Palomino

I want Palomino back in downtown Minneapolis! Kick Crave out! :)

I’ve eaten here many times, but never at full price, it’s a bit too overpriced for that. Happy hours, promotional deals, gift cards, birthday freebies, specials; these were the things that brought me here. And why not, the food was always tasty.

I miss you. :(

Stopped by Palomino for dinner last night after visiting the Macy’s 8^th Floor display. I will definitely be sad to see this place go. Great food, and an awesome ambience.
I’ve been to Palomino a few times, and the food is always good. I love the bread and tomato chutney they bring out before the meal. We tried their smoked salmon bisque and it was stellar. Great, creamy flavor. I would definitely recommend this soup as a starter. For my entrée, I ordered the Chicken Picatta. I loved the tangy lemon sauce. The angel hair pasta was cooked perfectly, but there was too much garlic for me. I’m not really a fan of garlic, and this pasta definitely has a ton of garlic. I could taste it the rest of the night.
My husband ordered the rigatoni bolognese and it was phenomenal. I only tried a bite, but I loved the rich, creamy sauce. It had just the right amount of kick to give it great flavor.
We didn’t order dessert on this trip, but they had lots of good options like a fresh fruit cobbler and apple crumble cake.
Palomino, you’ll be missed! If you have the chance, stop by before they close on Saturday.

Every other night this would be 5 stars. Tonight me and 3 girl friends decided to grab drinks and those damn addicting potatoes gorgonzola to bid our fair Palomino farewell before Crave takes over what I used to call «the Disney Land of the Twin Cities». Unfortunately, everyone else on Nicollet Mall had the same idea. I’ve heard that there is terrible service, but with $ 5 mojito’s that even my male coworkers have no shame in ordering paired with the flatbreads, do I need good service? Nah. But tonight, when attempting to flag down a waitress after having 4 empty classes of wine for 10 minutes and trying to order food, she turned around and did the most apparent EYE ROLL at our table! All of us looked at her in pure shock, she later came back and apologized saying how crazy busy it is, etc, etc. But there goes my good tip, sorry eye roller.
But let’s be honest, I’ll be there a handful of times before closing day on Dec 12^th. Waffle Fries drenched in gorgonzola cheese and a half bottle of cab. Sounds like dinner of champions to me.

I will miss downtown’s Palomino! The Happy Hours are fantastic and the appetizer menu options are great.
Lunches are great, a little lengthy in time, but that’s why you enjoy a nice long lunch at Palomino, to get away!
RIP Palomino, it’s too bad the overpriced Crave is taking over!

One of my favorite places in Minneapolis for happy hour. Cheap and yummy drinks and $ 5 pizza. Good deal! I’ve always had a good experience here and never had a problem with service.

The happy hour here is pretty good and I believe it’s all day Sunday — Thursday? We just shared a couple of apps for dinner and left without spending too much. Had the margherita pizza, mussels and artichoke dip. The pizza was pretty good and unique to Palomino. It’s a cracker thin crust that’s nice, crisp and not to filling.
I always forget about this place but I’ll have to keep it in mind for drinks or cheap apps when I’m downtown.

I’ve only visited Palomino during happy hour, right before a attending a concert at the Orpheum theater. Very chic and upscale atmosphere. Granite bar tops and dark hard wood. The setting totally captured my attention.
There were 3 options for cocktails on the menu during happy hour, at 5 bucks a pop we decided to each try different beverages. I ordered a Cranberry Mojoito, absolutely amazing! One of my friends ordered the Pomegranate Margarita, the other Candied Apple Drop. None of us were disappointed, and the price was just right. Draft beers, as well as wine and flat-​breads were available during happy hour.
The food and appetizers looked amazing, although I did not have the opportunity to try any of it… I will for sure be going back in the future to indulge in some of the food!

While Palomino did have excellent food, what really impressed me was the service. The wait staff and the host were pleasant and attentive, but what really left an impression on us was the water guy. He wasn’t just attentive; he was on a mission. I’d get an inch or so down into my glass and he’d be right there filling it again. After experiencing his water-​fueled vigilance just during the time it took to place our order, I took it upon myself to thwart his mission.
During our leisurely dinner of 90 minutes or so, I fought to empty my glass before his return. I watched for him and even hid my glass from his line of sight on a few occasions. Yet, I never managed to empty it. He defeated me and my companions. We left Palomino with full bellies and full water glasses. I was forced to concede my defeat.
I raise my glass to you, water guy. You have defeated me this time, but we will meet again.

