The East Side runs on Payne Avenue and Arcade Street, not on hype from across the river. This stretch of St. Paul holds a steak house that has served lunch specials since the owners' parents ran it, a Korean strip-mall room with a cult following for its wings, and a Salvadoran kitchen turning out pupusas by hand. Here are ten rooms worth the drive off 35E.
№ 01
Tongue in Cheek
St. Paul $$
989 Payne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55130 · +16518886148
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The Bacon & Egg Teaser and the Vegasm, kimchi potato cakes that show up as a rotating special, anchor a New American menu that treats happy hour as a real event rather than an afterthought. Plating gets attention here without turning precious. The East Fried Pride draws repeat orders, and the room reads as a solid date spot that never loses its casual footing.
What to orderBacon & Egg Teaser, Vegasm (kimchi potato cakes), East Fried Pride
№ 02
Brunson's Pub
St. Paul $$
956 Payne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55130 · +16514472483
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Brunson's Pub built its patio reputation on burgers, and the MN Burger Week entry, a single patty with white American, sauteed red onion, pickle and mustard, shows the kitchen doesn't need a long menu to make its point. Pub decor, a full drink list from tap beer to cocktails, and a patio that fills fast on a sunny afternoon round out the pull.
What to orderMN Burger Week burger, classic burger, craft cocktails
№ 03
Little Oven
St. Paul $$
1786 Minnehaha Ave E, Saint Paul, MN 55119 · +16517354944
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Little Oven's garbage pizza carries decades of loyalty on St. Paul's East Side, loaded with toppings and built for sharing. The lasagna comes stacked with cheese, enough that some diners peel back the topping layer before digging in. Service can lag at the edges of a visit, but the pizza and pasta keep this a neighborhood standby.
What to ordergarbage pizza, lasagna, margherita pizza
№ 04
The Best Steak House- White Bear Ave
St. Paul $$
1676 White Bear Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55106 · +16517765419
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On White Bear Avenue, this steak house has held loyal customers for decades on the strength of its lunch specials, where a cheap steak plate with shrimp and mushrooms on the side draws diners back year after year. Quality can swing between visits, but the regulars who have eaten here since their teens keep coming back for the price and the routine.
What to ordersteak, shrimp, mushrooms
№ 05
Kong's Kitchen
St. Paul
1098 Arcade St, Saint Paul, MN 55106 · +16517974658
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Kong's Kitchen runs small and fast on Arcade Street, built for takeout more than lingering. Pad thai and spring rolls move quickly through a compact space with a steady lunch crowd, and the orange chicken holds up as a reliable order. Parking near the storefront takes some patience, but the kitchen's turnaround makes up for it.
What to orderpad thai, spring rolls, orange chicken
635 Payne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55130 · +16517764848
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Yarusso Bros has served Payne Avenue since long before East Side dining had a name for itself, with a compact menu built around lasagna and chicken parmigiana that reads as unfussy and consistent. Servers move with the ease of a room that has done this for generations, and the spaghetti carbonara gives regulars a reason to return without straying far.
What to orderlasagna, chicken parmigiana, spaghetti carbonara
№ 07
Juche
St. Paul
1124 Payne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55130 · +16124903380
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Juche operates out of a strip mall entryway strung with curtains, and the spicy and creamy noodles have built a following strong enough that fans mourn dishes when they leave the rotation. Wings draw the loudest praise on the menu, bibimbap rounds out the order, and the room's ordering system, a QR code at the entrance, keeps the pace quick and casual.
What to orderspicy and creamy noodles, wings, bibimbap
№ 08
Taqueria Los Paisanos
St. Paul $
825 E 7th St, Saint Paul, MN 55106 · +16517788062
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Taqueria Los Paisanos built its name on tamales and mulitas generous enough to feed a family gathering, and its food truck brings that same menu to celebrations and reunions. Al pastor gets singled out most often, portions run large across the board, and the soup, an easy pick on a cooling fall day, rewards diners who look past the tacos.
What to ordertamales, al pastor, mulitas
№ 09
Eastside Pizzeria
St. Paul $
1050 Payne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55130 · +16517767499
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Eastside Pizzeria bakes a thin crust pepperoni and mushroom pie that holds its structure at fourteen inches, and the garlic and pepper pizza gives the menu its local edge. Service and the room's atmosphere get warm marks from regulars, though cleanliness complaints have surfaced often enough to flag before a visit.
What to orderPepperoni pizza, Mushroom pizza, Garlic and pepper pizza
№ 10
Mañana Salvadoran Restaurant
St. Paul $
798 7th St E, Saint Paul, MN 55106 · +16517938482
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Mañana Salvadoran Restaurant makes its case with the pupusa rebuelta, packed with meat and cheese and built for diners trying Salvadoran food for the first time. Yucca fries and pollo guisado, a chicken stew with tender dark meat, potato and carrot, round out a menu printed half in Spanish that treats newcomers and longtime East Side residents the same way.
What to orderpupusa rebuelta, pollo guisado, yucca fries
Frequently asked
What is the best restaurant in St. Paul's East Side near me?
It depends on the block. Payne Avenue holds Yarusso Bros and Tongue in Cheek, Arcade Street holds Juche and Kong's Kitchen, and White Bear Avenue holds the steak house that has run lunch specials for decades. Each entry here carries an Insider Score based on the review record, and no restaurant pays to be listed.
Which East Side restaurant is best for a group or family gathering?
Taqueria Los Paisanos handles group orders well, including catering a food truck to private events, and Yarusso Bros and Little Oven both run family-friendly rooms suited to a table of six or more without a reservation.
Where can I get Korean food on St. Paul's East Side?
Juche, on Arcade Street, is the East Side's Korean kitchen, known for its wings and its spicy and creamy noodles. It runs as a small, casual room, so walk-in flexibility matters more than a reservation.
Are these East Side picks based on real reviews?
Yes. Each restaurant carries an Insider Score built from the public review record, not paid placement. No restaurant on this list paid for its spot or its ranking.
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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.
