Downtowner Woodfire Grill

Their price is affordable and the ambiance is beautiful with candles and a fireplace. I was disappointed with their steak though. It came out more raw than I anticipated for a medium well done. It was more like medium rare. I had to send it back to have it cooked more thoroughly unfortunately. I detest having to ever send my food back at any restaurant for any reason because of the awkwardness of it, so I don’t plan on going back.
The only place that I had worse steak at than Downtowner WG was at Perkins (ordering steak at Perkins was a real mistake, lol).
My memory of this Downtowner Woodfire Grill St Paul restaurant: hubby and I got into an arguement about our experience there. Of all the things there are for us to be disgruntled about, it really shouldn’t be about the experience at any restaurant, which unfortunately, it was at Downtowner WG. We left there more upset and stressed than before going there. It is the only restaurant we ever disagreed on.

Great food, a little on the pricey side. The ambiance is incredible and warm. Only thing that’s lacking is the service. The waiters and waitresses seem like they don’t wanna be there and the guy at the door sighed when we walked in.
And did I read the menu wrong or do they actually charge $ 4.50 to sub a small salad for fries that come with your order?

Came in as a party of 10. Server was terrible and unhelpful, and looked cranky to be serving us. But the wine selection is nice, the steaks were good, the flatbread I had was amazing (salmon) and the prices were pretty good for a nice dinner. Parking is terrible, so come late (after 6pm) and you can stay longer at the meters on the street.

Great place to meet friends, nice Happy Hour when there’s nothing happening at Excel. The food is really good and the staff is friendly and efficient. Go there, you won’t be sorry. Yes, they do have free parking.

I have wanted to go here years, last night a very cold winter evening sounded like a great night to head to a place with a fireplace and a wood fired grill.
We started our dinner with Crab Cakes, they were a little better than the average Minnesota Crab Cakes we have experienced other places. For dinner my girlfriend had the Swordfish Kabob, she said the flavor was good but her fish was dry and overcooked (I’m sure she will write her own review) I ordered the 6oz Filet it came out and was cooked exactly as ordered, on a side note I was really impressed with the server who after I took my first bite came to ask how it was cooked. Despite it being cooked perfectly, it totally lacked flavor and seasonings and it could have been more tender seemed like cheaper cut of beef than I expected for this quality of place.
All and all I like the place I think I will go back but I will pass on ordering a steak.

This is a great restaurant with wonderful food. I ordered their sirloin and boyfriend ordered the lamb shank special. Both were superb. We also shared a bottle of wine that was recommended along with the pear and apple crisp. All the food was wonderful along with fabulous service. Even the manager checked in with us and truly asked if our food was prepared correctly… not just a flyby.
My only complaint is regarding the parking. They have multiple parking lots and were selling spots for $ 15 a car for a Wild game that evening. This meant we had to walk about 2 blocks from an overflow lot to the restaurant. Normally not an issue, but it was –10 degrees out that evening.
Even with the parking issues, we enjoyed are dinner and will most likely be back.

Never been there before had a great dinner had the new york strip. It was awesome. The buffaloe shrimp was amazing they were so big. Staff was great too.

Quality and flavor are two things lacking for the price you pay here. Much better options available.

The food was great, the atmosphere exactly what we were looking for and the service was worth coming back to enjoy again.

This is a great place for happy hour, period. Check to be sure that there are no events at the Xcel before you go, as they kill the HH prices and menu at that time.
One of the things I love about their HH is that they don’t water down their drinks or just offer fried foods to nosh while you’re hanging out with your buds. The service is always friendly and efficient, too.
If you find yourself looking for a place to hang without breaking the bank at happy hour, this is a great spot.

We had steak and lamb. The lamb was very good, the steak was fine. It was «half off bottles of wine» night which was a bonus and brought the price down near to store level. The service started out well but petered out near the end.

Great owner, they have always been gracious to groups I have come with. The Happy Hour is the best downtown and free parking!

Had the lamb chops and they were very tender. Basmati rice was on point!
3.5 stars for that.
Mussels had good broth w/​a kick, but we’re not that clean, a little too sandy for me. 2.5 stars
Service was ok, huge space, lots of prom kids that night (could be why it was a little slow)
Overall a ok!

