The Neighbor’s Italian Bistro

Hard to get quality service these days — Neighbor’s we always get a great server which makes those rare nights out so worth it!

We love this place and try go at least once month. The prices seem really reasonable, on the other hand, we spend a lot of time in Minneapolis, so o suppose I can see how they might seem high for Mankato.
I’ve had Caesar salads the world over and the one at the Neighbors is right there in the top two. It’s my very favorite thing at this restaurant and the $ 5 up charge for it with an entrée is an absolute steal. The bread is always great, even if the butter concoctions aren’t appealing. The chicken fettuccine Alfredo is my favorite entrée, perfect temperature, flavor, and the chicken is cooked just right.
Service is usually good, like some other reviewers, have experienced slowness, confusion or really poky food delivery. The main dining area (to the right, upon entering) consistently seems unusually loud to me. It has strange acoustics and could use some sound dampening. You hear every word of everyone else’s conversations.
All in all, this is definitely in the top 3 of what Mankato has to offer.

Whaaa.

Great ambiance, house salad with Italian dressing was really good, as was the bread served with it. I ordered the margherita flatbread for my entre and I recommend you don’t ever get it. The basil, cheese and tomatoes on it are great, but the dough they use is absolutely disgusting. It is favorless and it tastes like some cheap pillsbury dough that definitely shouldn’t be used for a pizza.

Might be the best Italian in Mankato but pretty average. Chicken tortellini turned out to be chicken on top of basic tortellini — ho hum. Was marked as a favorite house speciality too which just proves again that popular doesn’t necessarily mean good. I had a housemate squash ravioli which was ok but a bit overpriced. Wish I’d stuck with the lasagna.
We saw the crab cake appetizer go by and ordered it based on looks alone. Which turned out to be way better than the taste. Doughy and a bit fishy. A spinach salad was basic — mandarin oranges and a few strawberry slices plus very sweet citrus vinaigrette. Could have used some nuts or other crunch.
Service was a bit uneven too. Several servers seemed to be confused about who had our table and there were some off lapses. Also when I made the reservation they inquired if it was a special event which was acknowledged when we checked in but turned out there was no further special treatment.
All in all average but better than Olive Garden, so go with appropriate expectations and you won’t be disappointed

No idea where the ‘bad’ reviews ate but not here! Omg! Sat down at a table in a minute or so. Tyler was the very best waiter. Great suggestions. Get him to pour the wine. What a show! Now, the food. Risotto balls! Shrimp scampi/​linguini and baked mostaccioli. The best and I’ve travel the country a lot. May may a trip back from South Alabama beach to Mankato just to have another outstanding meal and great service.

I see mixed reviews about this place, but when I went there with my aunt & uncle, it was a great experience. We the GM as our server for the evening & he took good care of us! The food had good presentation & taste was awesome. We had two different chianti that was recommended that we just loved.

The food is delicious, probably the best Italian food in the area, but we don’t often go because even at that quality the price feels too high. A dinner for two including an appetizer, drinks, entrees, and dessert crept pretty close to a hundred bucks, for which I’d expect a finer dining experience than faux brick panels, Olive-​Garden-​quality wall art, and vinyl booth seats.
Our service has never been blatantly bad. We have waited longer that I’d expect from a fine dining restaurant for drinks or to close our check, which was vexing when we visited on a slower day, but the servers were still friendly and helpful so we didn’t hold that against them.
Overall I’d say Neighbor’s is worth a visit once or twice a year when you have some extra money burning a hole in your pocket, but if you go any more often you’re being taken for a ride. Some price adjustments, especially on their starters and small-​plate items, would make regular visits to Neighbor’s an easy choice.

What happened?! I think we may have gotten the B team last night. That risotto was sort of tasteless, my spaghetti and meatballs were swimming in red sauce and the spaghetti was cold! Are waiter was wonderful, but it just wasn’t the same experience we had when we went in there the first time.

My husband usually takes me to Neighbors for special occasions but recently I’ve been choosing other places. Neighbors has a great atmosphere and looks like everything an expensive restaurant should be but I have been disappointed with my food every time I’ve been there. It’s is pretty expensive and the food just doesn’t seem worth the price. They do have a great house dressing though, they have good desserts. Their wine selection is decent.

