Vincent A Restaurant

I had high expectations for this place before I got here, and while it didn’t disappoint it didn’t blow me away either. Here are the highlights:
Service was what you’d expect of a high-​end restaurant, very high-​brow and attentive.
Food was good, I had the famed burger and it was all tasty goodness, filled with Gouda cheese and braised ribs. Amazing. However, get it during happy hour to get the best bang for your buck at half price ($ 16 vs $ 8). The fries were bland. The steak was on point. Chocolate desert cake was meh.
It being a French restaurant, the wine list is endless so plenty to indulge on here, however for those of us beer lovers there are only two options on tap, but I understand this is not the place to come drink beer.
The place is elegant, very minimalist and plainly decorated. There was a nice, elegant vibe going through the place. I liked the large open windows that offer a great view of the Minneapolis skyline.
It’ll set you back a few bucks but it’s worth a try.

Very nice treat. Great bread, green beans, and halibut. The dessert was pretty awesome too — get anything that says chocolate and you win.

Enjoyed Vincent’s again! Jarred picked two great wines for our table. Even though our server said he was new service was outstanding. Thank you Vincent for the many years of outstanding restaurant experiences!

It’s a 5-​star burger, but here’s what was meh:
The jambon royale app — underwhelming in both presentation and flavor. Nothing special.
The Brussel sprouts with guanciale and blueberries– a bit undercooked and lacking in flavor. Couldn’t detect the guanciale at all.
The fries– I think the fry guy dropped them in the fryer too early and they sat under a lamp until the burger was ready. They were very forgettable and not hot.
The Vieux Carre cocktail was so strong that it was virtually undrinkable.
I will say that they did not rush us or make us feel bad about arriving ten minutes till closing. That was much appreciated.

VINCENT — A Minneapolis icon since it opened decades ago on the city’s Nicollet Mall, Vincent A Restaurant, its moniker today, has always been an underrated and understated dining location. Classically designed and classically hushed, Vincent may seem «old school» compared to the loud, eponymous hipster gourmet places springing up on both sides of the river. Yet this «old school» is a refreshing change compared to the homogeny of «hipster cool.»
White clothed, tables spaced well to afford views through the large windows, Vincent is casual elegance personified. The wine list has a nice selection of new world and old world and has an eclectic array of priced bottles. The kitchen produces updated traditional French seafood, fowl, and meat at Midwestern prices. My calves liver and pommes frites were Parisian good, and the Halibut representative of a light elegant touch, often missing in the middle of the country. Every dish is prepared with that certain French «something,» hard to define, but unmistakably Gallic, having cache and panache. Desserts are also uniquely Francais. Vincent’s has never received the popularity it deserves. Perhaps the landscaping of Nicollet Mall will bring more recognition to this Minneapolis icon.

Vincent delivered just about what I expected but not more. I was cheered by the large, beautiful, pleasant space and the great table they gave me. Their Vieux Carre was a lighter, refreshing version of the drink. My server did a great job. The house Cahors was adequate. The Tartare was a little ketchupy and needed salt; however they did serve the egg on the side. The foie gras was luscious. The steak frites was an exercise in minimalism: a piece of beef (cooked perfectly), a fairly large cone of fries, and a smallish container of Bearnaise on a plate. The serving of Bearnaise was no match to the amount of fries let alone if you wanted to use it for the steak. The trio of crèmes was a nice dessert.

We had a wine paring menu. It was fabulous! With four different good wines, the course started with an vegetable appetizer, followed by two fish dishes, a beef and dessert. All dishes were top quality. I strongly recommend this place.

Finally took advantage of the $ 8 Happy Hour Vincent Burger special, and I must say I was impressed. Definately one of the best burger specials in town, stuffed with gouda and short ribs… need I say more?
They come with frozen french fries that were perfectly crisp, and the reviewer that claimed they tasted like a better version on Mickey D’s fries, hit the nail on the head. Frozen or not… these were tasty as hell.
I doubt Vincent wanted his place to be known around town for a burger, but when you make something this good, word gets out, and it draws a crowd that is a bit younger than his typical patrons. i.e. alotta grey hairs running around this place.
I wanted to give it 5 stars… but when you only have 2 beers on tap in a beer centric city like Mpls, I had to give 4.

Best happy hour in the city? Possibly. A $ 16 burger becomes $ 8. And it’s a thing of pure beauty. Stuffed with braised short ribs and swimming in a glorious glob of Gouda cheese! MMMMMMM. Top 5 burger in the cities for sure. Now I have never been here for dinner but after having this burger I’m not sure I need to. Aside from piling some apps on my order I would never get anything else. Can we also talk about the Poutine for a hot minute??? Oh my. This might also be some of the best poutine in the city. See when I find poutine on a menu I’m getting it. My eyes were opened to the glorious world of poutine about 2 years ago and now I’m in love. The gravy on this poutine is amazing. nice and peppery. Perfect silky thick texture. I come from a southern family… gravy is in my blood. This is some amazing gravy. And we all know the gravy makes the poutine. Come here now! If only for happy hour. But come early because it’s a small bar and the secret is out.

