Broders’ Pasta Bar

Craving some Italian food, my boyfriend and I picked this place at random and it was an amazing choice. The space is cute and cozy and luckily we were seated right away. I wanted to try everything on the menu, but ultimately decided to go with one of their seasonal options. Everything from the bread sampler basket to the pasta to the dessert was delicious. The pasta was fresh and the ratio of ingredients in my dish (pasta, sausage, and mushrooms) was perfect. Additionally, the waitstaff was attentive without being annoying. I will definitely be returning and will be recommending this to anyone who loves authentic and fresh Italian food at a good price.

Had a great experience at Broder’s Pasta Bar. We went for their date night special, I believe it is Sun-​Thursday after 8pm and it includes two pasta dishes (from a special list), two Caesar salads, an appetizer of marinated olives, half bottle of wine, and a basket of breads for $ 30! We took advantage of this on a Thursday, we arrived at 8:15pm and were seated immediately, so luckily we didn’t have as long of a wait as the place is notorious for.
The service was fast, which was fine, it seemed like they liked to get customers in and out but we didn’t feel too rushed we were able to finish our salads before they brought out the pasta. The wait staff was friendly although a tad pretentious, it kinda felt like they were putting on an air of fanciness that the place doesn’t really need. The restaurant is small and a bit cramped but it’s cozy. I liked seeing and hearing the chefs prepare each individual dish from the open kitchen. The food really speaks for itself. We got the pasta puttanesca and spaghetti carbonara, both were delicious.

Excellent service, food and wine! Highly recommend this place! There was 4 of us and we all had something different and everything was very good!

My boyfriend and I went for dinner here. The service is exceptional, and this is the only place where the pasta is amazing, and something I cannot make at home. It is hot, fresh and very, very flavorful. They serve a great selection of bread, great wine collection. If you are looking for a quiet night, not super upscale-​y but a nice place to eat, this is your place! It is a small restaurant, and it is busy on weekdays as well, so you cannot really have big groups there. Which is fine, no loud crowds!
I will definitely return for more awesomeness

This is going to be my new place to take my mom when she’s in town, it’s great! I ate here for my birthday back in October and can’t stop talking and thinking about the place.
My biggest complaint is that the space to wait is kind of cramped but they have mini wine bar available to tide you over.
You can’t make reservations and the wait is pretty long so plan ahead. Also, I wouldn’t try to a group larger than 4, the space is small and your chances of getting a bigger table are slim.
In regards to food it was all good but my favorite parts were the fettuccini alfredo (so lemony) and the affogato (espresso over ice cream) that my waiter made for me.
Love and will be back again.

We enjoyed a most delicious meal at this fun little restaurant. Our server, Kate, kept a watchful but not intrusive eye on us, always ready to answer a question or refill our assorted drinks.
The pasta was delicious, cooked perfectly, served hot with ample sized portions. The restaurant was hopping, so reservations would probably be a good idea.
This certainly was one of the very best meals we enjoyed on this trip and we’d return without hesitation.

GORGONZOLA CHEESECAKE. Sounds weird, right?
Aka: Torta Di Formaggio, a slice of gorgonzola cheesecake with fresh persimmon fruit, and spiced walnuts. Good god whoever came up with this is a genius.
I’ve been to Broders twice now and hands down its the best Italian restaurant in the twin cities. You cannot get any better than their fresh pasta around here.
If you like gorgonzola get the torta di formaggio for an appetizer. Scoop a little bit of everything into your bite, you’ll be in food heaven. The mozzarella di bufala is pretty good too. It’s buffalo’s milk mozzarella over a butternut squash purée along with oyster mushrooms, and balsamic vinegar that will bring a freshness to your palette.
I’ve always tried their seasonal dishes, which I love that they do. Every pasta dish I’ve ordered and each fork full I’ve tried from everyone else’s plate has been unbelievably satisfying. You just cannot beat house made pasta.
On my last trip I had fresh pasta with lobster and a truffle cream sauce. I could have died then and been perfectly happy. I also tried their house made egg pasta with pork belly and tomatoes. Holy shit. Al dente pasta, topped with nuggets of gold.
Tiramisu = Just order one for everyone, you’re not going to want to share it.
Profiteroles = Boooo… its dry. Don’t order it, get another slice of tiramisu.
Food alone is 5 stars for sure. What I don’t like is that they don’t take reservations, and the place is small. We had a group of five and they gave us a four person table and stuck a chair at the end of the table leaving that person sitting in the middle of the walkway. It was not comfortable, and they had plenty of open seats they could have given us a larger table when we came.
My other issue is super slow service. Two and a half hours for two appetizers, five plates, and two desserts is too damn long. The server keep looking at us and walking away when we wanted the bill, that was frustrating. They seem short staffed.
Regardless, I’m coming back for sure. They give you generous portions of bread, and I could eat a car load of their pasta.

