Nectar Wine Bar & Bistro

Tamarind Glazed Shrimp with Avacado and Jasmine Rice. Cider Brined Pork Rib Chop, Creamed Leeks, Stewed Apples and Yukon Gold Mashed Potaoes

If you’re looking for pleasant service and a hometown feel without having to fight for parking, you’ve found the right place. But if you’re looking for couture, culture, and a sophisticated wine list, you’d be better off making a trip to the liquor store and the fancy cheese cooler at your local SuperTarget.

When I say that Nectar is my favorite restaurant anywhere I am not lying. I travel a lot and hands down Nectar is the one place I will go back to again and again. The atmosphere alone is worth a trip. The cool bar, the comfortable tables, the cozy dinning room.
Then there is the food… oh my the food. The menu changes often and it’s all local, fresh food. In just the past month I have had the best beef stew I have ever had, the Blueberry Duck, the blacked Barramundi.
The starters are a must — the salads are unique refreshing and excellent. My coworker and I almost had a fight over who was going to get to finish the salsa baked goat cheese. Oh I forgot about the bread and the olive oil. There is something addicting in their olive oil.
Now for the drinks. Oh my the drinks. This is a wine bar and the wines they have a amazing. They know exactly what wine will go with what dish and if you have the chance take their recommendations. But if you can get one of their actual drinks off their menu. The Buffalo Bourbon drink is my favorite and my friends — I have tried to make this at home but so far I have not been successful.
I have never had their desert — mostly because I am so stuffed by the time I finish my dinner.
Nectar…I can’t wait to get back to you.

Excellent everything! My wife and I were looking for good food, drink, and atmosphere, and we found it all here. We arrived at opening without reservations and were gladly accepted into a dim, peaceful ambiance. I had an apple-​cider marinated beef brisket w/​horseradish and mashed potatoes, and the misses had a bacon-​less spaghetti carbonara (we were told the meals are made to order; a nice plus). Both were quite exquisite and paired well with wine or one of their unique mixed drinks (I had the Churchill and my better half an Osseopolitan, both worth-​while). Every time we downed an offering of bread, we were offered more! We ate three of them (we’re skinny gluttons), which were accompanied by oil w/​grated cheese. Overall, this place is worth every penny (fairly modestly-​priced, almost $ 20 average per entrée), and the wait staff was superb!

Nice to see a restaurant like this in downtown Osseo. Service was very good, friendly and attentive. The food was great. My wife had the Mahi Mahi, which was extremely flavorful and paired well with mango salsa and coconut rice. We would definately make a return trip. (BTW — nice wine list).

I love to see gourmet restaurants thriving in a small town. I’ve been getting my hair done at The Parlor a cross the street for 10+ years. So when I heard a wine bar/​restaurant had opened up, we had to try it.
The menu does change a couple times a month but it sounds like some dishes stay on a steady rotation.
Thankfully everyone at our table ordered something different. We started with the artichoke dip. It was delish and full of huge artichoke chunks. Next we had mexican stew with beef shortribs (so filling!), chicken cacciatore, pork chops, and seafood soup. The yukon gold mash potatoes were really good.
We didn’t stay for dessert but I hear the chocolate cake is great.
I hope we can go back to this place next time we are in town.

Nectar’s was a wonderful find amidst the sea of chain restaurants in Maple Grove. It is a quaint, cozy wine bar and bistro located in downtown Osseo.
Besides wine options, there are also several cocktail and Minnesota beer selections. The menu usually changes every two weeks. Delicious fall off the bone beef spare ribs! The cheesy hash browns that came with the pork were insanely good!
Nice, friendly attentive service. Our server was very patient with us and he gave my six friends and I plenty of time to make beverage and food decisions.
The only complaint was the bathroom was broken so we had to walk across the street and use the restrooms at Dick’s bar. Not a problem, we will return to this locally owned restaurant and bar!

A friend of mine was in town for business and we found this place using our respective vehicles’ navigation systems. What a surprise! We tried two of the cheese plates, the olives, blueberry duck entrée and Thai peanut salad. Everything was very tasty!
Tuesdays they offer half-​price wine bottles.
Great service and ambiance. Everyone seemed to be having fun, not a super quiet wine bar, but a great place for meeting friends and having conversation.
Don’t trip on the ramp!

Been watching Nectar ever since it opened, but haven’t taken the plunge until tonight. Am happy to say it is wonderful; every bit as good as the rest of the reviews make it. My wife and I had the Ribs and the Walleye respectively. We had the Greek Olives and the Blackened Chicken with Thai Peanut Sauce for appetizers with the Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert. Everything was perfectly cooked and full of flavor. Wait staff is very, very fast and friendly. The décor is simple and tasteful. There were folks in jeans and T’s but one would feel very at home in dress clothes.
A hit for downtown Osseo!!!

