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A plate of spaghetti with red sauce on a white table mat.
DeGidio’s, on West Seventh Street.
DeGidio’s

9 Classic Italian Red-Sauce Restaurants in the Twin Cities

Where to find old-school spaghetti and meatballs, stromboli, and handmade tortellini

by Justine Jones and Eater Staff Updated
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DeGidio’s, on West Seventh Street.
| DeGidio’s
by Justine Jones and Eater Staff Updated

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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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Broders' Cucina Italiana

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This restaurant and deli — the first of the Broder family’s slate of Italian restaurants, which now includes Broders’ Pasta Bar and Terzo — first opened in 1982. Grab a loaf of house-baked focaccia and an Italian meatball sub from the takeout counter, or come for a sit-down meal of fettuccine bolognese. Broder’s is a great spot for a date night.

2308 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 925-3113
(612) 925-3113
The exterior of Broders’ Cucina Italiana: A black awning with white writing and a brick storefront with windows, against a blue sky.
Broders’ first opened in 1982.
Justine Jones

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Jakeeno's Pizza & Pasta

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The Jakeeno family has been in the sauce business since 1975 — it’s so good that the restaurant sells it by the jar. Jakeeno’s other trademark is the crusty, gooey layer of broiled cheese that blankets most of the dishes, from the the thin-crust pizza to the lasagna, and even the fluffy, golden slices of bread.

3555 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407
(612) 825-6827
(612) 825-6827
The exterior of a restaurant with a sign that says Jakeeno’s and a green and white-striped awning.
Jakeeno’s on Chicago Avenue.
Jakeeno’s

Carmelo's Spaghetti Room

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Carmelo’s, packed with cozy booths, is a great neighborhood spot for celebrations of all kinds. Share a plate of bruschetta caprese before tucking into the house-made cacio e pepe or sausage ravioli. It’s often packed on the weekend, so a reservation may be a wise move.

238 So, 238 Snelling Ave S, St Paul, MN 55105
(651) 699-2448
(651) 699-2448

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Mucci’s Italian

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Mucci’s is a youngster, compared to other restaurants on this map, but its menu of Italian comfort foods is cooked and served straight from the heart. Try the lasagna (or as it’s billed on the menu: layers of love) and keep an eye on Instagram for pasta specials. Mucci’s late-night doughscuits are also very popular.

786 Randolph Ave, St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 330-2245
(651) 330-2245
A piece of lasagna on a white plate.
Mucci’s is a St. Paul favorite.
Mucci’s

DeGidio's Restaurant & Bar

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DeGidio’s, a mainstay of St. Paul’s West Seventh neighborhood, is the legacy of Joe “Kid Bullets” DeGidio, a prolific bootlegger of the 1920s and ’30s. Once a favorite haunt of notable gangsters, these days, the restaurant is a go-to for classic Italian fare like tortellini bolognese made with Italian sausage and a plum tomato sauce. It’s still owned and run by Kid Bullets’ grandchildren.

425 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 291-7105
(651) 291-7105
A cozy dining room with booths filled with people. This photo was taken last year.
DeGidio’s on West Seventh Street.
DeGidio’s

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Cossetta

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Cossetta has grown tremendously since its early days as a small Italian grocery store — over the past century, it’s added a full-service restaurant and bar, a pizza counter, a pasticceria, and a tavern. There’s something magical about Cossetta’s combination of mostaccioli, tangy red sauce, and ricotta. Fill up a bag of sweet venchi, canoli, and macarons to go.

211 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 222-3476
(651) 222-3476

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Mama's Pizza

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Mama’s Pizza, best known for the old-school, thin-crust pizza it’s served since 1964, also offers classic Italian red sauce dishes like ravioli and meatball marinara. For maximal mozzarella, try the cheese Diego, and stick around for the free miniature soft-serve cone at the end of the meal.

961 Rice St, St Paul, MN 55117
(651) 489-2005
(651) 489-2005

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Yarusso Bros Italian Restaurant

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This cozy Italian spot has been an Eastside mainstay since 1933, when Francesco Yarusso, an Italian immigrant from a village just south of Rome, opened his Payne Avenue tavern. (He’s credited with putting in St. Paul’s first bocce alleys, too.) Little on the menu has changed in the past century — the baseball-sized meatballs always come with plenty of sauce and a hearty layer of mozzarella.

635 Payne Ave, St Paul, MN 55130
(651) 776-4848
(651) 776-4848

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Little Oven

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A breakfast spot, pizza place, and red sauce restaurant all rolled into one, Little Oven is a red-sauce classic on St. Paul’s far East Side. Try the Pavarotti sandwich, heaped with ground beef and Italian sausage patties, pepperoni, and mozzarella, then doused in a tangy marinara.

