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Food + Dining
Restaurant Guide

Search our guide to 1000s of Twin Cities eateries.

Key

  • B - Breakfast
  • L - Lunch
  • D - Dinner
  • Br - Brunch
  • P - Private Dining
  • - No Smoking
  • - Kid-friendly
  • - Outdoor dining
  • - Wine and beer only
  • - Late night dining
  • - No alcohol
  • - Entertainment
  • - Wheelchair accessible
  • - No credit cards
  • - No personal checks
  • - Notable
  • Editor's Choice - Our dining editors' favorites

Price categories indicate typical cost of a dinner entree for one:

  • $ - less than $10
  • $$ - $10-15
  • $$$ - $16-25
  • $$$$ - more than $25

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Citizen Café
$$ | New American

Chef-owner Michael MacKay, one-time veteran of The Sample Room, has branched out on his own. This south Minneapolis neighborhood place offers scratch-made American fare that is big on comfort. Make sure to check out the Citizen Joe, MacKay's pastry ensconced version of a sloppy joe.

  • No Smoking
  • Kid-friendly
  • Outdoor dining
  • Wine and beer only
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • No personal checks
  • Notable
  • B Tu - Sa /L Tu - Sa /D Tu - Sa /Br - Su
2403 E. 38th St.
Mpls., Minnesota 55406
Phone: 612-729-1122
82.8
out of 100
0.0
out of 10
  • Critics’ + Eaters’ Ratings »
  • Map »

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

Critics' Scoring

Scores will be assigned based on a 0-100 scale broken down as follows:

100 = Perfect
90 = Excellent
80 = Very Good
70 = Good, not Great
60 = High Average
50 = Average
40 = Low Average
30 = Disappointing
20 = Nearly Without Merit
10 = Poor
00 = Worthless
88
The Food Court
02/13/09
Citizen Café is a good place to go for good, honest, no-frills cooking in a laid-back atmosphere.
Read Full Review
88
Secrets of the City | Ann Bauer
11/26/08
Mostly, though, I love this place because I want to sit there all afternoon: start a lazy lunch at one and slide right through until four o'clock when, whoops!, it's the cocktail hour and time for wine.
Read Full Review
86
City Pages | James Norton
... have hit all the criteria of a great neighborhood restaurant, right out of the gate: reasonable prices, a simple, well-balanced menu with an emphasis on doing things in-house, and a serious dose of passion. ... the few mistakes were honest.
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82
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine | Beth Dooley
12/08
On several levels, Citizen is a real deal. ... There's nothing tricky about any of these plates, but MacKay sparks even the simplest dishes with bold flavor.
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80
StarTribune | Rick Nelson
MacKay isn't reinventing the wheel, but he's obviously cooking from scratch, and his hard work shows.
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78
Minnesota Monthly | Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
01/09
it's hard not to notice that while all the food here comes from a place of ethical, scratch-made slow-cooking, little is thrilling.
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78
TwinCitiesBreakfast.com
08/18/08
My gut reaction - pun noted - is that the portions are a bit small. But for what is being served - and for the price - it's right on.
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75
Secrets of the City | Jeremy Iggers
07/08
I had a mediocre lunch, and a very satisfying dinner.
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BUZZ

Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
Best New Restaurants
03/09
Michael MacKay is on his own, cooking honest food with honest prices.
Read Article

EATER COMMENTS + RATINGS

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