The Happy Gnome

Happy Gnome beer selection is simply terrific. Our dinner service was prompt friendly and very helpful. My wife enjoyed the salmon salad and I thought the short ribs were good. We shared a cheese cake for dessert, which we thought was fairly blah… But overall a nice enjoyable meal. The restaurant was bustling and on the somewhat loud side. Would recommend.

Had an awesome tasting imperial IPA from The Happy Gnome the other night. I ordered that along with their poutine fries and I was in heaven for a good thirty minutes. They keep this bar very tidy inside and if you’re feeling the need for fresh air they have an area outside that nice and relaxing. Menu is a bit on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for here. Rather pay a little extra for quality service to be honest.

This place far surpassed my expectations. Great selection of tap beers, Scotch, Whiskey etc. and the food was superb! Had the Ramen with Pork shank and Scotch egg. I am not a ramen eater and this dish was sublime. Also had the Poutine which is the first time I had ever tried it. Wow! What flavor. The Elk Bison burger was perfectly cooked and very tasty. As Arnold so famously said «I’ll be back!»

We were at the bar and the male bartender was very rude. We were seated and we waited 30 minutes. We asked the hostess for our waiter/​waitress but never were attended by one. We never got to order our meals so we left.

One of the best places in St. Paul. Especially in the summer if you can get a spot on the patio.

Food is good. But why does everything need a gourmet twist and a gourmet price? What ever happened to just affordable pub food.
Taps and drinks are great.
There is a strange rotten smell emanating from the floor near the bar.
Porch is great.

Yes! What a great place to eat yummy food and drink an excellent selection of beer.

Imagine me sitting here going «ehhhh» and wiggling my hand a bunch.
Pro — good appetizers. Nice service. Nice ambiance.
But the food was merely okay. Lots of food-​of-​the-​moment buzzwords on the menu, but my burger wasn’t particularly special, and the fries tasted like someone had tried to make them healthier than they really ought to be. Needed more seasoning. Also, for a place that sells $ 50 steaks, I’d generally expect to sit in a chair that’s not wobbling quite so much.

My husband and I went here for a date night last weekend. We haven’t been here in years and missed the food and tap selection.
We were really happy with the food taste and quality. We both ended up ordering the cheeseburger with short rib on top — really tasty! However, the docked star was due to the undercooked burgers. We both ordered medium and the insides were bright red and not warm. We had to eat around the outside and toss the middles. Beer selection was still fantastic and the wild rice soup and Brussels sprouts were highlights of the visit. The best part was definitely the Surly bender crème brûlée!
Service was attentive and friendly. The busboy was on top of clearing, setting out dessert spoons, refilling waters, etc. We will be back, but probably not for burgers.

We have sat on the patio several times, inside booths and at the bar. Always have had great service, the food has always been served at the correct temp, the appearance is always good, selection is great, something for everyone, down to a cheese plate that is delish! Oh and the wild game burger is to die for. Beer selection? Amazing!!! Love stopping here as the food is of a high quality and still get the pub feel.

Holy gnomie! This place blew my mind. Their chicken sandwich was delicious. I was so full from the portions that I just ate the gut of the sandwich. Great selection of cider and beer and gluten free options for gluten free friends.
Highly recommend.

Came in for the extensive beer list and a quick bite. Friendly service and great location with decent prices on a lot of hard to find and/​or imported brews — a glass will set you back between $ 6 and $ 10, depending. We also tried some of the appetizers. The food was a little fancier than I expected, with fancy prices to match, so I didn’t have a lot that interested me to choose from. My pretzel with beer cheese was hot and delicious, though. With a name and theme like gnomes, I expected more British pub food but I still enjoyed the experience. I would come back for the giant brew and wine menu alone.

While out on the town with a very large group I sent scouts to see what the wait time would be, 2 hours. This would not happen to me again so I arrived right after the next day after the lunch rush. I grabbed the only seats available at the bar near the dining area, the theme here is this place is always full. So after getting settled i quickly ordered local beers some with nitro some not. All the beers were hand picked by me but some were recommend by the nice red hair lady with glasses. She told us how this place is celebrating ten years starting with 24 taps now 89 taps of really great beer. So after trying for or five local beers including the Dino S’mores I grabbed a spicy Bloody Mary and a dinner menu. I could not pass up the chance at ordering the steak tartare with a nice quail egg resting on top with some crostinis to place the tasty meat. Well that is something I could order as my last meal, that good. After that I tried the Surly Crème brûlée got to shoot the bull with the chef and the owner. The experience I had here easily warrants five stars not only from the beer but that nice lady featured in the picture we took really knows how to take care of a customer from suggesting new beers and letting me sample sours to friendly conversation a dying art. Well done guys well done !

I like this bar. Came for a beer and some food and they had a large selection of on tap brews, very nice. The food was awesome, we had the rubbed wings (which were pretty good, not the best rub by that’s fine) and the ramen. I was in love with the ramen, it had sort of a sweet savory taste that I haven’t had anywhere else. I would definitely recommend it if you like a sweeter ramen flavor.
Our server was okay, nothing too extraordinary. But the beer was great and the dishes were a good match.

