D’Amico & Sons

When you work in the Twin Cities in any kind of an office job, you will sooner or later be faced with D’amico food, either in boxed lunch form, as a tray of bars after an event or or at sit-​down catered banquet at a conference. You may not know it, but you have probably eaten D’amico food already. The style is slightly fancy, leaning toward Italian (but not too authentic) with interesting choices and a level of competence on a mass scale that is quite impressive. This location is nice and bright in the McNamara Center with lots of windows and I admit that I often come here in the winter on a sunny day just to enjoy the sunshine and a bowl of their tomato soup. The food is over-​priced, portion sizes small and everything suffers from super market deli syndrome: it looks better in the case than it tastes. However, D’amico’s catering is very solid and reliable and I’ve had so many sit-​down dinners and buffets that were better than expected that I have to give them at least three stars. Don’t go out of your way to eat here, by any means, but if it comes down to it, and it will eventually, get the soup, a sandwich and maybe a little dessert.

I work at the University of Minnesota and occasionally get dragged here by colleagues. I think that the food is overpriced and mediocre. The menu never really changes. The salads all look better than they taste and are often a little stale. The soup is not bad and that is what I always get. Portions are small and a bowl here is equivalent to a cup elsewhere. They are even stingy with the bread, you have to ask for two slices. The staff is generally friendly but given all the alternatives in the area, I would never go here on my own.

I rarely go here because of the pricing; you don’t quite get the bang for your buck; unless you want soup, pasta salads, or a vacation from the lines.
I tend to skip their sandwiches. They are super skimpy with their portions. Order a ½ a sandwich and a soup, and they’ll give you a 3-​inch sandwich… Don’t be fooled that small, square vegetable sandwich on focaccia is not a ½ sandwich. They will cut that in half! And their sandwiches are pre-​made. They sit in the case until someone orders it.
If it weren’t for their salads, I might avoid this place altogether. The roasted vegetable salad is delicious! The chicken Gorgonzola pasta with bacon and spinach is my favorite, and mind-​blowing. It is very creamy and cheesy.

This is a really good lunch choice on the U of M campus. The food and ambiance reminded me of a high-​end cafeteria in an art museum. I had a soup and sandwich combination and wouldn’t mind coming back very soon. Friendly personnel and good vibes.

I love this place. My family never wants to go out for Italian so the only time I get to have Italian (unless I make it for dinner) is when I go here for lunch. My usual is the vegetable on multigrain focaccia sandwich with a side garden salad. The salad sampler is also tasty, but I always take too long making up my mind about which 3 to pick. The service is always good, but it’s pricier than some of the other places around campus — around $ 10-​$ 15 for lunch.

I love that there is a D’amico’s on campus.
Pour quoi?
Because it isn’t packed with stressed-​out and rushed students like everything on Washington Ave. Plus, there’s nothing else like it on campus.
The staff at this location are friendly, the service is solid. As for the food, it is standard D’amico’s fare. I’m a salad sampler girl myself.
As many people don’t otherwise have a reason to go to McNamara, it is also a nice way to appreciate/​use the building.