Prima Pasta/Salads/Panini

54th & Lyndale Avenue. This is my favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities. The produce is amazing. Great use of local fresh when it is in season. Watch for fresh roasted vegetables in the pastas. I'm not sure what they do to them but they are very good. Perfect salads. Excellent dressings and fresh seasoning (what is that oregano blend in the mediteranian salad??) Handmade egg ribbon pasta is very good. Anything with the wild mushrooms is great. If they would cook for me everyday I could go vegetarian, but maybe not as the chicken & shrimp are very nice too. Excellent food and service. The servers and owners are friendly and accommodating. Don't hesitate to dine alone here. Professional yet cozy atmosphere and interesting people watching too. Ask for Audra, Ruby or Jen. more

An amazing find. Prima is not loud or trendy, it is simply good. The butternut squash ravioli with pear and pine nuts is pitch perfect. The caprese had amazing mozarella. Our waitress was friendly, accomodating and quick with sating our appetite for still more bread! The wine list is great, by my estimation. This is the restaurant where you go to unwind, have amazing food and wear pretty much whatever you want. Can't wait to return and try something else. more

Whether you are heading there for lunch in the middle of the week or spending your anniversary there, it is fantastic. I have trouble getting anything but the pasta with clams in wine sauce because it is just that good! Pros: Great food in an unexpected location Cons: often busy...but that's to be expected anywhere more

My friend and I stumble upon the restaurant--what a lucky find. The food was wonderful--butternut squash pasta with pears and pinenuts was amazing; roasted beet salad was terrific and the calamari was light and flavorful--not greasy and rubbery Pros: Informal and fun neigborhood restaurant Cons: loud more

Nothing special about the food. The fusili polo really had no flavor. The roasted beet salad was only canned pickeled beets. Al Vento is much better for the same price. Service was good though. Once was enough for me. Pros: good service, good parking Cons: food lacked flavor more

My husband and I eat at Prima on occassion because we love their food. We were there again the other night and decided to try the crab artichoke dip. We didn't care for it. When the waiter asked about it we commented on the overpowering lemon taste to it. Within seconds his manager was over recommending another appetizer. She took away the dip and within minutes we had the roasted garlic in front of us. That was great! We were so impressed with the service. Our entrees were great too. more

Prima's looks pretty unassuming from the street outside, but once you're inside it's a quaint, cozy little place. There is a large bar and a few tables--even on a Wednesday night the place was busy. There isn't an extensive wine menu, but we got a great bottle of red for $20. We started with the crab artichoke dip, which was just ok. For dinner I had a goat cheese/red pepper ravioli with pancetta, which was a little salty (prob the pancetta), but it was still so good, perfectly al dente, and fresh that I finished it. Salmon was also good. And some of my friends got a rotini con pollo that they substitued for angel hair--they loved it. I would recommend this place for a lunch or dinner before a movie. It's not fancy, it's not the best italian you'll ever have, but the service was great, has good price points, and a menu with a lot of variety. Pros: Helpful service, yummy everyday italian food Cons: Tough to find parking spots, not for very large groups more

We made a 7 pm Friday reservation and were seated within 5 minutes. I think it helped we were a party of 2. The dining room was crowded & noisy but we could carry on a conversation without raising our voices. Our server was prompt & friendly but too way too wordy. She indicated they had a red (nondsicript) wine on ""special"" that we ordered. Unfortunately, I neglected to ask the cost. The Mediterranean salad we shared was wonderful. Our meals were hot, fantastic and huge! (one entree shared would have been more than adaquate for us) It was a shame to waste all that food but we were staying a a local hotel and couldn't take a doggie bag. The red wine, as I said, was OK but definately not ""special"" until I got the final bill for $10 per half full glass. Shame on me for not asking. If I pay $10 or more a glass I expect a nice wine not one out of a carton, which is what this red tasted like. We probably will go back but I don't think I will be interested in any of the servers chatter about ""specials"" because they seem to be cheap and overpriced. We don't get into Town often for a night out and $40 for drinks isn't a big deal but it really irks me that I was ""taken"" by Prima's zeal to increase profits. As I said the food was fantastic, maybe they should re-think this marketing strategy. Pros: ample parking was available Cons: too expensive wine more

This is a great neighborhood Italian restaurant. We always bring people from out of town here - quite a surprise for a restauarant in a strip shopping center. It gets quite busy on the weekends, but the staff is always lovely. I have dreams about the chicken risotto, and many of the pastas are excellent as well. more

Very simply the food was good but not great. The service was wonderful and the setting is a very nice homey italian feel. The only strange thing is that they don't have a cappuccino machine. Recommended, but not top of the heap. more

I have driven past this restaurant many times, but had never stopped. It is pretty un-assuming from the sidewalk, but once you walk inside, it is a very nice Italian bistro. The decor is nice, and the service was pretty good. The restuarant is small, but set up in a way where you do not feel as if you are part of the table next to you. I had the grilled salmon, which was wonderful. Everyone at our table really enjoyed their meal, a variety of different pastas with chicken or shrimp. I plan to go back and recommend this to others. One complaint is that they do not serve espressso, and it would have gone perfect with the creme brule. Pros: Food, Service, Call Ahead available Cons: No Espresso more

Wow, on my second visit I was even more impressed. Four hungy guys got plenty to eat for $82, not including tip, but including a few glasses of house white wine. Fast food prep and hot very tasty entrees, so many good things on the menu I couldn't decide. A little noisy and tight with the kitchen in full view but the food more than makes up for it. Even if you are in town on business and dining alone there are pleny of seats ""counter"" style and you'll blend right in. Call ahead seating works great too. Pros: Great Pasta, Perfect Italian, Big Portions Cons: a bit noisy more

I went to this place last night with 3 other people. We ordered three appetizers and all of us got entrees - all of the food was terrific! We each tried each others meal and everyone's was very good, and now I can't wait to go back and try something else. The bill.....three appetizers, four entrees, bottle of wine, and three beers - only $115 w/out tip! And I had almost half my entree left over for dinner tonight. I haven't found many Minneapolis restaurants where you are actually filled up and have food left over for a great price. This is definitely going to be a new favorite spot to dine. I highly recommend trying this place if you are thinking about it. Pros: great food, good service price more

A great spot in the neighborhood that guarantees something tantalizing for the tastebuds every time we visit. Take advantage of any salmon special they have ... even though everthing else on the menu is great. Call ahead to ensure quick seating. The tables are a bit tight, but the food makes up for everything. Pros: Diverse Menu, Neighborhood Location more

Get there early as this place fills up fast! The food is innovative & reasonably priced. Not your traditional Italian fare, but not too outrageous either. Wonderful atmosphere to go along with the great food! more

Overall - very good. Entrees were in the $9-$17 range. The Fusilli with Italian Sausage was excellent. They serve a very nice dipping oil, but you have to ask for it - a bit strange I thought. Good calamari. A small wine list, but not too expensive. Good service, small seating area, some patio tables, so-so ambiance. Nice paintings on the wall, but lunch counter seating (seating for about 10 if you do not want to wait for a real table) took away from the overall mood. Overall a good value. One of the better Italian restaurants in town. Pros: food, service Cons: ambiance, wine more