DeGidio’s

The best Italian food I have had so far! Tasty, flavorful, and plenty!
Great service as well. Waitress was top notch! She was very attentive and informative. She knew what she was talking about and found me just the right dish for my taste buds. Would come back again again and again!!!

You know your in a good Italian restaurant when your son quickly cleans his plate and the waitress says you look hungry I’m going to bring you more pasta! Greatest tasting, incredibly affordable, and the most authentic Italian food in the Twin Cities!

Probably my favorite Italian restaurant in the area. Keep up the good work. Always good, always what I ordered.

A M I I N I T A L Y? ? ?
This review is not for the actual restaurant, but a catered off site meal. Bear in mind, food has to be prepared, packed in an appealing manner, and transported to another venue. And THEN presented for a buffet.
OMG… this was so good I could have been the cook! Yeah, I know that sounds pretty egotistical, but, this girl can make some Italian meals. Let’s see,
Brucetta …Perfection
Lasagna. …Spicy, yet Perfection
Ginormas Meatballs… Perfection
Meatless mostacholli w/​red sauce. …Didn’t try, why bother
Spinach salad… Perfection
Creamy Italian Dressing… Perfection
Breadsticks. …Perfection
And then, there was…
Large Tortellinis in a Smooth Creamy sauce (not overwhelming„ just perfect proportions), whth the MOST INCREDIBLE SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE I have ever tasted, and I am over 60 and have worked in 4 Exclusive Italian Restaurants. And 2 of those were in a world class ski resort !!!
THAT SHIT WAS GOOD !!! TOTAL CULINARY PERFECTION
Of course, I had to have a little more of that, so was stuffed, but didn’t care.
I will be driving the 50 miles to the restaurant on West 7^th just to have that dish again.
Bottom Line:
R U N DON’T W A L K T O DEGIDIOS

Now that’s a spicy meatball! If you like flavorless food that Minnesota is known for then maybe you should go somewhere else.
For some reason I’ve never stopped here in all the years I’ve lived here this place. Now I have to go back. Take it from this Italian, this is good Italian food!
I had the DeGidio’s Classic Mostaccioli that comes with HUGE meatballs and added an Italian sausage. There was enough food for three meals! All of it was wonderfully spicy!
My girlfriend had the Chicken Parmesan. She made two meals of of this dish. She loved the flavors, the chicken was cooked to perfection and the whole thing covered in mozzarella! Yum!
We’ll be back for sure!

What a wonderfull day we had today. It was my mother’s birthday party. All of the food was top notch… authentic. we all appreciated how warm & friendly everyone was.
Great food! Great atmosphere! Great people! Great Place! Thank You DeGidio’s
Recommended to all who live in Saint Paul.

Huge portions I did have to send my Lasagna back because it was cold and looked like it had been sitting out for a while but overall was good.

I think every family needs to have a family-​style Italian restaurant that they can go to celebrate birthdays, milestones and the small «good things» in life. DeGidio’s has become this for us. It’s the perfect casual place to gather for pasta and conversation.
On the saturday night we visited, we skipped the 15-​minute wait for a dining room table for immediate seating at the bar. While we waiting for our entrees, we ordered the cheese bread appetizer expecting it to be the hum-​drum pre-​meal filler you get at many restaurants. Yeah, it’s only cheese bread, but It was SO MUCH better than that. It reminds you why cheese bread belongs on the menu in good restaurants too.
The entrees were So good that we had to share them with everyone when they arrived, and then hoard the leftovers for ourselves after. The portions are large — so you’ll either leave with leftovers or have to waddle to the car. The cajun pasta with blackend chicken was UBER spicy. It was a bit overwhelming for the person in my group that ordered it. I was happy to swap entrees and accept the peppery kick — but we warned.
If the eggplant parmesan is offered as a special, order it. Everyone raves about it, but it’s not on the regular menu.
The bar area is a bit noisy, but not overwhelmingly so. We’re going back again tonight with the whole family and will wait for seating in their dining room. We have something to celebrate… and this is the place you’re likely to find on on these occasions.