When my wife moved into our neighborhood 30+ years ago it was nasty. Burning cars, the odd body in the alley… my, how things have changed! Now its gentrified… but it’s no «hipster» place. It’s real! I often forget to write reviews for places near us… let’s fix that now.
They Happy Gnome never dissapoints. At three blocks from our house it is WAY too close! I don’t I’ve ever had a bad meal here. And the beer? If you can’t find something you like on their MASSIVE set of taps, you need serious help. From smooth and whimpy (yeh, some folks like that… go figure) to enough hops to get you into orbit, Gnome has it for you.
And the food… upgraded comfort is probably the best description. In the past I’ve had their various burgers. All yummy. This time we went in for brunch. Seated right away and warmly greeted by all. Malcolm and Nate were spot on (hey, they HAVE to be! We’ve known them since they were kids!) in their service. I had a «Hot Brown». It’s a take on eggs Benedict having a baby with a rachel sandwich. I could DRINK that siracha-​bacon mornay sauce. At the end of the meal I scraped the plate with my finger to get up the last little bits… heck… they probably didn’t even need to wash the plate.
We probably go there at least twice a month… and always will.

Upscale Pub Dining without the kids. If you have an appreciation for fine beer and fine food, the Happy Gnome isn’t to be missed. The kitchen features an upscale take on traditional bar fare — and some creative entrees. We tried their Baked Pretzel and beer cheese fondue, their shortrib tacos and the Poutine during a recent visit. All were among the best we’ve had in the cities — particularly the short rib tacos. The burgers here feature game such as Bison, Elk and Duck for $ 16. However, with Red Cow down the street, I’m planning to explore the rest of their menu first.
We’ll likely return to try their salads and entrees another time — particularly the three-​course meal that is offered during special hours for $ 30. On a saturday night at 7pm, there was a three-​hour wait for a seat in the dining room, but I think the bar area is the best place to be anyway. By the time you enjoy your first tap, you’re likely to find seating at the bar or in a booth in the bar area. If you’re lucky, you’ll grab a spot near the fireplace during cold months.
The bar features 89 craft drafts in categories that include Hoppy (such as Boulder Mojo on Nitro for $ 6), Double Hoppy (such as 3 Sheeps Hoppy Spice for $ 7), Lighter (such asTin Whiskers Wheatstone for $ 7), Malty (such as New Belgium Fat Tire for $ 6) Fruity (such as Seattle Oaked Maple Cider for $ 7) and Seasonal (such as MKE Elf’s Lament for $ 7).

A bustling pub next door to the iconic St. Paul curling club on Selby Ave in St. Paul.
The menu features a great selection of appetizers, salads, burgers, steaks and sandwiches. A buddy and I got together on a week night for some food and drinks. We even went a head an made a reservation (thanks to Open Table) for 6:30. When we arrived, this place was bustling with energy and people. I guess they must do an outstanding happy hour because the place (read bar section and most of the tables) were full.
Nonetheless we were seated right away and started by sampling the house made pretzel with cheesy dipping sauce. It must have come straight out of the oven because we singed our fingers it was so hot! but also very tasty. Our next course was a cheese course and we chose 3 of their local cheeses which was served with bread and crackers — very tasty. My friend also had the soup — butternut squash — which was so thick you could stand the spoon up in the cup.
For a main course, he had the delectable beef short rib which was served over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, creamed cauliflower and roasted carrots while I enjoyed the angus cheese burger which was topped with a helping of shredded short ribs and a side of garlicky aioli. I opted for salad (instead of fries — trying to cut back) and got about a cup of greens, grape tomatoes and mini morazella tossed in a tangy vinaigrette — the only downside was this substation costs $ 3 extra — seems ridiculous for what you are getting and pure profit for the house.
While they have a parking lot, when I arrived around 6:15 it was already packed (see happy hour crowd comment above) but was able to score a space after circling for a bit. You can park on the street too but that’s just as tricky, especially given the curling club next door.
Noise wise — its pretty noisy but if you are in the mood for a lively evening, solid pub chow and decent service, this could be the spot for you.

The Happy Gnome has become my new favorite restaurant. My fiancé and myself have been going here on a weekly basis since we found this place. So far we have tried almost every food item on the menu, and there has not been one subpar choice yet.
The Ham hock tater tots are to die for. The MN game burger is hands down the best burger I have ever had. The brussel sprout hash is phenomenal. Then there is the side items that are served with the entrees. When you first see them you might think they are odd but once you try the sides you will know they were hand crafted by magical gnomes.
There is so much greatness at the Happy Gnome, I almost forgot to mention the 80 taps on rotation. You will find a craft beer that you love!

Yes, this place is awesome. It’s been on my list FOREVER to go to. I’ve been here years ago, but it’s been so long it was like a brand new experience.
We came for brunch. The menu was amazing and it took us all forever to decide what to get! Everything sounded great. I went with the croque madame, which was on a house made biscuit with turkey, mozzarella, mornay sauce, and the egg. This was out of this world good. Rocked my socks off. It came with a delicious salad. And we split the blueberry pancakes, which were legit.
The bloody mary bar was insane! It’s not quite Hell’s Kitchen insane, but it was amazing and well worth it. I may or may not have had a second round.
Our server was very sweet and helpful. I highly recommend this place! I want to come back for lunch sometime and try that game burger.

Came here late night for a nosh
Lobster mac: 3 stars
Creamy and rich, lots of lobster but not enough salt and overwhelming truffle flavor. Very close but no cigar for me
Regular burger & fries: 2.5 stars
Burger was dry, fries were oily and soggy like the oil was not hot enough when frying.
I would be back to try again just to be sure, but I was quite underwhelmed. Other than the truffle lol