1786 Minnehaha Ave E, St Paul, MN 55119
(651) 735-4944
(651) 735-4944
A white dish of spaghetti and red sauce.
Spaghetti from Little Oven.
Little Oven

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Broders' Cucina Italiana

2308 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55410

This restaurant and deli — the first of the Broder family’s slate of Italian restaurants, which now includes Broders’ Pasta Bar and Terzo — first opened in 1982. Grab a loaf of house-baked focaccia and an Italian meatball sub from the takeout counter, or come for a sit-down meal of fettuccine bolognese. Broder’s is a great spot for a date night.

2308 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 925-3113
(612) 925-3113
The exterior of Broders’ Cucina Italiana: A black awning with white writing and a brick storefront with windows, against a blue sky.
Broders’ first opened in 1982.
Justine Jones

Jakeeno's Pizza & Pasta

3555 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407

The Jakeeno family has been in the sauce business since 1975 — it’s so good that the restaurant sells it by the jar. Jakeeno’s other trademark is the crusty, gooey layer of broiled cheese that blankets most of the dishes, from the the thin-crust pizza to the lasagna, and even the fluffy, golden slices of bread.

3555 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407
(612) 825-6827
(612) 825-6827
The exterior of a restaurant with a sign that says Jakeeno’s and a green and white-striped awning.
Jakeeno’s on Chicago Avenue.
Jakeeno’s

Carmelo's Spaghetti Room

238 So, 238 Snelling Ave S, St Paul, MN 55105

Carmelo’s, packed with cozy booths, is a great neighborhood spot for celebrations of all kinds. Share a plate of bruschetta caprese before tucking into the house-made cacio e pepe or sausage ravioli. It’s often packed on the weekend, so a reservation may be a wise move.

238 So, 238 Snelling Ave S, St Paul, MN 55105
(651) 699-2448
(651) 699-2448

Mucci’s Italian

786 Randolph Ave, St Paul, MN 55102

Mucci’s is a youngster, compared to other restaurants on this map, but its menu of Italian comfort foods is cooked and served straight from the heart. Try the lasagna (or as it’s billed on the menu: layers of love) and keep an eye on Instagram for pasta specials. Mucci’s late-night doughscuits are also very popular.

786 Randolph Ave, St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 330-2245
(651) 330-2245
A piece of lasagna on a white plate.
Mucci’s is a St. Paul favorite.
Mucci’s

DeGidio's Restaurant & Bar

425 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102

DeGidio’s, a mainstay of St. Paul’s West Seventh neighborhood, is the legacy of Joe “Kid Bullets” DeGidio, a prolific bootlegger of the 1920s and ’30s. Once a favorite haunt of notable gangsters, these days, the restaurant is a go-to for classic Italian fare like tortellini bolognese made with Italian sausage and a plum tomato sauce. It’s still owned and run by Kid Bullets’ grandchildren.

425 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 291-7105
(651) 291-7105
A cozy dining room with booths filled with people. This photo was taken last year.
DeGidio’s on West Seventh Street.
DeGidio’s

Cossetta

211 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102

Cossetta has grown tremendously since its early days as a small Italian grocery store — over the past century, it’s added a full-service restaurant and bar, a pizza counter, a pasticceria, and a tavern. There’s something magical about Cossetta’s combination of mostaccioli, tangy red sauce, and ricotta. Fill up a bag of sweet venchi, canoli, and macarons to go.

211 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 222-3476
(651) 222-3476

Mama's Pizza

961 Rice St, St Paul, MN 55117

Mama’s Pizza, best known for the old-school, thin-crust pizza it’s served since 1964, also offers classic Italian red sauce dishes like ravioli and meatball marinara. For maximal mozzarella, try the cheese Diego, and stick around for the free miniature soft-serve cone at the end of the meal.

961 Rice St, St Paul, MN 55117
(651) 489-2005
(651) 489-2005

Yarusso Bros Italian Restaurant

635 Payne Ave, St Paul, MN 55130

This cozy Italian spot has been an Eastside mainstay since 1933, when Francesco Yarusso, an Italian immigrant from a village just south of Rome, opened his Payne Avenue tavern. (He’s credited with putting in St. Paul’s first bocce alleys, too.) Little on the menu has changed in the past century — the baseball-sized meatballs always come with plenty of sauce and a hearty layer of mozzarella.

635 Payne Ave, St Paul, MN 55130
(651) 776-4848
(651) 776-4848

Little Oven

1786 Minnehaha Ave E, St Paul, MN 55119

A breakfast spot, pizza place, and red sauce restaurant all rolled into one, Little Oven is a red-sauce classic on St. Paul’s far East Side. Try the Pavarotti sandwich, heaped with ground beef and Italian sausage patties, pepperoni, and mozzarella, then doused in a tangy marinara.

1786 Minnehaha Ave E, St Paul, MN 55119
(651) 735-4944
(651) 735-4944
A white dish of spaghetti and red sauce.
Spaghetti from Little Oven.
Little Oven

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