Oh DeGidio’s, how I love thee, let me count the ways: 1 Baked Goat Cheese… nom nom nom, 2 Buttermilk Fried Calamari… nom nom nom, 3 Blackened Shrimp Alfredo (add mushrooms)… nom nom nom, 4 Linguini Bolognese… nom nom nom, 5 Spicy Penne Arrabbiata… nom nom nom, 6 generous pours and well mixed drinks at the bar from the rockstar bartender… glug glug glug. Really, you can’t go wrong here.

The taste of the food was better than three stars, but my spaghetti was cold and the calamari was too tough to eat. The red sauce was as good as everyone on Unilocal said it was. Meatball was extremely tasty but cold. Wife’s steak sandwich was really quite good. We will be back.

Went out for dinner with my sister and a mutual friend… Both are named Jenn– I included that because I know you were DYING to find out their names.
Anywho… The restarant is on west 7^th and a block off Smith ave in Saint Paul. It has a large parking lot and so obviously ample parking in this area is always a plus in my book! 1 star just for that.
The restaruant was not busy, and the server joked with us during our meal that we were her only table so she is so sorry for filling our waters, over and over and over again. It was funny as can be and she was pleasant, so 1 star for that!
I ordered the Jucy Lucia. Which is just a juicy lucy with fried onions. The burger was good, but fell apart towards the end… don’t all burgers do this though? Had great flavor but nothing I would go back for.
Jenn #1 had the tortelini and I tried a bite… Wow their sauce in on spot! The noodles looked and tasted like they were fresh and homemade and not that frozen crap. I would go back to try this.
Jenn #2 had the lasagna. It looked amazing though not cooked enough. I prefer crispy cheese on top and so does Jenn #2. Half way through she asked the serve to broil the top and as pleaseantly she did! Very good service.
1 star for those two dishes!
The caramel apple bread pudding was shared at the table. Difficult to eat as the caramel froze from the ice cream. Delicous none the less!
All in all, I would try again.

I really want to like this place, but it needs to a restaurant makeover. The chairs and booth and tables are old and the floor is older. It feels like a very homey place, like regulars would come here, but not inviting for a newbie to the area. Service was fantastic. The food on the other hand lacked a whole lot. It was disappointing since cosesstas is near by as we decided to come here instead to try something new.
I had their spaghetti and meatballs. They were the heaviest un-​flavorful meat balls I’ve ever tasted. It hurts my heart to write such a crappy review when we had such great service but at the end of the day the food is the star and this star has lost its brightness. My spaghetti was watery… soupy even. When I pushed my noodles to the side and tilted the there was at least a half of cup of watery tomato sauce lingering underneath. My husband tried their lasagna. The portion was huge, the flavor again was lacking. It was burnt and just not good.
Now I don’t have super high standards when it come to family run restaurant food but damn, both of our meals were disappointing. We ate only a small portion and asked the rest to go to be nice, but threw it out when we got home.
Bummers. I thought this place could of been a diamond in the rough.

Came in for early dinner. Had Sloppy Hot Dagos. Greeted promptly, drinks served promptly, waiter was kind, helpful, but not overbearing. Food was quickly served and outstanding.
Highly recommend.

We love DeGidio’s! We go there often when we want a good meal that we can count on. We love all the pastas, all the specials, and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. They really know their stuff and know the menu good, which is a plus. We love the location and we love that they’ve been around for years and years. As long as the DeGidio’s is around, we will be coming back!

Even though the digs are newish, this is one of the oldest restaurants in Saint Paul.
Two (awesome) words: «Super + Club!» DeGidio’s is what’s good about a neighborhood super club. I can’t believe I’m saying the the house wines CAN be trusted. The Bolognese sauces with sausage and cream border on lavish. The service was friendly, outstanding actually, quick, and they seriously seemed to care. nThe bread was surprisingly good.
This is not a foodie enclave. It’s a kick ass local supper club that will make you feel comfortable, quickly, with nice hot family Italian fare. Google the history of the joint while you’re waiting for dinner. You’re actually in presence of famous late-​mafia royal lore ghosts.

