Thrifty Hipster

The Happy Gnome is great for beer drinkers or hard liquor drinkers (like myself). The prices are very reasonable, the drinks are well made, and I've never had anything but great service. The food is a little highbrow, but there are some good standard items on the menu as well. It's a great place to go if you're looking for more class and sophistication than the average St. Paul pub. It draws more of a 30's+ crowd, but being in my mid-20's, I think it's great for a mellow night out when my friends and I just want to get dressed up, have a good drink, and avoid jocks/skanks/ghetto trash...

-- Leather&Lace gave this bar a 4 out of 5 at 12:30 02.26.10

Let me start this by saying I don't give out even 3 star ratings very often, so when I give a place a 4 star, it's because the place is something special in my book. Here's the deal with the Gnome: - Location / Atmosphere - Pretty good, but IMO it tends to be a bit crowded. This was probably the main thing that kept me from giving the Gnome 5 stars. I think they should scale back on the number of walk-ins they allow and focus on those who bother to make reservations. Even though we had reservations (for 2) it took 15 minutes to be seated and then we had to be asked to be moved as the MD placed us right next to a table that was being set for a group of 16 even though there were plenty of other tables in the upstairs. This is the kind of think-on-your feet service that I'm constantly harping about. Don't seat a couple that's out for their anniversary next to a group of 16 if you have other choices. Think! As with most St. Paul restaurants, parking in their lot is limited. Get over it suburbanites! Parking on the street and walking a block won't kill you unless you whine yourself to death. Beer and Wine - Top flight beer list. Since I've been to the Gnome only about 6 times, I don't really feel I'm qualified to comment beyond saying that the 10 or so beers that I've tried thus far, both tap and bottle, have been in fine condition and well served. The wine list is above average so if we translate that to Minnesotan what I mean is "damn good". Better yet, it's not overpriced although some wines were on the high end of what other places are charging. Food - Now we get to the good stuff. This place is being run by a chef who's using his head! Last visit I had bison short ribs and they were awesome. A fantastic dish, seasonal ingredients, and well prepared and presented. My companion's tuna dish was also perfect and that's saying something. Far too often I've had improperly cooked tuna, either over or under done. This was perfect. Overall a very good choice in St. Paul. Good beers and wines, good food, and decent service. Waitstaff, watch the details and management don't let walk-ins overwhelm the staff and give a sub-par experience to guests who have reserved. Well done, Gnome!

-- The Famous Grouse gave this bar a 4 out of 5 at 15:38 01.04.10

Wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be after reading reviews. Went with a large group (10) for a birthday. Drinks were good; had a fantastic chocolate martini! Food wasn't as good as I expected. Probably would try one more time though since many people rave about it. Could have had a bad night.

-- Jessica gave this bar a 3 out of 5 at 18:16 07.31.09

Amazing selection of all drinks: beer, wine & cocktails. Amazing selection of food: Dinner menu, bar menu, and small plates menu (wide price variety!) Amazing decor: Bar, dining, party rooms, and patio. All gorgeous. This place has it all. And it's never the same experience twice. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

-- ReaMR gave this bar a 5 out of 5 at 15:08 05.19.09

The good: nice space, great outdoor patio area, tons of beer selections, decent food, lack of frat boys The bad: Getting a flat/contaminated tap beer is common Overall not a bad place to hang out.

-- Jake gave this bar a 4 out of 5 at 00:25 04.09.09