Broders Cucina Italiana

This place is GREAT! Get the lasagna siciliana for sure but the sausage pizza is great as well. Walking in we did not get the best vibes but the food truly is amazing and we cannot wait to eat here again.

When you take your out of town guests on a walk around Lake Harriet and all of a sudden, by Penn Avenue, one guest realizes he is starving: no problem. Just head south of Lake Harriet 2 blocks on Penn Avenue, turn right on 50^th a n d walk 5 steps to Broder’s Cucina. Inside delightful Pizzas, and sandwiches to enjoy at the tables inside. Or take some homemade pasta home with you, along with other Italian ingredients, and make an authentic dinner. This is a nice quick spot for lunch. I had the Morel Mushroom Pizza slice and we split the order of Asperagus with lemon zest. They also sell chips and pop and desserts.

Apparently extra anchovy for the Caesar salad means one anchovy? Seriously? An entire plastic container for one anchovy…
The pizza however, awesome!

This review is for delivery I got yesterday from DoorDash. While everything seemed fine with the food. It tasted good, and I could detect no issues with it at the time. I’ve been sick as hell with Montezuma’s revenge ever sense yesterday. I ate nothing else yesterday but the pizza. Perhaps, this is some type of other malady not related to the pizza I ate yesterday, but I highly doubt it. I’ve eaten pizza here a ton, and this is the first incident. I’ll order again for sure, but I hope this is an isolated incident. I don’t need to become friends with my toilet.

Great little deli nice small meals and Italian groceries. Lovely casual atmosphere. Friendly staff

Stopped by for quick lunch and chose the pasta with squash and cream. Turns out that while the pasta was cooked well the dish was way too saucy and creamy.
Also looked around at the grocery section and they have some interesting products, but as usual for this kind of store everything is quit expensive and could not really justify spending that much on mostly simple ingredients…
I’m thinking this place would be a solid lunch option if my office was nearby, but not really worth the drive from downtown.

The bolognese was fantastic. The noodles were cooked perfectly and the price was great as the size was filling but does not leave you feeling bloated or stuffed.
The meatballs are light with a great sauce (San Marzano tomatoes of course)
The atmosphere is light and great to work on free WiFi or meet a friend.
Parking out front was perfect.
And fresh brewed tea… What more could you ask for?

I am in love with this place! I grew up just outside NYC so I’m extremely picky about my Italian food. When my husband brought my here the first time I wanted to cry tears of joy when I saw they had rainbow cookies! The pizza is perfect and satisfies my craving for «real pizza» compared to basically everywhere else in MN where it’s cut in squares…
We also love the chicken parm, and all the pasta dishes we’ve had have been amazing as well. A perfect place for a quick lunch. Love it!

There’s just no comparison. Best Italian in the Twin Cities, in my opinion. The South Jersey Hoagie (I substitute mine with turkey to lighten it up a bit) is divine! The greek salad dressing I could drink by the glass. Friendly staff, real, fresh ingredients, it’s just real food. We moved back home to the Twin Cities from Colorado (where the Olive Garden is as EYE-​talian as it gets) and I made a beeline for Broders. Never change, you’ve got a great thing!

Not too much of a fan of the pasta, but a fun experience. There are two broders– I recommend the pasta bar. We got the risotto, the daily special. It wasn’t cooked fully, not al dente, just needed about 5 more minutes.
You go through a Line to order with the menu and daily specials on the wall. Lots of olives, cheese, and meats to choose from.
The fettuccini bolognese was delicious. Rich flavor.
Felt like you were in a small Italian café in Italy.
Desserts were tasty.
One white wines one red wine option. Beers on tap.

I think they need to relocate to a bigger area. The parking was very cramped, as well as the waiting room inside. The food was definitely delicious, which is why I saw so many awards on the wall. Had to wait about an hour for a table so I wish they would have taken a reservation.

This is a great little italian deli. Perfect place to go for a quick, tasty lunch. The employees behind the counter were extremely helpful, and the food was delicious. You can really taste the quality of the ingredients they use.
We tried the South Jersey Hoagie, the gorgonzola penne, and the chicken parm — all great. The chicken parm may have been the best i’ve had.

I came here today. It was around 430pm. I ordered the penne gorgonzola. It was freaking delicious. The sauce was delicious and the spinach with it was perfect. The wait was a bit long. I think they were a bit behind since other people were waiting for a Greek salad… my friend got the chicken parm. And it was perfectly crusted and very delicious as well. The line got really busy around 530pm. They have a cute small dining area if you want to dine in.
I’d come here again when I’m in town. :) I recommend going here! I love Italian food and I’m so glad I went here before leaving Minneapolis.

So I finally made it here. It was a little confusing because there is this place and then Broders south side pasta bar across the street. I ordered the Lasagna di Spinaci which was truly amazing! The noodles were al dente and all the flavors were amazing! My kids tried a variety of the following: sausage pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, a sandwich and macaroni and cheese. The pizza was pretty good, it was different than I have had before. The sausage reminded me of that on a party pizza. The spaghetti and meatballs were pretty good according to my daughter, the sandwich was good however the bagette bread was pretty tough on the mouth and the Mac and cheese I will say was pretty bland. I am giving a four star because of the lasagna, however I would go with a three star had I only tried the other food.
The only other issue was we were a party of seven and this place is super small so we had to sit apart until other tables cleared. There were maybe 15 small tables. Hence the diners, drive ins and dives.