We were seated on the bar while they prepped our table; That was when all the fun started.
We looked around and the other guests knew we were first timers. We got our recommendations and tips from everyone including Kevin the barman.
The food was done to levels rivaling your own granny cooking.
The Pastas were just right with amazing sauces that cannot be praised enough. BTW the whole gang of 15 (6 of which were present this Sunday) agree that pastas are not to be ordered nor recommended at restaurants. This time it was an exception because every tip or recommendation we got had a pasta spirit to it.
The chicken wings (well done please) were appetizer galore. I got a whole serving to share then another one to savor.
Bruschetta came on toasted crostini slices and drizzled with a glazed vinaigrette. There was agreement on the uniqueness of the taste and all thumbs were up.
Chicken Parm was very tender inside and well crisped outside.
The great thing about the place is that they are willing to substitute anything for anything. They also would almost cook your own recipe for you.
The service was top notch. It seems that our server was among the newer ones because she was neither born to parents who met while working for in the place nor spent more than 16 years working here.
BTW I am not kidding when I say that almost everyone here guests or staff seem to know everyone else. The lady next to us on the bar was addressing everyone around by their first name and the man on a table near us was pointing to how many people on the full restaurant that he knows; Julie, Mark, Allen, Stan, Mickey, Ruth, etc… he kept identifying.

What’s the benefit of being off on MLK day? Well, other than being off and not have to deal with emails and phone calls for a day? I actually still dealt with emails and calls but I also could go out for lunch with my friends to DeGidio’s!
Tons of high marks have been thrown at me regarding this restaurant. I had high expectations and I was so glad to finally try it. Though I know I was going there for almost a week, I ended up eating Spaghetti Bolognese on Saturday and Rigatoni at Tucci Benuch on Sunday. I thought I would be done with pasta and Italian food for awhile. Nope. I woke up Monday morning wanting chicken parm and chicken parm only.
I was meeting Dita D and Sam W there. This is too much pressure writing a review after them. I can’t be as witty and funny as Sam no matter if I put 1000 fuck words in here. I can’t be as snarky honest like Dita either. What I do best is long winded detailed honest. They told me they read my reviews word for word. So, let’s fuckin (1) do it my style and see if they really do read it. Hehehe? Is it fuckin (2) snarky enough? Uh, I know it doesn’t. Screw it. Let’s just eat some chicken parm!
There was cheesy bread with marinara on the table when I came. Those were so delicious and it started me right off like a new spark plug. They were warm, crunchy in a bready kind of way, cheesy, and the sauce had a little kick to it that made it over the top. Turned out, both Dita and Sam also had a weekend filled with pasta so they voted against that. Dita ordered a Hot Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich with giardiniera peppers. Sam got the Hot Pastrami on a marble rye bread. I got the chicken parm and I was set on that before I arrived at the restaurant.
I had been searching for a baked chicken parm like this in Minnesota for awhile. It was like how I used to order it at Pizza Palace in Chicago. It was perfect!!! The one at Buona Sera in Champlin was great but the chicken wasn’t deep fried, and the pasta was on the side. Plus, they didn’t let me add mushroom. I had everything just how I liked it here. That mound of pasta and chicken covered in melted mozzarella made me really happy. I had to make sure to get the right angle when taking picture to capture the height of that thing on the plate. It was super tall and humongous in girth! When I finally attacked it, it tasted just like how I envisioned it. The Spaghetti was perfectly al dente, and the chicken was crispy and covered with melted cheese. I wish there was more sauce though. I love a lot of sauce on my pasta. However, that was the shit as far as chicken parm goes.
Dita and Sam’s sandwiches looked fantastic and they were massive. I tried a bite each and I had to give it to the Hot Pastrami. I think I was a bit biased on the Italian Beef and it’s just hard to beat Portillo’s in my eyes. The hand cut fries were awesome though. I was loving the fries a lot. They were fresh and had a crunch to it.
I was planning to give 5 stars but I wasn’t in love with the desserts. We ordered Tiramisu and Canolis as we had so much fun talking that we (I) didn’t really want it to end so soon. The tiramisu felt like it was bought from a distributor. I didn’t feel like it was made in premises but I could be wrong. Dita complained it was too overpowered by rum or brandy in that last layer. The canoli was hard and the cream was really dense mascarpone cheese mixture that it was hard to enjoy due to the texture. Jenny A said that the canoli looked like dicks on the picture. Except, I, for once, wanted them to be softer than hard. I tried several time to cut through it with a knife, and I couldn’t. I was not as talented as Lorena Bobbit.
The service was pretty good as well. We were served by perhaps family members helping out as they were dressed in street clothes than server outfits. It was different but they were on top of it. All was done as it should be.
I am looking forward eating my leftover. I think I’m going to be eating spaghetti for several days now. As always, the best part was laughing hysterically with friends, talking and shooting the breeze. The cherry on top was the food were as great! It was a fine Monday afternoon. Monday usually sucks ass but not today. Not today.

