Locally owned family friendly suggestions in Bloomington area?

[merijar]

I'm traveling with my husband and 4-year old daughter for a long-weekend to the area in late June, and looking for some good dining suggestions that would be delish and child-friendly. We're staying in Bloomington, but we'd rather not eat all our meals at all the chains that seem so prevalent. We do have 2 non-Bloomington meals planned (Town Hall Brewing and Cafe 28 - the husband likes beer), and will just eat the free breakfast at our hotel, so just looking for probably 3 more meal (or snack) suggestions in or near Bloomington. Thanks for any suggestions!

[The Dairy Queen]

I think this recent thread, as well as the older thread I linked to in that thread, would be very helpful to you!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7841...

~TDQ

[merijar]

Perfect - thanks!

[WeZeL27]

Here are the places that I would recommend checking out (with kids in tow) in Bloomington...

Tavern on France - build your own Pizza/Burger/Salad plus full menu
Joe Sensor's - Good sportsbar kind of place
Poor Richard's Commonhouse - "Pub" food
Pinstripes - Am. Bistro, also has bowling and bocce
Davanni's - Good local pizza/hoagie joint

And a few other places that are in the vacinity (like Eden Prairie, Richfield, Edina, etc) that would also be close and you should consider...
Redstone (in EP) - A bit more upscale, but still ok with kids during lunch or on the patio
Khan's Mongolian BBQ (in Richfield)
Pizzeria Lola - Wood fired pizza (not open for lunch on weekends, still can't get over this...)

Whatever you do, don't be tempted to find a "good" place to eat in the Mall of America. Pretty much all the places you will hear about there are not as good as they sound. Some are ok, just wouldn't make a special trip to eat there, maybe if you are already there for shopping, etc. Just wanted to warn you of that. :)

That's all I can think of for now, I'm sure others will have some spots to share as well...

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Redstone American Grill
8000 Eden Rd., Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Tavern on France
6740 France Ave S, Minneapolis, MN

Davanni's Pizza & Hot Hoagies
8605 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420

Khan's Mongolian Barbeque
500 E 78th St, Minneapolis, MN 55423

Joe Senser's Sports Grill & Bar
4217 American Blvd W, Minneapolis, MN 55437

[forgottendreamr]

Lola's is now open for lunch on the weekends.

You might want to try the Chatterbox...it's a pub (beer for the husband) but also has games to occupy kids. There are a couple locations...when I live in Bloomington the Highland location was closest, but there is a new one on 45th and France as well.

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Chatterbox Pub
800 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul, MN 55116

[EarlOfSandwich]

Shantytown is a little bar/burger place tucked away on a side street in Bloomington. Enjoyable burgers.

A strip mall on the SW corner of I-494 and Portland Avenue has three places we enjoy:
La Mixteca mexican, India Cafe, and Kabobs Indian. Not much for atmosphere, especially Kabobs, which tries to turn a fluorescent lit waiting area for a take out place into a "dining room," but the chow is good.

We have taken our now 6-year-old girl to all of these places over the past few years.

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Kabobs Restaurant and Meat Shop
7814 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420

TBS India Cafe
7826 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420

Mixteca La
7822 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420

Shantytown Grill
8512 Pillsbury Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420

[sandylc]

How about just a little further north for the new Wise Acre Eatery? I haven't been there yet, but it looks good, healthy, and cheap

[Seige]

I love Tangletown Gardens (the folks who own Wise Acre) and am looking forward to trying WAE myself, but of all the reviews I've read no one seems to think it's cheap. Quite the contrary - I've seen nothing but complaints re: price vs. portion size. Just a word of warning.