It isn’t everyday that I’m jonsing for a New York style pie, but when I am while in the Twin Cities, I go to Broders. I say style because it isn’t a NYC slice (can’t fold it), but still a very tasty relative.
Capers aren’t on the topping menu, but that can be solved in their food section.

In the year 2000 I lived in Rome, Italy for 6 months and ever since will go out of my way to find truly authentic Italian cooking. But finding «truly authentic Italian cooking» is a bit of difficult proposition because each region of Italy does something different. For instance, in Lazio (the region Rome is located), they do not traditionally make tomato-​based sauces to go with pasta unlike Tuscany and Perugia. So it is more common that when you out for Italian, you end us getting an amalgametion of «Italian».
Nonetheless, Italian does not have to be expensive or extravagant, if anything, the best is neither. And while I have been to the Broder’s across the street that IS expensive a with a huge menu of excellent dishes, Broders Cucina Italiana is about 3 steps down from that upscale variety of dining. It is set up like an Italian «bar» with a section of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, fresh frozen pasta and a small variety of other grocery items for sale. It also has a deli counter where you can order a handful of fresh made dishes either to eat there (it holds about 18 people max for seating), or more commonly, to go from a large board on the wall listing the days’ specialties.
It is super inexpensive for great food. What I enjoy the most is getting a family-​sized entrée to go for those nights when you don’t want to cook, but also don’t feel like getting out… they have those too, priced for a family of four with a loaf of bread, salad and dessert included in the price of the meal. Excellent.
Tip, turn the corner on Penn Ave and there is a parking lot behind a consignment store that you can park in and enter the restaurant from the back — much easier than trying to park on 50^th St.

Great Italian food in a casual deli setting with reasonable prices. This is about as good as it gets.
Finding ourselves pulling on the locked doors at Broder’s Pasta Bar, we were disappointed to learn that Broder’s «Pasta Bar» is only open for dinner. Our disappointment soon changed to excitement when we realized Broder’s «Cucina Italiana» is right across the street. According to Unilocalers, this is essentially the same food served in a more casual atmosphere.
The whole restaurant has a deli feel. The menu is written on the wall, and you order fast casual style at the register and take a number. We went with the Fettuccinne Bolognese and a side of bruschetta.
Both were so good. Like the staple of any great Italian place, you can taste the freshness of the ingredients and the solid fundamentals used in preparation. I’ve had $ 30 pasta plates that didn’t hold a candle to this little $ 8 entrée.
Awesome spot, and I can’t wait to go back.

This a great alternative to the big sister restaurant across the street. It won’t break your bank account and the service is fast. Deli style ordering, you can take out or eat in. Seating is limited and first come first serve.
Our toddler loved the pasta with bolognese sauce. You can order any entrée half order for your kid. I had the spaghetti and meatballs. They offer Italian sandwiches and pizza.
They lost our ticket and we ended up waiting longer than expected. As an apology, they treated us to 2 free desserts. Even offered free bread sticks for our starving child. Great customer service!
Whenever we are short on cash and crave a quick Italian meal, this is our go to place.

I miss living just blocks away from Broders «deli» (as I & many others call it). Whenever I didn’t know what to do with dinner but I didn’t want to go out to a «restaurant» Broders deli was my answer. It’s a small drive nowadays, but I still make my way here from time to time, because, well… I’m obsessed.
In true deli form, Broders has a small grocery section filled with authentic Italian items along with fresh pasta, sauce, desserts, etc. that they make in house. They also have a big glass case filled with meats, pasta salads, pizza, etc. Gotta love an Italian deli glass case! You can also order from their delicious menu boards that occupy the wall for either to-​go or dine in. Their small dining section is unpretentious and always clean. They also have some adorable adirondack chairs in front — perfect for splitting pizza & a bottle of wine with your love when the weather allows. Yes, they offer beer & wine :)
Their menu is the perfect deli version of the Pasta Bar across the street — offering many of the same type of dishes, but a less expensive slightly tweaked version (but just as delicious!). Some of my personal favorites include Spaghetti & Meatballs, Fettuccine Bolognese, any pizza, house salad, Fusilli alla Rosticiada, and these almond little dessert bites they often have in the dessert case by the register. Oh! And don’t forget a breadstick! And grab some to-​go Pesto sauce — my ultimate fav!
Enjoy!

I love Italian food. I grew up around off the boat Italians in N.Y.C. One of the beautiful things about Italian food food is to take simple inexpensive ingredients and make something wonderful with it. Broder’s is anything but inexpensive. They get the one star rating because they’re prices are insane. I poped in here with my wife one afternoon to grab something for lunch.
First off I wasn’t super impressed with their sandwiches. I felt they were quite skimpy. Usually my wife and I can split a sandwich back in New York because the meat is piled on generously. Not so here.
Secondly the prices! Antipasto $ 20.00 lb. !!! I’m sorry how much? You can buy grass fed sirloin steak at wholefoods for $ 19.99 lb. which one do you think I’ll chose. I mean its just olives, cheese, salami, and peppers. Those are not expensive ingredients. Next roasted cauliflower with tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette for $ 16.00 lb. ???Honestly I have know idea how they get away with these prices, but they are really up themselves. I will sadly not be going back.