A very nice surprise to find this restaurant in Osseo. I call for reservations for Saturday night and told they were booked until 8:00 pm but there was bar seating available on a first come basis. We decided to go and when we arrived that evening we were able to get a nice table in the dinning room. Nectar is small and very simply decorated but tasteful and well done. The dinning area is dark and depending on what table you get you may need a small flashlight to read the menu.
Service was very friendly and attentive and very helpful with the menu and about the restaurant.
The menu is limited and changes every two weeks. A fair list of starters and salads
They have a nice selection of wines by the glass and bottle although for a «wine bar» I was hoping for a tasting flight.
Service was not rushed and we had time to talk and enjoy our dinner. I especially like not being rushed and feeling a place is trying to turn tables then encouraging and dinning evening. Please do not take this as they are slow. The food came out quickly after we ordered.
My scallops were cooked perfectly and CLEAN no grit. The Miso broth was well done and not too salty. My wife had the beef tenderloins which were very tender and cooked correctly. The sauce was a little rich but overall done well.
My biggest suggestion would be to cut down the serving sizes. They portions are large and or the style of restaurant I do not think they need to serve quite that size.
The dinning room will also work for those with hearing aids. It is not too load and the conversations in the room do not create a roar.
We did not stay to check out the bar and drinks but certainly will come back. It is a surprise to find this caliber of restaurant here and I hope i will be supported as we need an independent nice dining option in the area.

Fantastic find.
Stopped by during our recent tour of Maple Grove Happy Hour spots and was thrilled with the darling atmosphere– quality beverages, great wine list — and the appetizers we shared were fresh and original.
Can’t wait to go back for dinner!

Can’t wait to go back!
I had the braised shortrib with the coffee glaze — delicious! My husband had the tamarind shrimp and it was excellent, also. Big shrimp, butterflied perfectly. Portions were good sized, but not overwhelming — just enough.
Great molten chocolate cake for dessert, on the small side, but I suppose it’s best to leave one wanting more rather than leaving feeling stuffed!
Very cute spot, I like that the menu changes every 2 weeks.

We decided to try out this place based on the reviews. We are not big wine drinkers but we like good food! This place was as good as advertised. The atmosphere was very romantic. Wish there had been some soft music in the background, but I am probably just being picky (hoping the owner reads this review). Reservations are encouraged and we made one for the Friday night before New Year’s Eve.
We had the Nectar Cioppino (shrimp, scallops, cod) and the corn-​flake crusted grouper. The Cioppino was superb. The broth was very flavorful with a little spice. The grouper was pretty good — not sure I would order that again. WHEN we go back again, we will have the Cioppino for sure (if it is on the menu for that week — the menu changes biweekly) and try something else new.
It’s a simple place, great food, great for a date. Check it out!

Portions = perfect
Flavor = wonderful
My Mahi Mahi topped with lump Blue Crab= very memorable
Carmel Apple Crips = Perfect on a fall evening
Service = outstanding, attentive yet not overbearing
Wine List= Very Good with reasonable prices
So, I really liked this Bistro. It has a causal, down to earth vibe yet the food is very upscale. The prices range from $ 16-​$ 25 which I thought was appropriate for the quality of the food. The space is nice. There was not any music playing which I think could have added to the ambiance. It did get very loud towards the end of the evening with a full dining room however it would have been nice to have background music. It is strange I noticed this because normally I wouldn’t but I did here.
Take note that the menu is very limited, I think there were 6 main dish selections. We tried 3 of the 6 at our tables and all proved to be excellent. I asked if there were any entrée specials and she said that everything was special on the menu. Some people may not like that they have a very limited selection but I think that indicates that all their ingredients are fresh. I judge a restaurant on how big their menu is, I’m looking at you Cheesecake Factory. Their menu is about 16 pages long… you better believe everything came straight from the freezer in pre packaged bags. This experience was the opposite– a well thought out menu with fresh ingredients. I love.

Best dining experience to be had in the entire North Metro. Period. I have to say that when I decided to pop into Nectar for a glass of wine and an appetizer with the wife this last spring, it was the best culinary discovery I’ve ever made. Since then it has become our favorite place to dine.
If you’re a foodie, you will love this place. If you’re a fan of places such as The Cheesecake Factory, it may be lost on you. The menu is short, but very well focused and changes biweekly. The attention and thought put into each dish shows. Not only has everything I have had there been perfectly cooked, the sides or garnish really compliment their proteins and create flavor combinations I’ve never experienced at a restaurant with such reasonable prices.
In addition to the outstanding food here, their beer menu if full of Minnesota Nice, their wine list is quite good as well as very reasonable, and they also feature special, seasonal, homemade cocktails. The staff has always been very courteous as well as knowledgeable, and they even have live music on weekends, which is enjoyable but never too loud to not be able to carry on a conversation.
The amazing food alone makes this a great place to eat. Add the facts that the service, drink, and atmosphere are all done right, and any lover of great dining in the Twin Cities metro area is doing themselves a disservice by not coming here.

