Wilde Roast Cafe

Wilde Roast Café began as a Hennepin Avenue coffee shop-with-benefits before expanding into larger, prettier Riverplace digs. The owners, a gay couple who named the place after one of the community€„¢s icons, Oscar Wilde, retained the comfortable conversation nook from the old space, complete with overstuffed, lushly upholstered couches and chairs and an antique fireplace look ripped from Wilde's era. Guests can also sit in the main dining room, the café tables clustered between the coffee counter and the gelato case, or the elevated patio along cobblestone-covered Main Street. The menu, which consists mostly of sandwiches, salads, and pizzas isn€„¢t revolutionary, but its offerings tend to be comforting and consistent. The edgiest thing about the list may be each item's title and description€"how many diners catch the joke that all the burgers are named after drag queens? Favorites include the crab cakes, Italian sausage flatbread, curried chicken salad, and an updated version of the Lutheran church potluck staple, tuna noodle hot dish. Just be sure to save room for the caf逄¢s famous flourless chocolate cake, or bête noir, which once graced the cover of Bon Appetit magazine.

• Cuisine(s): American, Breakfast, Health

  Hours: Daily 7am-10pm

  Price: $$

• Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards

  Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Takeout

  Serving: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Lunch

• Alcohol: Beer/Wine

  Reservations: Not Necessary

  Parking: Meters, Street