El Meson

El Meson is a great place to drop in for a healthy, creative, generous lunch buffet, or you can order from the regular menu. I love to go there when I'm running late for a lunch, and the buffet is still available until 2 PM at least. I see the faces of people who return regularly, and love the service as well as the food. We've had wonderful evenings outside in warm weather, enjoying their creative, fresh Latin American dishes and good wines. Check it out!! more

Great, friendly service. The staff is very helpful with menu suggestions. Arroz con poyo (chicken) is my favorite. I like spicier food and they were able to adjust it to my spice level. Awesome food, great wine selection, and nice change of pace from the typical dinner fare out there. more

My girlfriend and I had driven by this place many times but never went in. Originally we thought it was a high end Mexican restaurant from just driving by it. We realized it wasn't when we saw the pitchers of sangria and plates of paella. Pros: Great service and ambience more

I just returned from what may have been the worst food experience I have had in several years - El Meson - a Spanish restaurant located in South Minn. This evening a group of 8 of us ordered what should have been a signature dish - Valencia paella. What was served did not come close to what real paella is supposed to be. The food tasted as if the cook had poured the entire liquid from an olive jar into the rice. What was presented was an extremely sour and salty rice - seafood dish. Having come from a Spanish background, I have been served paella dishes many times. This by far was the worst Spanish paella ever. Pros: Tapas were average, Cons: Bad food more

Our favorite trip ever was to Barcelona and the trip to this restaurant was a wonderful revival of good memories. The food was wonderful, service was excellent, wine was good, we had a great time - we were there on New Years Eve, but ate early and had reservations - it filled up soon after we arrived so it was a good idea to have reservations. The four of us all tried different entrees and desserts and drinks and it was all well liked! Pros: We loved the staff, food and atmosphere more

I have traveled to Spain in the past, but since have become a vegetarian. This said, I arrived expecting to have a limited selection on the menu. It turns out they only offer one substantial vegetarian meal: the arroz con gandules. However, the meal, service, and atmosphere were all so fantastic that I would certainly return, in spite of the fact that 99% of the menu is off limits. Highly recommended. more

My boyfriend and I live a mere four blocks from El Meson and have been here four times. Twice, we were turned away and told they were closed, yet it was during their posted hours and patrons were still dining. When we were actually served, we liked the food and ambiance, so we disregarded this experience as atypical. We have also been to Cafe Ena (same owner) and always try to support local neighborhood restaurants. Tonight we tried El Meson again, and I?m afraid that our experience was horrible. There were two other couples waiting and we were told that it would be 35 minutes max and that it would likely be sooner than that. Pretty much entire restaurant turned over and we were still sitting there. I would guess 20-30 people came in after us and were sat before us. After seeing this, we asked the host what was going on. She told us to that everyone else had reservations. It seemed odd that they would be behind on this many reservations, but patiently waited a while longer. After another 15-20 minutes, we asked again and were told that we were next and that they were just cleaning our table. Instead, they sat two other couples that had arrived after us. At no point did anyone approach us to apologize or explain why we were again delayed. We are very patient and understand that sometimes things take longer than expected, but the staff more or less ignored us. We waited for well over and hour and finally left in disgust, not because it took too long but because the customer service was terrible. As we had dinner elsewhere we pondered the fact that the owner had time to chat with us for over ten minutes about his plans to open a new restaurant elsewhere, but didn?t seem at all interested in serving his current customers. Food and wait staff at El Meson and Cafe Ena are very good but the management/customer service leave much to be desired. Pros: Good food Cons: Horrible management more

I started out with medium hopes, and it was a let down. I was not expecting a fancy night out, just a decent Thursday night dinner. The vegetarian dish I had was the same as my husband - they just tossed some chicken into his. This dish tasted like something I would not have even made in high school - rice with tomato paste mixed in and a few peas thrown on top. The serving was ridiculously large. I wanted to like this place because it seemed like a nice operation and the staff was friendly, but there was just nothing good going on here; the food was unenjoyable, the waitstaff seemed frazzled, and what I thought was a cheap price seemed like a lot for a bowl of rice. Pros: like the size of the restaurant, easy parking Cons: food more

