The Nicollet Diner

I enjoyed the old classic dine feel. It certainly spruces up that section of Nicollet. The food was OK, not great, but also not terrible. I was chilly, and mentioned it, and they DID turn the heat up. The one grating thing for me was their waitress. Definitely not professional, not even good. Forgot things, looked very dissheveled, and basically not an addition to the place.

This is one of my absolute favorite spots downtown. I can get amazing food, and good service at any time, even 2am. My boyfriend and I frequent the Nicollet, and always have a great experience. And if by chance there is an issue, all we have to do is let our server know, and they happily right anything that has gone wrong.
They have some of the best servers I’ve ever met. Jerry and Darrin our my two favorites, and are always quick, helpful, and come with a great sense of humor that makes the meal memorable.
If you come with a group (or even by yourself), I highly recommend the poutine. It’s a huge serving, and is smothered in country gravy that is to die for. It pairs well with one of their creative malts, and witty banter with the staff.
Love the Nicollet, I don’t think I’ll ever stop coming back.

First visit. Fantastic (ehem, fabulous) French Toast and coffees. I recommend a White Lightning.

I brought my little nieces and nephews here for lunch one day and had a very poor experience. We had a large group so they stuck us in the back room where it doesn’t even look like a diner, so bummed about that first off. It took over an hour to get our food and they weren’t even that busy. Maybe half the tables occupied. Our waitress was not very personable and she kept leaving us without checking back on us.
FRUSTRATION to say the least because I chose the restaurant for a fun experience for the kids.
BIG LET DOWN!

Went here twice while in town.
The first time, my boyfriends hash browns were definitely undercooked. I also ordered a chicken fried steak but what I got was a bloody mess weird steak thing… The staff was amazing though & literally running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Our milkshake that my boyfriend & I split was absolutely delicious.
The next night we went, my food was amaaaaazing. I got a sausage breakfast burrito that was to die for. I also really enjoy that they substitute fries for hash browns cuz those are just not my thing. My boyfriends hash browns the second time around were much better. Staff is friendly, helpful & pretty entertaining!

The Nicollet Diner is a great place if you are looking for a funky atmosphere and some good greasy food. One of my favorite appetizers in the entire world are fried pickles, better known at the Nicollet Diner as Frickles, having had my fair share of fried pickles in my life-​time I can confidently say these are some of the best I’ve had, topping the state fair’s for sure. After getting fried pickles as your appetizer I highly suggest ordering a vanilla malt to go with, it’s a magical combination. For my entrée I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with fries and coleslaw, I am a huge pulled pork sandwich enthusiast, so unfortunately I was a little bit disappointed by this sandwich, it was still good but not what I had initially anticipated. Overall I would definitely say «Yay! I’m a fan.», and I will for sure be coming back for those frickles.

Pancakes, hash browns & grits, OH MY!!! Yes this place is super tasty delicious & has something for everyone. I was so hungry I ended up getting my breakfast face on w/​pancakes, hash browns & grits which were all super tasty. In the northeast for some reason hash browns are not that easy to come by. This place is super adorable & the décor is so dinerish it’s awesome. Go, just go, it’s so worth it.

Came here with 3 other friends; not too busy, so we were seated quickly. Our server attended to us shortly, got our orders in. The place is pleasant for a diner. We were seated near the door (during the winter) so it was chilly with people coming in and out. Food was pretty good. I ordered an egg white and protein (meats) omelette with pancakes and a malt. Their malts are pretty good — as any malts are. Their omelette was decent. Plenty of meat and cheese. After our meal, it took a very long time for our server to get back to us and take our plates. We sat with our empty plates for about 45 minutes — too long. Once the server finally took our plates away and brought our checks, we had to wait again for him to return to take our credit cards; so long in fact that we just decided to leave our table and just pay at the front service cashier at the café side of the diner.
Overall, the food was fine for diner food; just as expected, nothing spectacular. The space was acceptable. The server wait time was too long for us; will maybe go again if I’m in the area, but probably won’t choose to go there over other options.

I was staying at the Hyatt for a conference and wanted to find a burger joint. I was very pleased to find this place less than 2 blocks from the hotel. The food was good. I was impressed at the amount of fries I was given with my patty melt. Fries were a little greasy, but that is to be expected from a diner. The atmosphere really fit a diner.

I have read the other reviews and my experience was far different. I was there on ¹²⁄₂₄ mid-​morning. While I am pretty certain that the servers didn’t want to work that day you could not tell by their attitude. All were pleasant and said good morning. I had a simple breakfast of eggs over easy and toast. They were perfect. Many times that simple of an order can get screwed up. Not here. I sat at the counter so I saw all the food coming out of the kitchen. It all really looked good. A person at the counter very close to me ordered a sausage and egg sandwich and it looked great. I heard him tell the server that it was really good. I’ll be back.

I love this place! The food is fantastic, the ambiance is beautiful, and the layout is interesting. This is a great place for a late-​night snack or dinner on your way back home. I’m thankful that I have a place that’s easy to access and is open 24 hours a day. The food is good. I can never get enough of their appetizers. The downside is that the waiter who waited on me the last time was horrible. His name is Erik.
He was rude and had a lousy attitude. It was like he didn’t want to be there. I felt like he was taking his frustrations out on us. On top of that, he farted while taking our order. I was the unfortunate one to be sitting next to him when he farted. So I had to be forced to smell it (not good). If it wasn’t for this incident, I’d be rating this place higher.

