Myriel
Scandinavian-Inspired · Highland Park, Saint Paul
Restaurant in Saint Paul, United States
The Read
Nordic Larder Minimalism
Chef
Patrick O'Connell
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
Myriel is St. Paul's most decorated tasting menu restaurant, with a 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest and a Food & Wine Best New Chef recognition to its name. Chef Karyn Tomlinson's Scandinavian-inspired, farm-and-forage menu is the right call for a special occasion dinner in Minnesota. Book several weeks out; demand is high and seats are limited.
About Myriel
Verdict: Book Myriel for a Special Occasion; But Plan Weeks Ahead
Myriel is the strongest case for a destination dinner in St. Paul right now. Chef Karyn Tomlinson's tasting menu restaurant holds the 2025 James Beard Award for Leading Chef: Midwest; one of the most credible credentials in American dining, earned a Food & Wine Leading New Chef nod in 2024 and an Esquire Leading New Restaurants ranking (#14) back in 2021. That's a sustained track record, not a flash of buzz. If you're planning a celebration dinner, an anniversary, or a serious date night in the Twin Cities, this is the booking to make. Seats are limited, demand is high, the format is a tasting menu, so you are committing to the full experience when you reserve.
What to Expect
Myriel runs a Scandinavian-inspired tasting menu built around whole animals sourced from local farms and wild-foraged ingredients. Food & Wine describes Tomlinson's aesthetic as "grandma chic", vintage china, soothing neutrals, a minimalist room that reads quiet and considered rather than flashy. The kitchen's approach to sourcing means the menu shifts with what's available, so what you eat in late spring differs from a winter visit. Coming now, expect the menu to reflect the current season's forage and farm supply. The aromas from a kitchen working with fresh herbs, roasted duck, farm-direct produce carry a distinctly earthy, herbal quality that sets the tone before the first course arrives.
This is not a high-energy late-night room. Myriel's format and atmosphere are calibrated for focused dining: conversation, courses, a pace that rewards attention. If you're looking for a venue that runs late with a lively bar scene, this is not it, the tasting menu structure means the evening ends when your meal ends. For a special occasion where the dinner itself is the event, that works in your favor.
Booking Difficulty: Hard
Getting a table at Myriel requires advance planning. The James Beard win in 2025 has intensified demand, the seat count is small. Book as far out as your schedule allows, several weeks minimum is a reasonable expectation, weekend dates around holidays will go faster. If your dates are fixed, check for reservation releases as soon as they open. Walk-in availability is unlikely at a venue of this format and profile.
How Myriel Fits a Special Occasion
For a celebration dinner in St. Paul, Myriel is the answer. The combination of a James Beard-recognized chef, a farm-and-forage tasting menu on vintage china, a room designed for quiet focus makes it the right call for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, or any occasion where the meal should feel deliberate. It does not offer the theatrical drama of Alinea in Chicago or the coastal seafood precision of Le Bernardin in New York City, but within the Twin Cities market, nothing else at this tier is comparable. If you want a special occasion dinner without flying to another city, Myriel is the venue.
Practical Details
| Detail | Myriel | Lazy Bear (SF) | Alinea (Chicago) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Tasting menu | Tasting menu | Tasting menu |
| Cuisine | Scandinavian-inspired | Progressive American | Progressive American |
| Awards | James Beard 2025, F&W 2024 | Michelin-starred | Michelin 3-star |
| Booking difficulty | Hard | Hard | Very hard |
| Price range | Not listed | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| City access | St. Paul, MN | San Francisco, CA | Chicago, IL |
For more dining options in the area, see our full St. Paul restaurants guide. If you're planning a full trip, our St. Paul hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest.
Planning details
- Location
- 470 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul, MN 55105
- Reservations
- Book on OpenTable
- Website
- myrielmn.com
- Phone
- (651) 340-3568
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Myriel presents a restrained, thoughtful interior that favors minimalist lines and soothing neutrals over ornament. The dining room is quietly confident — it "does not announce itself" and allows the meal to unfold without distraction. The cuisine is New Nordic-adjacent: measured, seasonal and exacting, with an aesthetic that balances warmth and precision. That restrained intelligence gives the restaurant a sophisticated, modern character; it's reserved rather than flashy, and designed for diners who appreciate clarity of design and disciplined cooking rather than theatricality.
Best For
Myriel is best experienced as an evening destination for those seeking serious, seasonal cooking. The kitchen operates in a tasting-menu format that highlights whole-animal sourcing and foraged ingredients, so the restaurant suits diners looking for a focused, multi-course meal—think date nights and special occasions rather than casual drop-ins. Its quieter St. Paul setting and considered service make it a good choice when you want a composed, intentional dinner built around land-to-table technique and low-intervention flavor work.
Ordering Tips
Expect a tasting-menu format and a menu shaped by seasonality and whole-animal butchery; the kitchen "sources whole animals from local farms and forages for wild ingredients," so dishes emphasize provenance and restraint. If you favor composed, ingredient-forward preparations, opt into the tasting sequence to appreciate the chef’s edits. Signature preparations (for example: gnocchi, duck breast, stewed black lentils) are emblematic of the kitchen’s approach and are worth trying when they appear on the menu.
