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What To-Do: Pull up a chair

June 18, 2020

Some of the best places to eat around the Bethel area.

By Laura Osterlund

As restaurants and businesses start opening up due to the lifted coronavirus regulations, it’s a good time to check out some of the top places to eat with limited indoor or outdoor patio seating around the Twin Cities:

1. Donatelli’s: Italian food, White Bear Lake

This family-owned restaurant has been a local hangout spot for generations. With any Italian restaurant, the ratio of cheese, sauce and noodles is important, and this place strives to get this ratio right with their dishes. The garlic bread and side salads are also great, and the Donatelli’s Dunker (cheesy french bread with tomato sauce) takes me back to my high school lunchroom, eating my favorite hot lunch. If my word isn’t enough, listen to celebrity chef Guy Fieri who visited it for his show Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, where he made it a location of Flavor Town.

2. The Tavern: Grill, Arden Hills

This restaurant serves everything: burgers, pasta, pizzas and seafood. Plus, each dish comes with waffle fries. The burgers burst with flavor and the pizzas are cooked in a wood fire oven. Be sure to leave room for dessert! The menu is fairly pricey, but it’s worth it for a great night out.

3. Orchid, Vietnamese fusion: White Bear Township

This place is not the average Chinese restaurant. With a combination of Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and French food offered on the menu, it’s best served family-style, allowing for a little taste of everything. The spring rolls, pad thai and sweet and sour chicken are all delicious. The lemon chicken is breaded, but not fried, with a tangy sauce, leaving a fresh lemon flavor. They serve jasmine rice, which is different from traditional white rice. However, my family of 4 always has to ask for an extra order because the serving size is not quite enough.

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