My husband says that he really misses my Restaurant Impression posts. So I’ll to crank a few long overdue ones out for you all.

Ward 6 was my chosen brunch spot after Rob’s first 5k last month. I remember that after my first 5k, we had trouble finding an open restaurant nearby serving lunch or brunch. To avoid all of the driving around when we’d be hungry, I did my research in advance this time. I found two or three new-to-us brunch places within just a few miles of the race site that also had items on the menu that Rob would enjoy.

I’d seen the name of this restaurant buzzing about the web for a while now; so I was naturally curious to find out what we were missing.

Ward 6 is located on the east side of St. Paul in a neighborhood to which I’d never been. Per our usual, we pulled a couple of seats up to the bar. It’s a cozy little place and I immediately loved the vibe. Then we received the menus.

Oh the menus!

First let’s start with the Morning Drinks:

I love that they make espresso drinks! Too often, I’ve been disappointed by sludgy coffee when I’m out when all I want is a good cuppa joe. And Ward 6 gets extra points for serving our local Surly Coffee Bender beer for breakfast. And adding an extra dose of espresso to it is just pure genius.

In addition to the Surly Coffee Bender, they have a nice varied selection of Minnesota brews on tap:

In fact, they strive for all local beers on tap! I love the philosophy.

I also love a beer list with a date at the top. This means that the establishment changes their beer selection often. Both The Happy Gnome and The Lowry do this. To me, it’s a sign of a great place to enjoy craft beer.

They also have a well-stocked bar, with some unique and even house-made liqueurs:

The brunch menu suggests some breakfast cocktails:

But I chose to order outside the box as soon as I saw the regular cocktail menu:

You know how I love my St. Germain! Let me tell you, the cocktails at Ward 6 can give any craft cocktail joint a run for their money. I was so impressed that I later ordered another off the cocktail menu – The Ward 6.

The combo sounded a little strange to me, especially with the chili. But I was feeling adventurous! It ended up being an utterly sublime cocktail. It was well-balanced in every respect; but you could still taste a little bit of every flavor. It didn’t sound good to Rob, but I forced him to taste it. And he concurred that it was not only unique, but very tasty. It’s a cocktail that I can’t imagine you can find anywhere else, so we’ll have to come back! {I have a feeling trying to recreate this cocktail might be more than a tad difficult.}

But we didn’t spend the entire morning boozing! We needed to refuel after the 5k. Whether or not it was appropriate refueling food is another matter.

I had heard that the burger at Ward 6 was sensational. So when I was doing my brunch research and found that the burger was on their brunch menu, I knew it would be a perfect post-race brunch spot for Rob.

And I was right. He ordered the burger:

Of course, that photo does not do this burger any justice. Rob absolutely loved it. The quality of all the ingredients was top notch. Learn why in the box on this menu:

Do you remember my first time at Groveland Tap when I skimmed over the Welsh Rarebit, thinking that it was made of rabbit? Well, Ward 6 has actually named this dish Welsh Rabbit. See the listing in the in the box above!

And that is exactly what I ordered:

I was a little leery about the “cheese sauce” when ordering, picturing nacho cheese from a can. But I was pleasantly surprised. This tasted a bit like a Croque Madame with more of a béchamel sauce. It was a small dish (and only $6); but it was very filling with plenty of caloric value!

Before we left, I had to check out the dessert list. I had been considering an espresso drink to-go. But I loved the listing of after dinner drinks, as well as the descriptions!

But what caught my eye was the Affogato. That’s just right up my alley. And homemade soft serve? SOLD!

We absolutely adored Ward 6. Rob and I decided that this is a place we’d like to take out-of-town guests. We’d also like to go back in the evening to try their dinner menu. But really, you can come any time of day. They begin serving coffee and espresso drinks at 7am on weekdays, then start breakfast at 8am. And they serve food straight through lunch and dinner, generally closing between 11pm and midnight.

Or just stop by for an Adult Milkshake!

I loved the how laid-back this place was, while sporting a varied and entertainingly unique menu. The cuisine we tried was above-average diner fare that left us satisfied. The drinks – perfect. The servers were even taste-testing a few of the new wines on their menu and discussing them. I like an informed waitstaff. I tend to ask a lot of questions. 😉

What’s your favorite espresso drink or dish?

Cheers~
Carrie