Open 24 hours, the Nicollet Diner is (quite literally) a place where you can eat anytime. The décor is bright, clean and shiny with classic diner booths and seating. Although the place is sometimes packed with neighborhood hipsters, there is typically a good variety of clientele — making it a fun place to people watch, while waiting for your order.
I’m a fan of Nicollet’s Eggs Benedict — which is served ‘hot and heavy’ on the Hollandaise. With some a hashbrown wedge to help soak up the extra sauce, it’s nearly perfect. I’ve been told the biscuits and gravy (another personal favorite) are good here too… but I haven’t stepped away from the Hollandaise long enough to try them yet.
This area of the city is densely populated, so parking can be a hassle AND, parking patrols seem more aggressive here than elsewhere in the city. Park cautiously to avoid a $ 45 fine.

I’m a former frequent customer of this place. This place used to be a delightful place to go for dinner. The cooking was good, the waiters were good, and the place was good. Earlier this year, I had to stop going there.
I’m sad to say that this diner has taken a turn for the worse. The cooking no longer tastes good. It feels like the cooks rush everything. I’ve had to wait a long time at times for my food, and still, the food tastes gross. The waiters no longer know how to do their job. They don’t have the same enthusiasm as they used to. My last straw was when I complained to one of the managers. He was rude, and he didn’t seem to care. He also had bad B.O.
I’m sad to say that I no longer recommend this place to people.

Basically makes me feel like I don’t ever need to go to the uptown diner again.
They have about the bet poutine in town and they make as much as they can in house. Great breakfast options, wonderful shakes and the sandwiches I have tried have all been great. I will be a regular here for sure I believe they also own the coffee spot next door

I walked into the diner because I noticed bite squad delivered there so I figured a take out option would be prompt since I was on my lunch break. I ordered a club sandwich and fries-​hoping for quick. The service I received was very good but despite the diner not being very busy my food took 15+ minutes. The sandwich was huge but pretty average tasting. The fries were okay.
If I was dining in I’d probably order breakfast, it looked good from what I could see. Perhaps I’ll give that a go if I go back again.

Stopped in for a very late breakfast with my sister, thought it would be the usual breakfast that you would get at any diner, and to my surprise it was very tasty! Good prices, seems like they use quality ingredients, we both had the all American breakfast with the pancakes, and the pancakes were light and fluffy also, our waiter’s name was Timothy, and he was a very good waiter and very attentive, I will definitely be back here for breakfast for sure!

4 words: Red Eye Country Gravy.
Best I’ve ever had — and I’m from the south! Their food really is incredible. I had their breakfast burrito (with sausage) 2 meals in a row. I will say that the staff is kind of grouchy and «blah» on the weekdays. HOWEVER, Timothy is the best server around! He’s super honest and tends to his tables pretty attentively. My brother and I came back every day we were in Minneapolis just because of Tim!

With a diner I expect huge portions, cheap food or both. At The Nicollet Diner we got neither. I guess I also expect service to be quick, especially when we’re there at an off hour (2:30 pm on a Sunday) and there weren’t many people there at all, but maybe that’s a lot to ask…
My toast was soggy with fake butter spread, the chocolate malt we ordered wasn’t blended enough and the hollandaise sauce on the eggs benedict appeared to be from a mix.
We arrived hangry and left angry. I’m starting to think that the 2 stars I’m giving this review are quite generous. But… they’re open 24 hours and in a city where there isn’t a ton open late-​night, that’s worth one additional star.
Big ups to the silver and blue sparkley booths. It was my favorite part about dining here.

Decent option– open 24,7! Street parking. Wings, chicken fried chicken, and grilled cheese options-​great!

I’ve been here a few times mostly for their late-​night dinner. I’ve had breakfast there too. I had high expectations for this place, considering what was in that location before it became Nicollet Diner combined with the much-​improved décor. Before it became Nicollet Diner, there were two run-​down and poorly run coffee shops there. Now, the overall place and the appearance look much better. Despite this much needed improvement having been done, the experience inside is a hit and miss.
Nothing there is consistent. Some waiters there are better than others. Some are friendly, some aren’t. Some are on top of their game, some aren’t. Sometimes, the food is good and speedy, sometimes it isn’t. While the food quality is between satisfactory and outstanding, I am disappointed in the size of the plate portions compared to how much I pay. Late-​night is the best time.
If a waiter can be requested, I recommend requesting Zac. He is the best. He typically works nights.
I do NOT recommend going anywhere near Erik. He is extremely rude (more than one occasion). He is the worst employee there by far!
To their benefit, the place has always been clean, spotless, and well-​organized when I have visited. I have felt comfortable there based on those good details.
I love that this place is open 24 hours everyday. This is great for those who are in the area late at night and are hungry. Before this place, I always had to drive to St. Louis Park to their Perkins. That Perkins is still a good option, but it’s nice that I don’t have to drive that distance as an only choice. This location is especially good for those who live in Loring Park because they don’t have to walk that far for a good late-​night meal.
Overall, when I go there, I don’t expect the best of the best, judging on my past experiences. This place is best for late-​night dinner, compared to the other times.