Wonderful place with wonderful services
I always come here because of many reasons. But one of the most important reason is amazing food and friendly customer service. These make me feel so satisfied.
Kiomars Moradi
Theater Director

Went here after a long drive from St. Louis to see the Blues play the Wild. It was a day game and the Downtowner was open early. The atmosphere screams upscale when walking in but the menu prices are reasonable and the staff friendly. Aurora was awesome, she was attentive and extremely easy going. The kitchen is fast and the food was great. I had the Cajun something or other, and a few bloody Mary’s, which is probably why I can’t remember what my meal was called. Will definitely visit again if I am in town.

An upscale place, but you don’t have to dress up to fit in. Entrees are in the $ 20~30 range.
The aroma of a wood fired oven permeated the place, making me almost drool as I walked in the door. We didn’t have reservations, but they were able to seat us at a table near the front window nearly right away on a Saturday night.
I had a Caesar salad followed by grilled swordfish (curry glaze) with basmati rice and a skewer of grilled vegetables. I almost asked for soy sauce for the rice, but my patience was rewarded when I tasted the delicate buttery flavor of the rice. Hubby got a half pound Black Angus sirloin burger. Bro got a burger, too. Mom got an appetizer + side salad combo. She liked her buffalo shrimp with dipping sauces.

After a really bad experience here when it first opened, I really stayed away.
Well, we needed a place for a group dinner in DT St. Paul and this place fit the bill. We scheduled with trepidation. The contact at the Downtowner was very easy to work with and they customized the menu to fit exactly what we wanted and it worked nicely.
The night of, it was super busy with a Wild game and no parking. We were the hosts, so I was in panic mode! Too panicked to even drink until we were seated in the room, which is pretty darned panicked!
Everyone really enjoyed their food. The coordinator allowed for a couple of appetizers, a salad for each guest and a choice of 3 main courses — kabobs, pasta or a steak. It was good value for what we received.
As a note, since I was one of the people hosting and kind of a B, they were nice enough to replace my rice since it was sprinkled with a very large amount of cilantro and I’m a hater.
BTW, what’s up with that rice? It’s so darn good!
Service was swift, food was enjoyed by all and price seemed reasonable for what we needed.
We were back again before a Wild game and it was crazy busy again. We happened to walk in at the perfect time, a party of 4 had just cancelled their reservation and we were seated right away. In actually the back private room. We all ordered salads or sandwiches and burgers so the food came quickly and we all enjoyed it again.
It’s a decent place the times we’ve been there. Actually, I enjoy it much better than their burger joint across the street.

Went here for dinner with a group of six before seeing a show at the Xcel Energy Center. When I called for reservations, I asked what time I would need to sit in order to make our show. I took their advice and added an extra half hour, just to be sure (sat at 5pm for a 7:30 show). They couldn’t get all of our food to the table in time. We left before they could serve all the desserts. From the time we ordered dinner, it was about 50 minutes before the food came, and dessert took another half hour. The appetizers were the only things that hit the table in a reasonable amount of time.
All that being said: The food was VERY good. We had the bruschetta and the shrimp, calamari and veggies for apps. The calamari was cooked perfectly; not rubbery at all. The green beans and broccoli were also spot on.
I ordered a steak «black and blue» and it came out exactly as I asked: Seared on the outside, and cool and red in the middle. Others ordered steaks well done, and they came out without any pink, but still juicy and tender. Great grill work in the kitchen. Other meals included seared tuna and burgers… all done perfectly.
Surprisingly, the biggest hit on the table was the mashed potatoes with horseradish. I’ve had this countless times before, but this place NAILED it. Creamy, thick, not overpowering… absolutely perfect. Highly recommend them. The side of rice was also very well done, but it was a bit salty for me (disclaimer: I never salt my food, so some people might like it the way it is!).
The flourless chocolate cake has a strong Grand Marnier taste, so if you don’t like that orange taste with your chocolate, skip this one. Other desserts never made it to the table.
So, definitely try the place. Definitely make reservations! But plan to stay a while…

Rueben was delicious but the calamari was not worth the money. Had to sit at bar because there was a 30 wait for a table at noon on a Thursday.

Their rice continues to be some of the best I’ve had.
The food was pretty good. Everyone was satisifed with their meals.
I must say, our server I wasn’t that impressed with. Maybe it was just me, but the brisk «scolding-​esque «movements I didn’t care for. She brought out two dishes for the seafood shells. I moved it over and she moves it back like I’m a naughty two year old for pushing it over. I thought at first maybe it was just me and then she did it again when I pushed the take out box off my wrist where she had plopped it down. To me, her demeanor was just brisk and icy.
All the food was delicious!
They do validate which is good because to pay $ 15 to park for under two hours in St. Paul is just ridiculous.