The Vincent Burger is the best burger in Minneapolis. I have no idea why I haven’t seen this burger on the «Juicy Lucy» lists around town. I mean it’s a beef patty stuffed with gouda and braised short ribs on a bun? Sounds like a juicy lucy to me. It has the classic feel of a burger — but with just enough variation to make it special. And $ 8 at happy hour? Killer.
The fries that come with the burger are a slightly less greasy version of McDonalds fries. So if you’re like me and like your occasional MickyDs, then these are perfect.
Glazed Duck Wings were fall-​off-​the-​bone, melt in your mouth goodness. They’re covered in what I’d call a korean teriyaki sauce and are some of the best wings i’ve ever had, which was a huge surprise for the night. The duck we had was incredibly tender and our table strongly considered getting a third plate.
Gnocchi was the only thing that was a miss. The pasta came out tough and the dish itself had little flavoring besides the delicious bacon pieces spread around the plate.
Overall, amazing dinner with fantastic service. Strongly recommend coming during happy hour — Great deal!

My review of Vincent’s, by Keith S, age (redacted.)
Sit on patio.
Get the burger.
If you’re a pro, get the burger during HH for $ 8*.
*not a typo.
Sincerely,
Keith S.
3^rd grade

W H A T A L O C A T I O N !!!
After hearing about Vincent for ages, and knowing a former sous chef there, I was hot to try the Famous Vincent Burger. Oh Yeah! Plus, my daughter and her husband went there for her birthday dinner last month and seemed happy with it.
Seeing Vincent on local tv shows demonstrating his skills really piqued my interest. So after the Hapsburg Exhibit at the MIA, Vincents it was, or shall I call it Vinbucks instead?
Yeah, when I pay $ 15.50 for a burger and salad, I expect more than a white tablecloth and cloth napkins. I expect one of the best burgers I“ve ever had.
Not delivered :-(
Now, I lived in the mountains in Utah for 17 years, and my in laws raised their own beef. I am pretty sure that they were grass fed, as a pasture is, well, grass. This «grassfed» beef that my burger was made of didn’t taste ANYTHING like what I ate for 17 yrs. As a matter of fact, it tasted like the meat was old, not fresh. Not spoiled, just old.
I did love the gouda as it really complimented the burger. However, the 1 tsp of beef tips or whatever it was, didn’t really factor in the equation. Not enough of it to matter.
Right off the bat I realized that something wasn’t right, my burger looked like it came from a factory because it was too perfect. In my little mind, I had pictured a big juicy hand pattied burger dripping with melted cheese when I bit into it. N O T !!
So I ask our server about the way they make this «Vincent Burger». She informed me that they use a mold to build each one. I suppose that makes it easier on the prep cooks, but doesn’t do much for the visual. Again, you eat your food with your eyes first, right?
The demeanor of the staff upon entering and then exiting, was impeccable. My hat is off to them. Professional all the way. Thank You. Probably worth a trip back to try something else, but not a special trip.
The Tuesday $ 5 Burger Basket on Hwy 65 is better, except it doesn’t have gouda. OUCH, but it’s the truth.
T H A T C O R N E R L O C A T I O N I S «P R I M O»

I love the burger at Vincent and recently took a small group of friends there for lunch as a challenge to find the favorite burger in downtown Mpls.
My friends were very skeptical when they took in the fancier French bistro surroundings but oooed and ahhhed as they bit into their piping hot burger Vincent filled with BBQ beef tips and smoked Gouda.
I’m also a big fan of the Caesar Salad as a side accompanying the burger but the others weren’t quite as crazy about the anchovy-​rich lighter dressing.
At $ 15.50, this isn’t a cheap burger but it’s not small in size or flavor and the smokey BBQ richness makes it well worth trying!

1) Bar menu are great
2) Tasting menu and menu update on a regularly
3) Chef owner make transitional French dish from his childhood time to time, if you see it, order it you’ll be amaze

Very classy, upscale French restaurant. Frog legs were OK (the ones I had in France were better), but the steak was to die for.
Vincent’s service and «bourgeois» atmosphere are the cherry on top!

