Tryg's

Before I start i would like to say, disgruntled employees/former employees of restaurants should not be writing reviews trashing the ownership. I live in the lakes area and have for years and could not think of a better addition to my neighborhood than Tryg's. It brings back some social graces that have been lost to the Chino Latinos and TGI Fridays of the world for cheap drinks and terrible food. Tryg's is a truly romantic setting, with beautiful architecture and a flare that stands for everything fresh, new and contemporary. Every time I visit Tryg's I'm cordially taken care of by Sarah the bartender or one of the other newer bartenders. The people at Tryg's care about their customers and have always made me feel at home. Lastly, I don't think there is any other place in the city that has an outdoor fire pit as enjoyable and can give lasting memories as Tryg's, it is truly unique. The only other place that I have been to in recent months that compares to Tryg's is MK in Chicago, another magnificently breathtaking experience. Pros: Total Experience Cons: Fridays and Saturdays can be hard to get a seat more

I have frequented tryg's restaurant for many years now. I will never return. After many disappointing meals, the reason I returned was definitely not the food. After many observations and hearing of the treatment of employees, the reason I returned was CERTAINLY not the socially awkward and social misfit of an owner. After some disappointments the servers tried to make right, but ignored by poor management, I most certainly didn't return because of gracious management. The only reason I returned was because of the welcoming sweet and kind service of some of the servers. Unfortunately, because of the inability to appreciate his employees and complete inability to get along with other people, the owner cannot hang on to valuable employees. And the last thing I, and many other frequent guests want to do is put money in the pocket of a greedy, rude, unappreciative, spoiled brat of a ""man"". Hopefully more people will catch wind of what this family is really like and not give them a dime. Pros: good people Cons: bad ownership more

Nice casual American restaurant. Went with a group and pretty much everyone liked the food although they have terrible french fries. Nice location close to lake Calhoun. Reasonable priced, our waiter was very slow with orders/refill/bill, but nice when he did show up. Pros: Nice atmospher/decor Cons: Fries, slow service. more

I was at Tryg's in the end of March 08' with a large party and we were all very let down. The overall apperance of the restaurant was good, but every cocktail we had tasted terrible! we thought we might eventually get one that tasted alright, but never did. While sitting in the bar waiting, we got a cold shoulder felling from the cocktail waitress we had. When we sat down to eat, we had a young waiter who did not know much about the menu and had very slow service. The quickest drink we ordered at the table literally took 20 minutes to come. The waiter just kept saying they were coming, but probably just kept forgetting to get them. Our waiter never asked to take our dinner orders, so after a 25 minutes of sitting there we finally had to find him and tell him we wanted to order. Of the meals I know were ordered were several roast chicken dishes, the skirt steak, the only hamburger on the menu, the scallops and the grilled meatloaf. The only decent one was the meatloaf, but no one else liked their meals at all. The chicken was dry and tasteless, the scallops did not impress, the skirt steak had flavor, but it wasn't good, and the burger was over done and tasted like a mystery meat. However, the french fries were good, and they came with a fantastic honey mustard sauce for dipping, So if you want to pay for a decently priced meal that tastes bad just for the french fries, be my guest. I and my party will NOT EVER RETURN to Tryg's restaurant and will never recommend it to anyone. Pros: Ambience, Valet Parking Cons: Service, Food, Cocktails more

I have seen so many great reviews on trygs in print, and a mix of good to bad online reviews. Heres the real story. This place offers better value than what I have seen posted ($$ not-$$$$). The general consensus is that the place is beautiful, this is true. The food is also very good, period! Great energy! You should check it out. Pros: everything more

I went here a few nights ago for a birthday party. When we arrived we were impressed with the ambience and physical space. Once the food started arriving,we were very disappointed. I ordered the seabass dish which I quickly sent back due to an awkward taste and appearance. This was replaced by a salmon. This second dish was also subpar. A few other members of the party were also disappointed. A friend ordered a $10 scallop salad that had four small scallops and old romaine lettuce. The day after I had an upset stomach. I would never return to this restaurant and would not suggest anyone to go there. The food is horrible and not worth the price. Keep driving to the View or somewhere else in uptown. Pros: Ambience Cons: Food, service more

I was visiting MN and heard about this restaurant. We got there on a Friday night about 9:30 and were greeted immediately by the waiter. He was very nice and professional, but also a lot of fun. The live Jazz was phenomenal as well as the food. The place was very beautiful, like nothing I have ever seen before. It was a great place to go and I highly recommend it...when I go back to visit I will definetly go again! Enjoy Pros: Service, Music, Parking and Food more