TOP NOTCH HIGH END DINING!!! This is the restaurant to take your date too if you want to impress him or her. Make sure to make reservations though! The ambiance is romantic, with dim soft lighting. And the food… TO DIE FOR!!! You may want to dress up a bit, you will feel more at home. Do not pass this one by!

This place has pasta that will rival Italy, and maybe even better. I had the homemade spinach and egg pasta with boar and fig ragu, pine nuts, and kale.
The sauce was slightly sweet from the fig, had meaty chunks of tender boar (which I didn’t think I would like but it was amazing), and tender ribbons of kale. I was so impressed by the balance of flavors they achieved, and it paired perfectly with a glass of wine the bartender recommended.
The prices are reasonable, it was $ 17 for a HUGE bowl of pasta and I was absolutely full at the end. If you’re near Minneapolis, it’s a must!

Wow. One more time. Wow. If you want Italian food that would make you want to slap yo momma, you need to come here.
I kid you not. The food here is amazing! I found out about Broder’s from the food network channel. They featured the other Broder’s across the street that is more like a market/​deli that serves food. They mentioned on the show that they had a restaurant across the street so I had to try it!
We had a little bit of a wait for a table since we needed a table for six and they have a very ummm quaint dining room. It was nicely decorated and even though it was jam-​packed, I did not feel overcrowded.
The server and wait staff were amazing. Helpful on the menu items and timely on the refills. But the star of the place is the food. Wow. All of the pastas are homemade and each sauce is just different and wonderful.
The Food:
Pepperoni pizza kids meal w/​side salad, juice, and dessert — ⁵⁄₅
Papperdelle pasta with a boar and fig sauce — ⁵⁄₅
Gnocchi con Manzo — ⁵⁄₅
Egg and spinach linguine with rabbit legs sauce — ⁵⁄₅
We had two other pastas at the table but I forgot the names. (I apologize for not remembering the named of each dish) They were all excellent and you can tell the pastas are made fresh.
If you are looking for amazing authentic Italian food for a very decent price, please try this place out. We will definitely be back when we come visit Minneapolis again.

Who doesn’t love pasta?
Who doesn’t love a cute, intimate restaurant with great food?
From what I hear, this is as close as you’ll get to Italy without getting on a plane.
I went here for my birthday dinner. I had a craving for Carbonara and knew this would be the best place to get it. We had a Ceasar salad for starters (yum), and I loved the little bread plate. I did order carbonara but I got a «spring» version with sugar peas and maybe something else — It was GOOD, but I wish I had just gotten the traditional version. If I remember, my husband got spaghetti and meatballs and said it was good.
This place is pretty tiny and you’ll likely hear every conversation at the tables near you, but that’s what’s so fun about it. However, if you go at dinner time, EXPECT TO WAIT. I think we may have waited an hour. Thankfully it was a wonderful summer night so it was fine.
They did have a nice patio, but if I recall they only served a limited menu. Which is sad because I would have loved to sit outside for dinner!

Once again within the span of a week, I was able to try a place that I’ve been past a million times. Okay, maybe only 900,000 times. A friend invited me to a surprise birthday dinner and I said yes.
I was greeted at the door not by a person, but by wonderful aromas. All night long I smelled fresh garlic and it just kept me hungry. Walking up to put our name on the list, because I was first, a friendly person greeted me. Turns out it was Charlie Broder, one of the owners.
The neighborhood gem was packed, and the wait was about 30 minutes. The birthday boy was running late, so no problem. The only downside of Broders is there is very limited space for waiting. When it is nice out, you can stand outside. Last night with the drizzling rain, that wasn’t an option.
Our name was called, and I mentioned to Charlie that it was a surprise birthday dinner and gave the names of my friends. He paused and said, «Do you mind waiting a little longer? I told him no, because they hadn’t arrived yet. The reason being was that he had a better table.
He seated us, and our server was Bryan. Bryan was fantastic all night long. Very solid service and fun. There are so many wonderful menu choices, which changes daily. How fun is that? (Great marketing. Keeps things fresh and has you coming back for more). I picked the carrot/​turnip soup and the Rigatoni, and both were great. I certainly didn’t need to end the evening with the pumpkin cheesecake, but I’m sure glad I did!
If you have time and patience, this is the place for you. Broders also has a deli across the street. I’ll have to check that out some time soon.