For the longest time I wondered what the name of this place even was. Finally made it over here to discover the name and to enoy a delightful holiday lunch with my work team.
Perused the online menu and was impressed with their selections and variety. I had it narrowed down to three different choices and ended up ordering the Vincent Burger which seems to be the house staple.
Wasn’t Dissappointed by the burger, presentation or the fries. Pleasantly surprised by the fries. I usually don’t care for skinny fries that much, but a friend once commented its how they are prepared. If they are done right, they are good.
Two others in my party also chose the Vincent Burger. One chose the crepes and the other the Steak Frites. All seemed to satisfy.
Service was meh. Our server didn’t seem the most engaged, but she wasn’t terrible. Just needed a little nudge here and there.
Nice atmosphere and layout.
It’s nice to finally know the name of this place. Would I return? Probably.

I LOVE THIS PLACE. The atmosphere is amazing and I love the large mixed green salad with steak tartare. My family always gets the steak frites. The chocolate cake is to die for. I also have had the burger and the sweet potato gnocchi. Everything is amazing!!! The service is great too.
We came here and watched the Holly Dazzle Parade twice. We also love the ensembles that play upstairs.

Came here for Restaurant week $ 30 prix fixe menu.
I used the reservation system through their website without any issue, and they called me day of to confirm the reservation.
On a hot and humid Minneapolis night, I entered Vincent A Restaurant feeling all sweaty and gross. Inside, the A/​C was blasting, the servers all had on their spiffy clean white waiter jackets and an ambiance of ‘elegance’ was in the air. Clean white table cloths and simple table settings lined each table. The restaurant itself is framed by giant tinted windows. All in all, had the feeling of a classy place, but it didn’t really feel too «french» too me (to be fair, many of my french restaurant experiences involve creperies and brunch places).
The wait staff was courteous and professional. I didn’t try any wine, but the menu seemed pretty extensive.
As to the food, the prix fixe menu is a 3 course menu consisting of starter, entrée, and dessert. The starter consisted of a peach yogurt rhubarb soup v a duck confit salad, the entrée was salmon v pork cheeks, and desert was some chocolate item v cheese plate. I went with the latter on all course options.
Each course was brought out slowly, with a good amount of time between each course but not distractingly so. Thats just the way it goes with more «classy» places.
Every plate was beautifully plated, with elegant drizzles of sauce decorating the plate.
The duck confit salad was tasty. The pork cheeks were tender and well sauced, and laid atop a bed of a sweet corn purée. The dessert was a straightforward cheese plate, with fruit, nuts, citron, and a cracker.
All in all, tasty dishes, but they didn’t exactly blow me out of the water. Also, the plates seemed to be on the small side, as I was left feeling the tiniest bit hungry.
My recommendation? Come here for a special night, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a get together dinner meal with some friends. It’s doesn’t feel truly french to me, but if you want an elegant place with beautifully plated food, then this is your place.

The Vincent Burger is my favorite menu item by far. Unfortunately I love it so much that I sometimes don’t explore a lot of other options.
I have eaten here many times, in the formal dining room, as a group, by the bar and outside; a small group on patio is my preferred option. The main dinning room is nice but it’s pretty formal and not always how I want to dine. It’s a good option for a nice dinner or date night.
I recommend coming for happy hour (patio or bar area only), the burger becomes very reasonably priced. They also have very good poutine.

Wonderful date night location for a special occasion! The menu and décor are simple but refined, I felt the setting was fitting for our celebration without being pretentious. We found that our dinners weren’t the slightest bit heavy, which we typically notice with a French menu, and experienced some stellar service. I thought the entire front of house team was politely available, but gave us privacy to enjoy our date. I can’t complain about a thing!
We decided in the spirit of celebration to splurge a little on house cocktails and they did not disappoint. I tried Le Chole Neige which was smoothly flavored with blackberry and violet without being sweet. My boyfriend had the spiced sangria which came spiked with bourbon and we both enjoyed our drinks very much.
We began our meal with buttery, garlicky escargot that is a staple at Vincent. If escargot is foreign to you, this is absolutely the place to try it. The butter and garlic flavors are familiar, but so elevated with the escargot, anyone with an open mind would love this dish. We also tried the bone marrow with clams on crostini, which was also very good, but came with too few pieces of crostini (especially for the price).
Our next course was what absolutely sold me on this restaurant. I had the lightest scallops ever, seared perfectly in an orange sauce with leeks and tenderly thinly sliced potatoes. I adored this dish and so did my boyfriend. He got the lamb shank in a red wine sauce with greens and sweet potato gnocchi. The lamb just fell off the bone at the slightest touch and the wine sauce was rich but not thick, it was delicious. The seared gnocchi and greens were wonderful sides to soak up the remaining sauce, I couldn’t help reaching over the table for just one more bite.
We were far too full for dessert, but somehow managed to finish the Three Creams dessert anyway. It came with a teeny tiny selection of a chocolate pot de crème, a caramel crème which reminded me of a flan and a lovely vanilla crème brûlée. The dessert looked so small, but it really was the perfect amount after such an incredible meal. I cannot to come back again and try something new, I know now that Vincent will only impress!