Cuisine: American, Italian, Ice Cream

Restaurant Features: Counter-Service, Drive-In

Location: St Paul

Address: 1440 Minnehaha Ave E St Paul, MN 55106 (651) 776-3470

Hours Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm   Friday 11am-11pm  Saturday 11am-10pm

**Seasonal  April-October

Links: Google Map

Atmosphere: Located on the east side of St Paul, Dari-ette is the local drive-in hot spot.   There are about 30 parking spots, each with its very own menu/ordering speaker.  Once you decide your order, place it with the waitress and he/she will bring it right to your car when ready.  Too messy to eat in the car? There is also a walk-up window and patio seating or a small selection of booths inside.

Menu: Appetizers include pasta salad, jalapeno poppers, chicken wings, garlic cheese toast, mozzarella sticks, french fries and onion rings.

Italian Specialties include Spaghetti or Rigatoni topped with Dari-ette’s Famous Sauce, the “Italiano” aka Hot Dago, Meatball sandwich, Italian Chicken Sandwich and Italian club.

American sandwiches/entrees include Deep-fried Chicken, Shrimp dinner, Fish and Chips, Hamburgers, Chicken Fillet, Steak Sandwich, and Pork Chop.

Ice Cream treats range from cones, sundaes, banana split, floats, slushies, malts and shakes.

Price guide: Appetizers $3-6, Sandwiches $4-6  Fried Chicken $11-22 Ice Cream $1-4

What I ordered: The Dari-ette Meatball sub. Three large meatballs on fresh, thick-sliced Italian bread, topped with homemade sauce and melted mozzarella cheese.  I thought the sandwich was good, but not the best I have ever eaten.  I liked the sauce very much, wish there was more of it than just the amount that spilled over.  The meatballs themselves were decent, but there was something about the flavor and texture that didn’t win me over…too many breadcrumbs, perhaps? I was also disappointed that for $6 it didn’t come with a side of chips or anything. I highly recommend eating this messy sandwich with silverware :)

Service: Very friendly.  I can imagine that on a busy night it might be slow placing orders and having food brought out.

Overall Impression: Great place to take the kids for dinner and an ice cream!

Cuisine: Burgers, American, Ice Cream

Restaurant Features: On-Site Parking

Locations: Edina, Highland Park, Minnetonka, Roseville

Addresses & Maps:

Edina- 4502 Valley View Rd Edina, MN 55424 (952) 920-0949

Highland Park- 244 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul, MN‎ – (651) 690-1846‎

Minnetonka-17519 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN‎ – (952) 475-1850‎

Roseville- 1125 Larpenteur Ave W  St Paul, Minnesota 55113 (651) 488-0241

Links: Snuffy’s Website * Snuffy’s on Facebook

Atmosphere: Located within a large strip mall, Snuffy’s Malt Shop is reminiscent of an old-fashioned burger joint: The red and white striped wallpaper, the red vinyl booths, and the ice-cream counter.  There are three small sections within the restaurant, all of which contain 4-person booths. There were a few small table sin one section, but accommodating a large group would be quite a challenge.

Menu: Snuffy’s is most famous for their hamburgers and malts!  Burger choices include the basic hamburger, cheeseburger, California bugrer, or the Snuffy’s Burger (lettuce, bacon, tomato, cheese).   If you’re not in the mood for a burger, try one of Snuffy’s grilled sandwiches (ham, chicken, cheese, etc).

Choose from over 20 Malt flavors or try an old fashioned soda, phosphate, or float.

