Cook Saint Paul

The ⁴⁄₅ stars are hard to imagine, I had the Korean pancakes, come on. That’s a high light product?? and my Friend had a standard breakfast, the Toast was pathetic, the rest of it is a anywhere product 3, and I’m being generous for $ 26.00 plus tip !! Please??? hit the All Day Café, it is a average café… trust me!

Update.
Finally made my way back to Cook after a long time away. Finally got that Frenchcake Stack I’ve been lusting after. God it was good. And I talked the lady into getting the short ribs egg benedict so I got snag a bite, still amazing. Now I want to come back for the breakfast nachos.
I had heard about the Friday Dinner specials they’ve been doing (normally just open for brunch/​lunch). The next week they were doing a Korean dinner so we decided to come back for that. As usual, the menu selection is small yet everything sounds great. We ended up getting the dumplings, bulgogi & bi bim bap. The dumplings were probably the best I’ve ever had. Large, filled with veggies and perfectly fried. The dough was so good. The bulgogi was excellent, good portion size and tender meat. The bi bim bap was… confusing. It was a bowl of romaine, crunchy rice, poached egg and a small handful of mushrooms. It looked pretty but also looked like it was missing half the vegetables. It was basically a bowl of lettuce and rice. Weird.
Anyways. They do other Friday Dinner events so check their site for updates. We paid $ 45 for two beers, two entrees & an app. Not bad for good food and a fun experience. Above all, you gotta go there for breakfast.
Tip: If there’s a wait, write your name on the list.

Can I give this 6 stars?
What a great find with an excellent, varied breakfast menu. The Korean pancakes are fabulous, (craving their house made hot sauce…) Granola and yogurt is great, as was the eggs Benedict. Huge caramel rolls too. Will be back often.

If you are looking for a delicious breakfast in the St. Paul area, this is a must. Their breakfast nachos are not only gluten free but also extremely filling and delicious. I’ve been here numerous times and they never disappoint.

Solid meal at Cook St. Paul. Highly recommend the nachos and Korean pancakes. Servers didn’t have a tude either, which was appreciated.

I’ve been to a lot of brunch places and I would rate this very very high up there. The hashbrowns are the crispest and most flavorful ones I have ever had. Even the basic eggs are so flavorful.
I wouldn’t recommend the pancakes… they are just basic buttermilk and kind of dry.
The service has been great and super fast each time I’ve gone. I even went twice in one weekend because I love this place so much.
Make sure to try their hot sauce… I usually don’t add hot sauce but it was so yummy and addictive!

Cook St. Paul I will say I am a little biased as the owner Eddie Wu was a former Dish Boy turned Cook that I worked with at 2 different restaurants back in a former life (Though, this place still would have gotten 5 Stars from me). I stopped in today after not seeing Eddie for some 20 years it was nice chat with him and see what he has created. My Girlfriend and I had a late breakfast I ordered the Braised Rib Eggs Benedict my Girlfriend ordered Scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes. She said it they were «The BEST eggs she ever had”(She will write her own review later)! My Benedict also the best Benedict I have had, the real Hollandaise was nice to see over the standard packaged powder most places serve and short rib versus the traditional canadian bacon is the bomb that puts a unique touch on a traditional breakfast dish that will and does put Cook in a class of it’s own. I can’t end this review without mention of english muffin that it all sits on, it holds a great texture I can’t explain it’s so fresh with a crisp bottom and soft and crisp combined with everything else hit the palate just right.
Fresh, Organic, Homemade and Quality are the best words to describe the food I had today. Next time there I am going to try the Monte Cristo as I hear it’s wonderful

Loved the kimchi pancakes! Small place to try to get here early. Very nice service in a great old neighborhood. Love to see St. Paul’s East Side becoming a food destination.

