Zeno Cafe

Zeno is a coffee shop/cafe/bakery/wine bar in uptown Minneapolis. It is trendy as all get up, so a great place to possibly meet someone, for the single folk. Aside from the great decor and trendiness, it really does have excellent food. The food is very interesting, not boring. They have good sandwiches and a wonderful breakfast as well. Or, just have one of their fabulous desserts and a glass of wine or coffee drink. The selection is so vast you will never get bored here! more

Zeno has a great location for the Uptown theater crowd. The combination of that, their amazing wine selection and towering, rich desserts makes for a packed house every time. The food at Zeno is Nouveau Pub, with fun appetizer selections, including brick oven pizzas. But the real standout at Zeno, is their desserts. The white chocolate rasberry mousse cake towers almost a foot high, and is lush, rich and cavity enducingly sweet. They also have a caramel/turtle dessert that was out of this world. Because of the richness of their sweets, I would recommend sharing. Also worth noting at Zeno is their wine selection with a balanced blend of California & Australian red's. The Conundrum White is my absolute favorite white they offer, and at $45 a bottle is worth getting the bottle over a glass (at I think around $15). Zeno is a fun, trendy spot to enjoy something lively after touring Uptown or hitting the theater, and should not be missed. more

Perhaps the greatest surprise with Zeno was the poor quality of its coffee drinks. Repeatedly, I have made the error of ordering the Breve Latte only to find it less than full-bodied, tepid in temperature and slightly burnt adding up to an unpleasant mouthful. I have not tried their French-press pots or Jamaican Blue mountain brews and they could be more satisfying but their espresso shots are not getting the right grind and pack in their portafillter. Zeno chocolate desserts are so powerful they make your teeth hurt. Smoked Salmon Frittata and Roasted Rosemary potatoes were a nice combination for brunch. Bakery items and bagles were good but nothing to write home to Mom about. All-in-all Zeno lacked the extraordinary punch or hidden surprises that you'd expect. Did I miss something? more

This place was so classy! All of their desserts were so PRETTY. The service was fabulous and the place was very nice and well kept. The desserts were so tasty and the espresso drinks were to die for. There seemed to be a little bit of something for everyone. It's a little pricey but if dessert is all you're looking for this is the perfect place. more