Mancini's Char House

Cold, tasteless, and over cooked. Plenty of great steak houses. Won't bother going back. more

Mancinis is often referred to as the restaurant that time forgot. Pros: Old-school ambience Cons: Dirty more

First time eating at this St. Paul landmark. As a great fan of high end steakhouses, I was more than a little disappointed. They offer a total of four cuts, plus chicken and lobster. Not a ribeye or porterhouse in sight. No more than 15 wines available; finally went with the house levee as it was the only thing that might have cost more than $5 in a liquor store. Scotch was even sadder; both 10 year Glens, MacAllen and one more our waitress couldn't remember. Iceberg lettuce with a couple cherry tomatoes, a small baked potato and a ""medium"" filet (Actually rather well; former line cook, here.) ran me ~ $25 w/o tip. The saving grace was our waitress, who was superb in spite of her limited Scotch knowledge. Misunderstood my order and bent over backwards to correct it quickly. Would I eat here regularly? Sure, as a cheap night out. Is this a ""special occasion"" kind of place? No. Do they play in the same league as Manny's or The Strip Club? Not even close. Pros: Decent food, great service Cons: Limited wine/alcohol selections, VERY limited menu more

This place is truly one of a kind! Where else can you have the most exquisite steak (or chicken or seafood!) in a classic Rat-Pack style Char House? This is the best restaurant to celebrate all those family occasions... including just because it's Thursday. Pros: Atmosphere, Food, Drinks, Family-owned, history Cons: Really... I can't think of any more

Pat & John Mancini make this an original and memorable experience. Pros: Gotta love the food Cons: Portions may be too big more

Wonderful food and generous owner(s). Always. Pleasant surroundings, great steak, delicious garlic toast, and on special occasions, the owner exhibits warm generosity. Thank you, Mancini's! Pros: Everything just right and more! Cons: No cons more

The history, the staff, the steak, the relish tray, not to mention 'The Vegas Lounge.' You can have your hipster joints, you can find me at Mancini's... Pros: Best combo of steak + relish tray in town Cons: are you kidding? more

I was at St. Paul for the convention with the Media. We visited Mancini's on Monday at the start of the convention. The owner went out of his way to make us feel welcome. The food and service were great! We enjoyed it so much we went back on Thursday night. We called ahead and they kept the restaurant open for us and made us feel very welcome, again the food was excellent. I had the filet both times. The bread and pepper tray are great for starters. I'm going back to visit in January and I plan on making at least 1 trip to Mancini's while I'm there. Not only was the food great we got a big serving of ""Minnesota Nice"". Pros: Food & Service more

I see there are 35 reviews already and a five-star average, so this is probably unnecessary. But I have to say this is THE place to go in St. Paul, especially if you have been burned by indifferent service elsewhere. Their steaks are second to none! I seldom eat red meat anymore, but when I do, Mancini's is the place! It is the great service that stands out, even more than the meat. The appetizers that come before dinner are a unique delight too. My wife and I took an out-of-town friend here recently, and he said it was the most memorable place he's visited in the Twin Cities. The brothers who own and run it are carrying on after their father. I'm hoping that their own kids will keep the place going for another generation. Pros: Food, service, ambience Cons: Only if you're a vegetarian more

the atmosphere is romantic and old school feeling. the fillet mignon is AMAZING as well as the lobster tail! we went there with a larger group and the service was still amazing even though our waitress till had other tables. i will def. go here again. after we went to the bar and watched some hilarious and amusing karaoke. the bar tenders were very nice and new their drinks! Pros: food, service, ambiance, parking, drinks Cons: pretty busy around dinner time more

The first time that I ate at Mancini's Char House was with my boyfriend for my 17th Birthday. Needless to say, it was the best steak that I had at a restuarant. Now, whenever we visit Minnesota we always make sure that we include a trip to Mancini's Char House. Good thing that our families love the place as well, since then they don't mind coming with us for a fun night out. It is always nice to see the owners walking around making sure that everyone is happy and that their meal was how it was ordered. If not, they always make sure to see to it that you get a new steak cooked as ordered. Most people wait until they have finished their meal to complain - however it is best to say something as soon as their is a problem. The steaks have always been excellent. The service has always been excellent. Many of the same ""locals"" still frequent the restuarant and several of the customers have been coming to Mancini's much longer than I have. Now our children even look forward to our night at Mancini's for great food when we are visiting family in Minnesota and creating new memories. I sure wish that we had a restaurant in Pittsburgh like Mancini's. We only have the basic chains and they are always the same no matter which location you go to. Pros: Best Steak House more

