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i Nonni

Editor's Choice
$$$ | Italian

The best Italian restaurant in the Twin Cities is in this Lilydale subdivision. The owners regularly perform magic with homemade salumi (his guanciale is awesome), phenomenally authentic pastas, superb first courses such as beef carpaccio or calamari fritti, and the best osso buco around. There's an extraordinary Italian wine list as well.

  • No Smoking
  • Kid-friendly
  • Outdoor dining
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • D M - Sa
Make Reservations
981 Sibley Memorial Hwy.
Lilydale, Minnesota 55118
Phone: 651-905-1081
82.7
out of 100
0.0
out of 10
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WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

Critics' Rating

100 = Perfect
90 = Excellent
80 = Very Good
70 = Good, but Flawed
60 = High Average
50 = Average
40 = Low Average
30 = Disappointing
20 = Nearly Without Merit
10 = Poor
00 = Worthless
83
Minnesota Monthly | Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
04/09
The bar was packed with people ordering from an affordable tasting menu (when I visited, it was $35 for three courses, though the price changes weekly) and every corner of the main room seemed to host a big group howling with laughter. I haven't seen that many obviously happy people in years. It was a joy.
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81
Renee & Steve
03/19/05
We started with the calamari which was melt in your mouth calamari, not rubbery as it sometimes can be. The gnocchi was very good, it was nice and light and sauce, while not stellar, was very good.
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80
MSPFoodies.com
07/27/08
It's not the Mecca for cutting-edge inventive cuisine; that's not what their mantra is. It more like "use the freshest and best quality ingredients and create well-prepared home-style dishes".
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BUZZ

City Pages
Best Of: Best Italian
2008
The veal shank osso bucco at I Nonni is the sort of dish that lingers in your memory...the tenderness of the braised meat, the rich, buttery marrow you scooped from the bone with a tiny spoon. It's one of those meals that makes it difficult to order anything else on the menu.
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