Wow, this has to be the best restaurant in Osseo. Firs of all, the space is adorable. Downtown Osseo has a really cute Main Street, where Nectar is located. Inside, the restaurant has a warm and sunny dining room on one side and a bar on the other with exposed brick walls. After reading all of the great reviews on Unilocal,I couldn’t wait to try the food.
We started our meal with a couple glasses of wine and the complimentary bread basket. My mom and I both ordered the $ 6 Vinho Verde, which was great. I love the citrus flavor and the slight bubbles of the Vinho Verde. The menu changes often at Nectar, which is awesome because it means I can go back often and always try something new! The beauty of the menu at Nectar is that they use local ingredients and eveything is always fresh because they are always changing the menu, plus, because they only have a few entrees, they pay extra close attention to detail.
I ordered the Ciopinno, which had a ight tomato broth, jumbo shrimp, scallops and grilled fish. All of the seafood tasted fresh and was perfectly cooked. This meal was perfectly light and just the right portion. The tomato broth had great flavor and just a slight kick.
I was also lucky enough to sample the grouper and pork tenderloin, and both were amazing. I especially liked the spicy tomatillo and frid corn sauce that came with the grouper, amazing flavor. The pork tenderloin was coated with crunchy panko crumbs and a light arugula salad.
Don’t skip dessert if you go to Nectar’s! They only had two options when we went. We ordered the house special molten chocolate cake, and it was well worth the 15 minute wait. I’ve had a lot of molten chocolate cake, but never one with cinnamon and it was such an amazing flavor with the chocolate. I loved the warm spice it added to the rich chocolate. And of course, it was topped with creamy vanilla ice cream that melted over the warm chocolate cake. Perfection!

Want a romantic night out and excellent food?
Who would have ever thought that Osseo would be a great place to go?
Nectar is located in downtown Osseo, which sounds far away but is a quick 15 minute drive down 81 from North Minneapolis.
I’ve been here twice now and the service and food has been excellent both times. The menu is ever changing in a good way and they have an extensive wine list. I also like that Nectar’s beer menu is Minnesota based and provides a nice variety of styles (stout, pale ale, etc.).
My last visit was on Valentine’s Day. We started with the Ahi Poke Hawaiian Tostadas. They were light and flavorful with a generous amount of tender Ahi tuna. For our main course I ordered the grilled lamb loin chops. They were cooked perfectly with almost no fat and a wonderful tzatziki sauce on the side. My girlfriend order the crab topped Mahi Mahi with sweet chili beurre blanc. The portion was perfect and the fish was delicate and flaky. The sweet chili beurre blanc gave a nice sweet hot kick but did not overpower the Mahi Mahi. The fish melted in your mouth and was delicious.
We ended the night the molten chocolate cake. A perfect ending to a great night. I look forward to many more meals here.

Nectar’s is by far one of the best restaurants in the cities. Kevin the Chef/​Owner is creative with his dishes, but the crazy thing is his execution of each and every dish is impeccable. My parents and I have been huge fans of his since the Kay’s Wine bar days. Back then, it was the only mom and pop shop in Maple Grove hidden amongst the din of suburban expansion and chain restaurants. Now with Nectar’s in Osseo, it’s almost like it’s in a small town. On Main Street in Osseo, it’s a little expensive for the neighborhood, but well worth the splurge, and definitely worth the drive!
I’ve had many dishes at Nectar’s and Kay’s and they’ve always been creative, flavorful, well presented, paired amazingly with wine suggestions, and over all very satisfying! That is the big thing, you finish your meal here and you are completely satisfied.
Last time I was at Nectar’s I had the Braised Beef Short Rib which was absolutely succulent. The time before my dad and wife were freaking out about the Cioppino which is a spicy San Fran style stew which seems to be reoccurring on their menu due to popular demand.
The have an amazing wine list and do a great job of pairing wines with food. They have an amazing bar with house made bitters. They have the best damn Molten Chocolate Cake in the world for desert, and they have one of the most talent chefs in the Cities.
Convinced that you might wanna try this place. Please do, and keep it in business. The only thing that this crew has going against them is the fact that they keep picking the weirdest locations for their restaurants.

This was far better than I expected of a restaurant in Osseo (no offense, Osseoans).
The space was cute, the server was great (though I think we lucked out as a woman at the table behind us was literally trying to flag down her server with a napkin for several minutes) and the food was fantastic.
I had the guava lime glazed shrimp which was light, flavorful and had 5 perfectly-​cooked jumbo shrimp. My friend had the Jamaican curry chicken which she loved.
And I must give props to the Brandy Cherry Sour. Brandy sours are my drink of choice (I’m a closet old lady) and to see a specialty cocktail based on my go-​to drink was delightful. And the Osseo-​tini was damn good, too.
Can’t really give it 5 stars as it doesn’t rival Alma’s or La Belle Vie’s quality or creativity, but it’s still really good.

This is one of my favorite restaurant terrific food that changes twice a month and and a great wine list! This is a place you can go for a romantic date or with a group of friends. Its located in the cute downtown Osseo, it might be off the beaten path but well worth the drive!
Chef/​Owner Kevin Nordeen knows how to cook! I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on Top Chef where I’m sure he would win the whole thing!