4 stars for their happy hour since they have fabulous $ 4 cranberry mojitos and great appetizers! We got a tomato/​pesto/​cheese flatbread, a spicy white bean hummus type dip, fries with feta, pizza and calamari all for $ 30. The happy hour is only in their bar/​lounge area and goes until 6 PM.

I like this place mainly for its Happy Hour all day from Sunday — Thursday, because it’s a good place to grab dinner after a late night of working. The appetizer portions are good for 2 or more, and the $ 5 personal pizzas/​flatbreads are the bomb diggity. I’ve had their happy hour food on 2 occasions already, and dinner once after watching In The Heights. The first HH I believe I had the calamari and the sausage pizza. The calamari was salted well, but I think it was a little too soft. The sausage pizza tasted fresh and I love the super thin crust it’s on. Tonight, my friend and I opted for four things: grilled wild mushroom salad, crab and artichoke dip, potatoes gorgonzola, and pepperoni pizza. Total awesome points: ¾. The only thing that was meh for me was the artichoke dip. The potatoes gorgonzola was just a fancy way of saying waffle fries with gorgonzola/​cream cheese, and it was crispy indulgence for me. The pepperoni was slightly above average than, say, a Domino’s pepperoni pizza, but it’s on a really thin crust, which I’m a sucker for.
Their dinner entrees are actually pretty pricey, but on par with the rest of the restaurants in the vicinity (i.e. Seven); I had their Kobe Ravioli, which was good, but not spectacular. Their crème brûlée duo tasted most definitely of Grand Marnier; absolutely fabulous.

So Palomino’s happy hour is amazing. Can we just leave it at that? No? I’ll elaborate. It’s all day happy hour (more like «happy forever» amiright??) with half off apps and $ 5 pizzas. If you haven’t tried the pizzas, stop what you’re doing and go try some pizza, because it’s awesome. My fave is the prosciutto and roma tomato with garlic. And I cannot get enough of the pistachio crusted brie or the gorgonzola waffle fries. Also $ 4 taps is not bad.
The only thing holding me back from 5 stars is the service. During HH the service leaves a little to be desired. The first time I went they were super busy so I was like «understandable». But then we went again and were really the only group there so then I was like «I don’t understand». But worth the less-​than-​stellar service for the awesome food.

After trying their chocolate crème brûlée, I now won’t settle for the regular one. Delicious!
Now that they are doing an all day happy hour Sun-​Thurs, I don’t have to rush to make it in time after work. You can’t go wrong with ½ price appetizers. Their mushroom salad, crab and artichoke dip, and pizzas are amazing. Great house wine and drink specials. Slight downfall — their mixed drinks are too sugary with little alcohol.

I’ve really enjoyed the dinners I’ve had here; the pizza is delish and the servers are always really sweet. The pasta is decent and the wine list is quite good.
I don’t fully get the hype about this place, but if I were 30something, settling down but still wanted some going-​out glamour in my life, I think I’d get it. It’s a grown-​up fun kind of place, for sure.
The lychee martini is well worth it, but I’d say the food is only all right, for being so talked up.

Dear Palomino — what’s the hype about?
Apparently, it’s of the best places to eat downtown… apparently. But besides the overly priced appetizers, I just can’t determine what makes this place so different.
Sure, the service is great. Sure, it’s a great place to people watch (watch out if you’re staying in the hotel across the street). But it’s nothing to write home about. or in this case, spend a lot of time Unilocaling about.
The Fresh Herb Marinated Mozzarella and Calamari Fritto are good starters, but not for a first date. I only say this because the garlic-​lemon aoili will leave your breath smelling crazy. And make sure to guzzle your water if you’re having the Vongole Linguine; it’s packed with sodium thanks to those little sucker clams.
So, three stars because Palomino is just «A-​OK» (thanks to Unilocal guidelines). It’s not known for any type of specialty cuisine or even one amazing dish that everyone tries, which is a total bummer.
Maybe next time, Palomino. Probably not.
Always,
Nadine

I’d a gave this place 5 stars if they could be more consistent!
The best lychee martini’s in Minneapolis hand’s down! I also love the pistacho crusted brie! At a $ 5 happy hour price u can’t go wrong!