We ate at Tryg's for the first time on 5/26 for dinner. We had a group of 7. We started out w/ 2 flatbreads as appetizers. We had a goat cheese one and the artichoke one. The goat cheese one was okay, but the artichoke one was superb! Everyone loved it! Everyone got something different for their main course. I tried the fish and chips at the recommendation of our waitress. The fish was bland, not good, not bad, but the chips were tasty. My husband got a strawberry salad which he really enjoyed and the daily special appetizer. The appetizer was a fish/shrimp blend w/ some kind of sauce on bruschetta. It was cold (he was expecting hot) and just so-so. My sister got the pasta of the day which was a shrimp linguini in a garlic/butter sauce. It was lacking a lot of flavor. My mom got the pecan crusted walley. It came on a bed of jasmine rice and she hated the rice, but my mother-in-law LOVED it. It was very potent w/ some kind of flavoring. The walley she said was pretty good. My dad got the fried meatloaf and the portion was very large. He said it was pretty good, but nothing spectacular. My father-in-law got the fish of the day (sorry I can't remember what it was) and said it lacked flavor as well. My mother-in-law got the mahi mahi, which I tried and thought it was very good, but she didn't care for it all too much. \r \r Overall we all agreed that the service was great and knowledgeable, the atmosphere was beautiful, but our food was just very lack luster. Most described it as bland. Nothing was terrible, but nothing was to rave about (except for the artichoke flatbread). \r \r They do have a great drink menu. We tried some mixed drinks and martinis and they were all good.\r \r The bill was $140 for 4 of us (not sure what my in laws bill was). So not too outrageous. That averages about $35 per person, but that also includes a good number of drinks.\r \r I'd suggest to try it for happy hour and get the drinks and flatbread and leave it at that. Pros: Wonderful atmosphere, wait staff Cons: Bland food more

I have been a tryg's fan since it opened. We have had average service in the past and agree that the menu has radically changed. However I would have to say that the food is consistantly better now. For great service Amy!! This is still the place to be Friday & Saturday nights. Lots of local celebrity types!!! Pros: Mature Crowd more

6 of us had dinner at Tryg's last night (Sunday, March 4). The place wasn't very full and we were seated promptly (we had a 6 PM reservation). We started with appetizers--deviled eggs and Porky's onion rings. Both were excellent (my dad and aunt, who frequented Porky's in their youth, said the rings were authentic tasting). We then moved on to salads and soups--all received the thumbs up from the group. Our main meals were served a short time later and I didn't hear any complaints. I had the double thick pork chop with apple/jicama sauce. The chop was very moist and perfectly cooked and the sauce had great flavor--the jicama added a nice crunch, but the flavor was all apple and spices. It came with a vegetable side and I chose green beans, which were prepared nicely--not too done, not too raw. We finished up with dessert--we split 3 desserts among the 6 of us--burnt creme (creme brulee), chocolate pie and caramel apple cheesecake. We are a dessert kind of family and all met with raves. My favorite was the chocolate pie--dense and rich with a great chocolate flavor. The Creme Brulee had an excellent real vanilla flavor and was very creamy. The cheesecake was appropriately rich, and excellent caramel and apple flavors, but was baked just a bit too long so the texture suffered. The service was perfect--our server had a great sense of humor and joked easily with our table. All of our courses were served at appropriate intervals, with everything hot, and never had empty water glasses or beverages. The decor is quite elegant and comfortable; we were seated in an enclosed booth which was nice and private. Our only complaint for the evening was the music was quite loud making it difficult to converse--we had to ask to have it turned down, which they did immediately. Beside that one thing, it was a very enjoyable experience and we'll be back! Pros: Great food and service Cons: Music was too loud to talk more

I went with my boyfriend last sunday to listen to the Sunday jazz I've been reading about. The music was such a nice compliment to the delicious house made bloody mary and the fantastic bananas foster french toast. Our waiter suggested that and the southwestern scramble, both are new to the menu he explained. We are so happy to find a new great spot for breakfast. Right in out neighborhood. Pros: Great ambiance, great service, live sunday jazz more

We have been going to Trygs since they opened and have tried to be 2 of their biggest fans but we give up. The service has never been great but we have always loved the look and feel of the place. The food was good at first but we have watched as it, and the size of the crowd, has gone steadily down hill. The final straw was last weekend when we took two of our friends there to show them the place. My meal (their specialty meatloaf) was inedible and my wife got sick from her chicken before we even left the restaurant. We still want to see Trygs make it but it will have to be without our dollars. Good luck. Pros: Great location, very nice inside Cons: The food, the service, the parking more

My wife and I went to Tryg's restaurant for the first time with our friends and will be back! I ordered the rotisserie chicken - It was the best chicken I've had! It was juicy and had a delicious sauce that I've never tasted before and I consider myself quite the chef. My wife had the beet salad. It was full of red and gold beets, roasted apples, candies walnuts and the perfect tasting dressing! Our friends shared the flatbread and burger, both raving about the food too! I think it is now our favorite date night spot! The restaurant is beautiful and the service was great. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a classy spot and priced just right. Pros: Free valet, live music, great happy hour, great service more