Seriously my new favorite brunch spot!
Everything is delicious here and the portions are large. Service was great, fast and very friendly (thank you Eddie!). I went with my girlfriends for Sunday brunch and we will be back. Even though the space is small with a constant stream of customers, we only waited 15 minutes.
WHAT WE ATE:
–breakfast nachos-​4 stars– an array of Korean inspired toppings on chips that are similar to that of former dorritos, topped with a poached egg
–bi bim bop w/​short rib-​5 stars– lighter than the tradition Korean rice bowl dish but VERY flavorful
–French stack-​3 stars– pancakes and a French toast-​like thing that had the texture of a bread pudding, very tasty and not too sweet, of course it comes with eggs ;)
–kbbq short rib Benedict-​5 stars– this is probably my favorite dish, savory, buttery and tender. The cardiac arrest is totally worth it. I LOVE this dish, take my money Cook!
–Korean potato/​kimchi pancakes-​5 stars-​these are better than what you’d imagine it to be. A fancy Korean latka of sorts. I thought the kimchi might make it difficult to eat and soggy, man was I wrong! Perfect pairing with fresh poached eggs.
–cinnamon rolls are an ungodly size. In ratio to a dinner plate. About 1:1. I didn’t get a chance to sample this, (I admit, I was too full) but another reason to come back!
I will be back, and likely often. Thank you for a great dining experience and amazing food!

We made it just under the wire. Arrived around 2 pm and luckily we had an hour to scarf down some food. Sat by the window and the cute little custom booster chairs. They are adorable and we’re just the right size for our little guy.
Ordered some fruit and not you average ordinary fruit bowl: cantaloupe, persimmons, pomegranate, blueberries, pineapple. Really good and colorful.
I love that they have handcut fries.
Ordered the BLTE good, but hard to keep together. While the bread was excellent, it was a little too thick for me.
Also ordered was the Kimchi Burger. I was fortunate enough to snag a few bites. My gosh, the amazing amount of flavor in the burger was off the hook good. I really wish I would have gone with that. I will order that for my next visit.
I wish the hours were a little longer because there is no way we will probably be able to make it back during the work week since they close at 2pm.
Service was great! What a neighborhood treasure.

Was brought here by our friend Kathrine who said this place was amazing. Well we decided to make a trip on Sunday for lunch and the food was very very good. I had a burger and it work cooked to perfection. Their mac & chi was good too along with the home made chips. The ginger bread pancackes were great. I hope to go back to this place very soon.

Order: Ginger Bread Pankcakes, Monte Cristo, Short Rib Eggs Benedict
*Ginger Bread Pancakes: While the portion size was huge and great I could couldn’t finish half of it. Not because it was too big, but because the Ginger and Clovis were over powering. It made me thirsty. I hope the recipe can be adjusted. The apple schmoo was a nice touch.
*Monte Cristo: great idea, poorly executed. Meat lacks flavor, strawberry jam was not good. Great Plate Presentation!
*Short Rib Eggs Benedict: the hash browns were nice and crispy. Unfortunate the rib meat was too. In fact too crispy! It was borderline burnt. I could tell the Rib meat was marinated/​seasoned perfectly but it was cooked out. The homemade rolls for the Benedict were surprisingly hard. It made it difficult to cut through with my knife let alone chew.
I love the décor and overall ambience. Kathryn the waiter was AWESOME! :)
Unfortunately I will not be back.

Umm Eastsiders!!! What a great breakfast spot! Can’t wait to go back! The boyfriend and I stopped in 8−830am on a Saturday morning. He’s never up that early on a weekend day! It was awesome. I’m usually nagging him to get up because I’m bored. Back to the review — There were three other tables there. Super empty, just perfect! I love it that way.
Outside, I drive pass here all the time to get to Magnolia’s, which is just down the street (super yum too!) I’ve never noticed the new sign! Super spiffy. Inside, is updated, classy, and clean! Cute décor, tables, chairs, everything. I didn’t visit the restroom, so I’m not sure how clean they keep it.
Food-​wise, we ordered two items off the special’s menu. Blue berry whole wheat pancakes and the biscuit and bacon gravy with two eggs (sunny side up!). Everything was super super yum and such a great price! The boyfriend loves arnold palmers, so he was very impressed by the one he got here. Tasted pure (as good as it gets) he said. I love how everything is local! I believe in their mission to provide delicious food using locally sourced products!
Our bill was under $ 25 and everything was super delicious. We are going back this weekend! I just hope it isn’t super busy, because I’m not sure he’ll ever wake up before 8am again on a weekend day. I posted pictures of the menu and our dishes!

Amazingly delicious. I had Bi Bim Bop. Who would of thought that you could get it here. Pancakes, too, were super. Another restaurant that’s miles ahead of Butter Tim but doesn’t get the credit. Again, do yourself a favor and go here instead of the Buttered Tin. Coffee is amazing. No crowds. No waiting. I’m sold.

