoes, and brown butter pudding dessert were the highlights of the meal!

The location of the restaurant is great, easy to park, convenient. Joan’s in the Park has a family style feeling but still with an elegant decor and fresh look. It is a small place but with a very vibrant atmosphere. They also have a patio, an excellent addition when the weather is nice.
During my reservation I was surprised about the time limit for the each table during your dinner visit. After talking and explaining my concerns to Dan we agreed to the specific table location when we could stay longer to enjoy our dinner. All tables inside had a white tablecloths. This made me feel like we were in the upscale restaurant. Our table was nicely decorated for my wife’s birthday with some cute signs. Joan’s in the Park uses a very nice silverware and they are all replaced after each curse, very good habit. The restaurant also has a nice bar where you can sit down and enjoy your drink. The restaurant was very busy and noisy but somehow that did not bothered me at all. I also could see many different recognition awards on the wall. Last Saturday’s visit was our 1st visit to this establishment. We celebrated my wife Birthday.
First...Joan’s in the Park knows how to run the guests service….from the moment we entered the restaurant we were welcomed by Dan, super nice guy, very friendly and happy to see us. Great sign to me, this guy is happy so I should be too and I was not disappointed. Later we were introduced to Matt our waiter...wow...another individual who was vibrant, full of energy and happy.
we ordered the 4 course menu...it was really exciting, the presentation was spot on. I could easily see the skills and passion from the chef and his team on the each plate we were presented with...all courses were like painting on the canvas.We all loved them very much.
We started our evening with a bottle of California sparkling wine -Gloria Ferrer, Blanc de Blancs, 100% chardonnay bottle from Cali. It was light, fruity, refreshing and very inviting, we loved it. Our 1st course was :
Kombu cured raw scallops with ginger, sunchoke, lemon, cucumber, frezno chili , yogurt
Chilled lobster with avocado,coconut, peanut,cilantro- all dishes were fresh and vibrant.
2nd course: fresh burrata with apple and manchego cheese with black olive carmel, walnuts, warm spice
Fresh burrata with ramps, wild fennel, hazelnuts, pink peppercorn- all tasted fresh, delicate and very happy.
The 3rd cours were : Magliette- lamb rogu, pecorino, walnuts
Beet tortellini with goat cheese, pinenut, mint- very different but also delicious
The 4th course we had: filet mignon with butternut squash, herbed mushrooms , sauce bordelaise
And Corvina fish (from Japan) with maitake mushrooms, sesame, bonito, The fish was mild, a little sweet taste- I loved it. I just wish to have less of the sauce, otherwise my fish was very tender and tasty.
What I really liked when between dishes we were receiving a small additional samples of the palate cleansers. That was awesome.Also Dan and Matt we’re constantly watching our cloth napkins to keep them in the right location on the table. This was very professional way to keep everything looking good.
We had Pinot Grigio Benvolio from Italy with our fish and True Myth Cabernet from Paso Robles Cali with our filet mignon. Both very good wines matching to our dishes.
Our desserts were: brown butter pudding with chocolate caramel, whipped cream, sea salt and maple & walnut maple ice- cream, walnut crumble, apple,camela creme fraiche- my ice-cream was smooth but I really didn’t care for an apple with my ice-cream. Never had an apple with my ice-cream before.
And the end we just wanted to say ...bravo,bravo,bravo, phenomenal dishes, excellent presentations, great flavors, top notch service. Reservations are highly recommended.
Thank you Dan, Matt Holmquist, thanks for the Pinot, it was a great one,sous chef Gilberto Perez and the entire team you all did really exceptional job.Dan and Matt impressed us, from the moment we entered the restaurant until we left. Our friends and us were really happy to be there. We will be back.

Joan is such a delight. We called for a reservation of a whim and she got us in right away. Unfortunately, we had to leave just after ordering drinks. Joan was so understanding. We cannot wait to return to this gem of a place.