Tongue in Cheek: inventive American dining with bold cocktails in St Paul
Tongue in Cheek offers inventive American dining with brunch and cocktails in St Paul. The friendly staff, clean, welcoming venue, and a thoughtfully crafted menu earn high praise—from crispy chicken and pork belly to gnocchi and creative teasers—paired with balanced cocktails and a flight option. A standout destination for lunch, brunch, or dinner.
989 Payne Ave, St Paul, MN 55130, USA
Claim Tongue in Cheek to manage your storefront, respond to reviews, and receive customer leads.
Inventive dishes like gnocchi, pork belly buns, jerk cauliflower, and pad thai salad, crafted with seasonal ingredients.
Weekend brunch featuring standout items like chicken and waffles, along with classic brunch favorites.
Expertly balanced cocktails, flights, and a curated wine list, including unique options like the Erroneous Negroni-ous.
Special packages and attentive service to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, and other milestones.
Small, perfectly crafted appetizer bites that highlight innovative flavors and presentation.
Overall rating
Joe Drake
This was our first time in and it was awesome!! The team was super attentive and gave great service! The drinks were great and the food was delicious! The best presentation of chicken and waffles I have ever had! I will be back on a day I don’t have to work and pick away at that cocktail list as they all sounded great! Thanks for an awesome brunch!! Next time I’ll take pictures!
Dylandylan Dylandylandylan
Visited this place for the nth time to have lunch with some friends. All the staff were incredibly friendly. The venue is exceedingly clean and just feels nice to be inside of. The menu is fantastic. We shared a bunch of small plates including but not limited to the crispy chicken and the pork belly. Both of which were quite delicious. We also tried a couple of the bites which were wonderful. I definitely recommend this place to anyone looking brunch, lunch, or dinner. And as a last note they did have this wonderful special beverage that I did not get but I was incredibly pleased to see it was a health potion that without alcohol gave you plus two to health, but with alcohol you took a hit of minus two. Super clever. Loved to see it. Will be going back again for the nth plus time.
Jessica Block
We go out to eat often. Probably too often. It takes a lot to truly stand out at this point, and this place absolutely did. Every bite was delicious. A special shout-out to the teasers, which we almost skipped because we weren’t totally sure what they were from the menu. They’re small, perfectly crafted bites and honestly one of the highlights of our meal. Don’t sleep on them. The cocktails were incredibly balanced, creative without being weird for the sake of it, and the flight option is a dangerously delightful idea. The atmosphere is casual, cozy, and genuinely welcoming, the kind of place that immediately makes you want to settle in and stay awhile. Food-wise, the pad thai salad was a fresh, satisfying take on a classic. The jerk cauliflower hit the ideal balance of spice and flavor. Service was fantastic across the board. Our waiter was knowledgeable and gave helpful guidance. Also, every staff member who passed our table checked in and made sure we had what we needed. A small but much-appreciated touch was fresh silverware and plates between courses. It’s the kind of detail that quietly tells you they care. This place is an absolute gem in East St. Paul. A true standout and one we won’t soon forget. I’m already looking forward to going back.
Emma Jacobson
My partner and I went here to celebrate our anniversary. The staff made it very special for us! Everyone was absolutely wonderful. The food was incredible. We got the date night special, and each item was better than the next. My particular favorite was the gnocchi and the pork belly buns. The cocktails were to die for, I could have had nothing but the Erroneous Negroni-ous all night long 😅 This place is special and I'm not surprised it's been around as long as it has. cant wait to come back! Thank you tounge in check team for the very special experience ❤️
Matthew Bolenbaugh
This place was a very unique and amazing experience. So many different flavors for the palate. From the starters to the dessert, each plate was unique and better than the last. One of the most memorable dining experiences and varied offerings for a relatively small menu that I’ve encountered in my myriad journeys across this planet. Best vegasm I ever had! (Ask your server for details ; )
