St. Paul's Italian corridor runs from the East Side red sauce houses on Payne Avenue to the rooftop rooms above West Seventh. This list stays on this side of the river: the pizza counters, the checkered tablecloth institutions, and a few dressed up rooms worth the reservation.
№ 01
Mama's Pizza
St. Paul $
961 Rice St, Saint Paul, MN 55117 · +16514892005
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Mama's Pizza has run on the East Side for over four decades, and the loaded everything pizza still anchors the menu alongside a baked mostaccioli that regulars order in the large size on purpose. The red sauce is the throughline. It is a neighborhood order-ahead room, not a room to linger in, and that is the point.
What to orderPizza with everything, Mostaccioli, Flavor Explosion Pizza
№ 02
Little Oven
St. Paul $$
1786 Minnehaha Ave E, Saint Paul, MN 55119 · +16517354944
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The lasagna at Little Oven comes loaded with enough cheese that diners peel back the topping layer just to get to the noodles underneath. The garbage pizza, piled with the kitchen's full topping list, is the other order people remember years later. It is a straightforward St. Paul room built for groups and takeout.
What to ordergarbage pizza, lasagna, margherita pizza
№ 03
Red Rabbit St. Paul
St. Paul $$
788 Grand Ave, St Paul, MN 55105 · +16514445995
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Red Rabbit pairs a house salad with a salami pizza that regulars call the best thing on the menu, alongside a Bianca pizza and a plate of crispy potatoes that show up in nearly every order. The bar side of the room carries its own following, with bartenders who keep the conversation going as much as the pours.
What to orderBianca pizza, salami pizza, crispy potatoes
635 Payne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55130 · +16517764848
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Yarusso Bros has held its spot at 635 Payne Avenue with a one page menu that leans on lasagna and chicken parmigiana rather than trying to cover every regional Italian dish at once. The spaghetti carbonara rounds out the short list. It reads as an old guard East Side dining room, friendly and unhurried.
What to orderlasagna, chicken parmigiana, spaghetti carbonara
786 Randolph Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · +16513302245
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Mucci's carbonara and risotto draw the Saturday evening crowd to its patio, where groups of three or four settle in for a longer meal at prices that stay reasonable for the portions. Tiramisu closes most tables out. Vegetarian diners find enough on the menu to make it a repeat stop.
What to orderpasta carbonara, risotto, tiramisu
№ 06
La Grolla
St. Paul $$
452 Selby Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · +16512211061
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La Grolla's osso buco and risotto get called out as some of the strongest Italian cooking in the state, with tiramisu finishing the meal. The patio ranks among the prettiest in the city, and the interior holds its own with a warm, close feel built for a slower dinner.
What to orderrisotto, osso buco, tiramisu
№ 07
Carbones Pizza
St. Paul $$
1698 Randolph Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105 · +16516980721
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Carbones Pizza runs a lunch special board that keeps most plates under ten dollars, with a salad in Italian dressing that regulars order on its own. The dining room sits near St. Kate's, making it a pre-show stop, and the margherita and Italian sausage pizzas are the standard order for a quick, friendly meal.
What to orderMargarita pizza, Italian sausage pizza, salad with Italian dressing
№ 08
Eastside Pizzeria
St. Paul $
1050 Payne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55130 · +16517767499
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A fourteen inch thin crust pepperoni and mushroom pizza is the benchmark order at Eastside Pizzeria, where the crust holds up under a full topping load. The garlic and pepper pie is the other regular request. Service runs friendly and the room keeps a neighborhood feel that locals return to.
What to orderPepperoni pizza, Mushroom pizza, Garlic and pepper pizza
№ 09
due focacceria
St. Paul $$
475 Fairview Ave S, Saint Paul, MN 55105 · +16514938858
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Due Focacceria pairs a smooth matcha with a beet salad that turned one longtime passerby into a regular after a single visit. The turkey sandwich draws mixed opinions on value at fifteen dollars, but the indoor and outdoor seating both fill up on warm weekdays, patio first.
What to ordermatcha, beet salad, turkey sandwich
№ 10
John's Pizza Café
St. Paul $$
616 Como Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55103 · +16514881922
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John's Pizza Café built a following on the El Bandito and the California Dreamer, ordered together when a table splits between meat eaters and vegetarians. The Philly cheesesteak holds its own against the pizza list. It runs as a biweekly habit for regulars who call ahead for takeout.
What to orderEl Bandito, California Dreamer, Philly cheesesteak
№ 11
Louis Ristorante & Bar
St. Paul $$
211 W 7th St, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · +16512227378
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Louis Ristorante & Bar sits above Cossetta Alimentari on West Seventh, and the rooftop is the reason to book: flower pots, bar seating, and table service that runs attentive without slowing the pace. Pasta carbonara, risotto, and tiramisu carry the kitchen, but the view is the draw day or night.
What to orderpasta carbonara, risotto, tiramisu
№ 12
Forepaugh's Restaurant
St. Paul $$$
276 Exchange St S, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · +16516663636
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Forepaugh's operates out of a Victorian mansion on Exchange Street, with pan-seared salmon and prime rib anchoring a menu built for celebrations. The seasonal vegetable medley rounds out the plate. Multiple dining rooms inside the house make it a regular pick for engagements, girls' nights, and holiday dinners alike.
What to orderpan-seared salmon, prime rib, seasonal vegetable medley
Frequently asked
What is the best Italian restaurant in St. Paul near me?
It depends which part of St. Paul you are in. The East Side has Yarusso Bros and Mama's Pizza, West Seventh has Louis Ristorante above Cossetta, and rooms like Mucci's and La Grolla sit closer to downtown. Each entry above lists the neighborhood context so you can pick by location, not just by cuisine.
How is this list ranked?
By the Insider Score shown next to each restaurant, which reflects the review record for that room. No restaurant paid to be included or to rank higher, and the order is not a paid placement of any kind.
Are these all sit-down Italian restaurants, or does this include pizza places?
Both. St. Paul's Italian identity runs through its pizza counters as much as its red sauce dining rooms, so this list mixes quick pizza spots like Carbones and Eastside Pizzeria with fuller Italian menus like Yarusso Bros and La Grolla.
Is Forepaugh's actually in St. Paul, not Minneapolis?
Yes. Forepaugh's sits in St. Paul, and every restaurant on this list operates within St. Paul city limits. Minneapolis and St. Paul are separate cities with separate dining scenes, and this guide stays on the St. Paul side of the river.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Kou Thao
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Kou Thao is the St. Paul & Corridors Editor at Top of Minneapolis. Born in St. Paul and raised in Frogtown, he grew up working the family egg-roll stand at Hmongtown Marketplace. He covers the marketplaces, University Avenue, the East Side and West Side, and every corridor counter worth the trip across the river.