When it comes to Happy Hour, Minneapolis has it down! I’m impartial in thinking that it’s due to the frigid winters that restaurants bend over backwards to bring customers in, while locals need to constantly keep themselves warm by boozing up. Just a thought though?!
I came here to Palomino with some buddies for a «late hours» Happy Hour. Personally I thought it was bizarre to have two Happy Hours daily city-​wide: one after work (often 4 – 6 pm) and another for the after dinner crowds (10 pm-Close)…not like I’m complaining. When it comes to feeding myself for a bargain, I’m all about it. Heck, half off all appetizers, $ 5 pizzas and $ 4 giant mojitos (the Pomegranate Mojito is a good choice if you like lemonade) at Palomino is a steal! Being from the other, more expensive (aka rip-​off) Midwestern capital of Chicago, I’m truly jealous.
A few gastronomical suggestions:
–White bean hummus with roasted garlic, olive tapenade and pizza crisps to scoop with.
–Calamari fritto was also tasty and not rubbery at all with the garlic-​lemon aïoli and tomato sauce.
–For those seafood lovers, try the Hot Red King Crab & Artichoke Dip which was cheesy, alfredo perfection.
–Lastly, any of the pizzas with their thin, crispy crust is recommendable too.
If this is your type of humor, we had a good amount of entertainment watching the guys enter the gay bar across the street (The Saloon) and then come back out to enter the neighboring hotel for a quickie.
Back on subject, if I lived in Minne, I’d be back to try out Palomino’s $ 25 3-​course meal in addition to joining the Restaurant Unlimited Rewards club to earn points each time I ate out at a participating restaurant in their chain. Oh and the free 2 hour parking the garage is included in the Happy Hour!
**This business has closed and is now Legends Bar & Grill:

I went here for my high school graduation and I felt it was fitting to return again after my college graduation. I made reservations on
. The Palomino called in advance to confirm and ask if we had any special seating requests. They had our table ready when we all arrived.
Our server was outstanding. She recommended various drinks and appetizers to us. She also gave us a complimentary chocolate tiramisu after dinner to congratulate me. The food was beyond outstanding. My pasta and chicken dish was cooked to perfection. Other members of my group had fresh halibut, scallops, prawns, and shrimp. Everyone was raving about their dishes.
They had a great wine list and a wide variety of cocktails, specifically, mojitos. The atmosphere was captivating. The light fixtures are amazing and the vibrant color of the walls add to the dining experience. The dishes were priced appropriately for a celebratory night out. I have heard the happy hour is great. I will need to try it sometime.

one caveat regarding my review. We ate here for fifty six cents. I’ll explain.
The fiancée and I went to Palomino befor the Boyz II men concert. We had reservations but found out Happy Hour was only in the bar area. Bar area it is.
Atmosphere: As expected, the bar area was packed during HH but we found a spot. The bartender was great, giving us reccos on the appetizers and told us which $ 5 pizzas to avoid.
Drinks: My better half had the cranberry mojito, made the right way. Simple syrup, mint, a perfect concotion. I merely had a Stella but drinks arrived fast.
Rating: ⁷⁄₁₀
Brick Oven Roasted Clams: Awesome. The clams were perfectly cooked, not too chewy but the best part was the few pieces of garlic bread to soak up that scrumptious clam juice.
Rating: ⁹⁄₁₀
Calamari Fritte: Eh. It was fried okay but came out lukewarm and just didn’t blow us away (vs. other chain restaurant calamari like Maggiano’s which is consistently crunchy and the perfect temperature).
Rating: ⁵⁄₁₀
Prosciutto Pizza: We both had mixed feelings on the pizza. One one hand, the prosciutto was unique and roasted garlic is always savory but we found the pizza to be awkward since it was so big but thin. We found ourselves folding it up NY style.
Overall: The food was a solid deal for happy hour, with ½ off appetizers, good drinks, and fast service, exactly what you should receive from a national chain restaurant.
The lowdown on the why we paid fifty six cents.
As you may know, the economy blows right now. The twolves had a promotion where you bought two tickets, you got $ 25 to palomino and a cheap hotel rate (I guess if you’re date got really hammered on mojitos).
After our meal, our check was $ 28 and change but after the gift certificate, it ended up being $ 0.50 because the state could only tax us on the end balance. Nice.
We ended up tipping our waiters/​bartenders 2000% for their hospitality, the first and last time we might get that opportunity.