Broder’s is the best pasta I have had anywhere!
Their menu offers innovative, seasonal and fabulous choices
The new dishes are always worth a try, and the «standbys» (Bolognese, spaghetti & meatballs, etc.) never disappoint! The place can get crazy busy, but enjoy a glass of wine on the beautiful patio while you wait. –totally worth it! I love this place!!!

Having dinner here is pretty much as good it gets. Can/​should I say that after only one visit? I don’t care… I had the Tagliarini di Locanda del Lupo. For whatever reason, I practically draw a blank when trying to think of what to say about it, but I wanted to contribute anyhow. This dish was f’ing incredible. It’s amazing that I have not managed to go back yet. The flavors are without a doubt perfect. I guess if I had to tweak this dish at all, I would just incorporate a tiny bit more sauce. But at the same time, it doesn’t actually need it. Broders’ pasta has my heart.

There is nothing to debate or think about, the pasta here is amazing and worth the wait!
I had the Tagliarini Di Locanda Del Lupo (house made pasta with prosciutto rossa, truffle pesto & cream) and it was EASILY one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had!
Our waiter was super kind and attentive too.
If you’re in town and can only eat at one place, this is it.

Great home made egg pasta and service is perfection.
Pasta is authentic taste.
This restaurant located near to residential area.
Definitely is worth it to go back and try other pasta.
Excellent service!

House made pasta is excellent. Fettuccini bolognese was superb!!! Old timer hangout, everyone is friendly, outdoor seating for antipasto. Coming back for sure.
Bartender was attentive and offered some great choices.
By far the better option between the two broders.

Weeknights here are the best. Sit outside and enjoy a beer while you wait. Sit at the bar (the bartender knows his stuff). And don’t get the gnocchi.
I tried the gnocchi as recommended by the bartender and other friends telling me to go here. It’s not particularly gnocchi-​like how I would imagine it would have been. It was sticky and unattractive, salty, and just not very amazing. The mushrooms in the sauce were amazing, but when are mushrooms bad?
The gnocchi was not soft and delicate. I don’t know how to make gnocchi, so I shouldn’t really complain. This just isn’t a dish I would care to try again.
Bar La Grassa I hear is better, so that’s my next option for gnocchi.

Stopped back yet again like whyl e. Coyote who keeps trying to catch that road runner because one of my rare 5 stars that had fallen precipitously in order to give them another try to get back on my «recommended» list. Since so many people travel on holiday weekends, the ridiculously long waits at Broders can be a lot more modest, especially since we dined on memorial day when most people are home getting ready for the week.
The good news was arriving at 6 we were quoted a mere 30 minute wait. The bad news was it was 15 minutes before we were even acknowledge after we sat at one of the many open tables on the patio and another 5 minutes before the server came back with menus. We then started wondering if the drinks would arrive before we were called to the table. To be fair they only had 4 servers/​staff outside and at least 1 was clearly a trainee. 30 minutes in, still no water, wine or appetizer –the race is on…35 min in, wine arrives but not what The harried server thought I ordered as it was sold out –although I was brought the «better» one (which was in fact the one I originally ordered), still no water or today’s Salumu. (How long can it take with two outside cooks to slice 5 pieces of salumi?) …45 min in, salumi arrives, but no plates or water. 1 minute later we are called to our table inside so we wolf down the appetizer then try to track down our server to get the bill. Needless to say, not a great experience and certainly not the way to win fans and warm up diners.
By contrast, inside we had water and menus instantly, our Caesar salad came in 1 minute and the water glass was filled promptly and as always the pasta arrived hot and delicious.

I see absolutely no reason not to give this establishment a 5 star rating– even with the knowledge that they do not take reservations and have a never ending wait time of at LEAST 30 minutes.
That being said the food is well worth the wait!
A group of three of us recently went for a later night dinner. We started with the «antipasta» option: autumn panzanella: a wonderfully warm brussel sprout, olive and root veggie starter. We devoured it like the animals we are…
I ordered for my main course the seasonal fettuccine con salmone: delicious salmon, crimini mushrooms, spinach, capers… All in a perfectly balanced cream sauce.
My friends ordered (respectively) the much raved about: tagliarini do Locanda del Lupo. Otherwise known as #18– a permanent fixture on the menu and reasonably so. The prosciutto is ON POINT.
The other order was #5: the pappardelle con agnello– equally delicious
Desserts (because we live for them): flourless chocolate cake (bestie néra) and a slice of the pumpkin cheesecake. The chocolate cake was VeRY dense… And you can’t fail a cheesecake.