The food we had was amazing! We had the biscuits and gravy; the short-​rib sandwich, and probably the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had!
The owner, Eddie and his staff were so friendly. They make everything from scratch at the restaurant or they buy local! I wish they were in Minneapolis ;)
I will definitely go back and highly recommend this place!

What a wonderfully interesting little charming spot for some culinary shenanigans and what not. Really Americana with a Korean kick to it. While explaining this eatery i would like to use the word ‘really’ multiple times. Like really low prices compared to the prices of the food. Really nice servers and yes really nice bunch of customers.
Also the glassware is so impressive that they have started selling it to the customers interested in having them.
A superb brunch experience in a part of town that I rarely visit. Thanks to my fellow Unilocaler Diana for introducing this place to this me.

OMG. I expected to like it, based upon Unilocal reviews, but this was incredible.
It’s a small place, seat yourself. Busy, but the server was attentive. I couldn’t decide between the korean pancakes and the bi bim bop, and she was very patient and helped me decide on the bi bim bop. I’ve never had it before, so I don’t have anything else to compare it to, but omg, it was freaking amazing. Absolutely delicious. I got it with the short rib and put their hot sauce on it and it was a total tastebud party. I can’t wait to come back and try the korean pancakes next. Luckily this is close to work, so I foresee me coming back very soon. Highly recommended.

This place is hidden away in the east side of St. Paul, and it is worth the trek out there. The art deco décor is completely made by the lights, which I immediately fell in love with. The space is cozy without feeling like you’re sitting on top of your neighbors, which is an excellent feat that I commend the restaurant on.
I was feeling a bit sick, so my food wasn’t too adventurous: I went with the club sandwich with fries. It’s hard to mess up a club sandwich, and this was a darn good club sandwich. My friend got the monte cristo, which was a deep-​fried sandwich that looked both amazing and disturbing.
The food was high-​quality diner fare, and I liked that I could order from both the breakfast and lunch menu at the same time if my heart desired it. This places was worth the half hour drive for me, and I definitely want to go back.

This place is a hidden gem. Great food, great service = quickly making it’s way on to my list of dependable go to spots.
The space is cozy but hip. The lighting in this place is straight out of a CB2 (and I NEED it in my apartment) but at the same time, the place feels like it’s been there forever. Last time I was here was a super foggy day, so I felt like I was on a version of Twin Peaks where everyone wears Red Wing boots and sees Oscar nominated movies before anyone else knows about them. I digress. The logo and branding is so on point, but that’s not why you’re coming here. You’re coming here for the delicious diner food.
The food is great. The short rib Benedict is delicious and could easily cure a hangover. The commercial sandwich is a classic diner staple of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy AKA simple goodness. The gingerbread pancakes (on special) are as tasty as they sound. You can tell that the kitchen takes what they do seriously, and only serve the best. The service was great too. Service is friendly and chatty– not in an annoying way, in a want-​to-​get-​tattoos-​with-​the-​hipster-​servers-​and-​talk-​favorite-​bands type of way. I’ve seen some reviews saying food took forever, but it’s always been pretty prompt for me. This is a place I want to be considered a regular at, but I think I have a long ways to go… Which means I’ve gotta start going more, right?

Rhonda and I started our Sunday here one weekend and I loved it! I wanted to go here so bad because Rhonda came here twice in one day! I had to see the lure of the joint!
They were out of hollandaise sauce so no benedicts for us. :(…That’s what we get for getting up late on a Sunday though I guess… I had French Toast with eggs and bacon and it was delicious! The bread was exactly what I like. We had lemonades which supposedly are fresh squeezed but how do you ever know? Regardless, it was good too.
Ci and I met Rhonda for lunch one day and I had the Commercial Beef hot sandwich which was HUGE. I loved the mashed taters and gravy but the beef was a little odd to me and had some grizzly pieces but that’s me and meat… I would not order that again but I am guessing many people love it. Ci had the Monte Cristo which was amazing. I usually don’t like Monte Cristo’s but this one was perfection. The homemade chips were delish.
Its a tiny place so not a lot of seating. If you draw the short straw, you might end up sitting at a two-​top smack dab in the middle of the room. I always feel so vulnerable as if I am in a fish bowl when I have to sit in the middle of the room. I am a corner type of gal!
Most definitely will keep this one on my breakfast/​lunch rotation. Love having another great place on the ever changing East side.