Price Guide:

Burgers: $3.75-5.25 extra patty $1.50  (add $2 for fries or $2.50 for onion rings)

Grilled Sandwiches: $3.35-5.35 (add $2 for fries or $2.50 for onion rings)

Kids Menu $3.25

Malts: $3-4

What I ordered: Bacon & swiss burger with a side of onion rings.  The burger was made of fresh hamburger, and was tender and juicy (a bit on the greasy side).  Although the menu didn’t specify the size of the patty, I would say it was about a 1/3 lb.  It came served on a grilled bun, but I wish the buns had been more thick and sturdy.  I could almost detect a hint of sweetness to the bun as well.  The onion rings were a big hit; nice and crispy.  Of course I also ordered a malt… I went with the Snuffy Colada (strawberry, banana, and pineapple). Thick and delicious; heavy on the malt, just the way I like it.  Could predominately taste strawberries (I wish it would’ve had more pineapple), but it was very flavorful.

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Service: Very friendly.  Despite how busy it was, Snuffy’s did a great job of finding us a table as soon as possible.  Our server was prompt and courteous throughout the meal.  At one point a malt glass at our table was accidently broken and management inquired immediately to make sure noone was hurt.  Manager was very kind and patient while cleaning a very big mess from our table.  Our experience also required a take-out order; everything was neatly packed and bagged.

Overall Impression: Fun, inexpensive place to come with a small group.  Good burgers, even better malts!

Cuisine: American, Burgers, Bakery, Ice Cream

Restaurant Features: Bar (beer only), Counter-Service, Games, On-Site Parking

Locations: Roseville (site of this review), Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove and Saint Louis Park.

Addresses & Maps:

Roseville
2740 North Snelling Avenue, Roseville, MN  55113 651-636-3833
   

Bloomington
3801 Minnesota Drive, Bloomington, MN  55435  952-835-3833

Coon Rapids
8955 Spring Brook Road, Coon Rapids, MN  55433  242-780-2909
   

Eden Prairie
11825 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, MN  55344    952-943-1010
   
   
   
   

Saint Louis Park
6445 Wayzata Blvd., Saint Louis Park, MN  55426   952-593-3833
   

Links:  Fuddrucker's website

Atmosphere: Fuddruckers is decorated with an "Oldies Rock" theme. Vinyl albums, posters and pictures of some of the classic oldies bands line the walls. There are even a couple of large round booths in the corners decorated as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The King. Large back room is a great place to invite a big group or throw a birthday party. Video games and arcade will keep the kids entertained for quite some time :)

Menu: Where else can you go besides Fuddrucker's and order the perfect size burger for your appetite? Choices are 1/3 lb, 1/2 lb, 2/3 lb and the 1 lb burger! Choose your own fixings and decorate your burger from a serve-yourself line adjacent to the pick-up counter. Besides the World's Greatest Hamburgers, they also offer chicken, fish, 1/4 lb beef hotdogs, and a variety of salads. Check out other menu items on the Fuddrucker's website.

All sides come ala carte: Onion rings, wedge-cut fries and chilli-cheese fries, nachos. Fuddrucker's also has a bakery and ice cream shoppe to entice your sweet-tooth. Mouth watering cookies and brownies are available at a very reasonable price! You can also create your own ice cream flavor from a variety of homemade flavors and toppings. Malts are also fabulous, try one! Oh, did I mention that all of their buns are baked fresh on-site daily and grilled to perfection?

Price Guide: Burgers range from $5.50 for the 1/3 to $8.50 for the pounder. This price does not include a side. Sides range from $1.69-$4.00

What I ordered: 2/3 lb southwest burger. Comes with monterrey jack, crispy bacon and guacamole. If you like to spice it up a bit, I highly recommend adding some fresh pico de gallo and/or banana peppers. I like a lot of guacamole, so I also ordered an additional side.

Hungry? You have to be to eat this amazing 1 lb burger with all the fixings!

Service: Order-at-counter-dining. You get a light-up coaster when your food is ready, and then pick-up at the food counter. Usually Fudd's cranks out the food pretty fast, even on a busy night. On this particular Monday night they were not busy at all, but we waited almost 25 minutes for our food. It was worth the wait!

Overall Impression:  Fabulous burgers, fun atmosphere & great bakery!  Exceptional place to bring the kids