FACES Mears Park

Where/Why:

With large open windows overlooking St. Paul’s historic Mears Park in the Lowertown community, FACES Mears Park is beautiful in the winter and summer.  Not only does this restaurant have a great atmosphere inside and out, but the food is exceptional.  Equipped with a wine bar, bottle shop, and bakery, there are many reasons to step inside.  This Moroccan style restaurant has enough to please any pallet. 

The Menu:

All ingredients are local, and organic, with no additives or preservatives.  Even their desserts are made completely natural with Turbinado sugar and unbleached flours.   They have a lot to choose from on the menu like burgers, steaks, pasta, pizza, and salads.  The main thing I want to mention though, are the Tagines.  This is a traditional Moroccan dish, named after the pot it’s cooked (and served in), pictured here: 

These flavorful dishes are really amazing, filled with all sorts of ingredients and everything cooked to perfection.  I tried the Yellow Chicken Tagine, pictured below:

This was so full of different flavors, it forces you to slow down and really appreciate all that went in to create it.  With raisins, Jerusalem artichokes, and spices, it’s well worth the price.  And where else can you get a traditional Tagine like this? 

Their desserts are also fantastic.  I tried their flourless chocolate torte which was so good I forgot to take a picture of it before it was devoured.   Like a rich, chocolatey, moist cake, this was a perfect finish to a delicious meal.  They have many other desserts to choose from like crème brulee, macaroons, carrot cake, and you can even get a cake lollipop flight!

The Price:

The prices are decent, especially for the quality of food.  The desserts range from $2.50-$9.  Sandwiches and starters from $10-$15.  Pizza from $14-$19, and entrees from $22-$36.  They also offer a happy hour from 3-6 everyday which I’d like to come back for.  They have $4 options like flatbread, burger duos, and sliders.  Also have $4 beer selections and house wine. 

The Service:

The service is great.  They are very professional, friendly, and informative of the menu.   While we were there the executive chef, David Fhima, came out and spent a minute at each table that was dining there.  He thanked each table for coming, gave some more information on the food, and asked how we enjoyed it.  I never announce I’m there doing a review of the restaurant so he did this on his own cognizance which I thought was really cool.  Seeing him talk about his dishes you can see he puts a lot of thought and passion into what he does, and it certainly pays off in his dishes!

Bringing a little bit of Morocco to St. Paul for us foodies to try is a great reason to come here.   The beautifully designed interior facing Mears Park makes this a great spot for a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday celebration.   With a wide variety of quality menu items, you’ve got to come back more than once!