Planning details
Location
Also consider
Also Consider
- Le Bernardin; French, Seafood, $$$$
- Atomix; Modern Korean, Korean, $$$$
- Lazy Bear; Progressive American, Contemporary, $$$$
- Alinea; Progressive American, Creative, $$$$
- Atelier Crenn; Modern French, Contemporary, $$$$
Restaurant context
Myriel occupies a different category from the comparison venues listed here. Le Bernardin, Atomix, Alinea, and Atelier Crenn are all major-city flagships in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, with price points and booking windows that reflect their markets. Myriel competes on credential; the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest is a direct measure; but sits in a smaller market with fewer competitors, which makes it the clearest choice for a high-end tasting menu dinner in the Twin Cities without requiring travel.
If you're comparing the experience itself: Alinea is the pick if theatrical presentation and avant-garde technique are the priority, while Lazy Bear in San Francisco is the closer analog to Myriel in spirit; communal, farm-driven, warmly executed rather than formally austere. For pure seafood precision, Le Bernardin is in a separate category entirely. Myriel's strength is its specific identity: Scandinavian-inspired, forage-forward, grounded in Midwestern sourcing in a way none of those coastal venues are.
On booking difficulty, Myriel is hard but not impossible in the way that Alinea or Atomix can be. The practical case for Myriel is clear: if you're based in the Midwest and want a James Beard-caliber tasting menu without flying to New York or Chicago, this is the booking to make. If you're already planning a trip to a larger market, the comparison venues offer more options at similar or higher tiers; but none of them are in St. Paul.
Explore Saint Paul
Around this place
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Unlock the full Myriel guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare Myriel
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myriel | Hard | 2025 Food & Wine Global Tastemakers Top Restaurants · #92025 James Beard Award Semifinalists2025 James Beard Awards2021 Esquire Best New Restaurants · #14 | |
| Le Bernardin | $$$$ | Unknown | 2026 Eater NY 38 Best Restaurants in New York City · #82026 North America's 50 Best Restaurants · #132026 New York Times Best Restaurants in New York City · #212026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #342026 Forbes 5-Star2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2026 Wine Spectator Grand Award2026 Les Grandes Tables du Monde Members2025 New York Times Best Restaurants in New York City · #3 |
| Atomix | $$$$ | Unknown | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #62026 New York Times Best Restaurants in New York City · #72026 North America's 50 Best Restaurants · #7Star Wine Lists 20262026 Les Grandes Tables du Monde Members2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 World's 50 North America's Best Restaurants · #12025 James Beard Awards · #12025 New York Times Best Restaurants in New York City · #2 |
| Lazy Bear | $$$$ | Unknown | 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants · #100Star Wine Lists 20262026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Highly Recommended2026 Wine Spectator Grand Award2026 Michelin 2 Stars2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 World's 50 North America's Best Restaurants · #252025 Robb Report 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century · #852025 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #176 |
| Alinea | $$$$ | Unknown | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #442026 Forbes 5-Star2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Robb Report 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century · #12025 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #20Chef's Table Featured Restaurants · 20252025 The Best Chef Three Knives2025 Forbes 5-Star2025 Michelin 3 Stars |
| Atelier Crenn | $$$$ | Unknown | 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants · #292026 North America's 50 Best Restaurants · #442026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #672026 Forbes 5-Star2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2026 Michelin 3 Stars2026 Les Grandes Tables du Monde Members2025 Robb Report 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century · #312025 World's 50 North America's Best Restaurants · #46 |
A quick look at how Myriel measures up.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Myriel good for a special occasion?
Yes; it's the strongest argument for a celebration dinner in St. Paul right now. Chef Karyn Tomlinson holds the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, the farm-and-forage tasting menu on vintage china in a minimalist dining room is built for a meal you're marking on the calendar. Book as far out as possible; demand has increased sharply since the James Beard win.
What should a first-timer know about Myriel?
Myriel runs a Scandinavian-inspired tasting menu format, so there's no à la carte option to fall back on. Ingredients come from local farms and wild-foraged sources, Food & Wine named Tomlinson a Best New Chef in 2024. The room reads as minimalist with vintage china; described by critics as 'grandma chic'; so expect a restrained, precise experience rather than a high-energy scene.
Is Myriel good for solo dining?
Solo dining at a tasting menu restaurant of this caliber is often a good fit; counter or bar seats, if available, tend to work well for single diners, the focused format means you're not disadvantaged without a group. Given the small seat count and post-James Beard demand, solo diners should book in advance rather than rely on last-minute availability.
What are alternatives to Myriel in St. Paul?
In the Twin Cities, Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis is the most obvious comparison for locally sourced, chef-driven dining with similar prestige credentials. For a less formal experience at a lower price point, smaller neighborhood restaurants along Grand Avenue in St. Paul offer farm-forward cooking without the tasting menu commitment. If you want the tasting menu format specifically, Myriel is the clearest choice in the metro right now.
What should I order at Myriel?
Myriel runs a set tasting menu, so ordering decisions aren't yours to make in the traditional sense. Food & Wine specifically highlighted a duck breast dish; crispy, sliced over sauce, scattered with herbs; as representative of Tomlinson's approach. Trust the menu; the whole-animal sourcing and foraged ingredients are the point, not individual dishes you can cherry-pick.
