Cosetta’s – St. Paul, MN

D.Rough grew up coming to Cosetta’s for all kinds of occasions. It’s an Italian place that has a very odd/confusing/interesting set up and flow. It starts in the parking lot. You can pull into the entrance and wait for a parking attendant to give you a ticket. Or you can pull into one of four spots and make a dash for the door to pick up something fast.

Then once inside, you can choose between three different lines for food. There’s a pizza line, a pasta and salad line, and then there’s a FULL deli and store line. We’ve popped into the deli and grabbed some meatballs before and we’ve gotten some pizza as well. Everything here is delicious. So when you walk in, it will look like there are hundreds of people in line (and there ARE), but they’re actually in various lines, so there are actually only 30 people in front of you – yeah, it’s THAT busy all the time.

Tonight we wanted some pasta, so I found the final line. I saw the specials listed and knew I wanted the Manicotti. D.Rough got the Mostaccioli and a meatball. They put it right on your plate right there and send you to the cashier. I believe it was the right choice, even though I couldn’t decide on the mostaccioli or the manicotti. The reason I say it was the right choice is because the manicotti comes with a side of mostaccioli – ch-ching!!!!

Everything is absolutely amazing here. The mostaccioli is perfectly cooked and the red sauce they use is really one of the best.

I LOVED the manicotti and the white cream sauce they put on it was even better than the red sauce. There was a fantastic amount of cheese on the inside that completed the whole thing. I would eat this every day if I could avoid my doctor for the next 20 years. Hahaha.

Everything at Cosetta’s is delicious. It has a very “family-feel” to it and they do a VERY good business. Lots of people in and out of this place. Don’t let the line scare you. You won’t wait long, and the food is worth it. There is an upstairs dining room too, so don’t miss out on that.

Top 5 things about Cosetta’s
1. Manicotti
2. Meatballs
3. Mostaccioli
4. Pizza
5. Amazing Deli

Bottom 5 things
1. Weird flow and various lines without good signage
2. People are allowed to cut in line if the people in front of you are taking too long at one particular area - weird
3. Parking situation is weird, but you get used to it
4. I always want to eat 43 things when I come here
5. It’s a pretty loud place, especially on event nights at the Xcel Energy Center

www.cossettaeventi.com