Take your time to enjoy good food and friendly people. I ate in the bar and did some pull tab game. Fun.
This could be a place like «Cheers» were you develop friendships with other patrons as go back again and again.
I like the people but I would hate the winters… brrrr

We were looking for a new Italian place to try before an event at the X. It was a little bit farther to walk from where we parked, but manageable. The interior is old-​school Italian, and they have tasty food at reasonable prices. What I really liked was the history of the place and how they’ve maintained a family vibe over the years, something getting ever harder to find in the cities.
I could see myself coming in here on a football Sunday for a great lunch and some wine, hanging out at the huge rectangular bar with some friends, as a nice change of pace from the sports bars.

Generally, Italian food to me is various kinds of noodles with various kinds of red sauce. All basically the same but with a different name that I have trouble pronouncing.
DeGidio’s is different. DeGidio’s is amazing.
This isn’t the frozen lasagna roll-​ups or the breaded Ravioli that tastes like dirty feet that you’ll get at Olive Garden. And this definitely isn’t the obnoxiously loud and distracting décor, rude wait staff and chewy binder calamari from Buca Di Beppo.
DeGidio’s is to Italian Food as Italian food is to italian food. Shit. Just. Got. Real.
This is some Kiss My Ass I’m Mutha Truckin’ Delicious, Burn your face off with some serious flavor, kick your girlfriend in the ass, Italian food.
It’s a good thing, too, because I was beginning to question whether or not good Italian food even existed in this city or if we were all doomed to a world of chain restaurants and lean cuisine style frozen dishes that they put «atini» at the end of and call it Italian. The future was looking rather bleak for a while there. Turns out making up Italian sounding words doesn’t make your food not suck,
We order the Mediterranean Muscles every time we go. We can’t resist them. The muscles are perfect. The broth is rich. It’s a food-​gasm and we can’t be denied.
The Bolognese and the Lasagna seem to be Sam’s reliables. Both are layers of flavor with a rich roubust tomato sauce packed full of meat and balanced with the perfect amount of herbs. The Bolognese has just enough heat to make you scratch your way out of your grave to get a bite.
I prefer to scour the menu, always looking for something to surprise me or excite me. I’m never disappointed here.
The seafood linguine is a must try. The muscles are great and the shrimp is tasty, but the scallops are cooked to perfection with a golden brown crust on both sides for a melt in your mouth sink in your seat moment.
The Tortelloni Bolognese is a creamy, slightly spicy and very cheesy dish. Worth every bite.
The chicken parmesan was juicy and crunchy breaded breast nestled in a bed of way more spaghetti than I could ever eat by myself.
The shrimp Alfredo is the rich and creamy sauce you want in an alfredo, but this one cannot, ever, miss those tomatoes. The tomatoes are a necessity for balancing this dish and they acidity breaking up the creamy sauce is like fireworks if you’re in the right mood.
They no longer serve those once addicting Italian sodas but order a San Pellegrino with a splash of cream and you’re set.
I’ve only sat in the dining room but the bar looks like a lot of fun. The inside of the restaurant is dark, rich tones. It feels secretive.
The chocolate covered Cannolis are perfect for sharing and the Tiramisu is the perfect ending to a date. Order one of those with your sweetie to set the tone for a perfect night out together. It’s never a bad idea to take your lovemuffin out on a date. Give this place a shot.