I worked in the business for 10+ years, I've never enterered such an amazingly beautiful restaurant, The bar has a hip outside firepit, fun to stoke the fire while enjoying one of the drinks off of the expansive drink menus. We came in later and we're delightfully surprised that they just started a $2 appetizer and $2 tap beer special nightly, until midnight. How awesome! now i can experience all the great food without spending over $10. The waiter was full of energy and personality making it a fun time! We will definitely be back with more friends next time. more

Oh, where do I begin. First, we get there at 7:45 for an 8:00pm reservation for seven. They tell us that our table is not ready yet (which is fine) but that they (Hostess' quote) ""Have our reservation for 8:00 and that we will be seated at 8:00 when our table is ready"". \r Well, at 8:30 (Yes, 8:30) eventhough the seven of us are standing in front of the Hostess' stand with only one update on our tables' status, they seat us. \r Then, they give us water and no menus. After another 15mins of no waitstaff stopping by, we had to ask the water guy for a menu!! He gets confused, goes to the hostess, and she is confused, then we finally see a waitress who gives us our menus..\r We order drinks which took a 40 minutes to arrive (it was 9:10 - NOT JOKING). Oh yeah, and they forgot my drink so really it was like 45 mins for everyone to get their drinks. Then, they bring out two appetizers. I guess the waitress had asked the other end of the table if they wanted apps and not our end!\r My girlfriend and I were so upset we just wanted out!! So we didn't order any food since we were not going to give this junky place anymore than we already had with our overpriced drinks. \r After the apps arrive.. I guess it's time for bread??? They gave seven people eight pieces of bread total. For as nice as this place looked, and as much as they charged for a drink ($8.00 for anything but pop), the LEAST they could do is NOT skimp on bread! \r My girlfriend and I left the party a bit earlier than everyone else and went to Friday's where we were sat, had food, and were out in 45 minutes!\r I can't strongly urge anyone enough who reads this to NOT waste your money on this place. Yes, we could gave complained the manager but really, the place wasn't even full and it took from 8:00 until 9:30 JUST to get our food!! If the manager can't tell that he had a party of seven in their restaurant for that long, then it's no wonder the staff who is below them provide the LOW level of service we received.\r more

Mixed feelings about this place. The decor is beautiful & the food is amazing (innovative dishes & good portions), & they filled our water glasses often, but other than that ,very unprofessional service. The hostess incorrectly seated other guests as part of our group & just walked away, leaving us to figure out where they were supposed to be seated. We were only given a few menus to share amongst a large group. Our drink orders took well over 1/2 an hour & our food orders arrived even later. Maybe the waitress was having a bad day, if she was, she really let it show! Pros: Beautiful ambiance, unique & traditional dishes Cons: unprofessional service more

After reading some of the reviews on here I was nervous to try Tryg's, but I was interested in trying something new. Not only was the building absolutely beautiful; the service was great and the food was amazing. I had the scallops with risotto and it was superb. It was plated beautifully and tasted great. I stole a bite of my friend's chop salad which was also excellent. Our server was very knowledgable about the menu and friendly. The bathrooms were beautiful as well. I will definately be back again. Thanks for the great meal. Pros: Service, Food, Beautiful Building more

After reading a few recent reviews I had to write in. Tryg's was our go-to restaurant for all special occasions until a few months ago...we also walked out saying - what was that!? What happened?! I did some digging and discovered that management had changed and that Philip Dorwart was no longer the head chef (February). I sent a letter to the owner voicing our disappointment over the change in menu and quality....and letting him know we would not be back - and received NO reponse! Nothing! We gave it six months.....and are wondering if Philip Dorwart is going to surface at another local restaurant!! (we hope so!!!) more

I have been to trygs several times and always enjoyed myself and been impressed with almost every aspect of the place. I went this past Friday (the eighteenth) with my girlfriend and a small group of friends and wow... something has changed for the worse. It was like it was amature night for the staff, like everyone had been thrown in the deep end without any kind of support. Have you ever been to a place and just been uncomfortable being there? It was so awkward... I can't explain it very well. The service was poor, the food took a long time and we had to send food and drinks back more than once for being incorrect. Now I am hoping that this is an isolated incident and will be back because of my prior experience... but come on. If you're trying to run a business, that sort of thing can't happen. more

What a difference from the old Nora's! Tryg's is a nice addition to the Lake Calhoun area, the ambiance is very modern and new, but still cozy. I've been a few times, once with a small group of friends, another with a large group. I would recommend for smaller groups (around 6 or so), because they have these nice round tables. Bigger groups, there is a seperate back room, which made me feel a bit clastrophobic. There is live music over by the bar, and lots of room to mingle. Food was pretty good, smallish menu, nothing very memorable. I would recommend for a girls night, date, or for drinks. Pros: Fun ambiance, easy to find parking, great location Cons: small back room for bigger groups, so-so food for the money more