When you walk in the door you feel like you have just stepped back in time. Red leather seats, gold trim, music from Sammy, Frank and Dean. It is always fun to have a martini or manhattan at the bar, whale waiting for your table. The people watching is classic. The relish tray and great breads start you off. Your not charged extra for more so go ahead and ask the server. ( we once had someone ask if we were going to finish ours) You sit close to the other patrons, but it is nice. We have often had conversations with other diners. The steak is more expensive than the grocery store, but they cook it and clean up after you too. I always get the strip. I live the beefy flavor my hubby gets the fillet. The portions are huge and most of it comes home for steak hash the next day. The servers treat you like family. This is a great place when you in the mood. Pros: The experience Cons: Wine list more

Their steaks are supposedly the best, but seems average compared to homemade steaks. Minimum price for a steak is $20, which is definately not worth it. Host and server was polite and we waited maybe five minutes to be seated, you'll definately need a reservation because it was pretty much crowded in the restaurant. Steak and potatoe was mediocre. You'll probably get the same service, same food, but cheaper if you went to your local perkins. Also, not much variety on their menu. Pros: Great service/polite waiter Cons: Too pricey more

My husband and I dined at this restaurant several years ago, with our son who was 12 at the time. more

Let me begin by saying I frequent this restaurant. This place is an expierience. I think some of you bad reviewers just didn't know what to expect. This place is like a trip back in time to the glory days of the GMen. Pros: Great Steaks in a Gangster Atmosphere! Cons: I really dont have any. more

My husband and I had heard a number of glowing reviews of Mancini's, so we were excited to try it on a special night out. Upon walking in, we were amused by the kitschy-ness of the setting... dim with large leather booths. We were seated relatively quickly (no reservations for groups under 6) and helped ourselves to some tasty pickled treats at our table. We received some reasonably tasty bread once we ordered from the limited menu. However, when we received our dinner, we were disappointed. The salads were boring-- just iceberg lettuce with a couple slices of bland tomatoes and dressing on the side. We both ordered New York Strips-- my husband's rare steak come out med-rare, and my med-rare steak came out well done (if you only serve steaks, you really should be able to get this right!) There was no marinate or seasoning on these steaks to speak of. We also both asked for fries with our steak -- we received wide cut, unsalted, oven-baked fries-- we could have had the same quality if we picked up some Ore-Ida fries from the local Cub. Service was pleasant, but not attentive. The atmosphere was not at all romantic-- the restaurant was mostly populated with older patrons (50+) who thought it was appropriate to gab on their cell phones at the dinner table. This place might be ok for a cheap steak and nostalgic atmosphere, but it does not compare to high-quality steak houses like Manny's or Ruth's Chris -- their steak was about on-par with something you'd get at Baker's Square. Pros: Old-school ambience, free parking, reasonable prices Cons: Bland food, overdone steaks, average service, casual atmosphere more

I went to Mancini's with a couple of friends. We wanted to watch the Vikings game and eat at the same time, but there were no televisions in the main seating area (which is understandable). The owners son let us sit in the lounge and had the waitress serve us our dinner there. They went out of their way to make us happy and feel comfortable. The waitress checked on us frequently, even though the lounge was way out of her way and out of her section to serve food. My friend's steak wasn't done the way she wanted it, but they were more than happy to fix it the way she wanted it. I had the lobster and it was delicious!! The food is great, and the service is even better. The atmosphere in Mancini's is very unique and very inviting. I would recommend Mancini's to any one. Pros: Service, parking, lobster Cons: salad more

I have been going to Mancini's Char House since I was young, and the food has consistantly been great. The restaurant also boosts wonderful customer service and drinks! Highly recommended! Pros: Food, Service Cons: Parking lot is around the back more

This was my first time dining at this restaurant. My grandparent's anniversary! They love the place! I love the decor! The waitress was plesant but only came to take our order and to bring a check... the table had to go to the bar on their own to get another drink. The food... wow... can't believe it's a steakhouse with how bad the steak was. I had the filet, it was done perfectly though it tasted like liver, as did my husband's and brother's. My husband also had the lobster tail with it... you had to cut it with a steak knife because it was so tough and it was only about 4"" long. I am assuming we were there on an off night because others rave about it and my grandparents had the filet and loved it. I was disappointed with the price for the quality of food. more

I recently dined for the first time at Mancini's last night. I see what many people here are saying about the food. It's not fancy stuff. But that's part of the style. It's a Rat-pack-era steak house and lounge. It's now smoke free. Every bit of service we received was impeccable. I've never received a round of 4 drinks faster, anywhere, in my life. Everyone was friendly and competent. The manager came around and chatted for a while. The salads are pre-made and of iceberg lettuce, but the steaks were great, potatoes fluffy and soft, TONS of bread with tasty grill marks, a free little relish tray at every table. It is a bit pricey, and not fancy, but it's the best all-around service I've gotten in the twin cities in a LONG LONG time. Plenty of parking! Pros: great service, fun place, non-smoking more