The Twin Cities have a lot of great Italian restaurants, from Japanese-Italian spots in the North Loop to wine bars with extensive, region-by-region wine lists in south Minneapolis. But the true heart of the Cities’ Italian cuisine lies in St. Paul, where Italian immigrants built a thriving Little Italy on the Upper Levee in the early 19th century. Flooding forced families out of the area in the 1950s, but many long-held family businesses and restaurants still persist today. Here’s where to find a plate of meatballs drowned in tangy marinara, a hearty slice of lasagna, or a thin-crust pizza topped with a bubbly blanket of mozzarella.
Note that these restaurants are listed geographically.
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