I arrived at El Meson expecting to pay a bit more than my non-profit salary can afford for a quality, unique and flavorful dinner with a good friend. Our server was attentive (the restaurant was almost empty on a Monday evening at 7pm) and pleasant, but the food fell far short of my expectations. I ordered the cochinito - listed in the menu as ""grilled pork loin served over grilled pineapple in a orange pineapple sauce, garnished with cucumber relish and served with oven-roasted potatoes."" The highlight of the dish was the presentation, which was very artful. Unfortunately, the pork was extremely tough, dry and overcooked, the fruit garnish tasted like it was straight out of a can, and the potatoes had the taste and texture of frozen breakfast potatoes. I spent $26 including tip on a meal I could have prepared much better at home. I ate about 1/3 of the meal before I threw in the towel and had the server take it away. Fortunately, I did order a lovely glass of cabernet that helped ease my disappointment with the meal. Pros: Ambience, Service Cons: Food more

I could have purchased everything I ate this evening pre-made at Rainbow. The appetizer of calamares was probably frozen; they were bland and mushy. The sauce was yellow and creamy, but Im not sure what it was supposed to taste like. My bistec encebollado had been seasoned with a package of Pace taco seasoning (you know, the 79cent package of red/brown powder). It was very salty and chemical tasting. After I took the first bite I had this disgusted look on my face, and my companions asked what was wrong. I gave them each a piece, asked them what Rainbow item they thought it tasted like (Taco Seasoning, Adam). Nicely presented though. Avoid this restaurant unless you love pre-packaged foods. Pros: cute decor Cons: food, food, food more

My boyfriend and I go out for dinner quite often and there is no place like El Meson! The food in incredible and the wine is great too! We always end up there because we know that it will be fabulous! more

It is New Years Eve and stopped in on a whim and was seated immediatley. Our waitress who I kept calling Rita but I think it was actually Dena was awesome. The food was spectacular and I even got the recipe for the lobster bisque. YUMMY!!! It is a must go and we will be back. Pros: AWESOME, DELICIOUS, FRIENDLY more

Excellent restaurant with a nice atmosphere. Good Sangria an a nice pear wrapped in proscuito appetizer. The prok with risotto and blackberry glaze was excellent and so was the Puerto Rican rice with seafood. They have Tapas on the menu as well. A must try Latin bistro. Pros: Food & Wine Options, Reasonably priced Cons: Small restaurant more

This is the first time we visit El Meson and it was a great evening. Mi wife and I ordered the Paella Valenciana and it was great! Also make sure you order a Sangria, it is delicious. Remember to make a reservation before you go and if you are planning on eating the Paella make sure you tell them when you make your reservation because it takes 45 min to cook. The live music was very romantic and our waitress was very helpful. I will definitely comeback to EL Meson, however, next time I will make a reservation. Pros: Food, Service, Music Cons: , parking more

I have eaten at El Meson quite often and it has become my favorite restaurant. The food and service are always top notch. The newly redecorated interior adds a warm and romantic atmosphere and the expanded patio area is great on a nice summer evening. If you haven't been here in the past year, please return. You will be pleasantly surprised. Pros: excellent food, great service, beautiful interior more

Very good food, and an excellent lunch buffet. Their dishes are exotic and creative, with rich sauces and unique combinations of ingredients. I have seen the paella and it looks wonderful-- I plan on trying it soon. They have recently updated the interior and have live music on the weekends. Definitely a nice change from chain restaurants. Pros: food is good, lunch buffet, unique more

I went to El Meson because I was looking for Cuban food, and CitySearch listed it as such. I came away pleased with the restaurant, but Cuban it ain't, nor does it even attempt to be or claim to be. Whoever reviewed it for CitySearch and listed it as Cuban probably thinks Castro is Puerto Rican. more

A co-worker and I found this place by accident. We were very plesantly surprised! The lunch buffet was fantastic, both in flavor and variety. This is certainly more of a pan-latin joint than Cuban. Smoky pork ribs, black bean soup, rice-n-beans, and an absolutely smashing curry chiken dish! Their salsa was very good, too. You could easily make this a regular lunch destination. Pros: tasy lunch buffet more

The best Paella, Great Wine , Beautiful Restaurant , The service was Excellent, Thanks Pros: Great wine, Great Food, Good People more