A small sign positioned on a large creme-colored, apartment-style building reads, “Stella’s Fish Cafe”––an awfully deceiving appearance. Located in the bustling streets of Uptown, Stella’s Fish Café provides food of a far better quality than regular side street restaurants.

Stella’s Fish Café successfully combines its food with a laid-back surrounding, including café-style plates and cups, paper place mats, and cloth napkins. The food is occasionally served in a basket and is always presented with care.

The most famous item on the menu is the fish and chips; this dish combines the flavors of cod, crumbly bread toppings and fries into one massive meal, for a fresh taste on a summer day or a warm meal on a winter night.

Among the other items on the menu, the most expensive is the lobster. Towards the back of the restaurant, a small tank contains about 5-10 lobsters, for a pick-and-cook service. Although Stella’s focuses mainly on fish, other options like burgers and salads are also provided.

Seating at Stella’s can be as intimate as a candlelit dinner, with the option of a booth or seating on the roof. The roof of Stella’s is turned into a magical bar and dining area during the summer, offering a view of the Minneapolis skyline.

Lining the walls of the restaurant are quotes of all kinds, from quirky (“Think you’re allergic to shellfish? Prove it”) to meaningful quotes. Each booth also has a picture above, usually depicting an obese person, a theme throughout the entire restaurant.

The waiters at Stella’s really seem to enjoy their job and often go out of their way to please their customers, some even take the liberty of taking a lobster out of its cage, not for cooking, but so children can see it.

Although Stella’s Fish Cafe is expensive, with entrees costing between ten and thirty dollars, it’s the experience that makes the money worth it; with its outside dining area and well-prepared food, Stella’s successfully makes its name known as much more than a side street café.