My husband and I have dined at Neighbor’s several times and have brought our family. This is our go-​to place when folks visit from out of town. I was shocked to see such low ratings so please let me assure you all this is a great place to eat. I will try to give an honest and balanced review based on close to 20 experiences:
FOOD: Consistently excellent — I mean that. This is not run of the mill, chain restaurant style food. Actual chefs prepare the food, the sauces are all crafted not out of a can. There are several core pasta dishes and if you love heavy cream sauces Neighbors will be like dying and going to heaven for you. I prefer lighter fare, there is less to choose from but every time I find something delicious. As a seafood lover, nightly specials of seafood have been the best I’ve eaten in my life. Most recently a trout dish almost caused me to die of food-​joy :) House salads with pour your own house made italian dressing come with fresh baked bread — perfect every time. For dessert I highly recommend the crème brûlée — amazing.
SERVICE: Simply outstanding. I’ve seen some of the same wait staff over several years, well dressed, attentive, professional. I cannot even begin to have a criticism on service. If you have to wait for a table, you are provided FREE WINE (house wine) while you wait — who can complain about that. If you plan to dine from 6 to 8pm on a Friday or Sat, recommend you make a reservation, but the waits are not overly long if you don’t.
BAR: A bit small and closed off but very cool modern vibe. Great place to have a drink while waiting for table, attentive bartenders. Amazing wine selection and I so appreciate the high quality wine glasses! Such a pleasure to drink from.
BUILDING: Upscale Italian bistro vibe — in my opinion a step above the chain (you all know which Italian chain I’m talking about) Very clean, smells great. Parking lot on the smaller side but have never NOT found a parking space.
ATMOSPHERE: Tends to be quiet, no TV’s blaring, fewer small children screaming (actually none that I’ve experienced) but not dull or dead by any means.
Why not 5 stars? Prices are a bit high, for dinner and drinks for two normally comes to about $ 100 for us so we limit Neighbor’s to special evenings, otherwise would go more often. Would like to see a larger selection of lighter non butter/​creamy sauce entrees and more seafood selections.
Overall highly recommend!

Lovely outdoor patio, unfortunately facing the sound barrier of hwy 60. Service was uneven — we were happy to have a warm server who made a great wine recommendation and was patient about explaining the menu and was attentive at first but then left us to founder when my entrée was misordered and made over. We sat for a half-​hour while my dining companion finished his very fine pork and risotto. My pasta finally came finished with burnt garlic and overcooked salmon — maybe it was prepared in a hurry but we sure had to wait. At least it was low sodium since I had to salt it a ton! We had a lovely time with each other, and others seemed to be enjoying themselves but we couldn’t recommend it based on our experience.

There was a time when The Neighbors could very easily claim the title of best restaurant in Mankato. Today, though, they will have to step up their game to catch up to the competition. Although Neighbors still boasts a great atmosphere and a comfortable décor, there often some faults in their dishes that hold them back. The core entrees are usually pretty good, but many of the complete dishes have some sort of fault with them. The last plate I ordered came with a risotto loaded with enough saffron to drop a horse. Which, could be forgiven, if their prices were a bit lower. But, it is pretty hard to throw away a large portion of a meal you’ve paid a hundred dollars for. They either have to notch up the quality to match the price, or lower the price to match the quality.
Still one of the better restaurants in the area, bur with the current competition in town, they are going to have to refine their plates a bit to maintain their status

I only go here a few times a year because of the prices. They are higher than anywhere else in town. I ate there this last Friday night and experienced service that was horrible, the waitress kept trying to take our plates before we were even finished. We had three separate bills at our table and two of us were using a coupon, they wouldn’t allow it. The food was not good at all and the prices had increased significantly since my last visit.
It is clear that they are trying to make ends meet by jacking up prices, rushing their customers out prematurely, and not honoring their specials. Considering that most of the people in Mankato are not independently wealthy, it surprises me that this goes on. Red Lobster has a much better atmosphere, food, and service. Not to mention lower prices. I will not be returning any time soon for this fiasco.

Remarkable find in Mankato, MN. I would put this restaurant up there with Gary Danko, Charlie Trotters, and Patina, as one of the best culinary experiences. Stumbled across this restaurant on a road trip, and was delighted. Fresh bread out of the oven, done to perfection with a crispy crust, and real creamery butter. The lasagna was home made, and absolutely dreamy. My guess is there was home made mozzarella, fontina, and pasta. The bolognese was a combination of beef and veal, baked to perfection in an iron skillet.
I lived in Italy, and The Neighbors experience is as close as you will get without sitting in Rome.
(The paper tablecloths are pretty standard in high end restaurants)

I’ve been to the Neighbors 3 times on various visits to Mankato. In my opinion, it has gotten better over the years. It is a great spot to get a nice sit down dinner, linger over a glass of wine, or have a yummy dessert. They have a pretty patio and excellent service. The specials are great and last time I was there I had a seafood dish that was some of the best seafood I’ve had in southern Minnesota. I’ll definitely try to make it back when I’m in town again.

Good atmosphere, burgers were a bit overdone but the apps made up for it.