Estelle - Restaurant in St Paul - 1806 St Clair Ave, USA

Just overall lovely experience. Service was friendly, attentive, informative, engaging from host to server to busser to chef. The menu is small so we probably ordered 50% of it...all were unique, delicious and photo-worthy (as with the cocktails). And the vibe... ❤️ We had a late reservation and were there as they were prepping to close but it was an open, fun vibe (vs 'no worries, were patiently waiting for YOU so we can get out of here' 🙄). They put on Abba and danced around while finishing up. 🕺💃 Also, love the little bar on the other side of the wall!

Almost everything was, unfortunately, way too salty, ranging from the tapas to the rigatoni, which was the only main course my friends and I have ordered. I was hoping to have an experience that reflected majority of the reviews but unfortunately I wasn't able to receive such just based on the food taste alone. I must say that the service was amazing and the atmosphere was everything I could ask for when I wanted to have a good time with my friends. My constructive feedback is related to food only. The chicken liver mousse had a nice mixture of flavors combining sweet and savory tastes into one when I started spreading the pepper jelly, the mousse, and the mustard on top of the focaccia, which tasted very nice. That was probably my favorite dish out of everything I had tasted. For the bacalao, I could not tell that it was salt cod in the potato fritters mixture. When dipping it into the tartar sauce, I could not tell that this was a form of tapas and I wasn't sure if the sauce elevated the flavor or moved the flavor to a more "typical" direction of just "fish and tartar sauce" which to me is one of the most basic ways of eating fish products. I think changing a sauce might be able to showcase the bacalao's unique identity, or even consider changing the way it's cooked without deep frying. The shrimp was overcooked and too salty in the shrimp al ajillo tapas, and even the garlic butter sauce couldn't neutralize the salty taste. But together with the baguette it became a little bit better. I think reducing the salt level would help, along with being more vigilant on how the shrimp tail got easily overcooked while the rest of the shrimp was more or less okay. The rigatoni was also very salty, and the flavors from different ingredients, ranging from the fennel sausage to the roasted red pepper, didn't completely mesh with the pasta's flavor profile. One bite of a piece of rigatoni, one would still get the pasta and cheese flavor without much flavor from the other ingredients. The pasta was freshly made and the basil on top was surely a nice touch, though. Overall I would highly recommend decreasing the salt level on everything as there was a lot of it. The pasteis de nata was pretty good. However, honestly it tasted more like a tiny piece of sweet potato pie, as the egg mixture in the egg tart really lost its egg taste and had a good amount of sweet potato taste. It could be the cinnamon that did the work. The churros were pretty good, and tasted like the standard churros I have had everywhere else. While I am definitely that happy that other customers enjoy the food from Estelle, I found it underwhelming, unfortunately, and I felt like maybe ordering more dishes from the plates section would help, but since it is so hard to find a place in the Twin Cities that had emphasis on Spanish and Portuguese flavors, I would love to see more of that incorporated rather than Italian, or American like a cheeseburger. With all that said, I will still say that this is a solid place for a date night due to service and atmosphere! It is also located in a very nice and cozy neighborhood.

When you walk out of a restaurant and all you think about is you should have asked for a spoon or spatula to get the last bit of sauce out of the bowl, you know it's good! I had the rigatoni which had some heat, but it was more flavorful than hot. I'm not sure what's in their sauce but it is amazing! Would highly recommend. I sat at the chefs counter, which was fun to watch things come together and hear the professional banter. Also service was fantastic! The warm "Thank you" churro that almost melts in your mouth tops off the experience. Usually I'm not a fan of service charges, but with affordably priced entrees and amazing food and service, they create an experience that justifies the charge and more.

This place was such a vibe! We were seated outside on the patio which had the lights and flowers and was decorated so nicely! (I did hate the fly’s but 🤷🏾‍♀️)….our server was super friendly and prompt always refilling water and giving recommendations and bringing our items on time. I got the rigatoni which was fantastic 🤌🏾🤌🏾. My drinks were so good as were my appetizers! The Churros are literal heaven and a must try! 🤤 Planning on visiting again!

If I lived in this part of St. Paul, Estelle would 100% be my fun go to date or girl's night out spot. It's intimate, but not so small that you might not be able to get a walk in spot -- still, I recommend reservations. We started with the Shrimp Al Ajillo. 100% order this. It was a great sharing portion. I believe we each had four shrimp. The sauce was super yummy. I would get this again in a heartbeat. For our entrees, we split two pastas: the Rigatoni (a WINNER) and the Mezzaluna (sadly just way too salty). Both were very generous portions. For dessert, we had the Pasteis De Nata (the best one I've had in the states, but still not like the ones I had in Lisbon), the Star Bar Ice Cream (if you like toffee this is an absolute must), and two little complimentary churros that were really yummy. But the real star of the show to me was the cocktails! We absolutely loved the Photo Finish (grapefruit foam?? are you kidding me!) and Cold in the Summa Time (the perfect tropical mezcal drink). I also got Return of the Mac Old Fashioned which was wonderful but obviously very strong, haha. Service: Wonderful. No complaints! 20% tipping is included but you can tip more, we did and would encourage the same! Parking: Street Parking

Came to Estelle’s tonight for a birthday dinner. BEST BIRTHDAY DINNER, I’ve ever had. Italian, Spanish and Portuguese flavors to all dishes. Flavors I’ve never had before so it was great to try something new. Will definitely come here again and again.

We had a wonderful time at Estelle. The service was excellent, and everyone was super helpful providing recommendations for standout dishes. We went with Patatas Bravas, Shrimp Al Aljillo, Rigatoni, and Roasted Piri Piri Chicken. Plus we got churros on the house at the end of our meal! All the dishes were fantastic but if I had to pick two, I’d go with the Patatas Bravas and the Piri Piri Chicken. The overall ambiance at Estelle was top notch as well. The open kitchen makes for a fun experience as you can watch the food being prepared.

Estelle is a little gem! Intimate atmosphere, delicious food, and lovely staff! It is pricey, but very worth it for a special occasion. Each and every dish we had was spectacular!